Don’t be concerned about the present location of this 1976 AMC Pacer D/L being parked outside next to a garage, according to the seller, this one has only recently been moved there and has been inside for the last two decades. They have it posted here on eBay in Thomasville, Pennsylvania and the current bid price is $1,875 but the reserve isn’t met. Thanks to some phantom reader who sent in this tip but didn’t leave their name!
Josh showed us a very similar Pacer with much nicer wheels on it eons ago: January of 2016! I know, that’s a long time. The Pacer is famous for a couple of things at a minimum, the Wayne’s World tie-in and the curved round glass on the rear of the sedans. The station wagons didn’t get that unique treatment. I wonder what a fishbowl rear glass station might have looked like… (kidding, no Photoshop here)
The Pacer was made for model years 1975 to 1980 just at the perfect time when car companies, especially AMC, were making unusual vehicles. AMC almost seemed to have a lock on unusual vehicles in this era with the Pacer, Gremlin, Matador Coupe, etc. Of course, then Ford had the Mustang II and Chevrolet had the Chevette and Vega. I for one prefer unusual vintage vehicles even from the mid-1970s over most new vehicle designs.
Sadly, the second-worst part of this car is that there is no engine compartment photo. The first-worst part is that there is no engine. Well, it’s there but it’s not in the car and it apparently is ready to be put back in the car according to the seller’s description. It’s AMC’s 258 cubic-inch inline-six which with a two-barrel carburetor (according to the VIN) would have had 120 horsepower.
The best part of this entire car, in my opinion, is the berry “Basketry Print” interior. Sadly, in keeping with online vehicle sales traditions, the photos aren’t the best, especially interior photos. But, you can see part of the seat fabric and it’s very cool. The driver’s seat bottom must need work as it’s covered up and this car needs a lot of work overall. Hagerty is at $3,000 for a #4 fair condition car which this car is not in currently without the engine being installed. What will this one sell for?
“I’ve got a great idea.That Pacer that’s been in the garage for two decades – let’s put it ouside,now that there’s snow on the ground,& then
we’ll put it up for sale”.
Pacers are going up in value these days. I need start working on my 75 X
AMC made some really cool interiors.
I got one of these as a rental in Mexico in 1976. I was a weird experience driving it…like driving a soap bubble.
Seat covers are bad enough, but when I see a towel(!) over the drivers’ seat that would take literally half a second to remove for the pics, I assume the absolute worst about what’s underneath.
Conway Twitty drove a Yellow Pacer, with a P- magnet
I had a n AMC Pacer D/L 1976 that caused much attention at car shows. Guess people just tired of the tri fives and ’65 Mustangs. I even got a Chick Magnet award. It had issues and I sold it with honesty. Being in a car club without a car isn’t much fun so I’m looking for another Pacer coupe. It doesn’t have to be restored just a daily driver. I miss the attention. Please keep me in mind. Dan Nuffer I surely enjoy your Barn Finds.
One year I went to LA’s Union Station to see the SP Daylight and a UP steam locomotive leave. I asked another guy how far he was going to chase them? He didn’t have a car and I offered him a ride but told him I had an old car, a 59 El Camino. He came up to me later and said he’d found another ride. Both engines went over Cajon Pass and I stopped and took a video. I saw him go by in the back of a Pacer, in kind of a fetal position. That must have been comfy!
If I was the owner, I’d grab the $1875.00 and run like hell.
A GUY IN Morristown, Tn. just closed the family used car lot and had a Pacer wagon to sell, he was asking $3000, for it ran and was pretty good condition and almost complete, if anyone is interested I can give you his contact number.
Been a long time since i have seen one on the streets.
You want to buy the nicest Pacer you can afford. Pay the money for one you can enjoy. There are too few NOS parts for the body and especially the interior. The few parts that are still around, those that have them usually want real money for them.
The steering rack will need work on about any power steering cars. Expect to replace it or rebuild it. If not done already the the engine and trans will need sealed and if sitting around better hope it won’t need a tank. You guessed it, Not available. AMC forums can help locate parts. Many great AMC people.
I heard that these were designed by the same man who did the Porsche 928 and I can kind of look at a 928 and see, in my mind, it morphing into the Pacer.
Any truth to that?
No truth. The Pacer, like other AMC cars of the era, was designed by Richard Teague. The 928 was designed by Anatole Lapine.
nuttin but da wag-in, wagin!, wagin!, wagin!
On call to nat upholstery supplier I heard “Only one roll of the pacer blanket left, green.”
no, but lookit dis:
https://pholder.com/amc-pacer
One of the few genuinely inspired American cars of the 70s, Proof positive along with the AMX that AMC deserved to survive far more then did the big 3.
Auction ended at $2,800, Reserve Not Met, but it has been relisted already.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/313864966577?ViewItem=&item=313864966577&vxp=mtr0,
Thanks, PRA4SNW!