There are nice Pintos and there are nice Pintos. This four-speed, 100% original 1980 Ford Pinto is on the higher end of the “nice” scale, in my opinion. It was in Washington State its whole life and that probably helped to preserve it in its current outstanding appearance. It’s now listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Garden Grove, California and they’re asking $5,000. Here is the original listing, and thanks to MisterLou for the tip!
The seller says that they’re friends of the original family and they purchased this great-looking last-year Pinto from the family after the original owner passed away. The car had reportedly been parked for years after the original owner passed away, but we don’t know when that was. It looks great inside and out from what I can see. I would have guessed that this was a Pony model with that dark grille, but I don’t see the fender badges and they didn’t have the side trim.
The rear hatch seems to be a shade darker, so I’m assuming that was repainted at some point but we don’t know. One thing we do know, these later Pintos have absolutely Z E R O trouble with rear-crash fires, which is something that comes up every time we see a Pinto. They were made for a solid decade, from 1971 through 1980. I’m guessing that diving board bumpers notwithstanding, if you want the most trouble-free Pinto, you want a later model.
The seats appear to be in outstanding condition both front and rear, and the rear cargo area also looks great. This car has the Interior Decor Group, which included deluxe door trim, a deluxe steering wheel (in this case, with a cover), wood-tone trim on the shift knob, parking brake handle, and instrument panel. Cloth or vinyl seats were available with this interior option, and this one has low-back all-vinyl bucket seats. I don’t see any dash cracks or any other issues inside at all, do you?
The engine is the only part of this car that shows wear or is dirty, I’d love to clean and detail this one to how it should look. It’s Ford’s 2.3-liter OHC inline-four with 88 horsepower and 119 lb-ft of torque. It sends power through a four-speed manual to the rear wheels and the seller says it runs. With 117,000 miles it isn’t a low-mile car, but it sure looks good to me. Any thoughts on this Pinto?
I agree Scotty, looks like a very nice Pinto. Not low mileage, but looks to have had good care. And as you point out, no need to discuss the trite gas tank issue as it doesn’t even apply to this model. Not expensive. Give it a thorough detailing, and enjoy puttering around town in it.
What gas tank issue????????
Sorry….. Just had to…..
That being said, this Pinto sure looks like it has had a good amount of TLC in its life. And its a stick which is a huge bonus. I winder if the slight color variation could’ve come from the sun hitting it differently. Otherwise, but that wouldnt stop me from getting this if all looks good underneath.
Driveinstile, ha, why you, I oughta… (kidding)
I was surprised to see the engine bay, but the Edmonds, Washington area is about as damp as it gets and I’d also like to see the underside.
I thought the later Pinto’s had an all glass hatch? Maybe replaced with an older style?
This actually a reply to “Dennis D.Decklever”, but there’s no “Reply” button on his post so I’ll post my reply here and hope he sees it. The all-glass hatch was an option, the steel-framed item was standard, at least according to Wikipedia. The optional all-glass hatch first appeared in the 1977 Model Year, in the autumn of 1976.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Pinto
Thanks, Bob!
Lol. Hope you know I was just kidding. I’m sure my post will be followed by approximately 47.963 posts about the “You know what” issue…. it never fails.
I’m just going to throw something out there (rhetorically)If so may of these cars had such a bad problem, why do we seem to find so many of them on here and still running and roadworthy might I add. Quite a few have been preserved if you look on the history of Barn Finds.
Trite gas tank issue.. explosions occured in all models of Pintos until the Feds stepped in thanks to Ralph Nader and banned these pieces of crap back to hell. They were all shoddy built for the energy crisis for a quick buck. I wouldn’t even want the cheap scrap metal its made from. Aside from The Edsel, Fords worst disaster. jv smashpalace
The Arab Oil embargo was 1973, the Pinto came out in 1971. The main reason the Pinto (and similar cars, the Vega, and Gremlin) was that their main competition were VW Beetles and the first rounds of Japanese cars. Yes, most of these Pintos were crap and Ford lost the opportunity to gain market share over Toyota and Honda if they had originally built them well enough to begin with.
Yup terrible car only sold 3 million in ten years What a disaster 🤦♂️
Show us on the model car, what the bad Pinto did to you.
Can’t do your own research huh? Go do some digging or you’re just spreading also information.
Thanks to Ralph Nader, he did quite a bit to correct the auto industry mishaps, including GM an Chrysler. However, not all Pintos had gas tank explosions. Ford performed crash tests during the argument and ended up showing the gas tank puncture could be done at a specific rear quarter impact angle, causing the tank to open.. A spark from the impact would ignite the spilled fuel as it leaked out of the tank. Ford’s fix was a thick plastic shield installed on all new Pintos in production and offered as a recall to pre existing Pintos. Pintos got a bad wrap about this, and so did the Chevy Corvair and Volkswagon Beetle with a gas heater.
Oh yeah, the Vega was soooo much better. If it wasn’t for their poor exhaust, you could hear them rust just going down the street. Two friends had pintos that they beat the snot out of. They were actually pretty tough little cars. They were never meant to be the family’s primary car, but as a commuter, they worked pretty well for that time period.
Well sir, I hate to argue. First off, (my ’72 stationwagon) they were made of metal. And mine took a hit into the front of a parked Blazer, from 70 to the Blazer, in 130 feet facing the opposite direction. And I was able to drive away from the accident. My husband called it half of a Mustang. And it never broke down away from home. I drove it for 17 years and wish I had it today. It was quick and very road worthy. Handled great and hugged the road. Of course it had its quirks, what car doesn’t. I parked it with 325,000 miles on it.
I thought the last model years had the all glass hatch door. Perhaps this is the old design door and for whatever reason maybe they couldn’t locate an all glass one
The all-glass hatch was an option, they started offering the all-glass option in the autumn of 1976, for the 1977 model year. Source: Wikipedia.
Another death trap banned car making its way back on our highways. The gas tank will explode with a slight bump from the rear. There is no fix. The car will go up in flames. Google Ford Pinto Deaths. How dare anyone say, trouble free when its a car you can easily die in just by owning it. I guess all the boomers have forgotten, don’t care or think Ralph Nader was some kind of conspirator for the government. The truth remains, the Pinto was the most dangerous car ever built lest trying to get a Stanley Steamer to start. Run away and don’t look back. jv smashpalace
Hmm, maybe I should get one of these for my mother-in-law?
“Hey ex, remember that divorce settlement? Well, how about I give you a car?”
Wait is this you Ralph? You running for Pres again this year?
It pays to know, while Nader was running down the Corvair he was buying a lot of Ford stock.
Bring back the dislike thumb.
No, the most dangerous vehicle is the one sitting atop cheap jackstands from China.
And lets not forget the Isetta. Yes, in crashing some early Pintos you ran the possibilty of getting toasted whereas with the Isetta you ran a higher percentage of probability of getting turned to jelly….
Lot of absolutes here….”explode with a slight bump”…..”no fix”……”most dangerous car ever built”. I enjoy Barnfinds because every once in awhile we hear from someone who knows all things about all things. Thanks Mr. Pinto authority.
Dear, dear Mount Vizzusi, spewing nonsense and dis-information, everywhere . .
Alright, I googled it… “An official total of 27 deaths was tied to the vehicle” … That’s what you’re all, up-in-arms about?? Out of over three million pintos… 27 deaths…. Man, you need a real cause! How about you go Google Tesla deaths? Here, I’ll do it for you…. “95 people appear to have died as a result of Teslas that caught fire or were using Autopilot.” No end in sight! Where’s your beloved douchebag Nader now!? Where’s the class action lawsuit!? Where’s all the much deserved riotous indignation!? C’mon man! Go get ’em!!
Google is not an authority on Pintos.. During the time my shop was running, we bought and sold many Pintos. Had you lived in the time of the Pinto, you would have followed all of that current information when the news was real.. Also, ford produced a few videos concerning the cause of the fuel tank issues. As always, hindsight precludes foresight when history is clouded.. We could not keep Pintos on the lot at that time due to the arab oil issues with the middle east, which by the way is happening all over again. I completely understand you opinion and accept your point of view. Let’s hope history doesn’t repeat itself as it now seems to be approaching..
JE, are you off your meds again?
SOLD! In three days.
I had a 1985 1/5 Escort diesel. Never had any problems and started great at 10 degrees Fahrenheit in winter. Had serviced at Ford dealership and mechanic didn’t know had 2 oil filters till I pointed it out.
Five pieces of chrome and it becomes a Mercury Bobcat.
I had a beautiful red ‘79 Merc Bobcat. Had the factory rally wheels and that joke of a 2.3 liter boat anchor. Other than that I really enjoyed the little 4 speed tranny.
Give it a break. That’s what psychologists are for.
Had one of these (pretty much identical) brand new as a company car when I worked at a Ford dealer for a few months. As the saying goes, “it was a sensible pair of shoes.” It started, it stopped, didn’t use much gas and only exploded 3 times.
Ralph Nader probably bought it to relive his glory days of relevance.
I had a 80 ‘ Pinto,Robin’s Egg blue but with the trunk.
4-speed and no air.Worked the 3rd shift 10 pm to 6am at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City 80 to 83.The car never failed me,I put those snow tires on it with the big tread, not the all season tires.
The gas tank issue is such an old saw. Unless you lost a loved one just give it a rest.
I think the Pinto is still an enduring and contemporary style. Not fancy but functional. Credit to the people who conceived the vehicle. The stick would make this a fun get around car.
First Car in Highschool, parents bought me a 1 year old 78′ with 27,000 miles, guy had used it to commute from TX to GA, remember test driving it and the shifter shook at speed “No Extra Cost” he joked. Sedan version with 4 Speed, I put a Huge Sun Tach on the Column and a shift knob from JC Whitney, White Letter Tires, had a ridiculously low numeric axle (Google tells me it was 2.73) couldnt get out of its way around town but would get 27mpg at 75mpg, which was good for back then. Had it until 1985 when a Drunk Driver head oned me with about 150,000 miles on it. Had to sneak into the junk yard to “retrieve” my Clarion Stereo with Jensen Coaxial Speakers, Power Amp/Graphic Equalizer which were worth more than the car at that point. Had her up to 95mph (tail wind, down hill) at one point, speedo only went to 85mph so checked it with a stop watch
I had a ’76 MPG model that had the low 2.73 rear end. It would get 32 MPG, but you had to down shift to climb hills.
I had almost the same stereo set up in my ’72 wagon. And I drove mine 120 mph. Just once. Man, it felt so good. My speedometer went up to 120. Funny thing was that I still had pedal to go. And a friend of mine had a hard time passing me driving a 67 El Camino. Next time I saw him he said “Hey little sister, you were clipping right along last time you left here. My speedometer was pegged and I had no more pedal.”
Oh the days of my youth were good ones. 17 years that car and I traveled some miles. Getty up go little pony-wagon.
Man this was a fun comment section. Vesuvius thinks the Pinto spontaneously combusted. Kimberlee’s Pinto topped out at abt 130. Barnfinds can you list another Pinto soon? This is cheap entertainment!
I didn’t care for the last front end they put on the Pinto, and I think all of them were dark, Pony edition or not, if memory serves. In 1981 Ford replaced this automotive masterpiece with the less-inspiring Escort.
True, but unavoidable. As emissions standards continued to tighten and the new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations took hold, all of the Big Three had to figure out how to make all of their cars, starting with the sub-compacts lighter and more fuel efficient. As Sir Alec Issigonis showed with the Morris Mini years before, FWD would make that happen.
Getting rid of the weight and space stealing RWD driveshaft and rear axle in favor of a FWD transaxle, freed up valuable space for passengers and cargo, with either a trunk, or in the case of the Escort, a hatchback. The fact that the Escort was also the first Ford with a fully independent suspension, and port fuel injection, didn’t hurt. Truth be told, while the Escort was still lagging behind Toyota in both refinement and build quality, it was a big step forward, both for Ford and the American auto industry in general, and infinitely superior to the GM X-Cars, Citation, et al. The Citation and her siblings made their debut in autumn, 1979 as 1980 models, the Escort and its corporate sister, the Mercury Lynx, followed a year later, in the autumn of 1980 as 1981 models. Frankly, the Ford offerings benefitted mightily from the extra year of development, as they were well developed and well received initially, compared to the Citation and her sisters, which despite being named as Motor Trend’s Car of the Year in 1980, quickly developed a reputation for poor quality and were the subjects of numerous recalls, including a nasty habit of randomly shedding its rear axle while driving at speed. The adjective most often used to describe the GM offerings was “half-baked”.
I’ve owned over 7 pintos, including a brand new 80, whe I was 15, my mom had a 74, she was hit head on so hard, that the motor and trans mounts broke and the engine slid under the car, and the interior was not breached. As far as I’m concerned, it saved her life. I’ve personally around the Chicagoland area had never heard of one exploding, or knew anyone else who has heard or seen one that exploded. I would have absolutely no problem of owning another one.
Sv
Put a rag in that mouth.NO ONE CARES ABOUT WHAT YOU THINK!
I like Pintos! There! I said it! This one is a very nice, original example that needs a good home. I only wish it had the optional instrument group, with the tachometer, oil pressure, water temperature and voltmeter gages. The stick shift is a plus, as is the 2.3L four-cylinder. The Cologne 2.8L V6, not so much. I have fond memories of driving one in Driver’s Ed, with pillows behind my back and under my butt!
Ah, the Pinto gas-tank “debate.” Where no amounts of statistics, no observations from thirty years away, can influence discussion.
The Pinto was no more prone to fires in collisions than the Vega, and LESS so than the Beetle or Super Beetle. Japanese imports of that generation also had more fire-incidents, per mile driven.
The problem was found soon after a couple of incidents occurred – and a protective shield/brace installed in recall. Models after (IIRC) 1974 did not have this issue.
Neither did the station wagon.
Although the Lima 4 didn’t fare well in the early Smog Era, this is basically a well-preserved slice-of-life car of that era. I’m partial to earlier Pintos, partly for the small bumpers, partly because that’s what I had owned.
They’re lighter and zippier, too.
Hope this one finds a deserving home.
I had a 78 Pinto wagon I bought super cheap at the start of the “Pinto scare”. It was a 2.3l stick with air. I removed the air pump, added a header and a Thrush glass pack. Averaged close to 30 mpg and had enough power to stay out of my own way. Only problem I ever had with her is she eat starter solenoids every year or so. Knew it was time to say goodbye when the rear bumper shocks rusted away and the guard rail bumper fell off. Really enjoyed that little runner
I had a new 77 pinto wagon traded my big block , pistal grip 4 speed Road Runner for fuel savings. I was a single father with two kids . It was great.I could even put my dirt bike on the full size bumper. It went everywhere
I worked in my local Ford dealership detail department in 1980 when I was in High School. We only sold a few of these, because the big news was the new and much better “World Car” Ford Escort was coming out in 1981!😂😂😂 The Escort was promoted big time. We even got to watch a promotional video in High School with Indy driver Jackie Stewart narrating how great it was going to be! 😩😩😩
Dude..way to dis. I had a ’73 back in the day and used it as a tow car. I was in PA one trip, and heading home (South Bend) while waiting on a light to change on an off-ramp, a big Chrysler slammed me in the back (no fire, thank God). Freaked the driver out so bad that he offered me $1000 to not call insurance in on it. Car was totaled. I only had $150 in it. One of the best small cars I ever owned.
Funny part is, take the Pinto to a car show, park next to a Pacer, everyone will be taking pictures.
I think hatch was replaced
Black grille, chrome window trim, deluxe interior but in thigh-searing black vinyl.
I’d like to see the build date, with this option load I have to wonder if it’s a late-build runout model where they were using up all the leftover Pinto parts before the changeover.