Forum > General Pinto Talk
house sale near completion, and looking at prospects
r4pinto:
As the end of the current chapter is near another begins. I'm starting to get excited while looking at all the boxes and empty shelves in my house. 9 years in the making. My garage is nearly packed, sockets organized (I found 7 10mm sockets!!!). I started looking through Pinto listings as I really want to take some of the proceeds and get a Pinto. Here is what I've decided.
hatchbacks are 100% out. I don't care if it was flawless I won't pay for one. They aren't my style.Now if someone wants to pay me or give me a free hatchback model that is in excellent condition I'd be a fool lol.
71-73 I'm not a fan of, but would consider a sedan of those years. Don't like the skinny bumpers personally. The sedan would be an exception since my mom had a 73 sedan she loved.
74-78: I would be happy with a sedan, but very happy with a wagon- preferably squire. I love the 77-78 style and can see myself putting the slant nose 77-8 on a 74-76.
79-80: not really a fan of the square nose but something about those wagons speak to me. Again I'd prefer a squire but wouldn't turn away a conventional wagon.
I know what I am getting from my house sale so there is plenty to bank while getting a nice driver Pinto. Doesn't need to be perfect as I enjoy tinkering. Deluxe seats aren't a must but would be nice. I have a pair of fronts from my 80 that I can't sell even at a price of $50 so I will save those to be eventually recovered as necessary.
While it doesn't need to be fully stock I don't want a heavily modded one, nor am I interested in any Pinto with a V8 installed. Prefer a 2.3 4 cylinder automatic but would consider any stock Pinto drivetrain if the car spoke to me.
In the end I feel I should be able to get a nice sedan or wagon for a good price, even if it means a road trip. I want a Pinto. I NEED a Pinto. It just has to be the RIGHT Pinto. One that speaks to me.
I REFUSE to make the mistake I made with the 78 hatch, 80 hatch, and 77 squire rotbox wagon, and in some degree 77 sedan. That one I wish I could have saved. I loved that car to death but it was rustier than I thought when I bought her. I held onto her for years after I saw she was too far gone. Even drove it around the block occasionally because I loved her that much.
If anyone wants to give tips on where to look or how to get it I'm all ears. The only thing I know is I know what I want and based on the criteria above it's achievable.
dga57:
The more widely you search, the better your prospects. I'm sure the Pinto you want is out there somewhere, but you must be patient and open to a broad search area. Unlike you, my favorite Pinto is the Runabout. In my case, it got VERY specific because I wanted a twin of the one I purchased new in 1974 when I was sixteen years old. My 20+ year search finally unearthed the right car, albeit with a slight compromise. My original had the 2.3 with a 4 spd. manual transmission while the one I eventually purchased has the right engine, but is an automatic. My hope is to someday be able to swap that out for a manual but, at age 65 now, I can't waste twenty more years searching for that! lol I got the right year and model, right color, right color interior, and I take that as a win! The body was basically solid but had a few dings, some rust which was all contained to one panel and therefore remedied by panel replacement, and it needed paint to look really good... got all that taken care of professionally . Just for the record, I found it roughly 3000 miles from home. Oh well! The sad part is that, while searching for the perfect orange '74 Runabout, I purchased two Pintos I really didn't want. Oh, I wanted a Pinto, but a very specific one and these were both poor substitutes for what I truly wanted. The first was a brown '72 sedan 1.6 with a 4 spd. transmission. It was a little rough around the edges but ran great. I purchased it in Maryland and drove it home to Virginia (about 150 miles) on the Interstate without issue. My problem was that even though it felt amazing to be behind the wheel of a Pinto again, there was nothing about the car that really motivated me to involve myself in it. I ultimately sold it for about the same as I paid for it, so it all worked out. I then bought a gorgeous '72 Squire wagon with a 2.0 and automatic in North Carolina and, again, drove it home without issue. I have to admit I did drive this one a bit more because it was so nice it practically looked new, but I never really felt any emotional attachment to it either. I tell you all this to reinforce your statement that it "has to be the RIGHT Pinto". If it's not, you'll lose interest in a hurry. Don't compromise... you'll regret it! Happy Pinto hunting!!!
Dwayne :)
r4pinto:
--- Quote from: dga57 on June 25, 2022, 09:28:30 PM ---The more widely you search, the better your prospects. I'm sure the Pinto you want is out there somewhere, but you must be patient and open to a broad search area. Unlike you, my favorite Pinto is the Runabout. In my case, it got VERY specific because I wanted a twin of the one I purchased new in 1974 when I was sixteen years old. My 20+ year search finally unearthed the right car, albeit with a slight compromise. My original had the 2.3 with a 4 spd. manual transmission while the one I eventually purchased has the right engine, but is an automatic. My hope is to someday be able to swap that out for a manual but, at age 65 now, I can't waste twenty more years searching for that! lol I got the right year and model, right color, right color interior, and I take that as a win! The body was basically solid but had a few dings, some rust which was all contained to one panel and therefore remedied by panel replacement, and it needed paint to look really good... got all that taken care of professionally . Just for the record, I found it roughly 3000 miles from home. Oh well! The sad part is that, while searching for the perfect orange '74 Runabout, I purchased two Pintos I really didn't want. Oh, I wanted a Pinto, but a very specific one and these were both poor substitutes for what I truly wanted. The first was a brown '72 sedan 1.6 with a 4 spd. transmission. It was a little rough around the edges but ran great. I purchased it in Maryland and drove it home to Virginia (about 150 miles) on the Interstate without issue. My problem was that even though it felt amazing to be behind the wheel of a Pinto again, there was nothing about the car that really motivated me to involve myself in it. I ultimately sold it for about the same as I paid for it, so it all worked out. I then bought a gorgeous '72 Squire wagon with a 2.0 and automatic in North Carolina and, again, drove it home without issue. I have to admit I did drive this one a bit more because it was so nice it practically looked new, but I never really felt any emotional attachment to it either. I tell you all this to reinforce your statement that it "has to be the RIGHT Pinto". If it's not, you'll lose interest in a hurry. Don't compromise... you'll regret it! Happy Pinto hunting!!!
Dwayne :)
--- End quote ---
For sure. I'm actually looking at possibly a 1980 squire or a 1979 wagon. Both keep getting my interest and worth looking deeper at. The 79 has a v6, ac, and deluxe interior.
Sent from my SM-F711U using Tapatalk
dga57:
--- Quote from: r4pinto on June 25, 2022, 11:48:19 PM ---For sure. I'm actually looking at possibly a 1980 squire or a 1979 wagon. Both keep getting my interest and worth looking deeper at. The 79 has a v6, ac, and deluxe interior.
Sent from my SM-F711U using Tapatalk
Well, I'm wishing the very best for you, whatever you decide! Have a great rest of the weekend!
Dwayne :)
--- End quote ---
r4pinto:
I want lol. If still available after my house sale I'm going after it.
Sent from my SM-F711U using Tapatalk
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page