The seller shows a couple of photos of a nice Pacer in their listing, somewhat of a tricky thing to drawing in people to click on the listing. I guess that’s pretty common in this era, but once you dig into the listing a bit, you see that the car shown above is the right one. This 1976 AMC Pacer X is listed here on eBay in Danville, California, and they’re asking $4,000 or best offer. Did I mention it isn’t running?
Yeah, so a somewhat rough Pacer without a running engine for what Hagerty lists for a #4 fair-condition car? I’m not quite sure where they got their asking price from, but I doubt if they’ll get anything close to $4k for this one. It would sure be fun to see this car after a YouTube detailer worked their handiwork on it, though. The “styled aluminum wheels” were optional, according to this great AMC Data Book. I’ve spent half an hour looking through those 42 pages; this link is a keeper.
The seller does have a nice hood to replace the rusty one shown in the opening photo, so that’s nice. And, how about that cool roof rack?! Maybe the best feature. The rust under the rear window trim is not the best feature, nor is the crispy and partially-missing rear bumper filler seen above. Here’s what the rear cargo area looks like. I believe this car is Sand Tan in color.
That’s a factory steering, by the way. The Pacer X was a somewhat sporty model, and the seats look almost perfect in the front, as well as in the back, where they do look perfect. Ok, maybe the rust on the hood and under the rear window trim isn’t that bad seeing how nice the interior looks overall. The door pulls on the inside are a bit burnt, and there are other issues.
The biggest drawback is the non-running 258-cu.in. OHV inline-six rolling through a TorqueFlite automatic to the rear wheels. The seller says that the engine “couldn’t start recently due to a torn belt. It can be fixed in a day, according to my guys at the auto shop I’ve been going to for the last 12 years.” A timing belt? This car should have a timing chain, unless I’m way off. The fan shroud is cracked and it looks like the carb is new. In any case, they say “All interiors, mechanics, and exhausts are restored and up-to-date.” This one is a bit of a head-scratcher. What are your thoughts on this Pacer X?
EXCELLENT, party on, Scotty, whoo, whoo, whoo, you know, nothing bolsters a cars image better than a movie featuring that vehicle.You have to hand it to Hollywood, when the producers said, they wanted the most unusual car for Waynes 70s shenanigans, what better car than the Pacer. Hey, any publicity Is good, and we’ll take it. The Pacer was for a group that was anything but Waynes World. Not very popular outside the Midwest, and believe me, in all my travels, I would have noticed one. No, more for the person that had some sort of connection to AMC, and found out they were actually very nice cars. I knew folks with them, that would have gladly bought another, but by then, they were gone. Good gas mileage, great heat/a/c, dependable, and people actually liked being seen in one. Like most AMCs kooky offerings,, it was short lived, and the Pacer fell into the dark corners of the world. Luckily, it lives on in the movie, can’t say that about most cars. “A torn belt prevents starting”? I don’t think so,,,people come up with the goofiest things,,,:D
Howard’s World, Howard’s World, party time, excellent…
If my recollection is correct, Pacers did not have rear bumper filler, even when new.
I think you’re right, GC19! I just zoomed in, and it’s just that the right side of the rear bumper has pulled out, so you can see behind it. I thought that was cracked bumper filler, but now that you mention it, I don’t remember too many AMC cars with bumper filler material.
If you look at the first two photos… the ones that aren’t the car he’s selling… it doesn’t appear the are any fillers. And I don’t remember any from back in the day.
Yes, the 258 uses a timing chain. I suppose it’s possible the chain broke but I’ve never seen it happen on those engines. However the engine may have a nylon timing gear that stripped out. That seems more likely.
If this was going to be a simple fix why wouldn’t the seller do it and get more money for a running, if somewhat rusty and scruffy, car? (Looking at how the engine is stuffed in there I would dread having to do any serious work on it.) It’s not really adding up.
AMC didn’t use bumper fillers on the Pacer. Bumpers were mounted on impact absorbers that were covered in an accordion-like urethane sleeve.
Buy it, fix the engine, and relive those high school days of pulling into the parking lot and having all those pretty high school girls being drawn to your chick magnet!
leave where it’s sitting especially for 4k
I always thought that a 3″ top chop would have been just about perfect in the styling department. Hey Scotty, how about a photo shop version! I was a passenger in one when they were brand new. The driver (Johnny Morris) tried his best to roll it. Luckily for me he was not successful!
Hey, Wayne, here’s a 3-4″ chop, but it’s hard to really tell the difference.
Here’s the “before” image.
It’s hard to tell only because your chop makes it look more normal, like it should have! Nice job!
You are way too kind, Wademo!
The only car that ever made an Aztec look good.
A whole lot of nasty going on underneath. I woulda cleaned that up before snapping the picture….Just sayin’….
It isn’t a Cali car
Remember as a kid with my dad seeing one at a plaza back in the mid 70’s. Thought it was a rather strange looking car, even back then. I heard with the large glass space the car had you’d feel like you were driving around in a green house on hot summer days.
Everything but the engine works. Huh, that was the same reason I got rid of mine!
If you’re into it, buy it and replace the engine. It’s going to be easy because from the looks of the fan shroud one of the motor mounts is already broken free.
What am I missing? The first auction went through with no takers at $4,000 or best offer, so the seller relisted it at $6,300 or best offer!
“Honey, I’m trying to sell it, honest!”