Looking at a '79 Cutlass Supreme. Need Opinions

[Rraznkc]

Hey everyone, I'm new to this forum and was just looking at getting some opinions at a cutlass I recently came across as I'm not very familiar with the cars. Like the title says it is a 1979 Cutlass supreme with 73k miles on the clock.
The person selling the car said it had a 455 original motor, however after going and looking at the car today I find this hard to believe. This leads me to believe that is has a 305 or a 350? I'm not sure what all engines were offered in this year.
The outside of the car was fairly clean for a '79, it was missing the trim piece on the passenger door, he said because it was recently repainted. just taking a quick inspection on the underside of the car it seemed to be fairly rust free, i didn't see any rust on the frames. The interior was cleaner than I thought it would be, it had leather, no center console and the shifter was on the column, however it had factory air that was blowing cold as soon as i turned it on. I will try and post pictures tomorrow if I go back to the car tomorrow before work.
He was asking 3800, then when I showed up said he would go 3000 before I even offered a price. Any opinions or info on these cars that can point me in the right direction would be nice. Thanks in advance for the help, I know its hard to gauge a cars value etc w/o pictures, will try to get some ASAP!

 

[Blake442]

Well, the 455 Olds wasn't available in '79...

Could've either been equiped with a 231 Buick V6, a 260 Olds V8, a 305 Chevy V8, or even a 350 Olds diesel.

Carefully inspect the frame rails behind the rear tires, and the bottoms of the doors. Two of the most common places for rot. Also look under the trunk mat, where the trunk floor meets the wheel wells.

Personally, I'm weary of cars that are freshly painted and up for sale. You never know what's hiding under that new paint, or how quickly it will resurface.

Post up some pics!

 

[rebelgtp]

Yeah I would say steer clear. For one as others have mentioned I'm nervous if a car has just recently been painted and then put up for sale. Second no 455 available that year so the guy either knows nothing or is flat out lying. And third the asking price is WAY to much. I got my 80 for free, same guy has an '81 I think it is Monte that someone could have for close to nothing. I see old A and G bodies for sale for cheap all the time, just keep your eyes pealed.

 

[81Regal]

The 455 could have been swapped in but like the other have said it was not offered in 78-80.
3000 is on the high side. $1000 max if it looks mint and ready to go.
I payed $125 for my 78 and $200 for my 79 parts car.

 

[gs dewd]

post pics it will help alot if you can. You can check what motor it is by the code above the water pump. If it is a 2A then you have the 260 v8. Not the fastest motor out there but it gets good gas milage and will keep you out of trouble with the cops. My 80 has the 260 in it and I am going to swap in a 350 chevy motor but have been putting it off becasue the 260 runs great and get almost 20 mpg and I can drive the car anywhere. If the car is in great shape regarless of what motor is in it 3k is not a bad price. I just painted mine (there is a build up thread in here on it) nd brought it home today. I stopped buy the gas station and a guy pulled up and looked at it and offered me 4k on the spot. I turned him down because I just spent 2 long days (from 6am to about midnight the first night and another 6 or so hours the next day) painting this thing and finally getting the car close to where I want it. So gets some pics and let us see what the car looks like and we may beable to give you a better answer.

 

[outsider_27]

Both of my Olds engines have the cid on the side of the block. If it is a 455 it should also. Cutlasses in that year did not come originally with a 455, but it could have been swapped in and look pretty close to original. Maybe he bought it from someone who told him that story and he believed it.

 

[DRIVEN]

I've never seen leather in a '79 Cutlass. Vinyl? For 3K it better be damn near perfect or have a 3 foot stack of receipts. I gave my grandpa $2000 for his after an appraiser told him it was worth "whatever you can get for it". It is a one owner, no rust, never wrecked, over-maintained, better than driver condition car. It's your money but my advice is do a lot more research and keep looking. These cars aren't too rare.

 

[Blake442]

Both of my Olds engines have the cid on the side of the block. If it is a 455 it should also...

455's won't have the displacement marked on the block, but the casting numbers inbetween the waterpump and intake will read 396021F if it is a 455.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

$3500 is about average for a really nice, ordinary G body. Ones that are nicely modified sometimes go for more though as these are NOT nice cars to drive in stock form. They were very underpowered and poorly geared to meet the early CAFE and emissions regulations, and as such are dogs to drive compared to anything modern. However, they make a wonderful canvas to build from if that is your intention. I tend to disagree with the appraiser as to the value of these cars. They are quite popular to fix up and play with, and good examples are not worthless by any stretch of the imagination. They aren't highly valuable, but their value has been appreciating as the available choices for easy modification have declined.

 

[gs dewd]

$3500 is about average for a really nice, ordinary G body. Ones that are nicely modified sometimes go for more though as these are NOT nice cars to drive in stock form. They were very underpowered and poorly geared to meet the early CAFE and emissions regulations, and as such are dogs to drive compared to anything modern. However, they make a wonderful canvas to build from if that is your intention. I tend to disagree with the appraiser as to the value of these cars. They are quite popular to fix up and play with, and good examples are not worthless by any stretch of the imagination. They aren't highly valuable, but their value has been appreciating as the available choices for easy modification have declined.

x2 yeah what he said