Musclecar as a daily driver part 2.....

Got a lot of positive response from yesterday's post-mostly people saying "Yeah-you go buddy." Quite a few inquired about what other musclecars I'd recommend as a daily driver that would be reasonably priced.  I'll give some general advice-and then I'll list some specific models.  #1 If you noticed-Partly because of the 20K price limit-there were no RAIV's, SD 455s, or 455HOs on the list of Trans-Ams I was looking at. There's 2 reasons for this-one-even if I had the 40K+ entry fee for one of these do I really want to subject a one of  3,402 1971-72 455HO T/A's or a low-mileage / restored one of  1195 1973-74 SD 455 models to parking lot dings, and rocks thrown up by trucks on the freeway?  And do I want to put 15,000 miles a year on a classic?  Do I want to risk blowing a rod out the side of an irreplaceble block trying to pass some arrogant yuppie in a BMW 5 series on a mountain road?  If I'm driving say one of the 93,000 '78 T/A's built, or one of 117,000 '79s-with a garden-variety L78 400  or an L80 403, the answer is a resounding yes. It's a DRIVER, not a concours show car, so if if the paint gets messed up, or an old lady puts a dent in it at Wal-Mart, I can go to Maaco and probably get it fixed for $500, and not feel too bad. Since I'd probably add an Edelbrock Performer intake, ( The stock 75-79 intake has a restrictive throttle opening which really limits power above 4,000 rpm )  and headers, to whatever I bought - This really wakes up these cars, doesn't hurt driveability and actually helps gas mileage-I wouldn't care if  I spun a bearing or popped a valvespring while playing grab-ass with a 5.0 Mustang, or a Hemi Charger or whatever. Even if I did grenade it beyond repair, There's millions of 400 Pontiacs built from 1967-78, and since it was GM's "Corporate" big block in the late '70s-there's millions of 403 Olds engines out there. It's not like I destroyed a Boss 302.  The point I'm making is, even if you could afford to, no one is going use an LS6 Chevelle, or a Hemi 'Cuda, or a Boss 302 or any other ultra-premium car for a driver. This leaves the base-models, which make better drivers anyway. Think about it-which would be a more pleasant daily driver- A 1969 Chevelle with a hydraulic-cammed 350 hp L34 396, a TH400, and 3.31:1 gears with a/c and power everything, or a solid-lifter, 4-speed, 4.11 geared 375 hp L78 396?  See what I'm saying?  Anyhow- here's a list of musclecars that make great, dependable transportation and are still great fun to drive, and like I said-you won't have to have to crap from soccer moms in V8 Cherokees or Yuppies in Cadillac's or BMWs. ( Unless it's an M3 or a CTS-V, but those are rare.)  #1. I'd have to rank the 74-79 T/As in the top spot. Most of them were loaded with a/c, tilt, cruise, etc, and with 400 cubes under the hood-even low-compression with salt-flats gearing they move pretty damn good, and will run on 87 octane regular gas. Like I said-an Intake manifold will make a huge difference in these cars performance. # 2. Right behind them is their '77-80 Z/28 Cousins. The L48 350 is bulletproof, and depending on whether it's a 4-speed or automatic, the 3.08, 3.42 or 3.73 gears help put the power to the pavement. # 3. 1975-80 Corvette. You don't usually see the words "Corvette" and "Bargain" in the same sentence-but these cars are a deal. I have seen decent examples on used car lots for as low as $3995!  This of course was an L48 / TH350 model, but I have seen nice L82 / 4-speed models for 15K. These cars still turn heads to this day, are a blast to drive, easy to fix-( You can get Chevy parts even in Mexico ) and are way more dependable than any used Porsche you might find for under 20K.  # 4. 1969-73 Ford Mustang Mach 1. You won't find any 428, 429, or Boss 302 or Boss 351 models in this price range, but there are a ton of 351W and 351C versions out there in excellent condition for under 15-20 grand. Go on the internet and you'll see. These cars are roomier than the '60's Mustangs, handle better, and have more luxury options. They are great drivers in my opinion, and have enough power to back up the image. # 5 1968-72 GM "A" body-The premium models all bring a King's ransom- LS6, RAIV, W30, GSX.  But you can still find a deal on a base-model GTO, 442, Skylark GS 350 / 400, or SS Chevelle. Body-on-frame construction makes them amazingly rattle-free for an old car, parts are easy to find, and they are nice, roomy, comfortable cars to drive. Happy Hunting! Mastermind