1978 Ford Pinto Cruising Wagon 2.8 V6 from North America

Summary:

A great car! Fun to drive!

Faults:

Not too much wrong other than normal maintenance items.

It's been sitting for that past 18 years.

Has some rust, but not too bad for a car of that era.

I am in the process of restoring it now.

General Comments:

I love this car!! It was the first new car I ever bought.

It's been very reliable and has never left me stranded.

It turned heads back when it was new, and gets even more looks and smiles today.

The V6 is a nice engine for this car, while not a ton of power compared to today's cars, but more that adequate, and combined with the great handling, it makes it a blast to drive.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st September, 2009

1978 Ford Pinto Cruising Wagon 2.3 from North America

Summary:

1977 to 1980 Pintos were great cars when new, but it's time to move on something better now

Faults:

What's gone wrong? What hasn't gone wrong is more like it!

- Lots of electrical problems

- Car would die when warmed up (great car if you just had to drive about 5 or 10 minutes)

- Went through lots of voltage regulators

- Oil leaks

- Brakes need frequent service

- Front brakes seize if car left unused for a few months (never had that happen on other cars left unused for similar periods of time)

- Nobody seemed to want to fix this car. If they did, they charged a fortune.

General Comments:

Groovy looking car, but I got sick of people always asking me "oh, isn't that the car that blows up if you're rear ended?"

We had a 1978 Pinto sedan that my parents bought new in 1978. I drove it when I was in high school in the late 80s and early 90s. When the car was new, it was great. Once it was 10 years old, things just started going wrong.

Feeling nostalgic, I bought a 1978 Pinto Cruising Wagon. Fix one thing, two more things need fixing. Hard to find parts for now. Usually every time I drove it, something would break and leave me stranded or require immediate attention. When I sold it, the guy who bought it drove it home (about a three hour drive) and said he had no problems. Maybe everything was finally fixed?

The car got more attention than a classic Mustang or Camaro. But if something needed fixing, and I couldn't do it, a lot of garages didn't want to work on it (it's "just" a Pinto mentality, or afraid to work on it perhaps). If they did, they charged me dearly. Cost a fortune to keep this car on the road. Due to the frequent repairs and unknown reliability, we didn't drive it much.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 11th October, 2006

11th Oct 2006, 14:09

Time to move on? Yeah. It was time in '78.

14th Apr 2010, 10:26

I have a 1977 Pinto cruising wagon, and it's been a great car for me. I've owned 4 or 5 Pintos over the years, and they have been great cars!

15th Apr 2010, 14:18

I have seen this frame and drivertrain on Model A replica kits.

18th Feb 2016, 09:45

I've had my '78 Squire wagon for over a year and I HAVE NOT ONCE BEEN STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BY HER! I repeat, NOT ONCE BROKEN DOWN.

Yes, some things have gone 'wrong', but that is how old cars are (how much are your car payments? LOL. I own my Pinto) She could still drive with these flaws - with TLC - and has given me about 10,000 miles - SO FAR!

What I paid for it + cost of repairs = still less than half its potential value.

The cost also seems infinitesimal to the car's personal value (reliable transportation since I have owned the car - she has never let me down).

This car is SOLID (60mph over a full grown deer with absolutely no damage, LOL, but seriously), V6 (in mine ;D) has got plenty of power, good highway gas mileage (31 MPG), wagon handles like a sports car.

People who see this car on the road fall in love with her when they see her - so many compliments and zero insults.

If you take proper care of your car, these things tend to last a LONG time. Especially the very old, solidly built, mostly metal vehicles.

But: you gotta have the style to rock such a unique car...

Conclusion: Pintos are awesome cars. Some people just aren't awesome enough to own one. Oh!

20th Feb 2016, 14:58

If it did break down I would not sit in it waiting for road service due to the fuel tank notoriety. If I parked a 69 Camaro Convertible Pace Car next to it at a show, I would not think the Pinto would garner that much attention.

1978 Ford Pinto 3 door not sure from North America

Summary:

It was a great little red Pinto!!!

Faults:

The car was virtually trouble free during the 5 years that I had it.

General Comments:

This was my second Pinto. This red one was very nice both inside and out. It ran great.

However, one day when I went to see my mother at her apartment back in March of 1983, some idiot in an older model Mustang hit the Pinto head on. The damage to the car was very extensive that I had to get rid of the car. I in turn only had minor injuries at the time.

I must admit that I do miss that car at times. It was a very good car back then.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th September, 2006