How have we only seen four other 1980 Mercury Bobcats here on Barn Finds and we’ve probably seen several dozen Pintos? As if a Pinto doesn’t stand out enough in the crowd of Camaros, Mustangs, Corvettes, and Chargers, I bet this Bobcat would have a huge crowd around it at any car show. The seller has it listed here on eBay in Lenoir City, Tennessee. The seller has an unmet opening bid suggestion of $6,000 and a buy-it-now price of $12,999.
What a beautiful car, and I know that a few (thousand) of you will chuckle at that, or better yet, since it’s 2024, you’ll openly laugh and point at me as if I’ve lost my mind. Condition-wise, it’s hard to argue with this fancy Pinto, even though this is not a low-mile car, having piled on 108,000 miles over the last 44 years. I love the wheels but they don’t show up on a 1980 Bobcat brochure as having been an option. Who cares, they look great.
That Comuta-Car-like rear bumper looks like it could house a family of four and appears to be bent. Did someone stand on that bumper? That’s really the only flaw I see on the exterior of this car. Mercury offered the Bobcat from 1975 through 1980, starting a few years after Ford introduced the Pinto. This is a Bobcat Runabout with a “Tu-tone paint option”, according to a brochure.
The “Deluxe” interior is beautiful, but I like red interiors. The seats look great both front and rear, as does the rear cargo area, but there are a couple of areas on top of the dash that need help, as does the steering wheel. I’m surprised because the rest of the car (other than the rear bumper) looks almost like new.
The engine is Ford’s 2.3-liter SOHC inline-four, which would have been factory-rated at 88 horsepower and 119 lb-ft of torque by the final year of 1980. The seller doesn’t say how it runs but this car has a four-speed manual sending those 88 horsies to the rear wheels and you won’t see another one parked next to you at Cars & Coffee, I can almost guarantee that. Now, about that asking price… Any thoughts on this Bobcat?
There are several items which make this Bobcat interesting. The two-tone paint (obviously), the factory instrumentation group, the sport steering wheel (one of my all-time favorites). The manual transmission is what I would want. Not perfect but not bad. I agree, a car show magnet, for people who enjoy seeing ‘regular’ cars of their day.
Well SG, I’ll tell ya’, you and I and perhaps 7 other people in the world, think this is a really neat car, both in form and function. The fact we are even seeing this car, shows one of “us” owned this car. Mercury USED to be, this high and mighty Ford, okay, half a step towards a Lincoln, and the Bobca[sic]( Bobka, a Jewish bread) was no exception. I read, a base Pinto cost around $4,750 new, the Bobca was $200 more, but options not found on the Pinto, probably pushed these well over $5grand. The poor Pinto/Bobca was getting old by 1980, so many choices by then, only true holdouts bought these. I highly doubt t’other way ’round. This was the last gasp, and while this was the last of the Mohicans, only around 24,000 of these were sold, compared to a still impressive 185,000 Pintos in 1980, and quietly faded into history as a pretty good swing at the imports, only to throw in the towel anyway. I salute this car, like SG and the 7 others, and aside from the K cars later, this was a viable alternative, and offered everything an import did, oh yes it did, and why I’ll take that to my grave, I suppose. Great, no PHENOMENAL find.
Ford “threw in the towel” against the imports? Ever hear of a Ford Escort? That was the Pinto replacement. Sold a couple million of those, too.
That’s true, however, the Escort was no Pinto. The Pinto was groundbreaking, in that, it was still a RWD, what most Americans were used to and changed our attitudes from the big cars. The Escort was merely a knee jerk reaction to all the other FWD econoboxes.
I’m big time with Howard on Pinto/Bobkitty vs Escort. In my recollection, the development costs were MUCH larger for the latter and it was also designed to serve the euro market (with significant differences of course.) Due to it’s more “basic” mechanical set-up, the Pinto bean was a hardy little cat. While some of the advantages of the Escort were space efficiency (way better) and fwd traction, they just weren’t as stout. That was not as important in a more urban/suburban environment, but sure did show out in the sticks.
Early in my engineering career I worked on a survey crew doing aerial/ground control for large power lines crossing the Nebraska panhandle. Our work involved traversing rough country, off-road more than on. We ran a small fleet of 4wd pickups, but we also had an early seventies Econoline van and a Pinto wagon, office vehicles used as gophers and backup field vehicles. Both were amazing, they went where no fwd dare go, suffering the abuse that we young punks in the wild dished out for two years, with zero breakdowns.
Anecdotal I know, not something that can be measured or really analyzed, but real life.
A knee jerk reaction? If Ford would have come out with another RWD small car to replace the Pinto? The Asian car loving automotive press would have had a field day slamming Ford, as having “lost touch” with consumers. In 1981, the media had many Americans believing that a Honda Civic could drive on water.
It’s not so much how Ford should or shouldn’t have reacted to the market, they sold tons of Escorts, that is great. We’re just talking how they’re apples and oranges. Pintos were outdated in the market sense, but Escorts were not the answer for everyone either.
Young me would have gagged. Middle aged me says “this is kind of cool!” Not 5 figures cool, but still…
Yawn its a 4. Banger starter car. Its not 12 grand…. But its what the market will bear.
These are still lil econo boxes 📦 that ride bouncy and have high decibels inside the tin can affecting ones hearing.
Just watch your tail on the gas tank.
I remember them enough to look and then get in a modern quieter and peppier car.
GLWS…
Damn lot of them survived considering all the gas tank panic generated here.
Pretty good looking Bobcat. And at $13k? They’re asking what the market will bear. Your seeing dealers asking close to $20,000 for wagons. That’s crazy, but it shows you how askew this economy is. Half the country is deciding between clothing and food. The other half is deciding to pay triple the worth of a Pinto.
This is by far the sharpest “Pinto” or Bobcat I have ever seen. The 2-tone paint and the “rallye” wheels really set it off. And the Ziebart sticker on the back window shows that that rustproofing really did work, despite what some critics said.
I don’t think it’s the bumper but, rather, the gravel pan which looks goofy. It’s a little warped on the right and out of position on the left.
Other than that, it’s a fine looking, fun-to-drive li’l machine. Somewhat anemic but given my 60+ year history/experience with small FIATs, my driving “fun” tends toward energy management, not a bomb beneath my right foot.
Now, if I weren’t pushing 89 years, …
Too bad it’s the year it is.
And too bad it’s a Bobcat – badge-engineering at its nadir. It’s a Pinto, ‘kay? The first years, with the German four, great. Especially with the trim bumpers. Less smog equipment, and easier to field-engineer off.
This one, much harder. And, since it’s legitimately a classic in its own right, it would be vandalism to re-do the front and replace the rear bumper.
Nope…hard pass. It’s a fine specimen; but a car like this is for the personal memories. My memories of that time, when it was brought out as a last-year sendoff…disappointment.
The wheels on this car are in the 1980 Bobcat brochure, they’re just shown in white for some reason. If you want proof, check the brochure cover. The Bobcat shown is wearing these wheels.
I saw the wheels on this car on brochure cars, but not on the wheel options page. The white ones are… unusual, but I think you’re right. Thanks, CCF.
I love Bobcats but my 1980 model was an automatic and still prefer to go shiftless. The color and wheel covers look sharp, the hatchback is handy and the style had a youthful sporty look in an ocean of 1980s econoboxes.
Graduation day? Nice treat for us with all the Pintos. Everything is 1980 in full bloom. I think it would be fun and unique to tool around in and enjoy the nostalgia.
Not at bad looking little car with a bit of charm from what I see but 13K seems a stretch for it. But that’s just my opinion, good luck with selling the car.
Nice car, nicest? No. that one is in my neighborhood. I’ll have to grab some photos when it comes out for summer and try to post them here. Looks brand new and all the options. Stay tuned.
Ah, my first car purchase in 1992 after the engine blew on my hand me down car as a teenager. Mine was brown with orange interior, loving referred to as butt brown with puke orange interior! That P.O.S. would get so hot at the exhaust near the catalytic converter that it would literally glow orange. Sold it as soon as I found and replaced the engine in my hand me down 1983 toyota tercel. Both probably inspired Adam Sandlers song “P.O.S. car”
that rear bumber/shelf sure is ugly.
Auction update: this one ended with one bidder and a single $6,000 bid registered – although it appears that they raised their bid several times to ward off any subsequent bids – but there weren’t any.