PINTO CAR CLUB of AMERICA
Shiny is Good! => General Pinto Talk => Topic started by: cjwang2 on December 10, 2014, 11:22:51 AM
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Hi All,
I was helping my uncle clean out his house and we finally cleared enough room out of his garage to move his 1971 Pinto. It had been sitting under a blanket for 36 years. A little back story, He had purchased the Pinto new back in 1972 and drove it around San Francisco, CA. He got into a minor accident, a woman backed up into his bumper in a parking lot while she was backing out of her space. He decided that he did not want to drive anymore, so he put it in his garage, where it has stayed since then. The car has 43,000 + original miles and everything, except the antenna, gas cap, and battery are original. He said that the antenna and gas cap were stolen off his car one day while he was parked at work. The battery that is in the car now was brand new, had maybe 150 miles on it before he garaged it. It has been disconnected since he stopped driving. There is no rust that I can see and it is quite clean. The engine has corrosion around the radiator hose and the engine block and the brake lines have signs of rust on the firewall.
The car looks to be in great condition, except that the engine has not been started since. I had it shipped to my house by Sacramento, CA, and surprisingly the tires were able to be filled with air and the car rolled easily. It is currently in my garage and I was thinking about fixing the engine so that it could be started again. But, I know nothing about carburetors nor American cars.
My question is, what would this car be worth, and would it be worth it if I fixed it up and put new parts on this car, or just leave it as is, and sell it with all the original factory parts?
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx293/cjwang2/Carandkids_zps69212588.jpg) (http://s765.photobucket.com/user/cjwang2/media/Carandkids_zps69212588.jpg.html)
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx293/cjwang2/Pinto3_zps800d5b5e.jpg) (http://s765.photobucket.com/user/cjwang2/media/Pinto3_zps800d5b5e.jpg.html)
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx293/cjwang2/Pinto_zps82dec2ef.jpg) (http://s765.photobucket.com/user/cjwang2/media/Pinto_zps82dec2ef.jpg.html)
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx293/cjwang2/PintoInterior_zps0f565b04.jpg) (http://s765.photobucket.com/user/cjwang2/media/PintoInterior_zps0f565b04.jpg.html)
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx293/cjwang2/PintoInterior3_zpsea1140f4.jpg) (http://s765.photobucket.com/user/cjwang2/media/PintoInterior3_zpsea1140f4.jpg.html)
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx293/cjwang2/Pinto5_zps3ae37f6d.jpg) (http://s765.photobucket.com/user/cjwang2/media/Pinto5_zps3ae37f6d.jpg.html)
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx293/cjwang2/Pinto2_zpseefbf167.jpg) (http://s765.photobucket.com/user/cjwang2/media/Pinto2_zpseefbf167.jpg.html)
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx293/cjwang2/PintoInterior2_zps158710cb.jpg) (http://s765.photobucket.com/user/cjwang2/media/PintoInterior2_zps158710cb.jpg.html)
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx293/cjwang2/PintoInterior4_zpsb4bc359f.jpg) (http://s765.photobucket.com/user/cjwang2/media/PintoInterior4_zpsb4bc359f.jpg.html)
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx293/cjwang2/PintoInterior5_zpse3e53736.jpg) (http://s765.photobucket.com/user/cjwang2/media/PintoInterior5_zpse3e53736.jpg.html)
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx293/cjwang2/Pinto7_zps09bc4e22.jpg) (http://s765.photobucket.com/user/cjwang2/media/Pinto7_zps09bc4e22.jpg.html)
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx293/cjwang2/Pinto8_zpsa275b51e.jpg) (http://s765.photobucket.com/user/cjwang2/media/Pinto8_zpsa275b51e.jpg.html)
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx293/cjwang2/Pinto4_zps0cbb09e7.jpg) (http://s765.photobucket.com/user/cjwang2/media/Pinto4_zps0cbb09e7.jpg.html)
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx293/cjwang2/Pinto6_zpsf9aa09fa.jpg) (http://s765.photobucket.com/user/cjwang2/media/Pinto6_zpsf9aa09fa.jpg.html)
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx293/cjwang2/Pinto9_zpse7ab4614.jpg) (http://s765.photobucket.com/user/cjwang2/media/Pinto9_zpse7ab4614.jpg.html)
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx293/cjwang2/Pinto11_zps9dece672.jpg) (http://s765.photobucket.com/user/cjwang2/media/Pinto11_zps9dece672.jpg.html)
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx293/cjwang2/Pinto11_zps9dece672.jpg) (http://s765.photobucket.com/user/cjwang2/media/Pinto11_zps9dece672.jpg.html)
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx293/cjwang2/Pinto11_zps9dece672.jpg) (http://s765.photobucket.com/user/cjwang2/media/Pinto11_zps9dece672.jpg.html)
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx293/cjwang2/Pinto14_zps5406f043.jpg) (http://s765.photobucket.com/user/cjwang2/media/Pinto14_zps5406f043.jpg.html)
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If you are not interested in keeping this car please sell it as is. I am currently fixing up a car that has sat for 15 years. I am enjoying the work on what will be my daily driver. Please let someone have the pleasure of fixing this car for their own use. It is wonderful part of the experience of owning a vintage car.
Bill
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Thanks for the reply. That is what I was thinking. How much do you suppose would be a decent price?
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Price is something that comes up often around here. Mostly asked by people like yourself. People who come in here because they stumble upon a pinto. The simple answer is that they are worth what you can get someone to pay. That sound crass I know, but it is truly the way it works. Pintos of any quality are rare in Colorado. I over paid on Ebay. I watched for 3 years for a car and the one I bought was the only one that came up in my area. Because I wanted one and was bidding against someone who wanted it too. He bid me up. If he was on vacation that day I might have gotten it for less than a thousand. In California they don't seem to be that rare. An early car like yours is worth more because the small bumpers are considered desirable. With that said, check Ebay in the completed sales area. People can ask what ever they want but completed sales will tell you what people actually pay. Your car sounds fabulous. I think you will do well. If you list it on Ebay mention your sale here so that more people will see it. You can also list it here in the sale area
Bill
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Are you close to your Uncle? Why not keep it and restore it (it doesn't look like it needs too much to get it running again) and drive it at your leisure? Sure, it lacks the creature comforts of a modern car, but I guarantee you will get thumbs-up and positive feedback for tooling around town in an original Pinto! If you're a car show guy, then it's even more fun to take it to a show and get SOOO many comments- mostly positive. I think your Uncle loved the car enough that he didn't want to sell it, even though he wasn't driving anymore. There's a very nice man on this site from Canada who inherited his Uncle's '73 Pinto. That car is gorgeous and Richard's pride and joy. Your Uncle's red '71 looks very much like my own red '71, but yours is in better shape (no rust at all, and less faded paint. lol) Whatever you decide, go with your heart. Either way, I hope the car stays as original as possible. They are rarer and rarer these days.
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Whether or not you're going to sell it there are a few things you should do regardless, from a safety aspect. Belts & hoses, brakes, fluids all should be changed, as well as the tires. Rubber dry rots and will fail when older. As for the battery plan on replacing as by now it's probably sulfated being that old. If you're going to sell it keep in mind like joebob said they are only worth what someone will pay. The guy I bought my 80 off of had a 72 for $2500 but he couldn't give it away, yet some people have paid more than that for a similar vintage.
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I see craigslist ads in California with amazingly cheap early Pintos that just wont sell out there. In Ohio where most early cars are rusted junk by now it's worth $3000 but it's a grand to ship one here from the west coast.
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I'm not sure all those California cars are really available. I've called/emailed/texted on a lot of Craigslist stuff and either never got a reply or knowingly knew the items were already gone..., yet the ad went on for its full 45 days. I mean how lazy can people be??? Don't they get tired of receiving calls/emails/texts for an item they are no longer selling???
65 Shelby Clone bought his Pinto in Simi Valley, CA which is close to me. That ad seemed to run for months. I'd be curious to know when he bought it and how long the ad ran afterwards. If the cars do linger and truly are still available it is likely because the true value is near half the asking price. If a pristine Pinto sells for $6,000 you can bet there are five beaters where they are asking $5,000. Lastly, I have hardly seen a reasonably price California car that didn't have rust - especially in the floors. Water gets in and sits under the carpet and that is the beginning of the end. In the beach areas the salt water in the air does its damage. It may not be as bad as rust in other areas of the country, but it is rust that needs repair just the same. So, should anyone be inclined to book a ticket to get a "rust free" California car you had better get plenty of critical pictures before doing so.
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As a previous poster said - they are worth what someone will pay. In my case I was FAR too anxious to have one, a Texas wagon that had sat outdoors under some trees at a lake house. Little did I know what extensive rust I would find as I began disassembly - around the windshield, in the floors, a rusted and leaking gas tank, hidden rust in the doors, leaking radiator and brake cylinder, some pretty good generic body damage, beat to hell interior, etc. Mechanically shot but running, I paid WAYYYY too much for it - but after seven years, it's approaching full restoration completion. I knew if I paid that much, I WAS GOING to ride it out - save it from the scrap heap - and make it CHERRY. And I'm glad I am.
Don't ask. I'll never tell. Like I said, I wanted it. Funny what you'll give when you want something bad enough.
Chris
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i thought a 71 did not have the bumper guards ..
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Don't mean to be nitpicking, but how did he buy a 1971 NEW in 1972? Did you mean "bought a 1972 new in 1971"?
By the way, I am grateful for your interior shot. I needed a picture of what the shifter boot looked like with the carpet around it!
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Don't mean to be nitpicking, but how did he buy a 1971 NEW in 1972? Did you mean "bought a 1972 new in 1971"?
I don't know the specifics on this partciular car, but any untitled car is legally new regardless of its model year. For instance, my best friend's widow recently purchased a new 2013 Ram pickup. It had never been titled and had less than 40 miles on the odometer, and therefore was sold as new. She got a heck of a deal, all things considered... a new vehicle with full factory warranty for about the same price as a comparable used truck. When I was selling cars back in the day, we special ordered a very poorly equipped Lincoln Continental for a retail customer who died before the car arrived. The car was a 1977 and we finally sold it in late 1979 just as the 1980 models were being introduced! We took a tremendous loss on it, but were glad to finally be rid of it. It was sold as a new car with its Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin and the warranty went into effect on the day it was sold. It happens!
Dwayne :)