Want to find your dream car and save a mint? Lower your sights just a smidgen....

I monitor prices of musclecars all over the net from junkers to frame-off restorations and I'm still amazed at the prices of some of the "premium" cars. Like Nicholas Cage said in the "Gone in 60 Seconds" re-boot-"There's too many assholes out there with too much money. " Here's a couple that left me shaking my head. If I could afford these cars-I'd have bought the lower-priced "lesser" versions. Even if I'd just won the lottery. # 1. On the same website-I saw a restored, numbers-matching, 4-speed, LS6 454 1970 SS Chevelle for $139,000!!  They also had a restored, numbers-matching, 4-speed, L78 396 1969 SS Chevelle for $59,000!!!  They both looked pristine from all the pictures and videos the site had. If you don't know-the L78 and the LS6 share the same compression ratio,solid-lifter cam,rectangular-port heads,780 Holley carb, etc. The only difference is the cubes-396 / 402 vs 454. And the horsepower difference is less than you think. The LS6 is rated at 450, and the L78 at 375. However-the L78 was rated at 425 hp in the 1965 Corvette and some 1965 Impala SS's. The 1966-69 version is identical. It was down-rated because prior to 1970-for some insane reason-maybe insurance rates-GM didn't want their intermediates to have an engine over 400 cubes,or less than a 10 lb per hp ratio. So in a Chevelle it had "only" 375 hp. Pontiac did this too-the Ram Air III 400 had 366 hp in a GTO and only 335 in a Firebird, the RAIV grossly under-rated at 370 in a GTO and 345 in a Firebird!! Maybe because you could get a 426 Hemi or a 440 in a Road Runner, Charger, or Challenger / Cuda, and a 428 in a Mustang-GM allowed the big dogs for 1970-the 454s and 455s. Further-the LS6 was slated to be available in the Camaro and the Nova, but was ultimately only put in the Chevelle line. Except the intake manifold was lowered to clear the low hoodline of the new for 1970 Camaro. The 1970 LS6 intake is so flat that the fuel flows uphill from the carb. The taller, L78 / L72 396 / 427 manifold from '66-69 is worth 15-20 hp MORE than the 454 intake!!  So the percieved power difference is really not that much. In fact-in a real-world drag race the winner would be determined by gearing-i.e.-3.31:1 vs 4.11:1 and traction-whoever got a better launch more than real-world power difference!!  Is 50 cubes worth another $80,000??!!!  Not in my pocket book-even if I'd just won Megabucks in Vegas!! The L78 was a way better deal!! They also had a pristine, LS5 ( 360 hp ) 454 '70 SS for $69,000!! 70K cheaper!! Maybe a grand for an Edelbrock Torker intake and matching cam and carb-and you'll have LS6 performance and save the other 69K!! On the same website they had a pristine 1969 440 Plymouth GTX for $59,000. They also had a pristine 1970 440 Six-pack GTX for $99,000!! Huh? Do you people realize that Edelbrock still sells the manifold, Holley still sells the carbs, and Mopar Performance still sells the throttle linkage and air cleaner? And the whole shebang would cost about 2 grand?  A manifold and carburators are worth 40G's??!!  Again, not for me!!  Trans-Am specialties in Florida had a pristine Buccaneer Red, L75 455, 4-speed '73 T/A for sale for $49,000. They also had a Buccaneer Red SD-455, 4-speed '73 for $149,000!!!  I know-there was only 252 SDs built. But a 100K price difference? I guarantee if you drove them both-you wouldn't feel a $100k difference. They also had an automatic '74 SD-455 T/A-one of 943 built-for $79,000!!  Again-the engine is worth 30 grand?  When for about 2 grand-you could put the Edelbrock Performer RPM Top-End kit-which is basically RAIV aluminum heads, cam and the RPM intake on the "standard" 455 and have-according to Edelbrock-470 hp and 530 lbs of torque!! A helluva lot more than the SD's 290 and 395!!!  I can't see spending that kind of money just to say you have something rare. Of course, I don't have Jay Leno's bank account, but if I did, I don't think I'd be that frivoulous!!  Mastermind