58L-Y8 Posted May 30 Share Posted May 30 For Sale: 1971 Ford Pinto coupe, stick shift - $7,900 - Corry, PA https://erie.craigslist.org/cto/d/corry-1971-ford-pinto/7751809638.html Seller's Description: I have a 1971 Ford Pinto for sale . It is in good condition and runs well. odometer: 97000, manual transmission. Contact: Call or text (716) five-8-one-2-two-3-7. Ask for Bob Copy and paste in your email: 7f0351a0dbcc324699acfa69e7fbbc0a@sale.craigslist.org I have no personal interest or stake in the eventual sale of this 1971 Ford Pinto coupe. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1957Birdman Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 I think it is overpriced for what you get, a basic economy car with a bad reputation for catching fire in rear end collisions. There are better starter cars for persons new to the hobby. I had a 1975 Mercury Bobcat (just a Pinto with a different name). It had an automatic transmission and AC (which didn’t work too well). It filled the bill as a commuter car early in my married life. Was not sorry to see it go. Lew Bachman 1957 Thunderbird 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plymouthcranbrook Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 Might be ok at $4500-5000. If it runs well and has no obvious issues. In town runabout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 Someone who might want to relive their past may pay the price. One never knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 We had 2 in our family. One my bil bought new in '72 and my sister had a later model bought used. Both were great cars, and like the one for sale they never blew up! Yes, as basic as can be, but when was the last time you saw one and this one looks pretty nice. I would have to have a few other cars on my list before I would spring for this one even then I think this is and will always be a $4-$5k car. I would think the reverse lights being on and no one in the driver seat is a bit disconcerning though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Luddy Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 In 1974-75 my uncle traded in his 1970 Boss 302 Mustang for a new Pinto base model. He had changed jobs and had a long commute during the gas crisis. I went to the Ford dealer next day and one of the shop guys had already bought it. He flipped to another body shop guy a few weeks later. That idiot took the stripes off and repainted it white (was yellow). He wanted over double what my uncle got for it. It was already rusty by then at 4 yrs old so I passed and bought a 70 'Cuda instead. The Pinto was the most miserable car I ever drove up until the next spring when I stupidly bought a Vega for my daily driver. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 In spite of myself I like it. Amazes me one has survived, much less in this condition. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 Wow - I thought all of these had exploded long ago! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suchan Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 Yeah, the 1970's.....good times. Being young and broke, driving crappy econoboxes and sitting in gas lines. But not a bad example, if someone wants a Pinto. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingrudy Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 13 minutes ago, suchan said: Yeah, the 1970's.....good times. Being young and broke, driving crappy econoboxes and sitting in gas lines. But not a bad example, if someone wants a Pinto. I agree, some of the cars that were built during this era were of questionable quality. I dated a girl that drove a Maverick and worked with a guy who drove a Pinto both cheesy cars. All of the big three had their version of the econobox, Chevy had the Corvair and even AMC had the Gremlin. I used to call them disposable cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leif in Calif Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 There is a a lot of support for the engine in these, and there were very popular at the "Jalopy Races" at the local 3/8 mile dirt track back in the 80's. They could be very fun cars, and it only took Ford a ninety cent part to fix the safety issue. (There is an exposed bolt head that could puncture the gas tank in a collision). Not as good looking as the contemporary Vega, but you'll never see one of those unless it's been hot rodded. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sal Hepatica Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 55 minutes ago, EmTee said: Wow - I thought all of these had exploded long ago! The overblown (my pun) exploding Pinto myth lives on. It's always easy to deride economy cars, as they have no "status" value. Model T, Crosley, Henry J, Rambler, Lark, Vega, Yugo, Hyundai, Cavalier, Tempo, etc. All were subject to sneering derision at a point in time (usually 10-15 years old) when they were just "used cars for poor folk". 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS25 Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 I had several Pintos as daily drivers back in the late 80s. My favorite one was a station wagon because I could sleep in it comfortably when traveling or camping. I really liked them and have always wanted another one. I really like this car but I have way too many vehicles already. John lol I still have two Pinto parts cars in my personal junk yard from the last pinto I had 10 years ago with a 302. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
58L-Y8 Posted May 31 Author Share Posted May 31 I reposted this Pinto just to elicit responses plus I was surprised to find one still in seemingly good condition. This is the first one I've found in about five years searching Craigslist that was good enough to repost. Most, like early 1960's Ford Falcons are either rough or some version of a 'performance' car, all badly overpriced. But, there is a derriere for every seat so there may will be one this mustard Pinto fits to a "T". Enjoy! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark T-TB Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 (edited) It's hard for me to keep reading about the "exploding Pintos". IIRC, this was another example of an issue - gas tank behind rear axle - that was not much different for many cars. Yet for some reason the Pinto became the poster child. I drove a 2.0 (OHC)/ 4-speed coupe all thru college. I learned how to fix the few things that broke and ran it from about 60k miles to over 100k. Added a Hedman header, fat front sway bar, 70-series radial tires on Capri wheels - it was a great car for me at that time (70's). The car listed looks to be in very nice shape... but seems like you could have a lot more fun in something else for $10k Edited June 6 by Mark T-TB (see edit history) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 Pinto was no worse than any other car with a rear mounted fuel tank. Think about all the Fords built that the top of the fuel tank was also the trunk floor. Big result of the exploding Pinto was fuel filler necks got moved from center rear of the vehicle (where they were easily accessible from either side of the car) to a side location (which caused backups at the gas pump while people tried to figure out which side of their vehicle the gas cap was on). The exploding Pinto was yellow journalism at its best and worst, same as the exploding GM pickup. Both showed the lengths "journalists" would go to in their quest for sales and ratings, ethically or not. The modern equivalent is clickbait. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leif in Calif Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 The press likes to "fan the flames". Ditto the whole unintended acceleration mess. Car and Driver did a test with a Mustang with the biggest engine available. At 65 miles an hour, the mashed the throttle to the floor to simulate a runaway condition and were still able to bring the car to a safe stop using the brakes. They proved brakes always win, and the only way some of this horrible stuff happened was to not apply them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 On 5/30/2024 at 5:08 PM, 58L-Y8 said: I have to admit...I get a kick out of seeing one of these in bone stock original condition at a car show parked next to a pro-street '55 Chevy or old Corvette with a $35,000 paint job...and getting twice the attention. 😄 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
58L-Y8 Posted June 4 Author Share Posted June 4 5 hours ago, JamesR said: I have to admit...I get a kick out of seeing one of these in bone stock original condition at a car show parked next to a pro-street '55 Chevy or old Corvette with a $35,000 paint job...and getting twice the attention. 😄 And, because Pintos were universally viewed as a disposable car, their survival rate is very low relative to the number produced. Being a car so many had personal experience with in youth, much easier to relate to compared to the either of the car show regulars you've cited. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 One big thing of note with this car, other than it being in really nice condition, is the 4-speed gearbox. It is an entirely different car than one equipped with an automatic. If the only Pinto you've ever driven is an automatic, and you paint with a wide brush on how bad all Pintos are, you're not fully aware. These are actually quite fun and zippy cars to drive with the manual transmission. That said, I agree that $4-5,000 is more in line with reality. Posting its mileage and few more photos of the interior and engine compartment revealing something that could be detailed for show might raise the value a little bit, too. If the interior is not good enough to clean and show, and the engine compartment is a mess, then I'd say less than the $4-5. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC-car-guy Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 In the mid 80s, my mom had a 73 in green with green vinyl interior. We were t-boned at an intersection and the car was totaled, she replaced it with an equally ugly gold first generation escort wagon. 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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