The Trans Am was already the coolest kid on the block in 1979, so it dominated the Firebird sales in a way that no other model in the lineup could match.
Pontiac sold nearly 211,500 Firebirds, and the Trans Am accounted for more than half with 117,108 units. It was the best year for the Trans Am, and the debut of the Tenth Anniversary model made it even more intriguing.
The base Firebird was the second best-selling version with approximately 38,600 units, followed by the Esprit with 30,850 cars. The Formula was next with 24,850 units.
A 1979 Firebird Esprit landed on eBay in unrestored condition, hoping this little detail would convince a brave soul to begin a complete restoration.
The car looks good, and I believe it currently serves as a daily driver, meaning that you won’t struggle with missing parts and the rust invasion. It’s unclear if you’ll find such problems on this Firebird, so you should put the car on a lift and inspect everything in person, including the undersides.
The most important part concerns the restoration the car never received. Seller mbrothers says the Esprit still flexes the setup that Pontiac installed before letting it leave the factory, minus the original gas tank. They already replaced it, but it’s unclear if they used aftermarket parts, so you’ll want to have this checked if the all-original factor is critical for your purchase.
They also installed an aftermarket stereo, and please, remove that horrendous “upgrade” because it makes no sense on such a great car.
The body looks good but requires additional repairs, including for the dings and scratches that you typically find on a daily driver. The good news is that you’re getting tons of options, and the only missing part is the T-Tops “because the original owner didn’t want them.” It’s bad news for a 1979 Firebird, impacting its resale value too.
The owner has very ambitious expectations from their Firebird, as they posted the car on eBay for an auction, expecting to get close to $14,000 for it. The bidding is underway, and it’s no surprise it caught people’s attention, given the good shape and the unrestored condition, but the received offers don’t get anywhere close to the selling price. The top offer at the time of writing is $5,700, and unsurprisingly, the reserve is still in place.
The bidding will end in approximately four days, so it’ll be interesting if the digital battle unlocks the reserve. If it doesn’t, the Firebird will stay where it is, possibly making its way to eBay for a second time in early 2024. You can find the car in Brandon, Vermont if you want to see everything in person before making an offer.