4 Classic Pontiac Cars From The 1980s (And How Much They're Worth Today)

You can't tell the history of the American automotive industry without General Motors. For over a century, GM has been the parent company of so many of the most famous brands to ever produce a vehicle, from Cadillac to Chevrolet to Buick. However, there have been a good number of brands that have fallen by the wayside as well. Some of them we don't remember at all, but others were staples of GM for decades, and it seemed like they would always be around. Out of all its defunct brands, Pontiac may be the most disheartening. This was one of the brands at the forefront of the muscle car revolution, and you'd be surprised how much some of the most legendary Pontiacs from the 1960s are worth today. But despite its history, the company has been shuttered since 2010.

While the decade may not have been the high point for the company, Pontiac was still able to produce a good number of quality automobiles in the 1980s. Every company had to deal with emissions restrictions and an oil crisis in the 1970s, and nearly every company struggled to find its footing in this new landscape. There are a good number of Pontiacs from the '80s for sale or auction, and the prices they can command may or may not surprise you. Let's look at four different Pontiacs from the decade and whether or not they may be in your budget.

[Featured image by IFCAR via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | Public Domain]

Out of all of the vehicles that Pontiac made throughout the 1980s, this is the one that you could probably best link back to the company's heyday with the muscle car. That makes sense because the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am had been around since the late 1960s, and was an iconic movie car before going extinct. In 1987, Pontiac revamped this classic car with an updated Firebird GTA Trans Am with improved luxury features and a power output of 210 hp. However, the real prize of this evolution is what came two years later when Pontiac introduced a 20th anniversary Pace Car edition of the Firebird GTA Trans Am.

This was a special edition vehicle, and only 1,555 models were ultimately produced. Based on sales in recent years, the amount of money you would have to spend on one of these varies rather widely. Back in 2021, one sold for under $24,000, but that is something of an outlier. The real low-end of the spectrum for one of these Firebirds is more in the $30,000 range, but some sellers have them going for as high as $70,000 or even $80,000. This wide range of prices has to do with condition, mileage, and location of the seller. Current listings place the average price range between $35,000 and $48,000 for a 1989 Pontiac Firebird GTA Trans Am Pace Car.

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The 1986 Pontiac Grand Prix Aerocoupe 2+2 was produced in even more limited quantities than the Firebird GTA, with only 1,225 units made. Although the 1980s didn't produce a winning model of Pontiac Grand Prix when ranked according to resale value, this particular Grand Prix is rather special. These models were designed specifically to be used for NASCAR competition, though Pontiac sold them as production cars as well. You might think that they would come with a massive, powerful engine, but that wasn't really the case, and the Grand Prix sported a 5.0L V8 that delivered just 165 hp. This is decent power, but it's not blowing anyone away. Regardless, a limited-edition vehicle is bound to get people wanting one.

Despite having fewer units produced than the aforementioned Firebird, the 1986 Pontiac Grand Prix Aerocoupe 2+2 sells for less money than that model. On average, you are looking at spending somewhere between $13,000 and $15,000 for one of these cars. If you are lucky, you may be able to find one selling for as low as $6,500, which is what one sold for back in 2020. At the high end, you are likely not going to be spending over $20,000, as listings above that number simply go unsold. Collectors have identified what this car's true worth is, and that is a threshold they aren't willing to cross.

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The Pontiac Fiero GT was not a limited edition vehicle, but was a vehicle that was exclusive to the 1980s for the company, after being introduced for the 1984 model year. The 1988 model year was the very last for the Fiero, which does make it a somewhat special vehicle in a way. As for why the 1988 outdoes the previous model years, that has to do with the upgraded suspension this year received, vastly improving the driving experience. Also, it doesn't have the burden of being one of the early model years that could catch fire, which was dealt with in a 1987 recall. Although the problem was fixed, the 1988 model was doomed to suffer the consequences, even if it was a good car.

That later recognition of its worth is reflected in what the 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT sells for nowadays, which on average is even more than the previously mentioned Grand Prix. The average listing price for this car is typically in the $15,000 to $20,000 range. However, it is not unheard of for it to get quite a bit higher than that, particularly if the particular unit has a fairly low mileage count or has been customized to some extent rather than being like it was straight from the factory in 1988.

[Featured image by Elise240SX via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]

While all of the vehicles mentioned this far have been sport or performance vehicles, Pontiac has made plenty of other vehicles in its time that are worth remembering. Some of them have even more storied histories — such as the Pontiac Bonneville. These full-size sedans originated way back in the late 1950s and lasted, in one form or another, to near the very end of Pontiac's existence. Much like the Grand Prix, models from the 1980s perform poorly when ranking Pontiac Bonnevilles from worst to best by generation, but there are still some decent years in that time period, such as the very first year of the decade.

What is nice about this not being the hottest Bonneville ever was is that the prices for the 1980 model can be rather fair. You can find showroom-ready models direct from a dealership for under $15,000, which is about the same for those being sold by individuals. However, it is possible to find them for under $10,000 if you keep your eyes peeled. The market for this particular vehicle isn't as robust as the sporty cars that have already been mentioned, but the prices have remained surprisingly consistent despite the lack of an obvious baseline.

[Featured image by IFCAR via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | Public Domain]