just wondering everyones take on the pinto's market value vs. a bobcat?
i have a 75 bobcat runabout hatchback with only 38,000 miles and has every option in 75 except for the rear hatch defroster, wondering if a pinto the same year and cond- options is worth the same more or less
thanks for the 2 cents
eric
Hmmm. That is a tough question. People looking for a Pinto seldom get a bobcat. Those looking for a bobcat will wait a long time to get the one that they want since the proportion of people who want them and the number of them is probably on par. I am going to have to say that a Pinto and a Bobcat, all other things constant in the same shape and vintage with the same options would probably be worth about the same. I don't think that a Pinto buyer and a bobcat buyer are the same person in most cases. Sorry, this is a tough one.
from what i have seen the pinto may be slighly more valuable as most people know it by name. and would call a bobcat a pinto at first . i do have a bobcat and i like the looks more than a pinto though. i think pintopower is on track though.
i would think that a car that is more rare would be worth more, being that the bobcat is even harder to find now then even in the 70's being a lincoln mercury brand, they typically cost more and have a higher resale value then a ford, just my 2 cents
eric
In my experience, rare doesn't necesarrily mean valuable. The value of a vehicle is really what amounts to what someone is willing to pay for it and popularity. Most people will pay more for a car that is more rare, thus making the scarce ones more valuable. But in terms of the Bobcat vs Pinto, I would have to agree with bbobcat75's comment. Most people associate a Bobcat as a Pinto at first glance.
Take for example a 1968 Dodge Charger R/T Hemi. Those are worth well over $100k. That is because a TON of collectors want one, and the rich will pay a small fortune to get one in thier garage. But if you take a 1968 Buick Skylark 4 door and look at the value of that car, it will range in the $15k to $25k depending on options. Not many enthusiast want a 4 door Skylark in thier collection. However, if that Buick was a GS (a souped up 2 door Skylark), then the value almost doubles.
It's all about the demand for that particular vehicle. Since the Pintos/Babcats were never muscle cars, then the demand right now is pretty low, and probably side by side in the value market.
"Just my opinion"
I like to tell the story of a car I had, a 1942 Studebaker President straight 8 cyl coupe. There was a man who was keeping a roster of 1942 Studebakers and it showed that my 1942 Studebaker was one of only three known to exist! People would say with only three known it must be worth a lot and I would respond that only 2 people in the country even cared to the value wasn't there. It all boils down to the law of supply and demand.
If you were to peruse some relevant publication about Pintos, I don't know, maybe Pinto Times say, you would find the price comparison of Pintos and Bobcats reprinted from Old Cars Report. Almost across the board a Bobcat comes off as more valuable than a Pinto. Using 1977 as a comparison, the lowest valued Pinto is a 2 door sedan. In condition 6 it is listed as being worth $200. The most valuable Pinto in condition 6 is the 2 door Squire Wagon at $212. The lowest valued Bobcat, same year and same condition, is the 3 door hatchback at $248. The most valuable Bobcat in condition 6 is the 2 door Villager Wagon at $252. If you go out to condition 1, which is a show car in professional restoration condition which isn't driven, the 77 Pintos range from $5100 for the 2 door sedan to $5800 for the 2 door Squire Wagon. Bobcats in the same condition run from $6200 for the 3 door hatchback to $6300 for the 2 door Villager Wagon.
Exceptions to this include the first year Pintos, listed as 71's and 72's, being worth between $7200 and $7600 for condition 1 examples. Also, in 78 the Pinto Wagons are worth several hundred dollars more than Bobcat wagons. 79 Pintos, which were largely equipped with the V-6, were more valuable than Bobcats in all categories. The last year for both models, 1980, saw Pintos range from $3700 to $4500, while Bobcats ranged between $3500 and $3800 for condition 1 cars.
I agree though, it comes down to preference. I've purchased parts from yards out west which were labeled as coming from a Pinto, but they were plain as day Bobcat parts. I like the look of the Bobcat front end just a little better, slightly more formal. But I love a Pinto wagon. Go figure.
Old Cars Report is a great resource, they have just about everything in there you could want. Check them out if you get a chance.