1979 Ford Pinto review from North America
"Cheap. Fairly reliable"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
2 camshaft replacements - $600 each time.
3 alternators - $120 to $200 each time.
AC died after 6 years. Too expensive to fix.
General comments?
This was my first car, bought brand new in 1979. I bought it because I needed something economical and cheap, and that would be fairly reliable. Well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad.
Actually, considering I drove this car for 10 years, it was pretty reliable. The camshaft replacements were my fault, as a result of not changing the oil very often and letting it run low on oil frequently. For a while, I was only changing the oil ever 15k miles and checking it maybe once every 6 months. I'd add oil when the engine light came on, and by then it was down 2 quarts.
It was a gutless car. Perfect for a teenage boy. My friends that had cool cars all wrecked theirs in a year or two, while I drove this thing for 10 years.
For a Pinto, mine was well equipped. It had power steering, power brakes, AC and automatic transmission.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1979 |
| Year of manufacture | 1979 |
| First year of ownership | 1979 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 1989 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.3L Don't Know |
| Performance marks | 3 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 5 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 9 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 24 miles |
| Most recent distance | 135000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 11th February, 2009 |