1987 Pontiac Safari Station Wagon

1987 Pontiac Other Additional Info:

“Sandy” is a 1987 Pontiac Safari Station Wagon. I’m the third owner and bought her in 2003. They literally don’t make them like this anymore.

This is a nine-passenger model ordered with every available option as far as I can tell. Power windows and locks, two-way tailgate, power steering and brakes, air conditioning. The exterior color is bronze, the interior light saddle. Stock 305 CI V8, original 4 bbl Rochester carb, four speed automatic transmission. It came with a factory towing package so I think it has a positraction rear, but I’ve never checked.

I have several classic muscle cars and an impractical daily driver sports car, so I needed something more versatile to move larger items, transport more than one extra person, and tow my 800 pound, 14 foot sailboat. When I saw this car for sale on the side of the road, she fit the bill perfectly. The exterior was solid, the interior excellent for her age, mileage relatively low at 98,000, and almost everything worked on this car. I’d wanted one ever since the 1970s game show Split Second used to award one to winners at the show’s end.

I promised myself I would not go restoration-nuts on this car like the other ones. I mean, I had to use her. I replaced the rotted bumper fillers, did a little work on the woodgrain trim, and that was it for the exterior. I maintained and cared for the lovely interior. She had to be reliable, so the effort all went into the mechanical. When something broke, it got fixed to factory spec. NOS was used when possible. Here’s an incomplete list:

· replaced carpet

· replaced headliner

· replace all the weatherstripping

· recovered torn driver’s lower seat, the rest looked great.

· rebuilt engine installed at 116,939 miles

· professional carb rebuilt at 125,308 miles

· rear springs replaced at 127,047

· transmission rebuilt at 134,232 miles

· Complete power steering rebuild at 147,333 miles

· replaced radiator at 150,408

· All the gauges have been professionally restored as they went bad

· I added a never-used new full-size spare, but you get the original donut tire as well.

Over the years, water pumps, alternators, brakes, calipers, etc. have been replaced as they have worn out. Many suspension components have been replaced. Oil was changed every 3000-5000 miles. A/C converted to 134 and blows cold. At 168,000 miles, this car runs as well as it did when the first owner bought it in New Jersey. I have a record of all the services completed since 2003.

What’s not stock? The previous owner replaced the power antenna with a fixed mast unit. I swapped the troublesome air shocks out for heavy duty ones and when the radio quit, I put in a modern one and upgraded the dash speakers. The dash is not modified and a professional installation kit was used. I added an extra 12V port under the dash because the cigar lighter isn’t tied to the ignition.

Body:

The body is solid and rust-free. I don’t have any recent pictures of the undercarriage but included one from when I dropped the fuel tank to change the sender out. The rest of the car looks similar to that. There are a few door dings. The front bumper has a touch of surface rust in one spot. Glass is excellent and the windshield is almost new. The woodgrain vinyl is finally starting to peel and crack, but all the trim pieces are in place.

Interior:

The interior is in great shape and one of the reasons I bought the car. No rips of tears anywhere. Door panels are wonderful. Some hard plastic trim has a few scratches but isn’t sun-damaged. The headliner has a few scuff marks on it but is still solid. I was going to clean it, but since I wasn’t sure how to, I left that for you. The dash had a few hairline cracks around the defrost vents, so I glued them and then covered the dash with a custom fitted dash mat. It still looks great underneath.

Mechanical:

Mechanically, almost everything works as designed with no Check Engine codes or lights. That said, the factory 5.0 liter is underpowered for this big a car by modern standards. (The same engine went in a two door Grand Prix,) You won’t win any races. The power seat recline doesn’t work, but it is stuck in a comfortable position. The dash light dimmer switch is grindy, but a new one comes with her.

This car isn’t bargain priced because you’ll get the cargo area filled with extras including but not limited to:

· Enough OEM cloth to recover all the seats

· Four sections of OEM vinyl woodgrain

· Factory service manuals

· Original bill of sale and all manuals and documentation that came with the car.

· Spare aftermarket front bumper

· special tool to tune the throttle position sensor

· NOS front bumper strip

· New window sweeps for the rear windows (I was sure they’d go bad like the fronts, but they never did.)

· NOS Pontiac front grille emblem missing in pictures.

· Spare NOS wire wheel center caps

· NOS speedometer

· Boxes of spare parts (NOS or stripped off junkyard wrecks) ‘just in case” I might need them later.

In summary, you are buying a Pontiac Safari worthy of finishing an exterior restoration, and all that will entail is paint and woodgrain vinyl. When I drive this unrestored car, it gets more recognition and praise than my restored Corvette and my restored Trans Am combined. I'm the kind of person you want to buy a car from, a car guy with a long, loving history with this vehicle.

I finally bought a car built in the 21st century to do all the tasks she did, so it is time for Sandy to find a new caring owner. To apply for adoption, place your bid. The car is sold as-is with no warrantees. Feel free to have it inspected before bidding. $500 non-refundable deposit due immediately at auction end. Full payment (money order, cash, bank transfer) within seven days and pickup within two weeks.