Actually pretty fun to drive!

[JRC99]

A friend's 1978 Pinto. 2.3 4 cylinder 4 speed. He drove up from PA to look at a couple late 50s Buicks, and decided to stop by. For as much shit as Pintos get (and I'm no stranger to doing so myself) I actually quite liked the little car.

Made me want a Maverick (similar, but better I suppose- I've always liked Mavericks)

[Just Jeepin']

Convergent evolution is a fascinating thing.

[pos_camaro]

@jrc99 Pintos can be very fun!

[VincentMalamute]

@jrc99

Actually pretty fun to drive!

Started drinking early tonight, I see!

I won't believe an 70's American economy car is fun. A 2.3L four from that era is probably putting out 50 HP at the wheels.

Source: I drove a Chevette in high school.

[Mazda616]

I can believe this is fun. My Sunbird is fun, too. It weighs like nothing, so the lack of power isn’t as noticeable.

[JRC99]

@vincentmalamute
It's fun in that it's laughably slow.

[Just Jeepin']

@jrc99 said in Actually pretty fun to drive!:

@vincentmalamute
It's fun in that it's laughably slow.

I drive two Jeeps. I'm familiar with that concept.

[VincentMalamute]

@mazda616 Your Sunbird actually has reasonable power. You just cannot understand how little power these cars had in the late 70's. Believe or not, your Sunbird actually handles too! (kinda).

The manufacturers got killed by the 74 emissions regs. It took like a decade for them figure out how to get back some of that HP.

[VincentMalamute]

@just-jeepin I let my friend in Wisconsin keep his overland built Jeep in my yard. It's like 6000 lbs, at or just above GVWR and is heavier than my Transit.

Really difficult to get in and out of. No visibility to the rear because of all the crap he's got.

It is not fun to drive.

[Just Jeepin']

@vincentmalamute What year? If that's 2007-2011 it's not only too heavy but has a famously-underpowered engine.

[VincentMalamute]

@just-jeepin I don't know the year but that's the engine he has. The 3.8L Grand Caravan engine. He's always trying to decide if he want's to add a supercharger, or get a Powerwagon or get a 4x4 Transit.

He took me on a 'moderate' trail near me. I refused to stay in the car when he went up this shelf.

I got back in after it was clear I wasn't going to die.

[Just Jeepin']

@vincentmalamute I have gone straight up a cliff once. Glad I did it, probably will never again.

[sony1492]

@vincentmalamute said in Actually pretty fun to drive!:

@jrc99

Actually pretty fun to drive!

Started drinking early tonight, I see!

I won't believe an 70's American economy car is fun. A 2.3L four from that era is probably putting out 50 HP at the wheels.

Source: I drove a Chevette in high school.

Dodgey can be fun

[jayvincent]

@jrc99 Nothing wrong with Pinto Power!
! !!

[VincentMalamute]

@just-jeepin
No thanks!

Even thought the "thrill" and steepness just doesn't come through in videos or photos.

I bet it's worse to be a passenger. Only once I ever rode on the back of my own motorcycle when a neighbor took it down the block. Never again!

[Rusty Vandura]

I had a lead on a Chevette a while back. I think it's still there.

[BicycleBuck]

A friend of mine in high school had a Pinto. It was red with a chrome roof rack. They used vinyl paint to turn the original blue upholstery black. Nobody liked riding with him because there was always a risk of getting black paint flecks on your clothes. He kept a wire coat hangar wrapped around the roof rack because he was always locking his keys inside. He once tried to straddle a large dead dog which was in the middle of the road. We were on a two-lane rural highway with oncoming traffic, so there was no place to go but over. We felt the bloated body thumping underneath the floorpan and I looked back to see it doing barrel rolls down the road. At least it made it to the ditch.

I never really liked that car.