Car Collector Corner - 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix

Q: Greg, I read your column every week in our community newspaper here in New York. Since I haven't yet seen anyone write to you about the value of a '69 Pontiac Grand Prix, here we go! I have a '69 Grand Prix hardtop coupe Model J, vinyl black Top, automatic, rally wheels, air, radio, power steering and so on. I bought this car new 1969. It currently has only 104,000 miles, mostly highway driven. The engine was redone at 95,000 miles, and it's in very good shape.

It has been repainted in its original burgundy color. My husband and I keep it garaged, and don't drive it much at all unless it's a nice weekend day. What do you feel we would get if we sold it? I still have the window sticker when we bought it. Thanks much, Mary, New York.

A: Mary, the '69 Grand Prix is sure a nice car, and it sounds like you've treated it like one the family. I had a similar letter many years ago from a lady in Kansas, and believe it or not, her name was Mary, too.

In 1969, Pontiac built and delivered 112,486 full size Grand Prix models that rode on a 118-inch wheelbase with a gross weight of 3,715 pounds. The Grand Prix wasn't as big as the Bonneville, which came with a 125-inch wheelbase, but much larger than the GTO (112 inches) and the Firebird (108-inches).

Your Grand Prix came with a 350-horse 400-cubic inch V8. A second engine available that year was a 428-incher that came under an "SJ" badge. The 428 was available in 370 and 390 horse versions, which ups the value 10 to 20-percent The 428's also featured Ram Air options, which would add another 10 to 25-percent.

As for the price, you might expect a low of $6,900 to a high of $10,000, which is the current book value for a car like yours in good to very good condition. In complete restored form, or the very best of low-mileage originals, it would fetch from $17,300.

Remember, too, that these prices are book price estimates, and you might receive more or less depending on the economy or the "love of Pontiacs" of the prospective buyer. On the negative side, the demand for the Grand Prix in 1969 is nothing like that of sibling GTO or Trans Am/Firebird models, both Pontiac mainstays for collectors.

However, there are "large style" Pontiac collectors out there, so good luck if you decide to sell.

Thanks for your letter.

(Greg Zyla is a syndicated auto columnist)

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