Ford’s first U.S.-built subcompact was the Pinto, introduced in 1971. It had a 10-year production run which resulted in nearly 3.2 million units sold. The station wagon was a popular model, comprising nearly one-third of the car’s total sales over the decade. This 1976 Pinto has had a tremendous amount of work done since the seller acquired it six years ago. It’s time for the little car to move on to a new home from Los Angeles, California, and it’s available here on craigslist for $10,000. Kudos to Rocco B. for yet another vintage tip for our readers!
For many, the Pinto was inexpensive transportation for folks on a budget or families needing a second or third automobile. And it was the right kind of vehicle that people wanted when gasoline prices began to spike in the mid-1970s. The small car seems to have developed a following 40+ years later, at least through the Pinto Car Club of America. So perhaps there’s a buyer out there who’s been waiting for a Pinto like this one to turn up.
The seller provides a lot of details on this vehicle, which isn’t always the case with listings on craigslist. The amount of time and money invested to bring it up to its current condition may support the asking price for the car. It needed body work and paint when the seller bought it in 2018, and the seller offers several before and after photos to show the evolution of this 70,000-mile Ford. A video is also provided to show the car in a positive light.
This subcompact was built in California and seems to have been a resident of the state all along. There was some minor rust and dents and dings that were repaired before the new green paint was applied. Photos of the interior are sparse, but we’re told the interior has covers on the front seats, under which some torn upholstery is present. The dashpad has some minor cracks after nearly 50 years.
We’re told the Ford starts, runs, and drives as it should and makes outings once or twice a week. The radiator, water pump, timing belt, and a lengthy list of parts have been replaced in the past few years. Work has also been done on the engine, transmission, and clutch. Some of the noted repairs were done by a shop while the owner did the rest himself/herself to save money. It recently passed its annual California SMOG test so it’s ready to go. This auto is by no means perfect or a show car but could be a nice daily driver if that is your desire.
This is one of the most comprehensive write-ups I have seen in a long time, and it is on Craigslist… amazing. The car has had a bunch of work done, with some interior work still needed (which should be straightforward); unfortunately interior pics are lacking. Overall looks like a nice Pinto wagon, in period correct colors, and it’s even a four-speed.
Thanks Russ.
Something tells me this is a 10-footer. A complete paint job should really be done, not a patchwork job. That’s the kind of painting I did to an old car as a teenager. No interior pick tells me something too.
Hopefully, the bodywork was done correctly. But, when you see dealers asking close to $20 grand for these wagons? This might be a bargain.
That’s quite a list of new parts and work however at the end of the day it’s still a Pinto wagon and $10K seems optimistically on the very high end. Seems like a lot of bondo but who knows for sure? Pinto parts are cheap and plentiful –
I used to rent these when I was between jobs on the Alaska Pipeline. Seems it was $10/day and .10/mile.
The wagons were 4banger automatics, not much power, but fun on snow and ice because they were 50/50 weight distribution. I proudly claim to have done a 900-degree reverse spin in the parking lot of the movie theater in Anchorage!
Long ago and far away, thank God.
My first car. 4 spd, green on green. Mine had the country squire wood. Got it in ’83 with 30K on the clock. Good times…
Wasn’t this once owned by the Illinois Natzi’s from the Blues Brothers movie?
I think that one had more body damage after the huge drop from the sky
Hard pass from me. Although, at the Turkey Rod Runs several years back there was a fella who had one of these that he put a flathead V8 in. That was cool.
Last time it was featured on this site, May 2023, the seller was asking $13,000. The Los Angeles metro area has 10 million people and lots of money floating around, good deals don’t last long.
Steve R
Got a soft spot in my heart for these
things. My wife and I had a ’74 painted burnt orange with the same
color interior. Like this car, ours was
a 4-speed too and was very reliable.
Had visions of of buffing out the paint, redoing the wood, and putting
a set of slot mags on it to cap it all
off. But life got in the way and all we
could do to spice things up was to
install a Kraco AM/FM cassette stereo system with 4 6X9″ 3-way
speakers along with the original dash
mounted unit. Was planning to add
2 more speakers to the tailgate but at
over 130K miles, the engine shot craps and it went to that great freeway in the sky. Both my wife and
Car are gone now, but I still have the
memories.
I dunno, I’m on the fence on this one. How much of the bodywork is new metal, and how much is bondo? I like the painted sides and the fact that it’s a California car (no road salt and a dry climate), but that body and paint work have me nervous, particularly if it was done by an amateur. On the plus side, if the mechanical bits are well maintained, that’s a plus. Cleaner examples exist, particularly in Hemmings Motor News, but also command premium prices in the $18k to $20k range, so the question for me is: Can you properly restore it on a reasonable budget? It might be a good restomod candidate, for those so inclined, who knows?
The price seems explosively high. There are many other things I would spend $3,k on first, let alone $10,k.
I bought my 71 Pinto wagon in the late 70s with 41K miles on it. The body had bondo and ripples on both sides, similar to this one. Great car, multi purpose, cost me $900.00.
Nope and I’m at A loss as to why someone would dump that kind of money into one of these