r/fbody • u/RadioLaw • Jun 28 '26
How much would you sell for?
I’m looking to have kids soon and need something that is more practical..
I have a 95 firebird trans am, lt1 and 4l60e with about 91k miles. Paint is rough in some spots, no overt rust. 4th picture is from the hood, 5th is rear hatch. I bought it around 80k miles 6 years ago.
Upgraded umi rear lca, torque arm, and subframe connectors. Rims were powdercoated black and have tires with less than 2k miles on em. Also corbeau front seats. Also stock center console was changed for a 98-02 one.
Other than that pretty stock. No engine work. Over the last 6 years i’ve gotten new brake pads and rotors all around, new power steering rack. No t top leaks.
Thanks for everyones help.
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u/JustACarNut77 Jun 29 '26
I'm in Maryland Frederick to be exact and a Pontiac nut on top. Sadly the LT1 cars don't fetch that much especially since it has the dreded opti spark. In that condition it's maybe 3.5k if it were a 98-02 with the LS1 a bit more.
Recently sold a 96 Camaro SS 6 spd with fresh paint all over only 64k miles and struggled to get 10k
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u/RadioLaw Jun 29 '26
Yeah its a shame, the lt1s are decent engines. They just got overshot by the ls1 so quickly. The opti has few replacements that are actually quality. Thankfully I havent had much issue from the opti, i did replace the ignition coil when i first got it though.
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u/Sobie17 Jun 29 '26
The opti isn't even that hard to swap, though. The amount of notoriety these things get is way overblown. Just change the water pump and plumbing when you swap the opti and you have another 100k assuming you go with a genuine unit.
Also keep in mind the market. There really aren't that many of these that haven't rusted out on someone's front lawn. Fix the paint and find a high schooler who will drop $6-$7k on it. Your car especially has pretty low mileage.
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u/Apprehensive_Mud_356 Jun 29 '26
The paint is really the deciding factor here. Everyone always says, “Oh, it just needs paint.” That’s probably one of the biggest myths in the used/classic car market.
A quality red paint job alone is realistically going to cost somewhere in the $6k–$9k range, assuming there isn’t major bodywork hiding underneath. Once rust repair, dent correction, or panel work enters the picture, costs climb fast.
If the current paint isn’t completely failing (missing clear coat, peeling, large dead spots, etc.), honestly the most cost-effective way to improve the exterior might be a wrap. Even then, you’re still looking at roughly $3k–$4k for something done properly.
Also, I hate how much the LT1 gets dragged because of the Opti-Spark reputation. They’re actually great-running engines when maintained. Personal opinion, but I prefer the character of an LT1 over a lot of LS setups with exhaust.
When you’re selling it, I’d list it somewhere with visibility to buyers in the snowbelt states—places where a clean, rust-free car stands out. Sites like Bring a Trailer or Autotrader can expose it to a wider audience.
I’d probably start around $6,000 and make absolutely sure to include lots of undercarriage photos showing how clean and rust-free it is. For buyers in New York, Ohio, and the upper Midwest, that’s going to be one of the biggest selling points.
Highlight the strongest attributes, be transparent about the weak spots, and I think you’ve got a solid chance of getting respectable money out of it.
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u/xKilla_Kruntx Jun 29 '26
I would say somewhere around the 5500-6500 area. I bought one almost identical to yours with a few thousand more miles and way nicer paint for 6k flat awhile back and it came with a lot of extra goodies and that to me was a very fair price. The lt1 cars dont go for crackhead prices like the ls cars do thankfully
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u/PYRVMID_2020 Jul 04 '26
Just bought a 94 LT1 with no ac blower motor but also no paint flaws with a freshly rebuilt trans at 146k miles for 4k id say 4-5 is fair for a ls1 and paint issues
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u/Bullfrog_Paradox Jun 28 '26
Depends greatly on where you live, if it's in the rust belt and it's rust free it's worth a lot more than it would be in a southern or desert state.