Highly Optioned Fishbowl: 1979 AMC Pacer DL
More often than not, it seems like when the subject of an AMC Pacer comes up most people just want to talk about how much they love or can’t stand the unusual styling and curvature, but the first thing that came to my mind when checking out this 1979 AMC Pacer DL here on eBay was all the accessories it came from the factory with. This one’s got cruise control, power windows, door locks, intermittent wipers, two-tone paint, and more, lots of which can be found as standard equipment on numerous cars these days, but back in ’79, this would have been considered loaded. The AMC is in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the no-reserve auction up to $4,229 at the moment.
The owner tells us he acquired the Pacer back in 2019 and has spent a ton of money on it already. The car has been through rigorous inspections with extensive repairs made and parts replaced, to the tune of thousands and thousands of dollars spent getting the car just the way he wanted. But after driving it just 2,000 miles, the time has come for this one to find a new home.
Interestingly, one of the things the seller says he didn’t invest in was the engine, a 258 cubic-inch inline 6-cylinder powerplant, but that’s because testing showed it wasn’t in need of any attention and is running great. The transmission did receive a rebuild back in 2021, and now the Pacer is said not to have any mechanical issues at all and is cruising down the highway beautifully.
Cosmetically original is how the car is described, and I’m guessing that means it’s never been repainted, although that’s not specifically stated. It’s definitely clean on the outside and presents nicely overall, but a few imperfections are pointed out such as some rust around the gas filler area, bubbling near the bottom of the quarters, some cracking in the paint on the driver’s side fender, and a couple of other issues.
The seller also mentions a few minor flaws inside, but for the most part, the interior appears to be decently preserved considering it’s way past the 40-year mark now. This photo is the closest we get to viewing the underside plus nothing is stated about the condition down below, but with the quarters starting to show some rust I’d probably ask for a couple of pictures from underneath or at least inquire before I submitted my bid. What are your thoughts on this one, and about the AMC Pacer in general?
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Comments
Ad mentions fabrication of subframe mounts. I’d be very concerned about rust hiding in the bottom of this fish bowl. Plus if I’d spent as much on this as indicated no way it goes up no reserve. Seems odd is all.
I remember riding in one of these when I was little in the late 70s. It’s probably boring to drive and I like big cars so I wouldn’t want it, but it’s nice to see one and in such nice shape with rare options. It reminds me of a later year Ford Pinto I saw once at a car show, in very nice condition, low mileage, and rare options. Not for me, but neat to look at, and hopefully preserved and enjoyed by it’s owner.
Sales were decent the first 2 years but AMC had to coax new buyers with standard air conditioning by the 3rd production year. My best friend’s mom had a 76 and it looked so cool ( I was 12) new.
Looks like a semi modern Citroen! Not good.
Seller is going to be upside down on the one.
So true! 25K spent on this thing and there is still rust repair to do? Seller must have loved the look to spend brand new car with warranty money on one.
A little over 4K bid with less than 2 days left? Seller would be crazy to take a 20K loss. I have a feeling this one is going to end with “Ended early because of an error in the listing”.
That front bumper looks like they stole a section of highway guard rail and bolted it to the front of the car.
Fun fact: the rear is the same bumper. The rear on my ’76 was rusted out, so I took the front off and bolted it to the rear without modification. Believe it or else, it looked better with the front bumper off.
AMC was very thrifty that way. Look up AMC Cavalier to see how they interchanged fenders, etc.
Another fun fact…the passenger door on Pacers was longer than the driver’s door. I’m guessing it was for ease of entrance for back seat passengers or to retrieve something from the rear seat.
back in the day Feds made them start using an extended bumper “5 mph crash bumper”
altho I like the wagon & non-hood bulge (ie earlier & i6) better, I might take one of these (still, only if wagon). BiL had a less cushy one new w/the ‘S.W. blanket’ motif seats (denim was nother choice). Another one transformed ap-
propriatly w/the utility shape of the waggy!
Here’s a link I usually put up for these (ie ‘europeanized’ 1 yr after bought new by 2nd owner):
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/184788390946805720/
the originator (mid usa, OH?) had no whale tail spoiler. Remove it. Now that’s a nice pacer !
This looks like the car Wayne and Garth would buy once they both got a real job.
Always did dig the upscale interiors of amc products. This one is really nice. They had a way of doing a lot with not much and buying parts from Chrysler (please don’t say Stellantis) Ford and G.M. putting them all together and it worked. Always loved the raised hood design for the V-8 option. I’d be afraid of structural rust though. If the frame is sound this one is a keeper.
I had a good friend who had one of these. At the time I had a real boat, a 1976 Chrysler New Yorker. The Pacer, with the front seat all the way back, had more legroom than my Chrysler.
This pacer will trot out the barn pretty fast is my guess! They just don’t come this nice anymore & someone with interest will see this & bam ! Sold!
Yeah I do all that work myself, otherwise what’s the point. $25K on top of his purchase price, I would never do that, especially with one of these cars. Well good luck to the seller
Sink this fish bowl in the nearest lake and let the fish enjoy it.
The car in images has the hood with a bump of an V-8 powered AMC Pacer, but has a 6-in-line engine. Why?
Once the V8 came out, they only used this hood on all.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…I miss AMC!
BTW, where’s Howard A???
I always enjoy his informative comments.
As alluded to by previous posts the Pacer was a wide small car with the passenger compartment close to the size of that of a full sized car. The short front was designed for the GM Wankel engine that got cancelled so AMC tunneled into the fire wall to use their straight 6 engines. You don’t get that interior, plush seats etc. on a similar length Gremlin or Pinto or Vega. Ultimately it was a waste of design money that AMC should have used to bring out a gas sipping American FWD sub-compact that would have been a lot better than the AMC built Renault Alliance. This one of a kind, never duplicated (for good reasons) wide heavy car model with its interesting history is certainly worth collecting!
Hey folks, that was my Pacer and it sold. It initially sold for $5,700 to some overseas bidder (aka non-paying bidder), so I offered it to the third-highest bidder, who’s local and could close immediately, for $4,900. Sold! Of course you’re going to take a big loss when bringing a car from 1979 back to 100% mechanically. (It sat from 1992 till 2019, so everything had to be repaired or replaced, right down to dash lights and the intermittent wiper transmission.) I had to have the steering rack fabricated from the original specs, the most expensive single item. Since I don’t own a foundry, I couldn’t have done that myself. I could’ve easily spent another $25,000 bringing it back to like-new inside and out in appearance, but I liked the original look well enough. The new owner has a Lotus and Lamborghini and wanted to add a classic car to her collection that she could actually drive and enjoy. Incidentally, I learned from her it’s nearly impossible to actually drive a Lambo due to insurance regs, various laws and ordinances, and the need for advanced home security once word gets out that you have one. As you can see, I found the perfect new owner for the Pacer. Remember that a frame-off restoration costs $80,000 to $100,000 (I considered going that route) and almost no one gets their money back from that. It’s all about love and preserving our history.