Tips for Finding Pacers and Parts & Pacer Pricing

As many past and current Pacer owners know, finding that perfect Pacer and the parts necessary to maintain it can be really tough. This guide is intended as a starting point, or a little extra help, for those stuck in their searches.

Sometimes the easiest solutions are right under your nose...

Your Local Newspaper: It's been known to happen -- the perfect Pacer is living in your hometown! Check the want ads regularly, and have relatives and friends do the same. Finding a Pacer in the area eliminates additional transporation costs and the hassle of buying a car away from home.
Local Junkyards: If you're lucky, your local salvage yards will have a few old Pacers lying around. These cars are a very inexpensive source for parts.
Your Mechanic: For those who get help with their auto work (like me!), your mechanic can be a great source of knowledge and help. He can contact other garages and salvage yards nearby and at a distance.

Extending your search...

If you're dedicated to finding a Pacer and/or parts, you usually have to look more globally than locally. Luckily, there are a lot of resources available to help you with this.

The Pacer Page Classifieds: amcpacer.com hosts free classified ads for Pacers, Pacer parts, and Pacer related items wanted and for sale.
The AMC Pacer Club: The AMCPC puts out a quarterly newsletter containing a wealth of Pacer information, including Wanted and For Sale ads in every issue.
The AMC Mailing List: This email mailing list focuses mainly on technical discussions, and there are many list members who can help you in your search for cars, parts, and technical information.
The AMC Pacer Mailing List: Started in August 1999, this newer list focuses only on Pacers. Fun and full of helpful folks and useful information.
The Pacer Page - Pacer Resources: Be sure to visit the sites listed in The Pacer Page's Resources section, especially those in the AMC Cars and Parts Sites - Technical section. There are several classifieds sites listed there.
Technical Service Manuals: TSMs are a wonderful source of information for parts and repairs. They provide diagrams, step-by-step instructions, and details on parts. Search popular internet auction sites or AMC car shows and meets for a TSM for your model year Pacer.

Pricing...

Deciding how much to pay for a Pacer can be tricky. Parts cars can go for $100 or less, but "mint" Pacers may be worth a few thousand dollars or more. The pricing guides listed below are a good place to start, but in the end, it comes down to your gut feeling -- never pay more for a car than you're comfortable with. A general rule of thumb that's good news for buyers, not-so-good news for sellers: Pacers haven't held their value as much as other "classic" cars.

BuyClassicCars.com's Classic Car Pricing Guides: This page has links to several online pricing guides.
VMR: Vehicle Market Research has a pricing guide that's popular among AMC and other vintage enthusiasts. (VMR's site is also listed on BuyClassicCar.com's site.)

Just a few more pointers...

Be sure you know what you're getting. There weren't that many Pacers made to begin with, and there are far fewer still in working existence. Before purchasing a car or parts, make sure that you know exactly what you're buying. A couple resources with great tips:
- Wolfgang Mederle's Online Pacer Buyer's Guide contains lots of useful Pacer-specific information.
- Eddie Stakes' Shut Up and Drive Lists have some great common-sense advice.
Don't give up! The search is sometimes frustrating, but solving a difficult problem is well worth the effort.