1977 AMC Pacer Wagon from North America - Comments

Nothing. I paid 500 bucks for this car, and changed the spark plugs. No problems at all.

It handles great although a bit top-heavy. The seats were very easy on the body. It started first time every time until I sold it. Made of Jeep parts, but don't take it mudding. The first wide-track car, first factory impregnated rollbar, first cab-forward design, etc. An innovator.

Very fast on the top end and not too bad out of the gate. Awesome towing and pushing power. It lays down a good sized black mark.

Please explain what a "factory iompregnated rollbar" is?

Believe that should read INTEGRATED roll bar.

You laid a black mark with the 258? Hmm, maybe if you cut your rear brake lines first or something, heh.

Where did you get the idea that the Pacer came equipped with a roll bar?

Is it because the B-pillar LOOKS like a roll bar?

Next time you see one in a junkyard, peel off the headliner (if it hasn't fallen out already) and see whether there is a roll bar in there.

Doh!

Yeah, an AMC 258 will lay serious rubber if it's running right. At just over 100HP, it's got GOBS of torque.

This is an interesting car.

It looked wide because it was as wide as a full-size car, but much shorter.

The driver's side door was a few inches longer than the passenger's side door.

And that goldfish bowl rear window resembles that of the Jensen Interceptor.

But the car was a failure, unreliable and biodegradable, it made an entry in the book I have of the "World's Worst Cars."

Maybe this photo would be helpful.

http://membres.lycos.fr/mijura/apacer.html.

The only thing I can say here is I'm SICK of the

unreliable comments for the Pacer. It is a LIE!

It rusted, yes. Badly. Had to have A/C with all

that glass, YES. Too fat, too odd looking? Sure.

Still, if you took a look at 3/4 from the front,

it wasn't a total ugly car. From straight on, yup.

It was a fat, ugly mess. Still, that doesn't make

a car unreliable. It was.

Why does everyone hate these Pacers! Look at the Healey Sprite frog eye! There is a roll bar built into the body. When it was being designed, the government made serious safety regulations, but most of them were dropped because of complications. AMC just left it there so re-designing wouldn't be needed. They were cool! But nobody else seems to like them. I've only seen one in person. It was orange, and was really rusty.

Uhh...I don't think the info in the first comment is correct. I remember the intro of the Porsche 911T in the USA in 1971. Factory integrated roll bar standard. In 1961, the Pontiac Tempest was transform into what became the legendary GTO. It featured a big engine stuffed in a little car and wider tracking for improved performance, hence Pontiac being known for it's tradition of "wide track" performance cars. The Volkswagen Transporter (type II) debut in the early 1950s if I am not mistaken. It featured "cab forward" design. I'm not trying to put the Pacer down, but I do believe the comments regarding "first" are incorrect and should be re-written or defined in how they are "firsts". That's all.