Every so often, a listing pops up that reminds us why quirky, underappreciated classics are still some of the most fun finds on craigslist. This 1976 AMC Pacer—yes, the famous wide small car—might be one of the most charming examples to hit the Minneapolis market in a while. With just 66,000 miles, a clean title, and an asking price of $2,500 OBO, it’s the kind of attainable nostalgia that’s getting harder to find. Thanks for the tip Jack M.!
According to the seller, this Pacer is a genuinely nice survivor. It reportedly starts right up, runs well, and drives the way you want a solid inline-six AMC to behave. Power steering and power brakes are said to work great, making it an easy car to hop into and enjoy. The owner is clear that they’ve loved the car, but garage space is needed for one of their kid’s projects—so the Pacer has to go, even if reluctantly.
The car is described as being in excellent condition overall, with the paint called out as a strong point. There’s no surface rust mentioned on the body, and the shine is reportedly still very good. Chrome is said to be in good shape too, and the only exterior flaw noted is one minor ding. For anyone who has shopped older AMC models, that’s a surprisingly short list of issues.
Inside, this Pacer seems to have held up just as well. The seller notes one small hole in the upholstery, but otherwise the interior sounds impressively preserved. The carpets and headliner are described as good, and the seating surfaces appear to have survived the decades better than expected. The only real missing items mentioned are the door pulls, and the car does not have air conditioning.
Mechanically, the seller’s confidence comes through. They say the car starts every time, runs perfectly, and feels right on the road. For a 48-year-old hatchback, that’s a strong endorsement. The Pacer’s floor pans and trunk area are reported as solid, which is always important on these cars. The one serious flaw to note is rust on the passenger-side frame—something the seller is up front about. Any buyer will want to inspect that area themselves to determine the extent and what it may mean for future repairs.
Still, as the seller points out, this car gets attention everywhere. Pacers already stand out because of their shape, but a clean, yellow example in running condition at this price point? That’s going to turn heads whether you’re at a gas station, a cars-and-coffee meet, or simply cruising across town.
With a solid drivetrain, a nice body, and heaps of personality, this Pacer offers an affordable entry into one of the most recognizable cars of the 1970s. It isn’t perfect, but for $2,500 OBO, it doesn’t need to be. Someone is going to snap this one up and enjoy every mile.
If that 66k is original miles this looks and sounds like a great deal for that price.
Why am I hearing the Herb Alpert song, “Tijuana Taxi” in my head while I’m looking at this listing?
“mamamia mamamia mamamia let me go”
Nah, 166K easy. I read this is not an AMC color. In ’76 they had 1 shade of yellow, “Sunshine Yellow”, and wasn’t near as bright. And the dual exhaust, turning a V8 pipe around, very clever, I did that with my 6 cylinder Valiant. The rust is concerning, but a car with any movie reference is always going to be collectible. The Pacer was one of those cars that was a tough sell, but to those that bought them, they loved them, and wished they could have gotten another. You can’t deny, AMC offered fun stuff, not stuffy cruisers. Too bad, it was stuffy cruisers people wanted. Great find.
I’m convinced this is a repainted car. You wouldn’t get a red interior in a yellow car. Also, the horizontal body seam between the rear wheel arches and the bumper is missing. That always gets filled in with bondo when these get repainted. It is a thorough color change, though, with jambs and such painted.
The frame looks repairable and the rest of it looks great. Just need to convince the wife we need to road trip it home.
Looks great up top, but “rust never sleeps”. Obviously this was driven in the salty snow,
Looks like it is worth $2.50.
I personally don’t like the yellow. I also feel the interior is a strange color for the yellow exterior.
If you are looking for a ride that gets attention, this is it!
I believe its been repainted . Why can they not tell us what the original color this left the factory with ? I think it was maybe a white . That red interior with the yellow outside, no way.