These days, muscle cars from the ’60s and ’70s come with a high price tag attached. American muscle isn’t what it used to be. Despite being envisioned as affordable performance cars for the masses, some classic muscle cars now cost a fortune. However, with a bit of digging around on used car websites, you can find some cool classic muscle cars worth more than just driving them on the weekends.
You have to admit, there are a lot of underrated cool muscle cars from the 60s and 70s. Even if they do plod along, skip and shake, they look awesome and evoke an era many of us would like to be a part of. They’re also tons of fun on the 4th of July morning runs down your local back-roads at top speed. But most importantly, these cars generally can be had for cheap!
You can always spend big money on classic muscle cars—but that’s not for everyone. Sure, the 1969 Camaro SS is a dream car for many gearheads, but what if you’re in the market for a classic American muscle car, but don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars sitting around? Then you’ll love this list. The cars on this list are cheap classic muscle cars that won’t break the bank.
8 1975 DODGE DART SPORT
Coming in at around $10,000, the 1975 Dodge Dart Sport is a real gem hidden in a haystack of legendary American-made muscle cars. The car in the picture might be a custom, but the referred price regards the 360 stock version.
The 2-door classic came with a Chrysler V8 engine able to output 190 hp. It could reach a top speed of around 96 mph and go from 0 to 60 in 9.3 seconds.
7 1971 FORD TORINO GT
The 1971 Ford Torino came in multiple versions starting with a 4.1L inline-6 and going all the way up to 7.0L 385 series V8. The most popular GT version was equipped with the 5.0L Windsor V8 302 engine packing 210 horsepower.
The median sale price of a good condition GT comes in at $10,000. Its top speed? Around 135 mph and a 0-60 time smaller than 7 seconds. We believe the car is extremely worth the ten grand considering those specs.
6 1970 MERCURY CYCLONE GT – $14,000 – $20,000
The 351 Cleveland wouldn’t cut it for Mercury’s Cyclone GT model which is why the manufacturer opted for the 429-CID engine option instead. There were two versions, the 360 hp and the 370 hp and the price gap between the two is huge as the latter usually sells for 4x times the former’s price.
You can get the less powerful model for $15,000, while a good condition 370-hp GT could cost you more than $50,000 but net you a 0-60 time of 6.2 seconds which, for the time, was incredibly good.
5 1979 PONTIAC FIREBIRD TRANS AM – $10,000 – $19,000
Apart from looking rad, the 2nd gen Firebird also packed some serious heat. We are of course referring to the 6.6L V8 it came with that could output up to 185 hp and a top speed of 112 mph.
The little 3-speed automatic demon can go 0-60 in less than 8 seconds. You can get one for around $40,000, which is kind of pricey but in exchange, you will get a historic muscle car to drive in.
4 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
The sportiest version of the car was the Monte Carlo SS which came with a standard turbo-jet 454 7.4L V8 engine powerful enough to provide 360 hp at 4,800 rpm. Even though there were less powerful options, they all came with a good old sturdy V8.
The 1970 SS wasn’t very popular as only 3,823 were built which is why this car is such a collectible piece. It can be yours for anywhere between $25,000 and $40,000 based on condition and engine.
3 1964 Plymouth Fury
The 3rd gen Plymouths saw a rise in sales compared to the older models and were considered some of the most affordable muscle cars of that era. The standard model came with a slant-6 engine (Chrysler inline 6) “clocked” at 145 hp.
The 3-speed manual transmission model came out in bunches, but the price is still fairly high at an average of $40,000 to $50,000.
2 1972 Buick Riviera
Driving a Buick is already cool but driving a 1972 Buick Riviera is a statement. The 3rd gen car came with a 7.5L Buick V8 with a net power output of 225 hp and 250 hp for the Gran Sport version.
Finding 1973-1974 models is much easier than getting your hands on a 1972 Riviera but if you do you can expect to spend between $20,000 and $30,000 to make it yours.
1 1977 AMC Hornet AMX
What makes this car so rare is the fact it only retailed for 2 years. The hatchback came with V6 and V8 engine options but only an automatic transmission as it was intended for young performance-oriented drivers.
Only 2,011 models were built with the V8 engine making the 1977 AMC Hornet AMX a true collectible gem. Finding one is super difficult but if you do you can expect to spend around $15,000 to make it yours!
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