Comparing Tow Vehicles

[Bill in Pittsburgh]

I have never bought new, but I am quite thankful that someone does.

I must also add, that if I were going out to buy a Japanese vehicle today, I would probably by new. Not because I lost my mind, but because a very clean, low mileage, 5 or 6 year old Toyota cost almost as much as a new one. By the time the price on a used model comes below the stratosphere, it is almost worn out.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Bill in Pittsburgh

I have never bought new, but I am quite thankful that someone does.

I must also add, that if I were going out to buy a Japanese vehicle today, I would probably by new. Not because I lost my mind, but because a very clean, low mileage, 5 or 6 year old Toyota cost almost as much as a new one. By the time the price on a used model comes below the stratosphere, it is almost worn out.

Up until now I have commonly bought new because I tend to want vehicles which can't be found used, and also have entry level content,which makes them cheaper than the three year old vehicles that have content which I don't want.My 2008 Escape was bought new at year end for under 15K.
I will probably not buy new again though,because of mandated content which negatively affects safety and driveability and also because of unnecessary complexity which intentionally increases the cost and difficulty of service.
My next "new" car will likely be a custom modified older car.... Maybe a Falcon or a Fairmont. (That is after my Pinto is back on the street)

[Bill in Pittsburgh]

Now you are talking!!!!

[Alf S.]

Originally Posted by Bill in Pittsburgh

Now you are talking!!!!

Hi: Bill in Pittsburgh... Seems you can get Floyd out of his Ford...but you can't get Ford out of Floyd. I think Pintos, Falcons, and Fairmonts were all made in ,the now closed, St. Thomas Assembly plant. Rust In Piece
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Alf S.

Hi: Bill in Pittsburgh... Seems you can get Floyd out of his Ford...but you can't get Ford out of Floyd. I think Pintos, Falcons, and Fairmonts were all made in ,the now closed, St. Thomas Assembly plant. Rust In Piece
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

Actually my Pinto was made in the venerable Metuchen NJ assembly plant, also once home of the Mustang. Those were the "Glory Days"
I wonder if that's how Springsteen "The Boss" got his nickname?

[Donna D.]

I loved my 1970 Ford Pinto! It was the first car I bought brand new, and paid some where around $2,300 for it (and for a gal making $1.75 an hour that was ALOT) it was the USA hatchback model and I stained the WHITE seats wearing new 501 Levi's... those seats were permanently BLUE.. fun, cool car. So what if everyone said it was a barbeque that seats four... I loved that car!

[MC1]

I too had a 1970 Pinto. It was a lot more fun to drive once I upgraded the suspension, installed a 15" tire and wheel pkg, and installed a 302 V8/4M.

Also had a 70 Boss I found in a farmers field. It cost me $350. in 1976.

[Donna D.]

I doubt ANY Pinto, no matter what the tire size would pull an all molded fiberglass towable... the track AND wheelbase was to short! Anybody care to try pulling over the Teton's? Be sure to post back with your MPG...

[floyd]

Originally Posted by MC1

I too had a 1970 Pinto. It was a lot more fun to drive once I upgraded the suspension, installed a 15" tire and wheel pkg, and installed a 302 V8/4M.

Also had a 70 Boss I found in a farmers field. It cost me $350. in 1976.

While production started in September of 1970, The first model year for the Pinto was 1971. My present Pinto is a 1980 which started life as a baby blue sedan with a 2.3L automatic. I painted it red and installed an SVO 2.3L turbo with a manual trans.AMAZING performance! I sold that engine and have installed a Ford Motorsport 5.0L V8 attached to a T5. I have an 8" rearend for it, and I hope to have it back on the road this summer after a long stint of languishing in storage.
I too invested in 15" rims, which I plan to keep, eventhough 17s seem more appropriate nowadays.
I do plan a custom receiver hitch for it.

[Carol H]

LOL the car I learned to drive with and would buy off my older sister the day I got my licence was a blue 1970 Ford Pinto!! Only had it about a year before I got a summer job and my Dad to finance me on a low monthly pay back plain so I could buy a new spots car a Triumph..... now that was a mistake... should have kept the Pinto but they both had fire ball issues. The Triumph couldnt have towed anything it had a hard time keeping its self running.... spent six months of the first year of its life in the shop waiting for parts...

[BCDave]

A TR that was only down 50% of the time?
You got a good one! (Says the idiot who, in 1975, bought a brand new Volvo 164 and had to sue Volvo to get my money back after only "having it" for 5 weeks out of the first 8 months of ownership! Only cars I have ever had that were worse were the two (yes I'm a slow learner!) Audis and the M-B.

Best car I ever owned, bar none - a 67 Cougar with the "Shelby" 289

[floyd]

So far that is three of you who claim to have owned a 1970 Pinto, I have a matchbox sized car which is labeled "1970 Pinto".
I am beginning to doubt the fact that the first Pinto was a "1971"
I'm guessing y'all bought yours in 1970 when they first appeared for the 1971 model year. I wanted one BAD, but couldn't scrape together the cash (only $1900) I bought and drove several used ones until 1977 when I bought a matched pair of "his and hers" brand new yellow Pintos. Mine was a sedan, hers was a wagon. The story surrounding the life of the sedan was ASTOUNDING, but too long for this venue. The experience alone was worth the (by then) $3000 price of admission.

[Carol H]

Well Dave it went like this - traded the Pinto in for the Triumph in Victoria and started to drive the 30 miles home from the dealer over the Malahat...... before the top of the Malahat the transmission fell out of it (actually the first of 3 it went through in 1.5 years). Did not see it for another 3 months as British Leyland was on strike at the time so no parts and the dealer would not let me have my Pinto back to use in the meantime - was not a happy new car owner! Oh and yes my Dad (personal banker) made me keep making my monthly installments to him regardless LOL

[BCDave]

Only Pinto I ever owned was actually a Mercury Bobcat - bright yellow!

I got it from SGIO (Insurance) for $200.00 as a wrecked and written -off claim car. It had been stolen and run off the road and got its little self all twisted up to where it had wrinkles across the roof and the doors didn't fit properly. It had almost NO miles on it, despite being well over 10 years old, and I wanted to use the 2300 and the 4spd in a Model A.

But then plans changed. The '28 Model A coupe got a 69 Corvette LT-1 and the "Boobcat" was still sitting there, so I hauled it to a body shop and we pulled it straight(er) and named it "the Banana" as it was yellow and bent. Used it as my "urban guerrilla/commuter" for a year and then sold it when I moved to the west coast.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by BCDave

Only Pinto I ever owned was actually a Mercury Bobcat - bright yellow!

I got it from SGIO (Insurance) for $200.00 as a wrecked and written -off claim car. It had been stolen and run off the road and got its little self all twisted up to where it had wrinkles across the roof and the doors didn't fit properly. It had almost NO miles on it, despite being well over 10 years old, and I wanted to use the 2300 and the 4spd in a Model A.

But then plans changed. The '28 Model A coupe got a 69 Corvette LT-1 and the "Boobcat" was still sitting there, so I hauled it to a body shop and we pulled it straight(er) and named it "the Banana" as it was yellow and bent. Used it as my "urban guerrilla/commuter" for a year and then sold it when I moved to the west coast.

here is the only picture I have,on my computer, of my 1929 Model "A" sedan, It had a 2.3L 4bbl "Pinto" engine with a 5SPD manual, a Pinto front and Fox Mustang rear.

[BCDave]

I still have the "A" - after I sorta/kinda grenaded the LT-1 (hint - Do NOT - ever! use a Genny Shifter or similar shifter at the strip!) I brought it back home and started a complete re-do. It currently sits in my garage , sans paint (Epoxy primer on it) sans windows, wiring, interior or any plumbing, but with another wounded 350 in it.

In its next incarnation it will get a 4 L Lexus 32 valve 4 cam V8

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by floyd

So far that is three of you who claim to have owned a 1970 Pinto, I have a matchbox sized car which is labeled "1970 Pinto".
I am beginning to doubt the fact that the first Pinto was a "1971"
[COLOR=black]I'm guessing y'all bought yours in 1970 when they first appeared for the 1971 model year.

According to Wikipedia they start production in 1970 and by January of 1971 they had sold over 100,000 units.

Actually Floyd mine was a few years old when I bought it off my sister in 73 and I seem to recall it was a 1970 but your right it may well have been a 71 year model but then again I was a teen and hummmmm it was the early 70's and what do they say about those times if you can remember them you didn't live them!

[MC1]

Well some interesting posts. We have lots of car enthusiasts on board.

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by BCDave

The '28 Model A coupe got a 69 Corvette LT-1

I had to look up the history of the LT-1 because I had dropped one in my 68 Chevelle after I had gone through my second 307.

According to wikipedia the Chevy LT-1 was produced for the 1970 to 1972 model years:
Chevrolet small-block engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
And then from 1992 to 1996 GM produced a different small block and called it the LT1 (without the dash):
GM LT engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I still wish I could have been able to afford to buy that mid 70's El Camino with the 400 small block in it - when I had the chance.

I think that as we age - the earlier years all merge together.

[Mike Magee]

Floyd, last weekend I noticed a CL listing near me of a '95 Ranger with a T5 and supercharger... red with a hood scoop and black hood stripe. It looked pretty sweet. Maybe you should upgrade your Ranger!

BTW, just what is the wheelbase on a Pinto? I'm curious.