Best Muscle Car for Beginner

Coldsnap wrote: The nova guy said he would take 5,500 http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/3543528386.html I do like it. I only have a girlfriend to drive around so no real need for a 4 door, but i like the idea of being able to insure it as a station wagon. And maybe i will have some little ones running around in 5 years from now..

Well, at least you know where the $5,000 will go. Straight into his crack pipe.

A '68-'72 Nova is a great example of what you need, but a '73-whatever one will be cheaper for the equivalent car. That one's about $3,000 overpriced IMHO. I personally don't like the look of the four-doors, and you've got to consider that even if you really like it, you'll very likely lose your ass when you go to sell it.

A Ford Maverick or Chrysler A-Body (Dart/Demon/Duster/Valiant) would make an excellent choice as well. If you shop carefully, you could probably find a V-8 two door in decent driver shape for your budget.

I see. Thanks for the information. It would be great if I could get an equal amount of car for $3,000. Hopefully not a lemon though where i will have to immediatly dump money into it to have it running.

I'm also not finding any cheap novas locally, theres some coupes in crap condition for almost the same price.

here's a plymouth duster http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/3503221152.html

The problem with old American cars is too many owners have watched Barrett Jackson and think their four door Nova or whatever is worth a billion dollars but you have people pop up who still have a brain left and ask for decent prices. Honestly though I would be surprised if you find a late '60s/ early '70s two door Nova with V8 that didn't need a decent amount (including rust repair) for $5k. That is just based on what I have seen.

The good news about these cars, from ANY of the big 3, is that mechanical parts are still dirt cheap, and mechanical problems generally easy(ish) to chase down and fix. My advice would be to buy the cleanest, most rust-free and complete car you can and then worry about mechanicals (assuming you're doing your own work and you DON'T have to drive whatever you buy to work on Monday).

I have a 1969 Nova, 350 SBC, 350 Auto, Triple Black car for sale in the Marietta GA area for $7300. Email me at keith@keplingerdesigns.com if you're interested, and for photos.

Thanks, Joe ;-)

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/3458468018.html

Dart

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/3542118933.html

Caddy?

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/3483445111.html

'73 Torino

http://fayetteville.craigslist.org/cto/3543675319.html

'72 Torino (my favorite body style)

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/3524450499.html

Fury III

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/3455269340.html

'64 T-Bird

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/3521566998.html

'66 Galaxie

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/3488050807.html

'64 Galaxie

Also here is a thread about possible choices for cheap muscle cars. (it gets slightly off topic at one point though). http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/cheap-muscle-cars/48780/page1/

In reply to 93EXCivic:

Nova's aren't cheap to get into......well, the good looking ones that is.

Its the same reason Chevelles/Malibus pull a premium over their equivelant years Monte Carlo. I still say the correct answer to this question is a 65-6 mustang

If you want to get into strange but still have the spirit, you can get one heck of a nice corvair for 5k bones

In reply to Coldsnap:

That 4-door Nova is about $4500 overpriced.

Try these instead:

$3K 79 Nova 2-door 350 with mods

$5K 74 Omega 2-door 350/350 with buckets

$3850 72 Gran Torino big block!

$2500 80 Firebird, shaker, 350, headers

Also, if you wanted to go a bit bigger, the '71-up "fuselage" B-Body Chryslers (Charger/Satellite/Road Runner/Etc) are fairly cheap compared to earlier stuff. The styling isn't for everyone, but if you like it, it might be a good start.

I'll just add one more vote to the pile to say run away from this guy with the 4 door Nova. It's ridiculously overpriced, at least double. Not all that long ago, I sold a '65 Olds Delta 88 sedan for $2000.

I must be the only one in the world who doesn't like the firebird or trans am body

I like the truck idea. One of my friends is doing this with a late 60s/early 70s Chevy pickup and it's coming out great. He popped the hood and I was thinking what a luxury it was to have such a simple engine bay, minimal wiring, etc! In his case he got a Southern truck where the body was in good shape and it had recent paint, so he's only working on the mechanicals.

I like everything that has been posted so fan sans the firebird/trans am/mustang.

I can travel to get it, but I'll have to drive it home. I have a 2005 Nissan sentra and still plan to keep it on days I can't get my muscle car to run.

I'm a big fan of bench seats too.

and nothing too long

Coldsnap wrote: here's a plymouth duster http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/3503221152.html

Not too bad a choice, if it's pretty rust-free. It's a post-'73 car so (IIRC) it should have the big bolt pattern wheels and discs up front. Upholstery and dash pads will probably run a few hundred bucks (www.yearone.com).

You will not be able to kill the slant six, but you may fall asleep from the staggering lack of acceleration. Swapping in a V8 is pretty simple (http://www.engine-swaps.com). You may have to upgrade the rear end.

I think a Duster would be a great choice, but I'm a little biased since I own one.

The 69 Nova I mentioned is a bench seat car ;-)

I do like that duster. I don't mind the rip in the seat and the rip in the dash.. Maybe i should give it a test drive and offer him $2,900.

Keith your nova is out of my price range, sorry buddy :(

oooooo i like.. but i think you guys have talked me down into the $3,000-$4,000 price range :o

93EXCivic said: http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/3521566998.html '66 Galaxie

Anyone else notice this thing in on a newer Crown Vic chassis. Injected, overdrive trans, has all the interior of a mid 80s Crown. I like it!

Edit: I hate this website soo much sometimes. Now I am trying to figure out where I can get 5K to do a fly and drive on this Galaxie.

How about a Buick?

I paid under $2,500 for this Grandma's Buick Skylark. (I think it was $2,100, $400 returned because the A/C did not work as claimed.

I have a built 468 BBB, a Muncie 4 speed, and a 12 bolt rearend to swap in. I will come in under $5,000.

Cheaper than a Chevelle, Malibu, Tempest/GTO. etc

that buick is v. nice

psteav wrote:

Coldsnap wrote: here's a plymouth duster http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/3503221152.html

Not too bad a choice, if it's pretty rust-free. It's a post-'73 car so (IIRC) it should have the big bolt pattern wheels and discs up front.

Not always; it's worth checking. You could still have ordered them with four wheel drums at that point. I think they all had the big bolt pattern (5 x 4.5") by then, though. And if you want a disc brake swap, you can simply swap the F / M / J body disc spindles onto your existing control arms, while an earlier A-body would need a set of '73-'76 upper control arms.