Most major car-producing nations have their own pantheon of big automakers serving as pillars of their industry. In Japan, Toyota, Nissan, and Honda can be seen playing this role, and in the USA the big three of Ford, GM, and Chrysler do the same. That's not to say that the big brands are the be-all-end-all of the industry, as smaller established brands can offer a more niche and experimental appeal with their cars that the big brands wouldn't dare to take a risk with.
With Japan, Subaru can be seen filling this role, offering cars with an insistence on their unique outdoors-oriented, AWD, boxer powered cars. While gone from the market for decades at this point, AMC at once played a similar role in the American car industry, making some fun, quirky, and rather niche cars out of Kenosha Wisconsin without much fear of taking risks and being weird. While they may not have been able to hold on to the success they found in the long run, the cars they made along the way still stand out as interesting and unique in the world of American classics.
Thanks to their unapologetic approach to being the smaller guy, many of AMC's classics aren't worth as much as the more traditional offerings from the big three sold during the same era. So, if you're on the hunt for a unique classic American car, and are willing to give AMC a shot, look no further than these classics you can find for under $10,000.
10 Gremlin X
Starting things off with the most iconic example of AMC's weirdness, the Gremlin was their economy compact for the '70s and immediately gained infamy for its "doorstop on wheels" looks.
Hitting the market in 1970 based on the otherwise normal AMC Hornet, the Gremlin predated other economy-oriented American compact cars like the Ford Pinto - a fact AMC advertised by calling the Gremlin "the original American subcompact." Thanks to those hilariously weird looks, and cheap price, the Gremlin remained a popular offering through its production run.
Offered with a series of engine choices, the Gremlin X debuted in 1971 as the performance option for the Gremlin. Performance is a loose term here, as the Gremlin X mostly consisted of bigger tires, bucket seats from the Javelin pony car, sporty graphics, and a slightly larger engine. Don't expect it to drive like a serious American performance car of its day, but a well kept Gremlin X is still a fun experience, as well as one of the most unique affordable classics out there - if the looks don't turn you away, a Gremlin X can be yours for around $10,000.
9 Hornet Sportabout Gucci Package
One legendary part of AMC's classic history has been its designer packages. On the Gremlin, the denim lined Levi's package is among the most desirable options for the car, and on the Javelin, the pink and white striped Pierre Cardin interior package stands out as prime '70s funkiness. On the Hornet Sportabout though, Gucci designed an incredible interior package that looks downright luxurious today - yet is almost entirely forgotten.
An otherwise unremarkable car, the Hornet was AMC's economical family car for the '70s, notable in serving as the basis for the aforementioned Gremlin. Offered in sedan and wagon forms (known as "Sportabout" when sold as a wagon), Gucci hopped on board with AMC to create an interior package for the Hornet Sportabout, offering the custom interior for 1972 and '73.
Outfitted with vinyl accents replicating Gucci's signature green and red stripes across the seats and door panel, with green trim throughout the rest of the interior, the Gucci package looks absolutely luxurious - despite the Hornet being an economy-focused car. With further Gucci badges on the outside, everyone is made aware that the otherwise normal wagon has been decked out with plenty of Italian luxury flair. Despite Gucci's modern reputation, the Hornet Sportabout with their interior package remains rather cheap in spite of its rarity and luxurious aspirations - one decent looking example is listed for sale currently at just $9,000.
8 Eagle Wagon
It's a familiar formula: take a practical family car, raise it up on its suspension, and offer 4WD capabilities - today these vehicles are known as the popular crossover SUV segment, but when the AMC Eagle was released, the term "crossover" had yet to exist.
Developed from the 1978 AMC Concord - which in turn was an updated, slightly higher-end version of the Hornet, the Eagle transformed the normal sedan or wagon with a 3-inch suspension lift, bigger 15-inch wheels, and most importantly, a high tech (for 1980) 4X4 system known as "Quadra-Trac" that was developed in tandem by both AMC and Jeep. Thanks to all this, the AMC Eagle was not only comfortable and practical as a normal car, but could handle off-road duty with ease - a hallmark of modern crossover SUVs.
Introduced for the 1980 model year, and sold in 2 or 4 door sedan, or 4 door wagon forms, the AMC Eagle mainly was offered with an inline-6 engine. Diversifying the model line later in its life with further body and engine choices, the Eagle's coolest and most iconic form is (arguably) the original wagon - which can be found for sale around $5,000 in decent shape.
7 Rambler Marlin
One of the most distinct-looking and unique of AMC's '60s classics, the Marlin was a short-lived personal luxury coupe that is today almost entirely forgotten, and shockingly undervalued.
First shown to the world at the 1964 Chicago Auto Show as the Rambler Tarpon concept, legendary American designer Richard "Dick" Teague penned the flowing, flashy lines and dramatic fastback. Built on the Rambler American platform, the Rambler Marlin debuted in 1965 as a luxurious fastback coupe. A slow seller for AMC despite its performance and luxury virtues, the Marlin was updated in '67, now built on the AMC Ambassador platform - ditching the historic Rambler name entirely.
Lasting in production as the AMC Marlin for only 1967, just 2,000 of the luxurious coupes were sold that year, and production was then stopped entirely. A rare and spectacularly unique American luxury coupe, the Rambler/AMC Marlin remains a mostly unknown and undesirable vehicle for classic car collectors and can sell for as low as $7,000 in decent shape.
6 Pacer
The fishbowl on wheels, the AMC Pacer came after the Gremlin but was sold alongside it in the same compact market segment, carrying just as much weirdness in its design.
Originally designed around using a Wankel rotary engine, the Pacer debuted in 1975 with ads claiming "When you buy any other car, all you end up with is today’s car. When you get a Pacer, you get a piece of tomorrow." Thanks to its polarizing design, the Pacer did indeed look nothing like the cars "of today" during 1975 and was unique in the compact segment for its massive roomy interior, hilariously wide body, and great visibility with its massive windows.
Produced until 1979, Pacers, like the Gremlin, have a certain ironic cool factor to them and stand out as incredibly unique on the road today. Offered with several engine choices up to a 5.0 L V8, the Pacer hasn't caught on as a true collectible, and can be found in good restored condition for $10,000.
5 Spirit Liftback
Replacing AMC's compacts like the Pacer and Gremlin, the Spirit came about as a way to keep AMC's lineup new and exciting through to the '80s.
Come 1977, AMC was bleeding out record amounts of money, selling a lineup that saw few updates over the years and dealing with outdated production lines. As a hope to reverse this course, AMC entered a sales and manufacturing agreement with Renault in 1978 that saw several of their models receive the update they desperately needed to regain sales.
Turning the Hornet into the Concord for 1978, AMC bestowed their long-running family compact with a higher-end interior, and new exterior styling. Alongside the Hornet, the Gremlin received a similar treatment, being renamed the Spirit. Retaining the Gremlin's infamous rear end on the "Sedan" (actually a hatchback) models, the Spirit's coolest body style was the all-new fastback design, known as the Spirit Liftback. Relatively unchanged from the Gremlin mechanically, a well kept Spirit Liftback can be yours for around $10,000.
4 Rambler American
The biggest corporate merger in American history at the time, 1954 saw Hudson Motors and Nash-Kelvinator come together to create AMC, a few years later, and one of Nash's most beloved names would be sold under the new company - the Rambler.
Originally selling all of their cars with the Rambler name (i.e. the Rambler Marlin), the Rambler American was released in 1958 as the smaller, most economical compact car in the AMC lineup. Based very closely on the early 1950s Nash Rambler, the Rambler American was a simple and reliable car and became a strong seller within the newly formed AMC fleet.
Updated twice, first in '61 (pictured on top), then again in '64 (pictured directly above), the Rambler American stayed true to the affordable compact spirit, while also offering a unique exterior design. A couple of muscle trims exist for the third generation Rambler American, but the more normal ones of either generation can be found in good shape for around $10,000.
3 Ambassador
Serving as the bigger, more traditional car in AMC's lineup, the Ambassador began life as a Rambler, and a sort of saving grace should AMC's bet on smaller cars like the Rambler American fail to pay off.
Starting off life as a shelved design, the Ambassador was badged and intended to be sold as a Nash, as Ambassador was a previous model of theirs. With AMC killing off the Nash and Hudson names in 1957 though, this new design became the Rambler Ambassador and was introduced on sale for the 1958 model year. With AMC doubling down with a focus on cheaper small cars, the Ambassador was meant to step in if said small car sales tapered off, but they didn't, and the Ambassador stayed in production as a slow seller - but larger and more luxurious model within the lineup.
Evolving many times throughout the '60s, the Ambassador can be found wearing several different body designs. Any year of Ambassador is a great affordable classic, but the '63 to '68 (pictured in this entry) models strike the greatest chord with more iconic (and high value) muscular designs of the time, yet can still be found for under $10,000.
2 Javelin
bringing things into the sporty category, the AMC Javelin was the brand's pony car, a small muscle car along the lines of the Ford Mustang.
Introduced in 1968, the Javelin burst onto the scene with traditional muscle car body lines that have aged wonderfully, and an aggressive front end that let people know it meant business. Selling 55,000 Javelins that year, 1968 would be the record high in sales for the car. Completely overhauling the design for 1970 (pictured above), the Javelin now had a completely unique design, with both traditionally aggressive muscle car lines, and more elegant curves mixed in.
Offered with a series of engines up to a 390 V8 with 325 hp, the Javelin could perform as good as it looked. Still, as the dark horse of the pony car scene, it never quite caught on as the Mustang or Camaro did. Today, even the V8 Javelins can be found in good shape selling for as low as $10,000.
1 Rebel
One of, if not the most iconic muscle car from AMC's history, the Rebel was a name rooted with the earlier Rambler line of cars and was brought back in full force for the late '60s.
To be very clear, the car you see pictured in this entry is the special edition Rebel Machine, the coolest form the Rebel took, but a car you won't be able to find at the price range we're talking about here - normal Rebels can be found for cheap though, like this 1970 example listed at under $9,000.
Regardless, the Rebel was introduced in 1957 as a Rambler model, hopping a lightweight sedan up with V8 power, and creating an early attempt at a muscle car - this early Rambler Rebel was also the fastest sedan on sale in America at the time. Taking a hiatus in 1961, the Rebel returned in '67 attached to the sledgehammer-looking mid-size car you see pictured above. Offered in several body styles from wagon to 2-door convertible, the Rebel was sold with a series of engines that ranged from unremarkable inline-6 to the muscle-bound 390 V8 in the Rebel Machine spitting out 340 hp. The Rebel name wouldn't last long in this form though, as, in 1971, it was changed to Matador.