3 Classic Muscle Cars That Are Actually Affordable

There's a general sense that vintage American muscle cars have become too pricey for average enthusiasts. Once you get past the bright lights of primetime televised auto auctions, you see that's not the case at all
3 Classic Muscle Cars That Are Actually Affordable

Remember earlier this year when Trans Ams, Corvettes, Mustangs and Mopars were selling on television for stupid amounts of money? If you don’t, here’s a quick refresher from January’s big Barrett-Jackson auction in Arizona. Classic American muscle has been selling like that for the better part of a decade now, and as the years pass they seem to be priced further and further from everyday petrolheads like us. I’d love a vintage Challenger, but if I had $100,000 to spend on just one car, I’d look elsewhere.

That’s why I thought I’d take a good look through eBay’s classic muscle section. Sure, there are plenty of cars listed with buy-it-now prices near the six-figure mark but none of them have any bids. Well isn’t that interesting? And the cars which do have bids seem to fall short of their reserves when all is said and done. What’s the moral of this story? Big-time auction houses on television do not set the trends and establish market prices for cars. Amazingly enough, buyers still set the market! And the good news for all of us is that there are plenty of nice, mainstream vintage muscle car options available for the average Joe. And here are three examples you can buy right now to prove it.

3 Classic Muscle Cars That Are Actually Affordable

I’ll start with an American classic. This red 1966 Mustang convertible is so ‘Murican it may as well come with apple pie and baseball gloves in the back seat. For the purists who want something original, this car is listed to be just that - right down to the 289 cubic-inch V8 under the bonnet.

It’s not one of the hot Shelby Mustangs, nor is it a massive big-block tyre scorcher. But it’s red and in great shape, and it’s all burbly sounding with that small V8. It’s also currently bid to just $5400, with no reserve.

3 Classic Muscle Cars That Are Actually Affordable

As I type this there are still several days on the auction, and I can guarantee that price will go up. But right now is a good time to go after classic Mustangs that aren’t high-profile Shelby or Boss models - they’re thick on the market and most are selling for under $20,000. As for this particular car, expect it to sell between $10,000 and $15,000, with a nod to the $10,000 figure. That’s cheap for an original first-generation V8 Mustang convertible in this condition.

3 Classic Muscle Cars That Are Actually Affordable

I can’t leave out the Chevy guys, and it might interest you to know that Camaros seem to be a bit hotter on the market than Mustangs. Even finding average 1967-1969s Camaro under $20,000 is tough, but patience will reward you with examples like this 1969 Camaro, resto-modded with a 496 cubic inch monster V8 making a “conservatively estimated” 550hp. It’s listed with a buy-it-now price of $25,000, but when you look at all the work done, I’m fairly certain you couldn’t build the car for that much. Not even close.

3 Classic Muscle Cars That Are Actually Affordable

This Camaro obviously isn’t a car for the purist seeking an all-original, numbers-matching machine. But for those who want a taste of vintage muscle, this car costs less than a new base-model V6 Camaro. For $25,000 you get a positively gorgeous machine, glowing in Electric Blue with American Racing wheels, and a huge thumping V8 that eats small children and wants to sleep with your wife. And it’s so good, you’ll let it.

3 Classic Muscle Cars That Are Actually Affordable

And so you Mopar fans don’t feel left out, I dug up a Plum Crazy 1970 Barracuda that’s currently selling for a reserve-not-met price of $17,000. The mainstream Mopars are going for more than the Camaros, with most good condition cars at least fetching $30,000. That’s not to say occasional good buys don’t come along, and this mild resto-mod just might be one of them.

I suspect it will struggle to reach $25,000; granted it doesn’t have a radio and the turn signals don’t work, but that’s okay. It makes V8 music, and without signals people will just assume your other car is a BMW. That makes you a well-rounded enthusiast.

3 Classic Muscle Cars That Are Actually Affordable

It’s running a bored 340 cubic inch V8 with a 727 three-speed automatic. Not necessarily a choice combo but still all kinds of awesome. This car also has front disc brakes (that’s a big deal for these old muscle cars) and some seriously large wheels that I’d sell for something smaller, then put the money into fixing the minor issues.

It also has all kinds of new stuff including the interior, rear end, front suspension and fuel tank. It makes no mention of being a numbers matching car so again, purists seeking an all-original Mopar need to look elsewhere. For the rest of us who just want a badass Barracuda without selling the house to get one, here’s your car.

So don’t believe the hype when you see people with more ego than brains dropping cash bombs on the TV for cars they’ll probably never drive. There are still plenty of properly classic muscle cars for the world’s petrolheads to enjoy.

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Comments

Alistair Jolly

You know it’s a rare thing when the list consists of only 3

05/14/2016 - 14:12 |
4 | 0

Well, they happen to be the three most numerously built muscle cars on the planet.

No chance finding something rare like a L88 Corvette(yes, I know its a sport car) under a million dollars.

05/15/2016 - 08:02 |
0 | 0
iCypher(Joel Chan)

..None of which you shall ever find in Singapore ever again…Why..

05/14/2016 - 14:58 |
2 | 0

Just blame your COE prices.

05/15/2016 - 01:40 |
0 | 0
Lassë Lund

That ‘Maro V8 was 8,1 liter!
That’s more than 1 liter per cylinder!
Almost as big as my d… i mean my other car!

05/14/2016 - 15:01 |
2 | 2
SubieAlex97
05/14/2016 - 15:35 |
178 | 4

Very affordable compared to some classics that cost $100,000- $300,000… Plus 25 grand is around the average price that Americans pay for new cars.

05/14/2016 - 19:37 |
20 | 4

Affordable is relative. If you’re broke as ** then a super sized Big Mac is too expensive. For the kinds of cars I’m talking about here, and considering they are the same or less than many compact and mid size cars millions of people are buying, yes they are extremely affordable.

05/16/2016 - 22:06 |
6 | 0
Mickey Mouse

Cousin, is that you?!

05/14/2016 - 15:42 |
40 | 0

they’re expensive af

05/15/2016 - 22:38 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

In France a mustang like the one one the photo on the same condition will sold about 25 000€ to 30 000€ that’s about $28 000 to $34 000. For the camaro it’s more about 35 000€ to 40 000€ about $40 000 to $45 000. And the Barracuda nothing exist under 50 000€ about $57 000

05/14/2016 - 17:12 |
0 | 0
adam thompson

I bought a 70 Dart Swinger (clone) for $5500 a few years go. It ran and drove when I bought. I’m just working on what I want to do with. Disc brakes, slightly bigger wheels, better suspension, and still need to redo the interior.

05/14/2016 - 17:58 |
10 | 0
DragzMR2

“and a huge thumping V8 that eats small children and wants to sleep with your wife. And it’s so good, you’ll let it.”

this made my day

05/14/2016 - 18:01 |
24 | 0
Joel Hunter

Second-gen Camaros and Firebirds. Dirt cheap, big potential. $2500 into the engine and $3000 into the suspension and you’ve got yourself a $15000 tire-scorching road-hugging machine.

05/14/2016 - 18:14 |
4 | 0
Dat Incredible Chadkake

Christopher Smith Some cheaper alternatives to the Mustang Challenger and the Camaro are the Mustang II and Foxbody, 2nd and 3rd gen camaros and the Dodge Demon/Plymouth Duster.

05/14/2016 - 18:42 |
4 | 0

Mustang II is awful

05/14/2016 - 20:24 |
4 | 0