Some one or two year wonders that you might consider....

There are some cars that for whatever reason-poor sales, bodystyle changes, marketing decisions-only last a year ot two. Sometimes, there's nothing wrong with them, they just don't catch on. Some are actually pretty cool and can be great performance / cruiser / daily driver bargains.  Here's a few that I like.  # 1. 1971-73 Buick Riviera. The famous "Boat-Tail" design. 455 cubes standard all years. GTO-like performance, Cadillac like luxury.  # 2. 1973-75 Pontiac Grand Am. Marketed to have the performamce of a Trans Am and the luxury of a Gran Prix. Except performance buyers bought T/A's and luxury buyers bought Gran Prix's. If you can find one, their a great ride based on the LeMans "A" body chassis-400 power standard all years with the 455 optional. Front disc brakes, and wrist-thick front and rear stabilizer bars also standard. Their rare-but you could even get the 400 with a 4-speed. However-for some reason they only sold 4806 GTO's in 1973, but they sold 34,000 Grand Ams-so their more plentiful than you think. # 3. 1977 Pontiac Can-Am. Trying to cash in on the Trans-Am's immense popularity-the engineers came up with this Apperance / Performance package for the LeMans. Appearance items included Rally II wheels, a ducktail type rear spoiler, a T/A style "Shaker" hood scoop, and "Judge" style striping. They were actually a cool-looking car. Performance items included a 400 Pontiac or 403 Olds V8 ( for California or High-Altitude emissions ) a Turbo 400 with a shift kit, Radial Tuned Suspension, and a 3.23:1 posi rear end. The package only lasted one season mainly because the "A" bodies- ( LeMans, Monte Carlo, Cutlass etc. ) were downsized for 1978. Dynamite if you can find one at a reasonable price.  #4 1977-78 AMC AMX. The Javelin had been defunct since 1974, but the AMX nameplate was resurrected on the Hornet platform. Say What?  They actually put a great handling suspension on it, and a cool appearance package-i.e. blacked-out grille, spoilers, striping, and chrome wheels. The down side is the top engine was a 304 V8 with a 2 bbl that wheezed out about 120 hp. I mention this car because of the hot rod potential. Like Pontiacs-all AMC V8's are externally identical. This means that a 360 or 401 is a bolt-in swap. With a curb weight about 2,900 lbs, this would be a dynamite sleeper. # 5. 1978-79 Dodge Li'l Red Express truck. Except for the Pontiac Trans-Am and the Chevrolet Corvette, this short-box, tricked-out half-ton 2wd pickup with a hotted-up 360 V8 was the fastest American car in 1978. They have kind of a "Cult" following but their cool if you can find one at a decent price. # 6. 1984-86 Ford Mustang SVO. These cars had Recaro seats, Koni Shocks, and 16" performance tires and wheels as well as a Turbocharged 4 cylinder engine that put out between 175 and 205 hp depending on the year. They didn't sell well because the "5.0" V8 models were both faster and several thousand dollars cheaper. However if you can find a used one in good shape, they can be great fun. The 2.3 liter Ford four is practically bulletproof, so you could turn the boost way up and /or add nitrous and have some serious fun tormenting "real" musclecar owners and Porschephiles. Just a few cool sleepers to consider. Mastermind