This listing for a worn but worthy 1973 Ford Pinto Squire seems like a deal at $4,500 as it includes the runner and the parts rig – that’s right, an entire parts car is included at that price. The Squire trim doesn’t pop up all that often in Pinto form, and it’s amazing to see one that still has the faded memories of its fake woodgrain trim still attached. The Pinto is said to be in very good condition with 101,000 miles, and it’s listed for sale here on craigslist for $4,500 in Lake Havasu.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Pat L. for the find. The seller mentions a new carpet is on the way, but the existing mat doesn’t look that bad to me. Hopefully, it’s not been wet, as that’s a good reason to ditch what otherwise looks like a clean rug. Regardless, the interior isn’t in bad shape, but the seats will need to be recovered if you’re looking to have the kind of cabin fitting of a Squire model. The door panels don’t appear to be warped and the dash shows no signs of cracking. The automatic transmission is fairly typical for one of these, and with the fairly gutless four-cylinder under the hood, don’t expect much in the speed department.
The cavernous storage compartment looks clean as well, with exceptionally nice chrome on the rear bumper and un-cracked taillight lenses. The overall appearance suggests this Pinto spent its time both indoors and out, as the finish is clearly faded but the interior pieces aren’t suffering from the kind of damage we typically associated with prolonged sun exposure. The concept of a two-door station wagon is one that I wish would come back, as it makes total sense for fans of coupes that come with a little extra space behind the front seats. As long as you don’t need regular access to the back seat for passengers, this is a hugely practical concept.
Of course, I would advocate for wood trim paneling to make a comeback as well, as we seem to be in that era of nostalgia where cars and trucks from the 1970s and 1980s are looked upon fondly these days. It’s ironic, because every coming-of-age teenage flick made in that time likely portrayed the dorky parents driving a vehicle akin to this, wood trim and all. The seller doesn’t include any pictures of the parts vehicle, but one can hope it has one of the more powerful engines under the hood that would come in handy for a wintertime swap project. Would you hot-rod this Squire edition Pinto or keep it in stock condition?
Polish up the wood decals and keep it stock.
My aunt and uncle went car shopping in 1973. She wanted a car for herself.
They decided on a green 73 Pinto Squire
My uncle also made a deal on a 73 Ranchero. Same green
Traded in his 1970 Plymouth Satellite.
A double header for that Ford Dealership
This is almost the exact same car 8yo me learned to drive stick. Brown with the faux woodgrain, same year. I guess you could dye the carpet back to the original black in this? You can definitely tell this is a long time AZ car (little rust if any) from the fading carpet to the bleached woodgrain stickers. Probably can find a place that does wraps that can fix that right up. It wouldn’t take much to get this in great shape. The “gutless” 2000cc motors will take a beating and go forever. Anyone know where those wheels come from? My mom’s car had some dog dish style hubcaps…
I like these. In high school (1976, 77), my buddy’s older sister had a Pinto Squire wagon. She would let him take that on Friday nights if his dad’s Cougar 351 Cleveland was unavailable.
first car was a 10 yr old ’74 Pinto wagon… bigger cars I had later never had close to as much storage room, “cavernous”, indeed…
as the years went by I would keep a lookout to see if they were still on the road, think the last one I saw was in the mid-late ’90s sometime… no wonder survivors sell for a price I would have never expected at the time
Just in time for the pinto Stampede at Carlisle in 21 virus permitting of course.
Drop in a 2.3 Turbo & a T5. Close the hood & begin the fun…
In 1977 I bought a favorite color Greenp-1972 Squire Wagon from an original owner that said Ford under warranty put a 1973 engine in it because 72 blew up. My faux wood decals were already all faded but once every other week I could wipe them down with Old English scratch cover and man…they would come back to life! The only issues were: No AC in FL yuk and the starter gear and flywheel would keep chewing each other up. I even had dealer replace both at the same time, still I kept buying a new starter and would have to open hood and push tension on fan belt and pull up on the fan to move the engine a little to get past the bad spot on the flywheel gear, until the gear was completely chewed!
At $4,500 I think it’s a steal unfortunately due to Christmas next month I wouldn’t be able to pull the trigger untill January. Pls contact me then if u still have it ,Greg Williams 413-537-0003. Gregwilliams196400@gmail.com. Thank you, and Good Luck.
When the Pinto wagon body style first hit the showrooms I headed to the dealership run by a good friend of my father’s. We took the dealerships one example out on some back roads then I was given the keys and directed back to the dealership. I remember that automatic transmission equipped Pinto as being THE slowest new car that I would ever drive (though I have never driven a Prius, I understand that they are slow, too). And yet, 4 years later I would buy a Pinto hatchback with the 4 cylinder engine and automatic transmission. Go figure.