This is kind of an oddball – but a neat little car that was a decent car in its day and a decent driver/collector now. And a Ford Pinto Station wagon is the queen of all the pintos – very cool, affordable, reliable and fun to drive.
Why do I say this? I remember from the late 1970’s and the Pinto and the Chevrolet Vega were the only two domestic sub-compacts available (remember, the Gremlin was a modified compact and was a much larger car with a bigger engine). The Vega was totally unreliable and, despite the knockout styling, had earned a terrible reputation. Believe me – you did NOT want to own a Vega back then!
But the Pinto was different. With its 100% cast iron engines (first a British push rod engine, later the stalwart 2.3 liter overhead cam 4-banger) the Pinto was dead reliable.
And the Pinto gained in popularity as the years went on whereas the Vega declined in popularity.
One of the most popular cars of the 1970’s, the Ford Pinto is now ripe to be an affordable collector car that’s fun to drive and gets great gas mileage! And, who can turn down a Ford Pinto Pony wagon?
Pinto prices are certainly affordable now and the Pinto is one of the better-built and more reliable cars of this era – much better that a comparable Vega. And many Pintos had a hatchback body – they were great haulers for a little car.
There are still lots of good-running Pintos around to be had – and not for a lot of dinero!
So, if you’ve got the old car itch, are looking for something that can be used as a practical hauler in a pinch and you DON’T want to spend a fortune on a garage queen that sits unused day after day, check out a Pinto!
