Facebook Marketplace Sir-Mix-a-Lot likes big butts, and that means today's Nice Price or No Dice Pacer wagon is right up his back alley. Let's find out if this fishbowl of a car is priced to make us just as happy. The mantra of "buy low and sell high" is sound financial advice, albeit not without risk. Whether it's the housing market, stock trading, or even finding that cherry of a deal on a car, there's the lure of trying to make more out of the deal than you put in. That appeared to be the goal of the wheeler-dealer attempting to sell the 2017 Jaguar XE 2.5T Premium we entertained on Thursday. Based on some sleuthing into the car's history via the VIN, we discovered that the Jag had been purchased from a salvage auction for a mere $2,050 in February. Unlike most of the denizens of that dumping ground, the XE still carried a clean title. Cleaned up but still mechanically flawed, the car now asked $5,500, which, while a lot more than the wholesale price, is well below what could reasonably be considered market value. Unfortunately for the seller, a majority of you were scared off by the Jag's claimed mechanical maladies. That saw the XE fall in a narrow but decisive 58% "No Dice" loss. I get around Facebook Marketplace Do we still use the term "The Big Three" when referring to America's legacy automakers these days? Considering that Chrysler is owned lock, stock, and double-barreled carburetor by Italy's FIAT, it's arguable that it's no longer an American company, but a subsidiary of an Italian one. Our auto industry's history is littered with brands that once shone but eventually sputtered out, either being absorbed, blob-like, into other brands or simply withering on the vine. American Motors Corporation fell victim to both scenarios, suffering financial issues in the '80s that first led the company to partner with France's Renault, and then, when that didn't improve things, seeing it sold to Chrysler, which killed it off for good, keeping the Jeep brand as a sort of spoils of war trophy. AMC's failure wasn't for lack of trying, and today's 1977 AMC Pacer D/L wagon is proof that the company could offer innovation beyond new grilles and an occasional name change for the 1970s Hornet. The Pacer, and the later Pacer wagon represented a new idea—a wide-body compact car—and was designed around a Wankel engine that AMC had contracted to buy from General Motors. When that plan went up in a cloud of failed apex seals, AMC leaned into the company's tried-and-true six-cylinder engine line for Pacer Power. Initially fairly successful, the Pacer's lack of ponies and thirst for fuel compared to its contemporaries meant sales never reached the company's projections. Setting the pace Facebook Marketplace This wagon has the later, more powerful 4.2-liter six, which is paired with a three-speed automatic driving a live rear axle. According to the ad, the car is in "excellent condition," although the seller notes in both the description and the pictures some minor scratches in the paint. There's also a missing bit of trim around the otherwise charming woodgrain appliqué on the passenger side. A couple of pluses to note: this is the wagon body style, which squares off the rear end for more cargo space and a less George Jetson look than the coupe. It has the added benefit of pivoting vent windows in the rear side glass. Aside from that, it still features the quirkiness for which the Pacer is famous. That includes a passenger-side door that is 10 centimeters longer than the driver's-side door for rear-seat egress. It also has the oddball wings on the top of each door that attempt to mask the fact that the glass doesn't go all the way down in the doors. The rest of the interior looks to be in great shape, and features a crotch cooler vent under the dash, making it even more of a shame that the old R12 A/C doesn't function. Some work needed Facebook Marketplace Per the ad, this Pacer has only 53,849 miles under its portly belt. Despite that, it's an old car, and things do fail over time. It is a driver, as the seller claims to have added the last 10K to the odometer's overall count. It's being taken care of, too. Currently in process, per the ad, is a tune-up, including plugs and fluids. Already on the replacement list are the water pump, radiator, and all four tires, which have less than 500 miles on them and wear the factory blue dye on their white stripes. Still on the to-do list is chasing some gremlins in the rear-end wiring harness to ensure the brake lamps and turn signals function. The car will come with AMC factory service manuals to make that work a bit easier. Facebook Marketplace Once that's all done, and maybe giving the car a once-over for any other minor issues, all that'll be left is to waddle around in it to car meets or as a quirky daily driver. Perhaps someday, even fixing and upgrading that A/C to complete the package. An American icon Facebook Marketplace Once reviled as one of the worst cars in history—something arguably unearned—the Pacer has more recently enjoyed a renaissance of sorts and is now seen for its intrinsic value as an icon of both its era and AMC's amazing tenacity and innovation under extreme financial deprivation. Plus, who doesn't want to drive around in a giant fishbowl? To enjoy that experience with this clean-title wagon, all it takes is to lay down $6,500 in cold, hard cash. That's a sizable reduction from the $8,000 the seller was asking until only recently. But is that low enough? What do you say? Is this Pacer Wagon a deal at that $6,500 price tag? Or would you demand it to be free of niggling issues at a price like that? You decide! Facebook Marketplace out of Waynesville, North Carolina, or go here if the ad disappears. H/T to Chris Bergman for the hookup! Help me out with Nice Price or No Dice. Contact me at robemslie@gmail.com and send a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your commenter handle.