1974 Ford Pinto Reviews, Pricing & Specs

I loved that old beater. It looked just like the photo except for mine was more of a gold than brown. It took more abuse than any car I have had since. Not all that fast, but a stable, surefooted little beast. The hatch back was nice and large enough to sleep in with the seats folded down and the front seats leaned forward. I could (and often did) put my go-kart in the back to transport it to the track (or to the mall on sundays). Ran well, always started in the cold, (had to be careful not to pump the gas peddle in the extreme cold as the throttle linkage tended to freeze and stick wide open until the engine warmed up enough to thaw it out. I sheared three bolts off the ring gear/fly-wheel one time trying to hold it back while driving it to warm it up. It only did that to me twice that I remember. Body was pretty good for the era of the car ( I had it for 2 years (76 and 77) then traded it for the Datsun F-10. It got fair mileage unless you pushed it, then you could almost see the gas gauge go down. Overall, considering what I did in that car, It held up surprisingly well. No major problems other than the throttle freezing up on me in the cold.Aug 15, 2009