As you folks, know, some of us like Pintos here, and reader Jay M. says “Apparently some people collect these.” This one is located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and is up for sale here on kijiji for $2,695.
With the original wheel covers in place and a body that doesn’t look too bad apart from some dings, this seems pretty solid, especially for a car this old this far north!
Apart from some bare floors, which aren’t as rusty as they could be, the interior looks remarkably good for the age of the car. And what’s that I see in the center? That’s a four speed manual shifter! In a wagon! How cool!
The seller tells us this is a four cylinder, which means since the little wagon is a 1979 it’s a 2.3 liter four cylinder engine. I’m thinking the third pedal makes this a rare opportunity–how about you?
I don’t believe a stick in a Pinto wagon was that unusual, at least in the day. The neighbor’s daughter bought a ’75 wagon brand new with a stick (I remember looking at the odometer & it had 7 miles on it) She was still learning stick shift & when we all went to church together the next Sunday in it her Mom had to give her pointers on tips on the way.
Manual transmissions were not that rare, in fact, they were more common than the automatics given the fuel crisis mind-set of the time. My ’80 Pony wagon was a great little, dependable, 4 speed car. The 2.3 was darn near bullet proof. Although being prone to fast corrosion infiltration, fender and door panels were readily accessible. It was very common here in the Rust Belt to see Pintos running around with primered fenders,hoods and doors. When I grudgingly had to put My ’80 Pony to rest, it had close to 210,000 miles under it’s belt with only regular scheduled maintenance.
“Take That !, Ralph Nader !! ” :)
Pretty terrible car in its day (parents owned one for about one year, gave up on it, never bought another Ford). That said, restomodding one of these with modern mechanicals & electronics would sweet – I am especially fond of the “panel van” versions, and a new eco-boost drivetrain would make this part of a pretty nice small camping ensemble.
had a ’77 model pinto wagon it came from Canada as well, the reason they survive so well, is the fact that they had a waxy undercoating that protected them from the elements. mine had over 300,000 miles on it when I sold it.