Does such a thing as a bargain muscle/performance car still exist?
- Thread starter grampi
- Start date
Do you not have the money or just don’t want to spend the money? Is $10k fine but $20k too much? Look at your age and what you have sitting in retirement then decide.
My dad wants a Toyota Landcruiser but want to spend for a RAV4. Looking at his financial picture, age 85 and health I said pick whatever you want . The price difference won’t hurt you.
My dad wants a Toyota Landcruiser but want to spend for a RAV4. Looking at his financial picture, age 85 and health I said pick whatever you want . The price difference won’t hurt you.
Yeah, for something exciting to get the blood flowing, road cars aren't the cheapest for sure. We just got a new ski-doo with 2nd least powerful engine they make, and it lifts the skis off the start with anything close to 1/2 throttle? All for the price of a trim package on a new truck...
The $20k C5's are an amazing deal though, for a base to do some auto sports with.
If you want to have fun, playing/tuning a muscle car, the early 3.7l V6 Mustangs, are cheap, as quick than the previous 4.6 V8, and you can spend many weekends bolting on nearly free mustang GT parts from GT guys upgrading.
Even the old 4.0 V6's sound quite nice with a x pipe, and a couple friends were having a great time thrashing one around the autocross courses.
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https://www.hyundaiusa.com/us/en/vehicles/elantra-n
https://www.vw.com/en/models/golf-r.html
https://automobiles.honda.com/civic-type-r
Otherwise, you have to make your own, through modifying a lesser car with high potential.
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https://www.vw.com/en/models/golf-r.html
https://automobiles.honda.com/civic-type-r
Otherwise, you have to make your own, through modifying a lesser car with high potential.
.
Nobody buys Mustangs, like a year of 2024-2026 new and lightly used inventory rotting
Offer half and see if someone budges end of year
Offer half and see if someone budges end of year
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M6 Challenger Hellcats were produced until ‘21 skipped’22 and available again in ‘23.
Cars have to have certain things today. Stability control, abs, lane departure warning, auto braking, rear camera. So even a “stripped” performance car would be expensive.
1968 Road Runner came with manual steering and brakes, rubber floor mats, no carpet, column shift and bench seat. How would you produce the 2026 equivalent? Would you take out power windows and a/c ?
That’s not going to make a meaningful difference in msrp.
1968 Road Runner came with manual steering and brakes, rubber floor mats, no carpet, column shift and bench seat. How would you produce the 2026 equivalent? Would you take out power windows and a/c ?
That’s not going to make a meaningful difference in msrp.
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
You’ve been wanting something for years. Either buy something, or don’t.
I feel like you’re gonna get too old to enjoy this one day and regret it. You’ve been stressed all this time. Prices don’t go down. They only go up. So either do it, or move on.
I feel like you’re gonna get too old to enjoy this one day and regret it. You’ve been stressed all this time. Prices don’t go down. They only go up. So either do it, or move on.
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2024
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- 1,598
The grass is always greener in the past.
A sub - 4 seconds 0-60 used car can be had for less than $30k used nowadays. Fully usable on the road, with no exotic maintenance. Other than tires more often than usual. Electrical, yes, but still a car. Rear wheel drive with that.
A Lincoln MKZ 3.7 Turbo is 400hp, AWD, and can be had for peanuts. Old Germans are a dime a dozen. Miatas, BRZs, Golfs, Kia Stingers, all sorts of Volvos - you guys should count your blessings. Try living in Europe and spending the same money on a car as here, see what you get for the price.
5000lb minivans throw sub 8 seconds 0-60 day in and day out. Three row SUVs are high 6s or low 7s.
We've never had it so good. The only problem is that we are having it HEAVY. We don't have light cars anymore. But Miatas are here to help with that too. Again - PLENTY of them available. Same thing - see how easy it is to find a good used one anywhere else on the planet.
A sub - 4 seconds 0-60 used car can be had for less than $30k used nowadays. Fully usable on the road, with no exotic maintenance. Other than tires more often than usual. Electrical, yes, but still a car. Rear wheel drive with that.
A Lincoln MKZ 3.7 Turbo is 400hp, AWD, and can be had for peanuts. Old Germans are a dime a dozen. Miatas, BRZs, Golfs, Kia Stingers, all sorts of Volvos - you guys should count your blessings. Try living in Europe and spending the same money on a car as here, see what you get for the price.
5000lb minivans throw sub 8 seconds 0-60 day in and day out. Three row SUVs are high 6s or low 7s.
We've never had it so good. The only problem is that we are having it HEAVY. We don't have light cars anymore. But Miatas are here to help with that too. Again - PLENTY of them available. Same thing - see how easy it is to find a good used one anywhere else on the planet.
Patman
Staff member
Based on what I see in the Corvette groups I am in, there are a lot of C5s out there for way less than 20k, as long as you get one with a few more miles on it. I often see posts with people getting higher mileage C5s for closer to $10k@grampi
good C5 and or C6 Corvettes can be had for <$20k. Most just sit in a garage and onlt get driven when the wx is nice by little ole men
simple and easy to work on with a lot of support
Lane departure and automatic braking are not a requirements in the US.
Patman
Staff member
That bums me out too, I still remember how light the Fox Body 5.0 Mustang LX coupes were. With no options they were under 3000 pounds. Nowadays a 5.0 Mustang is around 3700 pounds I believe
Both of my cars are kind of light, at least for this era. My Civic coupe is 2750 pounds and my Corvette is 3300 pounds. But it would be nice if they were each about 100 pounds lighter, although I’m not sure what I would want to give up in order to shave that weight. I guess the removal of sound deadening combined with expensive lighter wheels might do it.
Hilarious! Spoken like a guy who's never shopped for a C5. I did for 5 years...I eventually gave up...
I did...I bought 2 actually...
I sometimes have a hard time remembering what I had for dinner yesterday. Do you think I'm gonna remember a post from a year ago?
Patman
Staff member
You were looking in the wrong places then, I’m constantly hearing about deals all over the US right now. A lot of younger buyers are snapping them up right now.
The 20,000 mile cars are priced ridiculously but the 100k plus cars are nicely priced
IF the buyer is willing to accept any color combo, any model, and he/she doesn't care how the car is equipped. That's not the C5 I was looking for. Once anything other than accepting any car is a requirement, the search becomes infinitely more difficult...price goes up, availability goes down...@grampi
good C5 and or C6 Corvettes can be had for <$20k. Most just sit in a garage and onlt get driven when the wx is nice by little ole men
simple and easy to work on with a lot of support
Dude, I searched every vehicle sales site there was, and I had a fairly wide mileage range I'd accept...
Patman
Staff member
A lot has changed since you searched. Being on Facebook groups is a huge resource as well because people post their cars there too
