No one can argue that classic muscle cars aren't some of the coolest machines to ever be connected to a set of wheels. They look good, they sound good, and they hark back to a totally different era. The fact that people are still buying classic muscle cars over faster and more advanced modern alternatives - and cashing out huge sums of money on restoring them in the process - should be evidence enough of their greatness.
But despite their popularity and cool-factor, classic muscle cars are plagued by more than a few issues that make them a risky investment over modern cars. Yes, owning a classic muscle car isn't as simple as finding a used one and driving it home. The risks and expenses associated with repairing and maintaining a classic muscle could pile up well over your budget.
So, we have put together a list of the 15 biggest problems with classic American muscle cars that everyone should be aware of if they love these machines.
15 Not Good On Fuel
This is a problem that also plagues more modern muscle cars. But, as to be expected, the older generation of muscle cars has never really been that good when it comes to fuel mileage. The Pontiac GTO (original) had some of the worst at just 10.3 mpg and the Ford Mustang was on a similar level.
14 Impractical Machines
Nobody is ever going to buy a muscle car for any form of practical use. The muscle car is one of the most impractical types of auto vehicles out there. They are never really spacious machines, and that lack of fuel mileage on a classic means that you aren’t really going to do a long drive on the cheap with any of these. Still, classic muscle cars can reach up to 20 feet in length, making them extremely impractical when parking or on packed city streets.
13 Expensive To Run
This surely won’t come as a shock to anybody. As cars get older, it is going to be more expensive to run them. Whether they be a classic muscle car, a classic truck, or a classic family machine. This will tie in with our next point on spare parts, but with fuel and just general care being more expensive, they are not cheap to run.
12 Spare Parts Hard To Find
There is a good chance that you are not going to be able to find all the spare parts you need for one of your classic machines. As is the case with old aircraft and old steam locomotives, the parts for these classics are hard to come by. Worst of all, some of these parts are not made anymore at all. Especially engine parts.
11 Poor For The Environment
Again, this is something that probably won’t surprise anybody out there. A muscle car even today is not going to be the best thing for the planet. In fact cars, in general, aren’t. A classic muscle car isn’t that much worse for our planet but it’s not helping to save it like a hybrid or electric car either.
10 Hard To Keep Pristine
If you are lucky enough to own one of these classic machines, then you are not going to want to get it dirty. Or you won’t want the paint chipped, and so on. So it's a fine line between taking it out for a drive or keeping it in the garage. Keeping them pristine is a hard task.
9 Very Warm In The Summer
One thing we do get with a modern muscle car is good air conditioning. In fact, this is something that is essential to all modern machines now. But on a classic muscle car, all you’d get would be a window and perhaps some vents in the dash. In hot summers, they won’t be nice places to be in.
8 Not Suited For Some Other Countries
I think we can all agree that, despite their impracticalities, a classic American muscle car is very cool. What perhaps isn’t cool though is that they are not suited to other countries. In Britain for example, they would be too wide and big for a lot of roads, compared to the more open roads of the USA.
7 Very Expensive To Buy
If you want to buy a classic American muscle car… well, you will need money. Lots of money. Some of the rarer and more exclusive models can go for big figures. A Plymouth Superbird, for example, can be very pricey. In recent years they’ve gotten more expensive and can go for upwards of $200,000 which is quite frankly insane.
6 Special Insurance Needed
Given how different these cars are to most, you can perhaps understand this one. But the issue with special insurance is it is going to cost more for them. But classic insurance is not as bad as insuring a modern muscle car, which can see quite the increase in regular car insurance.
5 Utilize More Expensive Fuel
A regular car is going to use unleaded fuel more than likely. This is the most common fuel and the cheapest at a gas station. But a classic muscle car? They aren’t so lucky. You’re going to need premium fuel for your car, which will help them run at maximum efficiency and can avoid damaging the engines.
4 Bad For A Daily Commute
Okay, this does tie in slightly with the bit about fuel economy but it is still worth mentioning despite that. So, if you want to go for a commute in one of these cars, don’t. Due to how long it can take to get the engines warmed up nicely, you won’t want to try to get to work in one. In winter you could be waiting over 15 minutes for it to warm up, and you could be late to work!
3 They Will Rust Quite Easily
Now, this is going to apply to pretty much all old muscle cars. Purely because back in the 1960s and 1970s, cars would just rust easier if you did not look after them very well. This is probably more apparent on cars such as the Pontiac GTO and perhaps Mark II Mustangs. Dodge Challengers would suffer from this too. The image here shows a pretty battered Cutlass Supreme
2 Not As Reliable As Modern Muscle Cars
Perhaps an obvious one but one that needs to be talked about. If you want a good, reliable machine you might not want to look at an old muscle car. Because you won’t get that far with it on a bad day. With spares harder to find you will have to look after your machine.
1 A Big Lack Of Mod Cons
This ties in a bit with the whole issue regarding the cars being hot in the summer. It’s not the biggest issue in the world though. Any classic car will lack mod cons, such as air conditioning, fancy Bluetooth and seat warming, etc. It is a much more ‘back to basics’ environment for you and your passengers.
Sources: Pinterest, YouTube, AutoBytel, The Drive, List 25