1990 Pontiac Trans AM GTA

1990 Pontiac Trans Am GTA Description:

LOW MILES, GREAT SHAPE. NEEDS NOTHING - READY TO ENJOY!
This is a really unique head-turner of a Trans Am, fully sorted and ready to enjoy. If you are looking for a turn-key car that you can hop in and just have a great time, then please read on for more information about my car. I'm an enthusiast, not a dealer or a flipper, and will be as honest as possible with you about the car and its condition.
The first thing you should know is I absolutely love this car. When the GTA trim level was released I absolutely fell in love. Owning this car has been a dream come true for me. So why am I selling? Very simply, I have a lot of projects and have done all that needs doing with this one. Now it's time for someone else to enjoy this car which will in turn free up funds for me to wrap up the other things I would like to do.
Overall, this is an extremely clean and well-cared-for car. It's not a rust-bucket, it hasn't been hot-rodded or hacked up or modified. Some kid didn't beat it up trying to make it fast & furious or stuff it with a giant sound system. It has been adult owned & driven and I've always garaged it. It's becoming harder and harder to find these cars in this condition.
The 1990 model year GTA was a peak in 3rd generation style & performance. This is the last year of the strong & reliable L-98 and represents the highest performance of the third-gen cars. This is also the last year before the "swoopy" ground-effects were added, but the first year of the new & improved dash design.
This car was delivered new at Borg Pontiac in Downers Grove, IL. I bought the car in Florida and brought it to Texas. The original window sticker (plus a laminated reproduction for display), owners manual and build sheet and PHS documentation package will be included with the car. I'll also send receipts and records with the car if you like.
I believe I am the 3rd owner, and have found no indications of accidents or damage. The body is straight with no signs of rust. The car has been refinished in its factory color by the previous owner. The paint is shiny and all the badges are in the correct placement. (Fake GTA's often have the badges in the wrong spot.)
Inside the car, the dash pad is original, and fully intact. No cracks or tears or UV damage. The same goes for the rest of the interior. I installed new carpets, floor mats, factory seat covers and sunvisors less than a year ago. When the carpet came out I had the opportunity to inspect the floorpans, which I found to be in perfect condition. While the carpets were out, I installed new dynamat insulation which makes the car quieter and less resonant. The windows were tinted several years ago by the previous owner which has helped preserve the plastic bits inside. When the car came to Texas I had to remove the tint from the door windows as it was too dark to pass our state inspection.
The engine runs strong and smooth and passed the emissions test for state registration. (The car is now emissions-exempt as it's over 25 years old.)
The weatherstripping has been completely replaced with new rubber. It's so well sealed now that you need to put a little force into closing the doors due to the air pressure. Now there's no need to be worried about getting caught in the rain or going through the car wash. The combination of new seals and the dynamat have greatly reduced road and wind noise on the highway.
When the handling got a little sloppy, I replaced the factory shocks & struts with high-end KYB units. Wheel bearings were done at the same time.
A common problem with early air-bag cars is the tilt column tends to loosen up. This is due to the added weight of the airbag that over time exceeded the designed strength of the tilt mechanism. I've seen this with many of my cars from this era. I had a tilt column specialist repair the column using retrofit parts for added durability. The result is a steering column that will always be as tight & strong as the day it rolled out of the factory.
This particular car is special because it has the 350 CI / 5.7 Liter L-98 engine, but also has T-tops. If you do your homework, you'll find that's not a combination that was available from the factory. GM only offered T-tops on the small engine cars. This car has T-tops by "Cars & Concepts" (aka "C&C") that was spec'd by the dealer at the time of order. The car has the factory T-top storage bag to house the glass tops when they are removed from the car.
GM did not offer the tops on the higher-performance cars due to concerns about body-flex induced by the higher torque engines. This is addressed on this car with the addition of additional bracing on the chassis, including a strut-tower brace (STB) in the engine compartment and a steering brace (aka "Wonderbar") underneath the front end. This not only addresses overall chassis stiffness, but also maintains the correct geometry of the pitman arm and idler arm during cornering. Combined, the STB & Wonderbar improve the handling of the car while strengthening the chassis and reducing stress off the steering gear box mount. You get all the style and enjoyment from the removable glass tops, but also added handling and strength on the chassis.
I have clean & clear Texas title.
This car attracts a lot of attention. Prepare to get compliments, questions, offers to buy, etc. at the gas station, grocery store, office parking lot or wherever you take this car.
CURRENT MILEAGE: 85,7xx
What's great about this car?

• REAL GTA, documented by VIN, original window sticker & build sheet
  
• Looks great
  
• Runs strong
• Full body re-spray about 2 years ago
• Rebuilt transmission @ 73,767 miles
• Full tune-up with plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotor @ 83,236 miles
• Fresh fuel/ignition system including ICM, MAP sensor, fuel pump, filter & pressure regulator
  
• New interior, including factory seat covers, carpets, visors
• Full dyna-mat sound & heat insulation
  
• New front struts & strut mounts at about 84,000 miles
  
• New rear shocks & springs at about 84,000 miles
• New weather-stripping on doors & T-tops
• New front-end including Pitman arm, idler arm, wheel bushings
  
• Strut tower & steering brace upgrades
• Rebuilt headlight motors - no winking
• Documented by Pontiac Historical Services (PHS)
  

What's not-so-great about this car?

• The paint has some orange-peel to it. It's the sort of thing I have had addressed on other cars by a body shop or mobile detail guy. It's not noticeable in most cases, but if you take it to a show, they'll knock some points off. I'm interested in driving the car, not showing it, so it's never been a concern for me.
  
• The fog lights do not work. I think the problem is the relay, but I haven't dug into it.
• The after-market stereo. The Pioneer unit installed by the previous owner works fine, but I would much prefer a factory radio. That's just me & it's a matter of taste.
• The tint on the back glass has some imperfections. Most people will never notice. I'm picky.
• The exhaust smokes on cold start. They ALL do this. It's not a sign of problems, it's just the valve seals. Do your research and you'll find this is extremely common with the L-98 engine (on Firebird, Camaro & Corvette). The recommended course of action is to address if you're having other work done that involves removing the heads.
  

I have the car insured on my collector policy and valued at $25,000. I'm selling it for far less than that.

If you've made it this far and are interested in the car but feel I've missed something, or you'd like to ask a question, please feel free to contact me. Here are a few tips so that nobody's time gets wasted:

• Don't low-ball me an offer. This is a very clean car and I would ask that you consider the time, effort and dollars that have been invested into making this a great, no-excuses car. I don't NEED to sell the car and will not let it go for some sort of low-ball price. If it doesn't bring the money I want, I'll hang onto it and continue enjoying it.

• I love talking about cars, but would rather talk to you about THIS car. Specifically, as it relates to you buying it.
  
• The car is for sale. For money. Not for trade - I'm not a dealer. Not for payments - I'm not a bank.
• The car is in Dallas, Texas. If you would like to come see it, let me know and we'll set it up.
  
• If you aren't close but want to send a friend, relative, local club member, auto appraiser, etc. I will be happy to meet with them.
  
• Shipping / transporting the car is the buyer's responsibility. I've used U-Ship to get quotes before as well as to arrange shipping on cars I have bought, and have had good results. I'll be glad to help get the car loaded and on its way. For safety, I recommend having the title sent separately from the car via FedEx or Priority Mail with tracking (at buyer's cost).
  
• Fully cleared payment is required before I'll release the car & title.
  

Thanks for looking. I hope this car will wind up in a great home and get driven by someone who enjoys & loves it just as much as me.