We all favor one specific Model of the Pinto/Bobcat, what's yours?

I have had 3 Hatchbacks (Runabouts) and even though I love my Sedandelivery the Runabouts were my favorites.

I've owned a trunk and Runabout...hav e to say I prefer the latter. Not really crazy about any of the wagons, but I'm warming up to them. Runabout gets my vote...

I have had two Runabouts and one sedan but would really like to have a 77 Squire Wagon. That was the family car my parents had in the 80s and if I could get one just like it I would in a heartbeat.. Even if it meant giving up my 77 sedan & 80 Runabout.

78 Cruising Wagon with the stripes...my favorite car of all time, and the car I met my wife in!

I LOVE THEM ALL!!!

It has to be the Squire wagons 

My story is the same as most of you. I went looking for a pinto to re-experience my youth. I could not find a pinto that I thought was worth my time and money. I found a 77 bobcat instead. I was disappointed at first but now I am glad. It is much more rare, it drives and performs the same. It is more unique than a pinto but still fills that void in my life.
Bill

I would have to go with the 71-73 Runabouts. I love the early front ends (wasn't sure if they really changed in 74 or 75 so i just said 73) and i like the full hatch of the Runabout.  Honestly, the perfect blend to me would be a 71-73 with the latter (74-80) 2.3 and a 4-speed...i mean using all "original" Pinto/Bobcat parts...

 

Best one to modify would be a 2.0 71 to 73 Runabout because it's very light and has the german 2.0 engine with it's near bullet proof reliability and the fact alot of trick weber carb/intakes and various cams are available. It also is way more rev happy than the 2.3! minor bonus is that the capri (1972)manual trans has better gearing than the econ gearset in the pinto. I think ANY Pinto is good if a V8 is put in em! I had a 73 Runabout with a manual trans and a 2 liter. It had the cool steel sunroof panel that had to cranked to open. A very fun car.

I have the best year and model
1971 Runabout, black interior, 2.0, 4spd, NO TRIM<----bleh on bumpers.   Just sleek shiney, shiney chrome.  Oh course all Pintos are nifty in my book.  But this was my dream pinto and I finally found and got one
 

Pinto wagons rule! 

Especially the "Cruiser" wagon.

For me, a 4 speed, radio delete, base model sedan. Bought two new red ones back in the day, a '74 and a '79. The red gas cap on my yellow '75 is from my old '79. Perfect blank canvas!

That's awesome LOL

Any wagon with a 2.3. The motor size in my view about as small as you want to go with a bigger car like that, you need all the passing and merging power you can get.

I have talked myself out of pickups about twenty times in my life, I have the need for them but not very common, the minuses far outweight the pluses to me. I found that by taking like Tempo 4dr. you could remove the rear seat to get to and remove the rear support/crossmember under the package tray to then be modded to bolt right back in and then you could completely bury a fairly decent chunk of 8 ft. long lumber completely inside the car with trunk closed. The looks at Home Depot when people saw you loading were priceless. The Contour rigged the same way.

Still past a certain point you need more and wagons get me 7/8ths to everything that can be done in a truck in my world and better gas mileage the rest of the year. I've carried refrigerators in the back of a Focus wagon as well as some pretty bigscreen TVs. The wagon has a mileage price too but not nearly as bad.

One thing I don't care for with a wagon is how the a/c degrades with age to not keep all that area cold like when new. I have no trouble getting the air ice cold, it's the crap fan blowers they make now that in no form or fashion blow half the air a new factory blower does. I'd thought a time or two about moddiing the inside of the Pinto wagon to put a divider right behind the seats to make the a/c'ed compartment area much smaller, one day I may do it when/if car comes back online.

Then you get what I'm talking about......... ......should work great. Cut the area by 2/3 and freeze your butt off........... .

I removed the back seat to retain the back plate that extends the cargo loading 'flat' there, it now covers area I throw things in and to hide from view. Flipped back up, half the 'divider wall' is already there pretty much, I need to come up with some clear plexi to add to the top to be able to still use rear window. Shouldn't be hard or costly.