What about a Chevy SS or Cadillac cts-v?
Does such a thing as a bargain muscle/performance car still exist?
- Thread starter grampi
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It's not as bad as many think, if you check comparable performance cars across the board. For example, The new 2026 ZR-1 Corvette has over 1,000 H.P. and goes for around $185K. And that comes with a full factory warranty.
That puts its performance in a league of cars that cost up to ten times more, and don't deliver as much. (Ferrari's, Bugatti's, Lambo's, and such).
If you look at the Dodge Demons and Hellcats, they're an even bigger bargain from a performance, "bang for your buck" standpoint.
What happens, (especially to older people), is they remember yesterday's prices, but they conveniently forget about yesterday's wages, along with all of the inflation that has taken place since then.
In 1969 I remember looking at a 427 Tri-Power Corvette convertible that was sitting in a Chevy dealership I passed coming home from school. The window sticker was $6,500.00 dollars.
That has exactly zero bearing today. When you factor in wages and housing costs then, it's not much different than it is today.
That puts its performance in a league of cars that cost up to ten times more, and don't deliver as much. (Ferrari's, Bugatti's, Lambo's, and such).
If you look at the Dodge Demons and Hellcats, they're an even bigger bargain from a performance, "bang for your buck" standpoint.
What happens, (especially to older people), is they remember yesterday's prices, but they conveniently forget about yesterday's wages, along with all of the inflation that has taken place since then.
In 1969 I remember looking at a 427 Tri-Power Corvette convertible that was sitting in a Chevy dealership I passed coming home from school. The window sticker was $6,500.00 dollars.
That has exactly zero bearing today. When you factor in wages and housing costs then, it's not much different than it is today.
Another thing was a new 1969 Chevy Impala was sitting next to that new 427 Corvette. It's sticker was right around half that, (about $3,300). It's not much different today. Most any decent size SUV all decked out, is going to cost $75K to $85K easily. Still close to half of that new 2026 1,000 H.P. ZR-1 Corvette.
I worked with a guy who had a numbers matching all-original Hemi Cuda when he was young and got engaged. Not sure how a 20 something back then could afford one. He couldn't afford the car AND the wedding. He's still kicking himself when he sees auction prices.
I remember back in the late 60's there was a high performance Dodge / Plymouth dealership that was famous around Chicago during that time. "Mr. Norm's Grand Spaulding Dodge".
He ran page ad's in the Saturday and Sunday paper. The 426 Hemi was an $850.00 dollar option over the 440 in most any Charger, Super Bee, GTX, or Barracuda back then.
$850.00 extra for an engine was considered a HUGE expense back then. Which is why there were so few of them. Also, the insurance companies HATED them. Especially if you were young. They weren't stupid.
Just wanted to look, out of curiosity. My dad paid roughly that for a loaded ‘69 Thunderbird.
Another factor is longevity, and far less maintenance for the money spent. It's common for cars today, with just reasonable care to go 200,000+ miles. Many today don't require a spark plug replacement until 100,000 miles. Non leaded fuel, computerized fuel injection and ignition, stainless steel exhaust, all add up to longer life.
In the 60's, with mechanical breaker point ignition and carburetors, most cars required "tune ups" every 10,000 miles. If you made it to 100,000 miles without pulling the heads for a "valve job", it was something you bragged about at the bar. Today's modern engines are a blessing for what they cost and deliver, compared to 50 years ago.
In the 60's, with mechanical breaker point ignition and carburetors, most cars required "tune ups" every 10,000 miles. If you made it to 100,000 miles without pulling the heads for a "valve job", it was something you bragged about at the bar. Today's modern engines are a blessing for what they cost and deliver, compared to 50 years ago.
Back in the 70's in Chicago my mother went through an exhaust system most every year.
She never drove far enough to burn the condensation out in the Winter. So the system rotted out from the inside, while the road salt corroded it from the outside.
And the oil always looked like Hellman's Mayonnaise.
Patman
Staff member
When I bought my 2006 Civic in 2011 it needed a new muffler (and the pipe leading to it) a few months later. I got it done at Midas, which is a big chain up here that guarantees their stuff for life. I’m glad I went there because every two years that muffler and pipe would rot out and need replacing but it was covered for free. I had that car for ten years so they replaced it quite a few times. I’m sure if they used better quality parts they wouldn’t have rusted out so quickly but that’s on them. With my 2016 Civic, it’s still on the original exhaust so Honda smartened up and must be using good quality stainless steel now.
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The best bang for $ new I have purchased over the years started with my first new car, a then New 1989 LX 5.0 Sedan ( the trunk not the hatchback ) I chose this OVER the GT at the time as #1 I liked the cop car look ( Highway patrol in some States used that very car).
The LX Sedan did not have the ground effects like the GT and it had good looking slash cut stainless exhaust out the rear when the GT had turndown exhaust to get around the ground effects that you could not see. The GT was a heavier car over the LX and same engine power as I recall. I paid $12,300 for my new LX and the GT was well over $17,000 to start at the time. Can you tell I LOVED my Mustang!
I then purchased new a 2014 Subaru WRX , Paid around $26K Traded it 4,000 miles later for my Hellcat.
Then a new first year 2015 Hellcat around $60K not exactly a "bargain" but at the time a 707 HP ( Highest production HP car produced ) for $60K was somehow obtainable but in 2015 unlike now I was able to get a 84 month credit union loan at only 1.9%, 1.9% for 84 months helped put it in my garage. I still have that car with less than 3,000 miles and is now paid for!
In 2025 whats the best bang of the $? I'm not in the market so have not researched but the Mazda Miata has always been considered some of the most fun per $, I have no idea as I'm a big guy so little car is out.
Perhaps a new Mustang GT in 2025?
A used Hellcat?
The LX Sedan did not have the ground effects like the GT and it had good looking slash cut stainless exhaust out the rear when the GT had turndown exhaust to get around the ground effects that you could not see. The GT was a heavier car over the LX and same engine power as I recall. I paid $12,300 for my new LX and the GT was well over $17,000 to start at the time. Can you tell I LOVED my Mustang!
I then purchased new a 2014 Subaru WRX , Paid around $26K Traded it 4,000 miles later for my Hellcat.
Then a new first year 2015 Hellcat around $60K not exactly a "bargain" but at the time a 707 HP ( Highest production HP car produced ) for $60K was somehow obtainable but in 2015 unlike now I was able to get a 84 month credit union loan at only 1.9%, 1.9% for 84 months helped put it in my garage. I still have that car with less than 3,000 miles and is now paid for!
In 2025 whats the best bang of the $? I'm not in the market so have not researched but the Mazda Miata has always been considered some of the most fun per $, I have no idea as I'm a big guy so little car is out.
Perhaps a new Mustang GT in 2025?
A used Hellcat?
This exactly what I'm talking about. Ford could offer a stripped, or lightly optioned Mustang, with all of the go fast goodies for at least $10K less than the loaded version, which is the only way they can be had these days. GM could've done the same thing with the Camaro...GM tried to do this by offering the Camaro in the LT1 trim, but its price wasn't much less than the SS or RS trim levels...
My wife said “ it’s either me or the Hemi.” I kind of miss her.
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I seen a discussion on a forum someplace recently about how at one time you could purchase a stripped down small trucks as example for little money.
I had a ex-father in law that in the 90's ordered a new Mazda truck without a radio and special ordered it with NO AC! But then he lowered it as he said trucks don't look right unless lowered... Go figure...
Back in the 90's you paid BIG money for electronics, Dad had a early Datsun that would talk and say fuel level is low, That was $$$ stuff back then but the thought was in the discussion that now in 2025 it cost the manufacture less to put electronics in a car than analog.
Power windows is actually less than the hardware needed to simply roll a window up by hand?
And now you have all the EPA crap on a car that ads so much to a car. Be is stripped down or loaded the EPA $ is the same.
And if you consider the added goodies on the top model are mostly electronics that cost little to produce in China now .
All this said, I wonder when it comes down to it in 2025 would a stripped down car actually NOT cost the car company any less to build?
4wd
$50 site donor 2026
Yeah, my boss’s Snake made over 800 HP from 5.8L … block might be small but the heads are massive
I am blessed in that my wife of nearly four decades has never given me any grief over my automotive acquisitions.My wife said “ it’s either me or the Hemi.” I kind of miss her.
A friend of mine related this story from automotive industry legend Bob Lutz:
"A guy marries his longtime girlfriend. Shortly after marriage, she finds him in the garage cleaning his beloved Jaguar E-type and says: 'Now that we're married, I think you should sell that thing and get something more sensible.'
Long pause. Then he says: 'You know, for a minute there, you sounded just like my ex-wife!'
She: 'I didn't know you were married before!'
Says he, quietly 'I wasn't."'
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I drove a cuda in HS. I would love to have that car now. I also had a 70 camaro and a SS nova. Different car every year in high school.
I think that’s why some companies tried selling subscriptions to activate things like heated seats. Cheaper to just make them all the same.
