1978 AMC Pacer D/L from North America - Comments

Fan Blower Switch ($23 for the part and $65 for the repair)

Windshield wiper Motor and Sprayer Pump ($19 for parts and easy self Install)

Steering Wheel (to replace a smashed horn Assembly) ($19.00 for part and about $25 for Installation kit)

Install of AM/FM Cassette radio ($49 for AMC Radio; have not installed yet)

Driver Seat Support (have not fixed yet)

This car is the MOST unique vehicle you will see on the road; bar none.

The use of present-day technologies in this 1978 continues to amaze mechanics and others helping me with the restoration.

As comfortable as a car several times it size and a kick to drive.

So many modern cars have been influenced; from Porsche (911/928 rear end anyone) to the "new" Dodge Ram trucks (1978 grille design all the way).

What "present-day technologies" does this car have?

I remember it had a driver's door 4 inches longer than the passenger door, which was odd.

Porsche influenced by the Pacer's styling??? Please!!!

And as far as Dodge Trucks, they were going after the "big rig" look with their grilles. NOT the Pacer's.

Is this review for real?

Actually, it was the passenger door that was longer than the driver's door, for easier access to the rear seat on that side, a feature no other manufacturer ever deemed worthy of copying.

Any "present-day technologies" found in the Pacer could be found in any other 1978 model. If the Pacer had gotten the rotary engine it was originally supposed to use, it might be a different story. Instead, they had to cram in the inline-6 cylinder, and in fact, the reason for the higher grille and hoodline on the 1978-1980 models was so they could squeeze in the AMC small-block V8.

The Pacer was and is interesting by virtue of its unusual styling and relative rarity. Its appearance in the "Wayne's World" movies helped also, but there is no basis for the claim that it is some technological marvel or was somehow way advanced for its time. If it were, AMC would probably still be around today!

You've got to be kidding about Porsche and Dodge copying anything from the Pacer. The hood was like that for the V8 to fit. Dodge's Ram (mainly the earlier ones) resemble the big International trucks in my opinion. American motors always was a space shot when it came to styling, no wonder they went out of business. I had to use an Eagle once and hated it!!

Isn't that basically what was said in the second comment?

Actually I've seen MULTIPLE websites mentioning the similarity between the Porsche and pacer. In fact, my parents friend had such a porsche and when they mentioned that my brother and I called them "pacer porsches" and why, he said "you know, it is kind of similar".

Look at the rear end of a subaru impreza wagon also. Same concept.Don't make fun of the guy, he may be on to something.

If the guy thinks the Pacer looks like a Porsche it may not be that he is "on to something", it's more likely that he may be "on" something.

I find it hard to believe that anyone would like a Pacer automobile for anything other than attracting attention with the weird styling.

The hand-grabs on the door would rot due to the amount of sunlight entering the windows, and after the handgrabs pulled loose, the only way to close the door was to pull on the plastic panel bulges. The plastic interior parts were cheaply made and bleached out in the sunlight very quickly. The interior panels on the doors were held by exposed screws around the outer edge. When the plastic rim of the panel cracked under the strain of the door being pulled shut, there was no longer anything to hold the panel tight to the door. The dash was metal (a good thing), but was padded with a cheap plastic frame covered with a little foam rubber and vinyl. The heat under the windshield would make the vinyl peel off the pad.

The curved windows looked cool, but made the rear hatch an upside down trapezoid that was very narrow. All the rear space was wasted because nothing wider than the bottom width of the hatch could be inserted. The rear seat was comfy and high, with plenty of headroom, but very narrow like a convertible rear seat because of the placement of the rear wheel wells on either side. Once again, the luxurious width of the car was wasted.

My 76 Pacer was the only car in which I ever had to replace the speedometer. It went bad at about 80,000 miles because the plastic parts inside wore down.

A well-cared for Pacer might be worth your while if you really want one badly enough. But do not buy one with more than 50,000 miles on it, or one that has not been garage-kept its entire life. Never touch one that has been in an accident, because if the frame is bent, the heavy doors settle, and no longer fit. Opening them then is a chore that breaks off the cast pot-metal door latches, which are only attached to the interior lever by a single screw, which jiggles loose constantly.

And when you buy it, tint the back windows immediately. Many Pacers have the fan switch circuit fused because (due to intruding sunlight) the A/C fan had to be run on MAX from the minute the car was cranked until the car was stopped. The Pacer also lacked any vent windows in the rear, so without the A/C there was no circulation of air.

If you have young kids, they like the Pacer, because they can see out the huge windows, even when strapped in their car seat, because the window line is so low.

I know the Pacer was supposed to have a rotary engine, but the only really good thing about my Pacer was the Jeep engine that was in it. The drive train would have run forever, but unfortunately, the very cheap body eventualy wore out at 137,000 miles and began to fall off the car. I couldn't keep the drivers door closed because the pin wore out from being rubbed by the settled door.

Buy one if you must, but be aware--the car's performance and maintenance problems are as eccentric as its design. The 1997 used car buyer's guide from Consumer Reports closed with "all in all a sad car we can't recommend."

Although I have no doubt that the Pacer was unreliable in the ways you describe, people need to keep things in context.

The 1970's were probably the worst decade for the US automobile industry. Tightening fuel economy rules, new safety regulations, superior Japanese competition and various other factors dealt severe blows. The industry itself admits that 1978 as a whole produced the most unreliable cars of any year regardless of American brand.

Anyway, the point of my comment is how does the Pacer compare with other cars of its vintage? Was it significantly less reliable than, say, a 1978 Chevy Malibu or Chrysler Newport?

I drove a 1978 chevy malibu for 22 years - no problems other than wear items=== doubt the AMC could match that.

At least his Pacer doesn't have rats in it or is in the condition of the 76 AMC Pacer that was on the show "Pimp my Ride". His Pacer has probably come a long way with much less work and money, and probably runs/drives/looks great too. Plus it is a rare car none the less, even if it wasn't built well out of the factory.

By the way, a 78 Malibu is nothing to write home about either and stock doesn't have class. Now if you have restored it with a worked Chevy 350 or larger motor (even the 305 was a complete dog in these cars), a four speed or better auto transmission with overdrive (those three speed ones sucked), a nice paint job and wheels, you have a car with class. In that case, "Were not worthy" is the best term to describe here.

Re the above comment: yes, a stock Pacer with a six cylinder is some great car, but a stock Malibu with a 305 V8 isn't? Oh yeah, that makes sense. The reviewer's car may not have rats living in it, but it has not "come a long way" either-he just got it this year and all he has done is replace a blower switch, wiper motor and horn button. Oh, and he bought a radio for it. First place at car show here we come! Finally, the writer must have thought he was clever throwing that line from "Wayne's World" in there--too bad it has nothing to do with the rest of the comment.

Anyway, to answer the question about how Pacer compared to its contemporaries: the car had a LOT of plastic in the interior which as another comment has already pointed out, did not hold up too well especially in hot climates. The Pacer was also (like every other AMC built since the late '60's) extremely rust-prone, which is one reason why they are so "rare" now. Mechanically the Pacer was probably no better or worse than the competition, however it should be noted that AMC bought a lot of the mechanical components it used from the "big 3": transmissions from Chrysler, ignition systems from GM, power steering pumps from Ford, etc. It was the parts that AMC itself built (bodies and interiors) that had the problems.

All cars nowadays look a lot like the Pacer.

I just thought I'd point out that the comparison to the porche is actually well documented, and I believe that the owner of porche definitely did take a styling cue from the Pacer when he designed his porche.

"This is the classic for those who want to get noticed!"

- AS AN ECCENTRIC!!!