How to Buy a Musclecar Cheap

I have some advice for people who are having trouble finding their dream car without winning the lottery or selling their house. #1. Lower your sights. Is your dream car a 1970 LS6 Chevelle? You and about 10 million others. Since Chevrolet only built 4,478, finding one for sale, at any price, can be a problem. However, Chevrolet also built 49,826 SS396 models in 1970. Except for the engine, they are the exact same car. This is not an Isolated example. Is a 69 GTO Judge your passion? Of the 72,225 69 GTO's built, only 6,833 were Judge models. Want a Boss 302 Mustang? Good luck, as Ford only built 1,603 69's and 7,113 70 models. However, Ford produced more than 70,000 fastback Mustangs in 1969 alone, most of them with 351W power, which, if your going to drive the car at all, is a much better street engine. By considering less than the ultimate model, you increase your chances of finding a car tenfold, and that's if your stuck on a one or two year model. Which brings up the next point. #2 Consider different model years of the same car. If our Chevelle enthusiast could live with a 68 SS396 (58,000 built) or a 69 model (86,000 built) he just increased his chances of finding a car by 144,000 examples. Ditto for the Pontiac fan. Pontiac built 87,000 GTO"s in 1968 and another 40,000 in 1970. Want a 1970-73 Trans-Am? That's going to be tough because Pontiac only built about 11,000 Trans-Ams in those four years. Partly because of the hit movie Smokey and the Bandit, Pontiac built 269,000 Trans-Ams between 1977-1979. Altogether, Pontiac built more than 350,000 T/A's from 1974-1979. With very little work,-i.e-intake,exhaust,and an axle ratio change, these cars can equal or surpass the performance of the earlier, more sought after models. #3 Consider a base model of the same car. Of the 243,000 1969 Camaros built, only 19,000 were Z/28 models. Most of the rest had 250hp or 300hp 350s in them. These make nice drivers, and since their not rare, people don't feel bad about modifying them-i.e.-putting a 400hp crate engine in them. The same goes for non-SS Chevelles and Malibus, Mustangs that aren't Mach 1s, and 318 Cudas, Challengers and Chargers. #4 Clone it. Purists are reaching for oxygen,but hear me out. Most of us will never be able to afford an original Shelby Mustang. However, with the help of the aftermarket,you could turn a simple 289 Fastback Mustang into a G.T. 350 pretty easily at about a fifth of the price. Ditto for turning a base-model Firebird into a Trans-Am,a Camaro into a Z/28, or a Cutlass into a Hurst/Olds. As long as you don't try to pass it off as original, no harm done. #5 Lower your sights a tad bit more. I know many people who have passed on very cool cars in good condition at fair prices, because they weren't "Exactly what I was looking for." Idiot #1 wanted a 70-72 Z/28 Camaro. He passed up an unrestored, but exceptionally well-maintained 70 model because it was an automatic. He also passed on a gorgeous four-speed 72 model because "It wasn't original." (It had headers on it, and a 750 double-pumper Holley carb instead of the original 780) Idiot number 2 wanted a 68-70 GTO with the 400/4-speed combo. He passed on a gorgeous 68 model because it didn't have the hood tach or disc brakes. He also passed on an utterly immaculate 400/4-speed, 71 LeMans Sport Convertible that was made to look like a Judge, because "It's a fake." When someone whines that he's been looking for a car for three years and hasn't found one, it's because he's too picky.