which 79 TATA? looking at 2 cars

K

kevinw

New member
Joined
Apr 6, 2015
Messages
14
Reaction score
0
Points
0
I have a question. been looking at 79 TA for several months, recently looking at the 10th anniv cars. don't have 20K or more to spend, so ones I looking at will have issues. however, there are 2 , both for around 12K .

first one> texas dealer. 100K miles, original all around. delco 8 track, interior good, everything works, nothing rebuilt. asking 12,700, however , has some rust holes, one on each side of front fender at bottom and some along surface in back. undercarriage has surface rust. 403 auto. all acces. work per dealer.

2nd car, individual. wants 12K. car has 155K miles, but engine rebuilt 3000 miles ago. painted in 1999. 403 auto 10th anniv. this car needs new front seat skins, has a cracked dash, and needs all the air cond. stuff reinstalled in engine bay. has minimal rust that I know of, car is in New Jersey.

any car I would get I would pay 3rd party to see.

so, which is better car? all original with air and everything working, good interior but has rust issues? may be able to be patched, as size of a quarter or little bigger.

or the other one which has just a few rust bubbles on right side bottom, but needs a/c and front skins redone and cracked dash? cruise don't work but everything else does.

both cars number matching.


any comments appreciated!

thanks!
 
Personally I wouldn't pay that much for either car with a 403 Olds motor in it.

However if you have your heart set on a 1979 TA save your money till you get more and buy one that needs no metal work. I would prefer a No rust California or Arizona car over any car that has seen road salt.

These car will rust and rot everywhere the person selling it wont bother to give you enough pictures of all the areas that are known to rust.

either of the cars you mentioned will likely consume far more than the extra 8k to get them in the shape where you will be happy with it.

So why not take your time save 8K more and buy one that is they way you want it.

Someone selling a car in the shape you want for 20K will likely go down in price anyways. a car with a 20K asking price normally has some wiggle room anyways.

Personally I would never buy one with a 403 again, I wouldn't settle for anything less than a Pontiac 400 or 455 even if it is not a numbers matching engine.

I prefer to get a car without number matching normally because you get more bang for buck and end up with a car you can beat on and enjoy and not worry about the resale value. Just buy the car at the right price from the start with the right engine.
 
I agree with the above especially the comment about the 403. The same car's with a Pontiac engine would be about 14,300. In addition posting pictures of the cars would permit others to pickup on things that may have been missed.
 
ok thanks. keep in mind, these are 10th anniversary cars, not just standard T/A, so that might explain the asking prices. I have seen refurbished and original TA 10ths for in the 30s. crazy. thing is, I don't want a manual tranny, so the auto only comes with the 403. and going back to 1978 on back the prices really skyrocket.
______________________________
 
In the end it will be you that has to drive it, I have had many 1978-1979 TAs and I really only miss the ones that had the Pontiac engine.
 
I guess these go up in price in the spring. the individual with the NJ car is about to put car away for rest of winter and when he sells in spring, price goes up to 15K. talk about inflation.

really, the engine is not a big deal to me one way or the other, as long as it starts , runs and is reliable. I have no plans to add performance parts, so as long as the car runs good, whether it has 185 HP or 220 on the Pontiac is not a big deal to me. I just would llike one that wont cost and arm and a leg and not a rust bucket.
 
Well do not count on either the Pontiac or the Oldsmobile motor getting stock Horse power and torque numbers.
Do not count on either being reliable, and do not count on any of them being rust free.
You will have to turn any old car into what your looking for.
I mentioned getting one with a Pontiac Motor because if you warp back to the time these cars were on the road in numbers. No one and I mean no one wanted anything to do with a TA with a Oldsmobile motor.
The only question back in the day was 400 or 455 4 speed or automatic.

If I were in your shoes I would expand my horizons to include 1970 to 1978
I never really liked the 1979-1980 because of the front end and horrible Oldsmobile engines.

But this is just my opinion.
 
The bottom line is if you want a 10th Anniversary TA with automatic, at those price points, the key will be the reports you receive back on these two cars and what those reports translate into dollars to correct any issues.
______________________________
 
ok thanks for the comments. was the 403 just not a good motor? or was it the fact GM put a olds engine into a Pontiac? I know there was a lot of controversy with GM doing that to not just T/A, but grand prix, and other Pontiacs too. I always thought numbers matching was a big deal but maybe not as much these days.
 
The 403 just is not as good of a motor, it needs much more expensive parts to make it perform properly. it doesn't sound as good as a Pontiac.

Do not get me wrong a properly maintained 403 is a decent motor, but in stock and old worn out condition it has no business in a heavy car like the 1979 TA.

Numbers matching yes that does matter when it comes time to sell it, however once your behind the wheel and a stock 4 cylinder Nissan economy car blows away your prize TA, numbers matching engines seems to matter less.

To convince yourself, take the time to drive a TA with a 403 then drive one with a 400 or 455. until you drive one with the Pontiac engine it will just be another engine to you.

the difference is like this 403=:o 400=:) 455=:D well built non numbers matching 455=:eek:
 
eaoutlaw. that is a good idea on test driving a TA with a 403 and one with a 400. back long ago, my parents had a 71 Pontiac catalina with a 400. I drove it in high school and for a big car, it hauled.

my brother, I remember in the 80s, had a Grand Safari wagon, I think a 77, with I do know was a 403, cause at that time we made a big deal since it was an Olds engine in a Pontiac body. I did drive that car a few times, but obviously not in a T/A to know.

the only T/A I have test driven was a few months ago, was a 79 but had a 78 400 in it. but I was not impressed as the car overall needed work and with the issues it had, I couldn't focus on the engine itself to see how it ran.

I know the 403 is 185 hp and the Pontiac is around 220 hp. yeah, my 98 v6 firebird puts out 200 hp and is more than the 403, but doesn't have the torque of course.
 
Last edited:
hello eaoutlaw. that Miami craigs list is off
I gave up on the 2 originally mentioned in this post.
I had a mechanic look at a car at a dealer in Oregon this week. 79 TATA 403 auto numbrs match. 42K miles, Canadian car, but Oregon title/dealer. he wants 16K
but car , like all the others, have issues. first, trunk pan is rusted and needs replaced, frame rails ok though. surface rust all under.
engine , tranny, rear all ok, but smelled fuel smell.

all the air cond/heat core, all needs parts, and reinstalled.

front coil spring bad.

paint job is recent, and back window has gray paint along with striping, not just striping, so is not 100% correct. has turbo wheels on it and original radio, interior is good.

what you think? the rust and trunk is issue. thanks
 
I wish you could have seen the one I posted, it was a super clean no rust 1974 red w black interior no AC from factory. 16K near where I live. I guess it sold fast.

I would keep looking and perhaps budget a little more so you do not have do repair rust.
 
this is not exactly what your looking for but the listing is 3 hours old. and seems to be priced low enough to do what you want to it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top