NEW! Award 48: 1974 Pontiac Ventura Hatchback – Sold?

January 31st, 2021 Update – We just noticed the listing “Classifind” expired, so with no replacement found we’re assuming this ride “Sold?” While this one got away, please reach out either by email or call Rudy directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.

November 27th Update – We just came across a new listing for this ’74 Pontiac with the price lowered another $1,000 to $10,200.

October 24th Update – We just noticed the private seller of this very solid ’74 Pontiac Ventura just lowered the asking price their price in a fresh listing from $11,600 to $11,200. Unfortunately, that’s still higher than the Classic Car Market tool’s #1 value.

October 7th Update – We just noticed the private seller of this very solid ’74 Pontiac Ventura just lowered the asking price from their original $12,500 down to $11,600.

The first car I owned was a 1974 Pontiac Ventura I purchased in 1980 from my uncle (the original owner) for a whopping $150.  Despite being severely rusted from the heavily salted roads of Western New York, that inline-six-powered, badge-engineered Nova ended up serving both me and later my sister as fairly reliable high school and first-job transportation.  I always have a soft spot when I come across a similar example. However, the price of this 57K original mile Silverleaf green 1974 Ventura Hatchback originally listed in September 2020 on Craigslist in Yorktown, Virginia had me in shock.  The Collector Car Market Review Online Tool confirms this private seller has his base Ventura priced $1,700 above the #1 “Excellent” appraisal of $10,800.   The NADA Guides Classic Car Online Valuation Tool confirms the private seller currently has his Ventura priced at the upper bound of the “Low”, “Average”, and “High” retail value range of $3,950, $8,150, and $12,950, respectively. Finally, the Hagerty Insurance Online Valuation Tool currently only lists values for the GTO version of this car, so using that as a proxy confirms the private seller has their Ventura priced between the #3 “Good” appraisal of $14,400 and the #4 “Fair” (Daily Driver) estimate of $7,200.  The current optimistic pricing of this solid, straight, and straight-six powered example motivates us to give the private seller our latest “NEW!” (short for “No Effin Way!”) Award.

Originally a higher-priced trim line launched on its 1960 full-size offerings, by 1971 Pontiac moved the name to their new X-body entry, the Ventura II.  Ventura II production ran from 1971 to 1977.  Pontiac dropped the “II” suffix after 1972, and the Phoenix name replaced Ventura in 1978. Engine offerings for the abbreviated 1971 model year included either a Chevrolet 250 cubic inch inline six-cylinder or a 307 cubic inch V8.

In 1974, the Pontiac GTO name moved to the Ventura from the intermediate LeMans line. The GTO package gave the basic Ventura a 350 cubic inch engine with a four-barrel carburetor of about 200 horsepower. The new hatchback version offered increased luggage capacity with its fold-down rear seat.  Pontiac even offered a custom-fitted tent as a dealer-installed option.

The Osborn Tramaine YouTube Channel features this 1974 Pontiac Ventura commercial subtly hinting at it being a better alternative to the Japanse imports of the day:

While we don’t like the asking price, we love the straight body and mostly original paint of this low-mileage survivor.  The optional air conditioning is an added bonus, however, don’t expect to win any stop light drag races with this car when the compressor engages.  Good luck with the purchase!

Here’s the seller’s description:

“1974 Pontiac Ventura 250 6cyl, Turbo 350, AC, Power Disc Brakes and Power Steering. All Original interior, Tilt Wheel, Bench Seat. 2 door hatchback that is virtually rust free and 75 % Original paint … Great project or daily driver … Original steel wheels included .“

Do you have a Pontiac Ventura story you’d like to share?  Comment below and let us know!