Mercury’s Bobcat, that division’s version of the Pinto, never had nice small bumpers, they all had the diving board-like bumpers as seen on this 1977 Mercury Bobcat Villager wagon. The seller has this one listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Albuquerque, New Mexico, one of my favorite cities in the US. They’re asking $4,800 for this woodgrain wagon. Thanks to David I. for sending in this tip!
The seller says that this fancy Bobcat wagon, known as a Villager, has just 56,000 miles but they don’t know if it has rolled over or not. It could have 156,000 miles on it but it looks great inside and out. I think it’s feasible that it could have just 56k on it, what do you think? The side pipes are interesting for a car with a 2.3L four-cylinder but I’m mainly wondering about the porthole windows on the rear sides. Are those panels that someone added onto a regular Bobcat Villager wagon to convert it to a Cruising Wagon?
It’s rare to see the porthole window version of the Bobcat wagon, did Mercury even make a Bobcat Cruising Wagon with the porthole windows? If so, I can’t imagine that it was a Villager trim wagon with woodgrain accents on it. Was this one a converted Pinto Cruising Wagon with a Bobcat front clip and tailgate? It’s hard to know with so few photos. I ran across a couple of them on the internet and Autopolis mentions Mercury making a Bobcat Cruising Wagon for 1977 but I can’t find any official brochures or other info.
Here is one that I ran across that’s listed as a Bobcat Cruising Wagon, or “Cruzin Wagon”. The seller of this yellow Villager wagon doesn’t show us too many interior photos, sadly. There are none of the dash at all and if they didn’t mention “automatic” we wouldn’t know that this one has a Ford C3 automatic rather than a 4-speed. From what we see though, the interior looks basically as perfect as any 1977 Bobcat wagon could look. The back seat looks great.
Bobcat Cruising Wagon or not, this one has a 2.3L inline-four-cylinder with 89 horsepower. The seller doesn’t give much information about this car but I’m assuming that it’s a running and driving Bobcat and it sure looks like it’s in nice condition. The biggest question is: what the heck is it? Is this a Pinto Cruising Wagon conversion or a unicorn-rare Bobcat version that also has woodgrain? What are your thoughts?
Nice looking car – Whatever it is.
With the exception of those bucking fumpers.
Having owned several Pintos, it is my opinion that the “cruising” panels were added on, if it truly is a bobcat, which I believe it is. I have my doubts that it’s an automatic, because there would not be a rubber boot around the shifter, it would be enclosed in a chrome bezel. For what it is, doesn’t seem like a bad deal, but for whatever the reason, I’m not a fan of Facebook market place. Seller needs better pictures, and better description, has flipper written all over it.
I’d bet that you’re right, Bob! That’s also a good point about the automatic possibly being a manual and Facebook marketplace listings, they usually make craigslist look good. It sure looks good to me for less than $5,000.
I had the same thought as Bob S, it would be more likely that the panels were added. And it looks like a manual transmission. And I don’t understand using Facebook Marketplace to sell cars. Scotty has a good quote, “make(s) craigslist look good.” All that said, it seems like a decent Bobcat Wagon.
Look at the size of that bumper. Gross.
The lake pipes are a bit much. The car is already eye catching (for better or worse), but to add side pipes and flashy rims just seems like you’re trying too hard
very nice conditon, and a bargain to boot !!
How can you argue with a car that can carry a keg and seat 4 on the bumpers…nice price, needs beer tap on side….
Maybe the lake pipes are beer dispensers in disguise. Three different varieties on each side of the car!
You made a comment that is not offensive! There is a decent side to you!
Mercury never had a “Crusin Wagon” for the Bobcat. It’s too dignified for that lol
Even though I know what to expect, like others comment it’s a shock to see the bumpers on these. What were they thinking? Even AMC with its limited resources did a better job with the battering-ram bumpers required in that era.
What they were thinking was, “What’s the quickest, cheapest way to meet the new 5 MPH bumper regs? Push the old bumpers out and cover the gap, done.”
The more upright and “formal” Mercury nose made it pretty obvious, but least the Pinto disguised the gap somewhat better with a new sloping front clip and trim made of plastic/fiberglass — a bit sacrificial, as it would probably sustain damage more readily than the Bobcat, but still under the mandated repair-cost limit.
I had a friend that had a 77 Pinto with the panels and porthole windows. His was a v6 automatic. It didn’t have any aftermarket names on it anywhere but Russell bought it used so I never knew if Ford built it like that. I saw many of them around East Texas back then.
The frontb bumper reminds me of those remote civilizations where the chief walks around with a huge plate inserted inside his lower lip…….either way, painful to look at.
Side panels are screwed on over the window opening. I believe the Pinto used a steel panel that fit the existing opening.
Well, I’ll be “DANGEL”ed, ( see what I did there, a POO-joe joke) I didn’t think there was a Bobcat Cruisin’ Wagon, be like a Gremlin” SUPER X”, or a Vega “GT,,,um,,X”,,oh boy. It’s a Pinto with a different hood and grill, man, that must have really broke Ford to sucker in the Mercury crowd, bamboozling them into thinking they had something better, and bilking them for an extra $400 bucks( almost $2 GRAND today),,,sounds like a money maker to me, and the kicker, people bought into that “badge engineering”,,,”oh, well, it’s a Mercury, you know, says so right here”. I guess, properly marketed, you really CAN sell air conditioners to the Eskimoes. Babbling aside, it’s a fun find.
Dual exhaust on a 4 cylinder cool, probably still sounds better than the fart can sound of most of today’s imports
I HATE those “fart can” exhausts. I feel like filling them with “Great Stuff” overnight, not so loud now, eh? You can tell you are getting old when loud exhaust bothers you. Somehow, the rumble of an American V8 with open headers was a different story, however. Pretty sure it’s a fake exhaust, and the original single pipe behind the right rear tire can be seen.
You should hear what a modern mustang v6 sounds like with those fart can mufflers.
IMO, the sound of many V8s with cat converter(s) just don’t quite sound right.
& what do you think of the latest thing the cops won’t do anything about – the BACKFIRING tuners – sometimes even sounds like gunfire! They remove the muffler(s).
Imagine what the cops would do back in the day to all these kids.
I’m pretty sure if you brought back an ugly modern 4 door import “tuner” back to 1969 – with the high roof, tiny trunk lid & hood, & fart can muffler(s), the KIDS TOO back then would find the noise very annoying & ridiculous, not to mention they would all laugh at what kids would be driving in the future.
I am right now. lol
If you look at this vintage(love em!) car & driver article about the ’71 vette …
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15141356/1971-chevrolet-corvette-road-test/
i quote
“And with a freer exhaust system. According to Duntov, 50 horsepower is lost in the mufflers. That, however, is life. You have to have mufflers on the street. California laws say they have to be quiet ones and the LS6’s are — stifled even. The pulses are still distinct — when each cylinder is pumping out over 50 horsepower they couldn’t be otherwise — but they’re muted. Giants in padded cells. (Chevrolet used to offer a chambered-pipe outside exhaust system that cost about 10 fewer horsepower than the mufflers but that’s too loud now….)”
Looks like the above policy is completely ignored today – at least in the NY metro area – does Calif police ticket obnoxious exhausts today? I bet they don’t.
I would think today’s flowmasters & the factory exhausts of the modern shebly mustang, etc. also would be way too loud BACK THEN then in Calif, at least.
I just can’t get past those bumpers. Damn NHTSA!
Well, in another Pinto add on Barns Find a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I saw this car in person when I was in town. It appeared to be a Father and Son sale. They were asking 6k when I looked at it. The son’s older brother had just sold an El Camino which is probably the one in the background, and they bought a small little newer car for him. They bought a 60s Fairmont, if I recall, for the younger son, and they tried to trade the guy it for this Bobcat. The guy said ”No”. So they are selling it. Last I had checked, they took it off Craigslist, but had lowered the price to 5k and 4.8k. They told me they trailered the car from Arizona, and that guy had 3 of these wagons between him and his wife. About this car, it could probably use some engine work sooner or later due to that I could smell fuel or burning oil coming out of the exhaust. The side exhausts are for show, and they are not functional. The side panels are plastic and looked to be screwed on. I did take a quick scan at the ident-plate, but I only recall that it was a 77 and the weight of the car. He does not have a picture of the right inside rear panel which is laying in the back. If you zoom in, you can see a dent on the left rear corner next to the taillight. I heard it run, and I didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. What was strange was when we took it out for a test drive with the son driving and the Father in the back sit, I turned the heater on to see if it was working. It works as good as it will for a 4 cylinder of that era. Here comes the strange part. Next to the heater control was another heater control much smaller though, and it looked like it was factory! I missed with it, but I did not notice any difference in the heat. While the son drove, the transmission felt like it was shifting good. It is an automatic. It does have a little wear and tear that is expected for a car this age. The paint is a little faded, and the side wood grain as well. I looked under the doors and a little underneath the car, and I did not notice any rust issues. He does have a speaker box in the rear cargo area and an aftermarket stereo. In between the shifter console and the glove box, there are three gauges for temp, bat, and pres. All these guages appeared to be working properly. Also, the air pump and piping have been deleted in this car. I also noticed that I had to close the front doors with a little more force. The outside driver’s door handle button was stuck in, and I had to press it a couple of times for it to pop back out. It has the slogan “SuperFly” on the sides where it should have the Bobcat emblem. It also has it on the back. This slogan is from the early 70s show of a drug pusher when I looked it up.
SuperFly
Pretty clean, listed two weeks ago and no takers?
Looks like 10 mph bumpers! These should be tested & then removed. lol
I was just comparing the front grill on this 77 Bobcat wagon to my old pictures of my 78 Bobcat hatchback that I used to own. There is an uneven gap across of the top of the grill and the hood on this 77 Bobcat wagon. On my 78 Bobcat the gap is straight all the way across and looks even.
I messages the seller. My Cougar is supposed to be leaving tomorrow & I will have a place for this out of the weather. If I do buy it, those lake pipes are coming off lol.
I will keep you posted.
Ok Stevieg. Good luck if you purchase it! I also forgot to mention on my remark above that it has a newer radiator and one loud ha-huga horn!
Also on craigslist,
https://albuquerque.craigslist.org/cto/d/albuquerque-1977-mercury-bobcat-villager/7425183142.html
Hey Stevieg! You must like those yeller wagons! Saw your post for the 79/80 Yeller Cruising Wagon back in July 2020 on BarnFinds. Did you trailer this one back to Wisconson? Congrads in advance!
The yellow thing is just a coincidence lol.
I am not buying this one, but I still wouldn’t mind owning it.
I can’t get down there to buy it due to time constraints, and I can’t figure out how to buy it & be comfortable with it. I don’t want to send the money & trust that a car & title will show up, and I won’t ask the seller to send the car without receiving payment first. So here I sit, without a tacky yellow Bobcat wagon.
Facebook Marketplace has an update – SOLD! Oh well Stevieg, you probably didn’t need it anyway.
Lol no, it wasn’t a “need”.