With under 5,000 miles from new and extensive documentation, this 1975 AMC Pacer may be the best left in existence. The Pacer is listed with a $25,000 Buy-It-Now, and bidding is at $1K with the reserve unmet. The second owner had the Pacer in their possession for 41 years, after receiving it via a raffle sponsored by AMC. The Gremlin comes with two plaques from the American Motor Owners Association National Concourse and its original “Navajo” interior. Find it here on eBay, listed in Los Angeles, California.
Despite the low miles, the Pacer has been repainted. This is a bummer for any originality freaks, as this Pacer is otherwise as it left the factory. The good news is all panels and glass likely remain original, and the paint work is said to be high-grade. All chrome finishes appear mint as well, including the strips around the window glass and bumpers.
The interior features the original “Navajo” pattern, which remains in excellent condition. Plastic covers are still in place over the carpeted floor mats and the dash shows no signs of cracking. The Pacer is equipped with every option available, according to the seller, including AM/FM 8-Track stereo, air conditioning that still blows cold, working dashboard clock, and original 14 inch ribbed wheels.
Power comes from a numbers-matching 258 C.I. six-cylinder engine paired to three-speed automatic. The motor was rebuilt in 2016 and I’d assume it runs as-new. The Pacer is likely somewhat unrepeatable, and thankfully features attractive colors and options in addition to being a time capsule example of an iconic car. But is there a buyer out there willing to spend upwards of $25K on an example like this? My money says yes, there is.
Worked at an AMC dealer in the mid 80’s. These were odd, quirky, and very good cars. In 5 years, I only remember a couple of them at the shop, and it usually was for door hinge pins and bushings.
Like a lot of AMC/Ramblers, they were under appreciated as decent and reliable transportation in their day, IMHO!
Current price is 12,000, would be a god daily driver at that.
Ya gotta love a car that has a longer passenger door than drivers side door. I remember my neighbor having one as a kid with no A/C ! I can still see my two friends sweating in that backseat in July as their father was driving away smoking, ahhhhh the memories. Now, this car looks pretty damn cool, and whoever buys it has A/C ! Good luck to the new owner, RIP AMC….
Parents smoking in the car with the kids. Seemed pretty normal back then. Our grandpa would drive me & sis around in the back of his Corvair puffing away on that nauseating cigar with the windows rolled up. Winter time, you know….
Yeah, and now it’s a ticket-able offense where I’m from (Mobile, ALA). Good for the kids I’m certain, but it seems that the only people who still smoke are near/at the poverty line and therefore unable to pay the ticket.
meanwhile the well known oil drip in engine compartment drew smoke into the passenger’s cabin (as did my grndmother’s). Double 2nd-hand smoke
My dad was a chain smoker and as a kid we traveled route 66 from the Chicago area to the St. Louis area twice a year to visit family. Dad would smoke with mom and us 4 kids in the car but we had vent windows back then and he would open his and mom hers in the winter with the heater going we never choked on the smoke as it was sucked straight out those wing windows. Those vent windows are one thing I miss off the 50’s & 60’s cars. Those memories of travelling route 66 will never be replaced by the fast paced interstates of today.
I remember 6 hour trips in our 69 Delta 88 sedan, no air, with dad smoking cigars. The attached picture is of all my cousins by the car summer 1969.
One of the most progressive American car designs of all time, and certainly the most innovative of the dismal mid-late ’70s. It impressed Porsche – see the 928 for evidence.
Okay why does a alleged 5000 mile car need a rebuild ? Maybe heads ported to hard seals but a rebuild? A repaint too.
I know a car sittting hurts it but did it run a hundred thousand miles in it’s American Motor Dreams ?
Maybe it couldn’t pace itself?
Okay one time “Waynes World” 🎶
That would be because miles don’t wear out a car, but letting it sit for decades does a lot of damage.
If the engine was rebuilt and it has been painted, it would be the same as another car that turned over 100K and now read 5K on the odometer.
Nothing special.
There is no such thing as a “numbers matching” AMC car. The factory did not match up engine numbers and VINs, let alone transmission and rear axle. Though if the seller is making that claim, it is probably out of ignorance rather than deliberate misrepresentation.
It is an amazing time capsule. But $25K?
I thought the same regarding the price. I also question the 5000 mile claim…
Way too much for a fishbowl that you swelter in. No thanks.
It’s up over $15000. 11PM EST Wednesday.
probably shill bid… I dont trust high dollar bids so many people do the shill bid thing to make the car look worth more than it is
Why only 5K miles, what is the story here? Or is it a scam? These were supposed to use the planned GM rotary engine, when that got canceled they need to use standard engines. Unfortunately they planned on the smaller rotary engine, and the fit was quite cramped, these can be a bear to work on.
As a die hard Rambler/AMC guy, its still a Pacer. While I like them better than I did 40 years ago… I guess it was hard to see the de-evolution, from the AMX, the Sc/Rambler, and the Rebel Machine. I know all the car companies struggled in that era, but… I just couldn’t see the attraction. Even with Wayne’s World
I agree with BRAKTRCR. I’m a big fan of Ramblers and AMCs as well, but this is a huge stretch. It’s an interesting car, and I think it’d be fun to restomod one, but there’s no way it’s selling at $25k. Maybe 10?
Yeah, I never really cared for Pacers that much though I appreciate their funky looks more today than I did when they were new.
Among the problems with them are that they are slow and guzzle gas at nearly the same rate as full-size cars of the time. Also difficult to work on since that big six is crammed tightly into a space designed for a Wankel rotary engine. As far as the drivetrain is concerned it’s a Hornet with a funky, overweight body.
Pacer was an interesting concept but the execution left a lot to be desired.
To begin, any car that has been garaged, taken care of , would not need a repaint at 5K on the clock. Having said that, any body who would buy a Pacer, at any price, should check themselves into the looney hospital. They are beyond ugly. Edels look really good when parked next to one of these. If someone paid me 25K I might take it, maybe.
Why do people like you continue to post on articles about vehicles you obviously don’t care for? If you don’t like the Pacer, why read an article about one? I, for one, couldn’t care less if you think it’s ugly, and I’m sure other legitimate AMC fans feel the same way.
They drive really nice, though.
A fine example of rarity not equaling value.
Owner/Comedian Doug Stanhope is going to get the last laugh on this one. Current bid is $15,100 and reserve not met.
That’s a very expensive rolling fish bowl……Enjoy!
I live in AZ. Even with a/c driving this in the summer would be like driving under a magnifying glass.
Although I’ve never heard of Doug Stanhope, I must admit he is quite a comedian…4539 original miles with an engine rebuild and complete repaint + a price tag of $25,000 for a $5,000 (or less) car. Yes sir, quite a comedian.
A friend of mine owned one back in the old days, she got it as a hand me down from her parents. She let me drive it on the expressway, I felt like i was going to fall out of it. It kept pulling to the left. I can actually understand why this car has so few miles, it would be embarrassing to drive.
My Dad had a new 76 Pacer DL. Not great on gas but very reliable. Mom didnt like all the glass, said she felt like she was on display. Easy and fun car to drive. A/C a must on these.
Not sure why a car with 5,000 miles would need a rebuild. I had a 60 Ambassador with 16,000 and didnt need that.
Our family had a 77 Pacer wagon. A little more main stream in shape than the coupe (a little anyway). It was a great car. The view over the nose really appealed to me. It was OK on power even with the 232 six and a floor shift 3-speed manual transmission. I traded it to my airplane mechanic for some work on my plane in the late 80s. He was from Wisconsin and had a soft spot for AMC. I now have a 75 Pacer coupe as one of my project cars. Hope to drive it in 2019.
I agree (altho just talkin emotions here) the wagon’s got it all over the coupe, nicer proportions, more utility…
I worked for an AMC/Renault/Jeep dealership as a salesman in the early eighties. They had one of these gems as a service department loaner car if a customer had to keep their car overnight. This gem kept having a problem with it’s door alignment and it got so bad that customers’s could not latch the door. Well, being the service department that it was, eventually the car was towed in without the door. It fell off in traffic while a customer was using it as a loaner! Good ole AMC quality and dependability. Maybe that’s why they aren’t around anymore.
In the 1970s AMC started using nylon door hinge bushings on their small cars. This was bad enough on the Gremlin and Hornet, etc. I’ve owned Hornets and Eagles, all had door alignment problems because of this. The cure is to drill out the worn/elongated hinge pin holes and use bigger hinge pins with metal bushings. Frequently the striker wears badly as well since it winds up supporting the door’s weight.
On the Pacer with those heavy doors this was catastrophic. What probably happened on that loaner car is the problem was never addressed until finally the hinges or pins wore all the way through.
I was going to partner with a guy to open a restaurant. In our designs we had a Pacer in the indoor garden that was turned into a aquarium. The deal fell apart and we never got to do it,
I had a Pacer. I drove the wheels off of it. Super comfortable and reliable. I miss it.
Me too!
Inverted bathtub
And a 6 cylinder? Pa-lease!
I;d take most i6 motors over the rest unless –
two 4cyl joined for an 8 (the ford Coyote is designed/engineered that way)
A fair amount of negativity here towards this Pacer, and I will say I appreciate these quit a bit more now than I did back then, but this car, right now would seem pretty damn cool to a lot of people that had not even been born when this rolled off the lot. I live in an area that is very hipster/trendy/corporate, this or a $35,000 new Prius? Navaho seats and sparkly paint, I’ll take the Pacer. It may not be your cup of tea, but this Pacer’s appeal is in the early stages of its growth. This car, repaint and all, still has to be one of the nicest out there. Wish I had the $$$$.
Under 5000 miles, but needed an engine rebuild?
My parents had a green one, we referred to it as a lime (you know, like a “lemon”). It was more trouble than any car I remember growing up. Reverse was an issue, and when it was fixed, getting the damn thing into gear without first having to move a few feet in reverse became an issue. I remember my mother having to find room to move a few feet backwards in order to be sure we could get the car into a forward gear to get home from wherever we were parking. Nostalgic, yes, $25K …no.
I never liked the design of these things. A fellow who lived across the street from me was a used car salesman. He used to call them “upside down bath tubs.” He was right. He sold plenty of them Customers would come into his little lot and actually ask for them. He would go out, find one, bring it in and sell it quickly. Go figure.