Does such a thing as a bargain muscle/performance car still exist?

goblin said:
Said the owner of a well-accelerating Rapt(ract)or TRXzilla, before blasting into the sunset doing 96 (gal/hr) 😊.

No one personally called here. I don't own a Tesla, and I don't assume you own a 6000lb offroad rocket with 26 inchers on 305/30Rs😊.

Just pointing out that automotive lameness is a sacred American tradition among others, and that once again Tesla holds no exclusivity in that field.
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Not sure your point is effective, because I'd love to have a Raptor. Or a square body Chevy with a 454 and a hog-ass cam.
 
grampi said:
These were my requirements when I was searching for a C5...years- 2002-2004...ext color, torch red. Int color, anything but black. Must be a 6 speed manual coupe...I don't think those requirements are unrealistic...
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The older a car gets the harder it will be to find exactly what you want. You should have comprised on the color and then it would have made the search easier. When I was searching for my C5 back in the summer of 2004 I was looking for an automatic coupe in any color except black. In the end I found the perfect one in terms of mileage and price but it was black. So I compromised and it ended up being a very reliable car
IMG_1648.webp
 
RooflessVW said:
Not sure your point is effective, because I'd love to have a Raptor. Or a square body Chevy with a 454 and a hog-ass cam.
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It will be ineffective only if your point of view is the ultimate and only judge of which vehicle is lame and which isn't 😊.

I find both the Tesla and the Raptor lame on some aspects. And I would gladly own both at the same time.
 
JeffKeryk said:
The closest thing to a performance bargain is the Tesla Model 3 Performance. Nothing else is even close.
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I have something very similar in my kitchen! Stainless steel skin, crisp edgy lines, 2 doors, 4 wheels and runs on electricity….and as a bonus it keeps my beverages cold!
 
grampi said:
These were my requirements when I was searching for a C5...years- 2002-2004...ext color, torch red. Int color, anything but black. Must be a 6 speed manual coupe...I don't think those requirements are unrealistic...
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Have you tried a broker? Might be worth a shot. One of the regular contributors on thetruthaboutcars does that on the side.
 
Who is the member here who’s licensed and sells some pretty nice cars…lives in Ohio maybe? He might could locate one for Grampi.
 
grampi said:
These were my requirements when I was searching for a C5...years- 2002-2004...ext color, torch red. Int color, anything but black. Must be a 6 speed manual coupe...I don't think those requirements are unrealistic...
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You've also implied price was a factor, so that adds an additional wrinkle to the search.
 
grampi said:
Back in the day you could buy stripped down versions of Mustangs, Camaros, Firebirds, turbo Regals, ect., that had all the go fast goodies, without having to pay for all of the other, unneeded bells and whistles, and you could buy these cars relatively cheaply. Now days it seems like any car that has any performance at all is priced through the roof. Because of this I have been keeping an eye on the used car market, and even they are holding ridiculous resale prices. I was looking at C5 Vettes for a while, but those prices never seem to move. Nice C5s with a 6M are still going for $20K+. So then I started looking at gen 5 Camaros. They are also still selling at $20K+. Where have bargain performance cars gone?
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Get a C6. Mine was 23,000 with 30,000 miles on it. I wanted a C5 but the C6 was a better value better car.
 
grampi said:
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? :ROFLMAO:
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Every time I see an old guy driving a Corvette, I say to myself “ There goes another article 25.”
Three year old Cadillac lease returns sell for half the price of a new one. Many have very low mileage and are immaculate inside and out.
If I were to pick a new vehicle that was actually useful it would be a Chev Blazer AWD with the 3.6L. A cat back exhaust and Camaro tune would bring the power up to around 340 hp. To make it handle, a 1.5” Rough Country lift kit and 20x9.5” wheels with 295/45r20 tires.
 
grampi said:
Back in the day you could buy stripped down versions of Mustangs, Camaros, Firebirds, turbo Regals, ect., that had all the go fast goodies, without having to pay for all of the other, unneeded bells and whistles, and you could buy these cars relatively cheaply. Now days it seems like any car that has any performance at all is priced through the roof. Because of this I have been keeping an eye on the used car market, and even they are holding ridiculous resale prices. I was looking at C5 Vettes for a while, but those prices never seem to move. Nice C5s with a 6M are still going for $20K+. So then I started looking at gen 5 Camaros. They are also still selling at $20K+. Where have bargain performance cars gone?
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1. The more you know about cars the less expensive they will be. If you can rebuild engines, transmissions and paint your own car the less you will have to pay. Classic cars cost serious money for guys who just want a turn key car.

2. The secret to deals is looking for the classic cars that have been sitting for years on someone's property that way you're the only bidder.

Around my neighborhood I know of for locations where each location has a black 1986/1987 Buick Regal Grand National that have been sitting for years. And one other location with a mint condition beautiful 1986 Turbo T Type.

I walked up to one property and introduced myself and inquired about his Grand National and old man told me he would just give me the turbo Regal but it is his son's car. I thank him for his time and left my business card. It was a 1986 Buick Grand National with a T top. Probably hasn't been driven since 1996 at least. I spotted it from the freeway.
 
ls1mike said:
Get a C6. Mine was 23,000 with 30,000 miles on it. I wanted a C5 but the C6 was a better value better car.
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Every successive Corvette model is better than the previous gen, but there are things about the C5 that make it unique. IMO, it's the prettiest body style, prettier than any before or after. The C5 coupe is also the most practical Vette...excellent fuel economy, reliable, has the most cargo space, easiest to get in/out of, etc. It was also the gen the saved the Corvette. GM was going to kill off the Vette, but the C5 saved it. It was also the first gen that was considered a world class sports car...
 
lucky7901 said:
1. The more you know about cars the less expensive they will be. If you can rebuild engines, transmissions and paint your own car the less you will have to pay. Classic cars cost serious money for guys who just want a turn key car.

2. The secret to deals is looking for the classic cars that have been sitting for years on someone's property that way you're the only bidder.

Around my neighborhood I know of for locations where each location has a black 1986/1987 Buick Regal Grand National that have been sitting for years. And one other location with a mint condition beautiful 1986 Turbo T Type.

I walked up to one property and introduced myself and inquired about his Grand National and old man told me he would just give me the turbo Regal but it is his son's car. I thank him for his time and left my business card. It was a 1986 Buick Grand National with a T top. Probably hasn't been driven since 1996 at least. I spotted it from the freeway.
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I know quite a bit about cars, but I don't have the know how, tools, or the infinite budget required to restore vehicles. Funny you should mention the Buicks...my last muscle car was an '87 T-Type...
 
userfriendly said:
Every time I see an old guy driving a Corvette, I say to myself “ There goes another article 25.”
Three year old Cadillac lease returns sell for half the price of a new one. Many have very low mileage and are immaculate inside and out.
If I were to pick a new vehicle that was actually useful it would be a Chev Blazer AWD with the 3.6L. A cat back exhaust and Camaro tune would bring the power up to around 340 hp. To make it handle, a 1.5” Rough Country lift kit and 20x9.5” wheels with 295/45r20 tires.
Click to expand...
Not sure what an article 25 is...
 
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