Next time that you are at an event such as a Cars & Coffee, do me a favor and have a good look around. Sure, you will see plenty of people gravitating towards muscle cars and nice customs, but you will be surprised by just how many people will stop and take a good look at a clean survivor like this 1980 Ford Pinto Squire. This one is a clean car, and it could easily find itself parked in your driveway. If it does attract your attention, then you will find it located in Colville, Washington, and listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding on the Pinto has now reached $2,750, and with the reserve having been met, it is set to head off to a new home.
The Polar White paint on the Pinto is nicely contrasted by the woodgrain vinyl, and all of this appears to be in really good condition. The car is free of dents and dings, and the photos also indicate that the car is rust-free. The factory tinted glass all seems to be in good order, as does the external trim, chrome, and the deluxe wheel covers. The exception here is the rear bumper filler panel, which is showing a fair amount of warping. As I said, the Pinto might appear to be a pretty unexciting car to some people, but its condition will still attract its share of attention.
The Squire was originally purchased by a lady in Minnesota, and she used the car on a regular basis until she chose to park it permanently in her garage in 2005. That’s where it sat until 2018 when the current owner purchased the car and returned it to the road. The original owner must have been pretty fond of her Pinto because the interior is remarkably well preserved. There are really no problems to report, and even the plastic trim, which is renowned for deteriorating over time, is in good condition., The dash is free of cracks, while the upholstery on the seats, doors, and the headliner, all look to be in excellent condition. I wonder whether the original owner might have undertaken some extended journeys in the little Ford because she has had it fitted with a Sears cruise control. In addition, the Pinto has been fitted with a Pylon windshield wiper delay control.
After sitting for 13-years, the Pinto did need some work to return it to a healthy mechanical state once again. The cylinder head on the 2.3-liter 4-cylinder engine has been replaced, while the carburetor has also been rebuilt. The owner had the gas tank cleaned, along with replacing the fuel pump, the lines, all of the engine belts, and hoses. There was a fair amount of other work performed, and the car is now said to run and drive nicely, although he does say that there is a bit of play in the steering. The one thing that I do find odd is the fact that the lid is missing off the air cleaner, and the current owner hasn’t sourced a replacement. Personally, I wouldn’t be driving the car until that has been addressed, because the last thing that you would want is for an errant stone to find its way down the carburetor. The engine produces 88hp, which is sent to the road via a 3-speed automatic transmission. For comfort and ease of operation, the Pinto features power steering and power front disc brakes. It also comes with an impressive catalog of documentation, including the original Window Sticker, Sales Contract, Owner’s Manual, plus numerous other items.
When it was new, this Pinto Squire represented affordable transport for a small family. Over the following few years, technology overtook it, and the rise of the small front-wheel-drive car saw the Pinto become outmoded and old-fashioned. Today, they have developed their own niche following, and nice examples do attract their share of attention. This one is a nice one, and if you owned it, I’m sure that it would be a great conversation starter at your next Cars & Coffee.
OK, I’m good on Pintos. Next!
Neat-o survivor…..
As long as you never need a starter, you’ll be fine
Why is that???
Easiest way to get to it is remove engine
Neat car…”borrow” a 14″ pizza pan from the local Pizza Hut…drill a couple holes, all-thread, wing nuts…bada bing bada boom problem solved.
I can smell that interior through the picture…
Another Pinto survivor. Overall pretty nice.
Not common to see paperwork for a throw-away car (though a Squire would have represented the top of the Pinto pecking order).
Did anyone notice the AM radio was an $80 delete on the window sticker? Oh for the days when one could option a vehicle just about any way they wanted. And that this delete amount for the lowly AM radio is the same as the cost of Power Disc Brakes?
I couldn’t help but compare this outgoing Ford econobox to the incoming Ford econobox (Escort), one of which is featured here on BF.
I much preferred the Pinto. That clunky automatic in the Escorts was hard to deal with.
Not to mention a multitude of FULL colors back then inside, & outside(avg of 15) avail even on base models, not to mention 2 door, 4 door, wagon, convertible, formal roof, fastback, frameless glass, framed glass, etc. – many many more unique models & manufacturers, & dealers not on hiways to choose from! I would not know WHAT to buy in ’68-70. So many beautiful inexpensive BASE cars.
Try building an entry level only 4 door(blahhh!) new car today online for under $18k.
In many cases you can ONLY! get black, white or gray outside & you know what color inside. & to get a choice of maybe 5 more bland colors outside(wow) you have to pay thousands of dollars more for option packages! & you can’t get one anymore w/o cable operated hvac controls – toublesome blend door motors with plastic gears buried deep inside the dash, & body control modules all over the place controlling even the the simplest of things, plastic galore OUTSIDE too just waiting to fade, cloud up, fog up or yellow, & a std video screen on the dash are all what you have to look forward too – NONE of which I, at least, want! lol
I knew a guy who had one of these and he had it optioned to the hilt. It had everything you could get except ONE thing that made no sense. He had an AM/FM with as many extra speakers as you could get but didn’t get the stereo option. I asked him why not and he said it was too expensive.
I bought a Pinto wagon in 1972 and it was one the nicest cars I have ever owned. We got an honest 27 mpg with that car (might sound like small potatoes in 2019, but quite nice in 1972) especially after the Arab oil embargo of 1973.
Boy, $6 grand when new! Surprised with all the up keep the owner did, why not keep it. So far not much profit. And how does that air cleaner lid go missing?
I’d buy this one, the price is right BUT it’s too far from me :( This is a good car for my son and his new wife. It’s hard to find a nice car/SW these days. My son don’t like S.U.V.! I guess this Pinto SW is safer than the hatchback?