First time muscle car buyer, suggestions?

only one name comes to mind.....but you cant afford it...........

SHELLBY 350 GT or 500

I would give my soul for on of them.

Like most people that ask questions on here about cars you did not say how much money you have or what part of the country you live in.

All those are serious factors in buying a car. Let me tell you why. If you live in Illinois, cars from the 60's and 70's in the average 18 year old price range are rustbuckets. However if you live in Southern California, there are lots of muscle car types that just need an engine or transmission to run.

I will assume some things first.

You don't have a ton of money. (otherwise) you wouldn't be asking this question on here.

You don't know a whole lot about cars. (otherwise) you wouldn't be asking this question on here.

You don't know a whole lot about fixing cars. (otherwise) you wouldn't be asking this question on here.

Well, you are in luck my friend because I DO. This is what I would look for if I was YOU. Assuming you can find it.

A pre-smog Camaro or Firebird. Here are the reasons why.

1 - Availablity of parts. There are tons of parts available

for these cars and some would be interchangeable

from year to year.

2 - Knowledgeable sources of information near you. The

reason there are so many parts available is because

there are so many people that love these cars.

3 - Ease of upgrade. You could start off with a good 6

cylinder engine and build up or buy a KILLER V8 by

the summer of 2008. I PRAY you plan to go to college

so you could do other upgrades too like put disc

brakes all the way around through aftermarket or even

junkyard resources. You could also upgrade the

suspension with polyurethan bushings and ultimately

put together a 30 year old car that handles like a brand

new sports car.

Start watching "The Power Block" on Saturday and Sunday afternoons on Spike TV and watch the Speed Channel if you cable provider has it. You will learn plenty about these cars and how to make them look and work really good.

If you live in a place that snows look for cars near you in places that do not snow. This might sound crazy but you will probably be glad you did in the long run.

Buyer-

I'm glad to hear you're interested in Detroit muscle, but be cautious. These cars are old, and chances are they've had work done to the body or mechanical systems. You need to inspect every inch of a car you may buy in person (pictures don't tell the whole truth) or better yet, have an experienced person help. Make sure if there has been custom work done, or if some parts are not original equipment, ( engine, transmission, ect.) that these repairs have been done by a qualified person. Remember- there is no warranty. There are parts availible for lots of classics, too. Expect poor fuel economy. Good luck

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I'm going to tell you now there are no cheap ones out there right now,,all of them have went sky high,,the cheapest thing on the market right now is the old mustangs,,there everywhere right now,,as for the chevelles and camaro,s,,there pretty high too,,i own a 1971 dodge challenger with a 340 6-pack on it,,and was offered 80 thousand for it the other day,,that's an idea of what true muscle cars will bring,,you might try finding someone who has started restoring one,,and gotten tired of it,,and get a good deal that way,,thats about the best i can tell you,,good luck with it,,i hope this help,s.

If you get one i'd start with one that's more stock so you can work on it or build it. you'll learn more that way. and plus a stock motor was fast anyway. and you can take over from there. If you get one that's built already you dont really know whats been done to it or if the motor has been trashed or just fixed up good enough to just sell. then if you do need to work on it you wont know what pistons , cam or crank is in it. or if its bored out or how much and all that. If you get a Chevy small block try to get one with a 4 bolt main and a rear end that has 12 bolts holding on the cover. I'd stick with the Chevy's and fords parts are easy to find and fairly inexpensive. I got a fire bird 79 and parts are way more to buy. so when you find something ask questions they will tell you.then go back there in a wekk or so. Dont buy the first thing you see. check out the Auto log .com

A good muscle car to buy is in the Gm product line. An old Nova

66-72 or Camaro 68-78. Easy to maintain and economical if the engine is rebuilt to the specs of horsepower and economy.

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Do you have an extra $50,000.00 in hand?

If not, are you a mechanic? As much as I love the old muscle one thing that gets overlooked too often: these cars are crap. Honest. They were all built on stone age technology, they were undependable, everything on them fell off or broke at all the wrong times, interiors were made of junk materials, they sucked gas like a hobo eating a bolonga sandwich, handled like a boat, brakes were theoretical at best, etc.etc. If you are not prepared to handle this aspect of our beloved muscle beauties then do yourself a favor...buy a dependable Toyota beater and then get some muscle for a hobby. So many people buy that Chevelle they fell in love with when they were 13 only to be crushed by the reality of owning a 40 year old car that is hard to start on any morning below 50 degrees, brittle wiring and ghosts invading the electrical systems, fouled spark plugs, trying to buy a dwell meter in 2006, etc. No matter how easy they are to work on, unless you are a true gear-head all work and little play will squash your dreams too quickly.

What is your price range? You can not go wrong with a Mustang, with a 289 V-8. Easily modified and parts are easy to come by. It is easy to work on too. That was my first car. I upgraded to a 302 later. Late Model Nova are good too, with the 350's in them. Parts are cheap, but the cars are heavy. Make sure and do disk brake conversions too, or make sure and buy one that already has them. Drum brakes are worthless and hard to work on. Good luck.

I'd go with a Chev Malibu, or any GM mid size car from the 60's or 70's. Parts are plentiful, and still quite inexpensive. As to where, from the southern US or western Canada are two very good places to look for these cars. Good luck with whatever you decide.