Pick a Price: 1978 Pontiac Bonneville Landau – Sold?
February 15, 2021 Update – while this “Classifind” expired recently, given the seller’s past history we suspect may not actually be sold yet. For now, we’re labeling this ride “Sold?” However, we will keep an eye out for updated listings. In the interim, please reach out either by email or call Rudy directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.
February 4, 2021 Update – Seriously, you cannot make this stuff up! The private seller re-lowered their asking price to $9,995.
January 21, 2021 Update – You can’t make this stuff up! In their latest new listing for their 400-powered ’78 Bonneville, the private seller re-lowered their asking price to $11,000.
November 29th Update – Conventional wisdom dictates if your car doesn’t sell at a certain price for several months, then raising said price will likely not help your cause. Oddly, the private seller of this very nice 400 V8 equipped ’78 Bonneville didn’t get that memo as they just raised their asking price back up to $12,995 in their latest Craigslist ad just posted earlier today.
October 28th Update – After a one-month hiatus following an August expired listing, we confirmed the private seller of this 1978 Pontiac Bonneville is still trying to find its next caretaker. The asking price in the fresh listing is back up to $10,995.
September 7th Update – Same price, different month. We just found a fresh listing for this Pontiac Bonneville that no one seems interested in buying at the current asking price.
August 15th Update – What’s the best strategy to finally sell your Malaise-Era Pontiac you’ve been trying to move for the past six months? Increasing your price by one thousand is likely not the best path, yet that’s exactly what this seller did over the weekend. We will continue to monitor this last of the Big Block powered Bonnevilles.
August 3rd Update: While preparing for our latest Malaise Monday feature we noticed a fresh listing for this 400 cubic inch V8 equipped 1978 Pontiac Bonneville Two Door Landau. Despite what appears to be a lack of buyers, the seller kept the price of his Concours-quality Pontiac at $9,995.
July 19th Update: Another three months have passed since we last saw a listing for this 6.6 Liter factory-equipped and nicely optioned 1978 Bonneville Two Door Landau. While the listing is new, the price remains firm at $9,995. We predict this pretty and well-optioned survivor will remain in the seller’s garage until they decide to lower the price a few thousand more as these late seventies Bonnevilles have yet to resonate with anyone other than the most hardcore Pontiac enthusiasts.
April 6th Update: It’s hard to believe it has been two months already since we first featured this Sea Foam Green 1978 Pontiac Bonneville in early February with an initial asking price of $10,900. Over the weekend we came across a fresh post in which the seller lowered the price $905 to $9,995. Despite the decrease, the asking price still represents a $3,000 premium above the current NADA classic car value range for this “turn-key, collector quality” ride. Good luck with the purchase!
While Pontiac’s Trans Am stole much of the limelight heavily promoting the soon-to-be-extinct 400 cubic inch V8 in 1978, it was not the only model you could still order with the division’s biggest engine. A prime example is this Sea Foam Green 1978 Pontiac Bonneville Two-Door Landau originally listed in February 2020 on Craigslist in Pelham, Massachusetts. A quick review of the Collector Car Market Review Online Tool confirms the private seller’s asking price falls between this guide’s #2 “Very Good” estimate of $8,125 and its #1 “Excellent” appraisal of $12,400 for what’s billed as a “turn-key, collector quality” Bonneville formerly owned by a past President of the Pontiac Oakland Club. If you are serious about buying this last of the big-block powered, full-size Pontiacs, you can start the conversation by calling Steve at (978) 807-6093. When you connect, please remember to mention you’ve seen his Bonneville featured here on GuysWithRides.com since February.
1978 was the second year for GM’s downsized B-Body cars and Pontiac’s Bonneville was arguably the best looking of the bunch as they came with a nice mix of luxury with a hint of sportiness. After playing second fiddle to the Grandville earlier in the decade, for 1977 Bonneville regained its flagship duties on the downsized big car line that was 14 inches shorter in length, over four inches narrower, and 800 pounds lighter compared to their 1976 counterparts, yet featured increased headroom, rear-seat legroom and trunk space, and much-improved fuel economy. If you’re a Pontiac fan who dares to be different from the sea of Trans Ams seen at nearly every event, this Bonneville makes a fine alternative. Good luck with the purchase!
Here’s the seller’s description:
“Beautiful Bonneville in excellent condition throughout. High-quality base coat-clear repaint in factory Sea-Foam Green completed several years ago still looks new. Final year for Pontiac 400 engine. COLD A/C. Upgraded stereo with CD. Rear defroster. Factory gages, handling package, and front/rear sway bars. No winters ever and always garaged. Super clean rust free body, frame and undercarriage. Runs and drives 100%. All service and maintenance is up to date. $4500 invested within past 3 seasons for preventative maintenance. Brand new factory correct sea-foam green vinyl top. Original window sticker and extensive documentation included. This is a Turn- Key Bonneville in top condition. Collector quality and prior ownership by President of Pontiac-Oakland Club. Sold with Bill of Sale and clear NH. Title. Serious inquiries please call the owner directly. Thank you.“
Do you have a Bonneville story you’d like to share? Comment below and let us know!
It’s funny…. it’s called the ‘malaise’ era for good reasons. The cars of the time weren’t built very well. They performed much worse than pre-1973 cars because of the early primitive emissions control systems. The Big 3 were all having problems, contributed to in part by poor macroeconomic conditions. Most of the cars of the time were not loved even back then. We knew they were crap.
But now, looking back through the lenses of nostalgia, they have character and personality. Somehow, many of them (like this Bonneville) are more interesting than all the anonymous appliance boxes sold today. There aren’t too many malaise era cars left, and they’re relatively cheap compared to the ‘real’ classics. Seems to make a reasonably priced way to get an interesting ride.
I’ll follow up on my own comment… it’s never a good sign when a seller *raises* the price over time. It invariably means they will be tough to deal with in trying to actually buy the car. Maybe they’re not really serious, promised their spouse they’d ‘put it up for sale’ but sorry honey, no one wants to buy it. Or maybe it’s a classic craigslist ‘I know what I got’ crazy. Whatever, it seems the car might be destined to stay in their garage for a long time, and ultimately be sold by their heirs or estate.