Whatever your need, it can only be satisfied with an inexpensive variant of V8-motivated, rear-drive, domestically produced bliss.
For the time being at least, here are our 10 favorite models that you can still score for less than $10,000.
1: 1979-1993 Mustang
Simply put, it is one of our all-time favorites. Based on Ford’s utilitarian Fox platform, this generation of Mustang is on track to take the place of the 19671969 Chevy Camaro as the most popular, most recognized muscle car ever. Popular among collectors, drag racers, and now even restoration shops, the Fox-body Mustang is well supported by the aftermarket. With prices of well-used ones now approaching five figures, you’d better shake a leg or miss out!
2: 1982-1992 Camaro
Right alongside the Fox-platform Mustang is the third-generation Camaro, which wowed the world in 1982 with its wild chiseled exotic-car looks and rumbling small-block V-8. Together with the Mustang, the Camaro helped reignite the performance craze at a time when performance was a dirty word. Small-block V8s were on the option sheet, and when the Corvette’s TPI 350-cubic-inch version emerged in 1986 in the IROC, the Detroit horsepower wars were back on in earnest.
3: 1982-1992 Firebird
Not wanting to be left out of the fray, GM’s Pontiac Division made good use of the third-generation F-body platform with the Firebird and Trans Am. Technically the sibling to the Camaros of the same years, the Firebird had its own following—appealing to the upscale enthusiast with pop-up headlights, trick body cladding, and spoilers. Pontiac even built Formula and Formula 350 versions for more cost-conscious enthusiasts that are sought after today.
4: 1978-1983 Chevy Malibu
GM’s G-body intermediate platform was one of the most prolific midsize passenger cars ever built. Their combination of body-on-frame construction, rear drive, and plenty of room for the biggest V-8s have made them a hands-down favorite at the drag strip. The car pictured here belongs to Scott Stites and has been covered in Car Craft, and runs 10s with a total of $10K invested—including the car.
5: 1981-1988 Monte Carlo
The GM G-body not only spawned the Chevy Malibu but also the Chevy stable mate Monte Carlo. Through the 1980s, OEs often relied on the same platform to underpin models at multiple brands, and as a body-on-frame design, the GM G-body was able to fill many shoes at several brands. As an upscale alternative to the Malibu coupe, the Monte Carlo was a well-optioned personal luxury coupe that saw its heyday in the 1980s.
6: 1978-1987 Buick Regal
Working our way up the ladder in the GM brand hierarchy, the Regal was Buick’s entry into the personal luxury car market. Like the Malibu and Monte Carlo, the Buick Regal was built with body-on-frame construction, triangulated four-link rear suspension, rear drive, and lots of room for V-8s. Toward the end of the G-body Regal’s production run, Buick produced the Grand National, one of the most feared muscle cars on the road. Ironically, it was powered by an intercooled, fuel-injected turbo V-6, not a V-8!
7: 1978-1988 Olds Cutlass
Dead brands like Oldsmobile are often forgotten in the hunt for low-cost projects, especially by younger fans who might not remember them. Back in their day, the Oldsmobile Cutlass was considered a near luxury brand similar to Lexus and BMW today. In fact, in 1988 the Olds Cutlass was the most stolen car in America—a pretty good measure of its desirability. The Cutlass was also a GM G-body, and shares most of its underpinnings with Chevy Malibu, Monte Carlo, and others, yet has an elegant style all its own.
8: 1978-1983 Ford Fairmont
Just like GM, Ford has its own dead brands in the closet, and Mercury is one often overlooked. Not to worry, as you’ll be all the wiser when you cast a wider net with the Mercury Zephyr in your search terms. Like the Fairmont, the Zephyr is hot rodder-approved, with rear drive, triangulated four-link rear suspension, and plenty of room for a V-8. We discovered this one at LS Fest West in Las Vegas, and it packed a junkyard LS 6-liter—proving its flexibility as hot rod fodder.
9: 1977-1996 Chevy Caprice
Big cars can have fun too, and GM’s full-size B-bodies are definitely in the mix, though they sometimes get dinged for their size. Largely mechanical holdovers from the 1960s, GM’s big cars from the 1980s have staying power because there are tons of parts, lots of interchangeability, and obviously room for cubic inches. This rare 1978 two-door coupe shows how seductive they can be, and it has been treated to an LS swap with a turbo for some tire-shredding torque.
10: 1982-1988 Thunderbird
Ford’s Fox platform got used for many types of cars in the 1980s, and Ford’s personal luxury coupe Thunderbird got what was arguably the top treatment, though the Lincoln Mark VII would also qualify for those honors. Most recently, Roadkill’s Mike Finnegan showed the Thunderbird’s potential by dropping a root blower on top of the stock five-liter Windsor V-8 and stormed up Mount Rushmore in winter to do a celebratory burnout. Point well proven!
