Who doesn’t love a good muscle car, be they classic or modern? But before you go all out and get one for yourself, remember that not all muscle cars were as muscular as they seem on paper. Undoubtedly, it was the first flush of muscle cars that turned out the best, and that means the ‘60s classics.
Of course, if you compare ‘60s muscle cars to the muscle cars of now, you may find them woefully inadequate in terms of comfort, safety, and handling. But they were powerful and are highly-prized classics today; especially as opposed to the slew of underpowered muscle cars that came out in droves in the ‘70s, to keep sales up in times of strict emission controls and the oil embargo. The ’80s saw things get better before the ‘90s got lackluster with muscle sedans again, concentrating more on pickups and SUVs.
Since 2000, muscle cars are few and far between, but you have the Camaro, Mustang, Charger, and Challenger around, all of which offer a solid choice. However, if you're set on buying and collecting classic examples, keep in mind these 15 muscle cars that you should definitely not be saving for.
15 1971 Ford Pinto: Blew Up Too Often
Not only was the Ford Pinto not very muscular looking and underpowered (with just 75 horsepower under the hood) but it was also made with weight and price restrictions. So much so, the rear placement of the engine made it dangerous if it was ever rear-ended. An accident could leave it with sparks often leading to engine fires. Ford decided it was easier (and cheaper) to pay the victims than it was to recall the car and fix the issues.
14 1975 Buick Gran Sport: A Poor Copy Of The GSX
The success of the GSX spurred Buick to make one more muscle car, and so they made the Buick Gran Sport. Sadly, the car was too heavy, and the design was not aerodynamic at all. Despite a 175-horsepower engine, the Gran Sport refused to speed up, which was pretty non-muscle-car behavior and sent the sales on a downward spiral.
13 1982 Dodge Challenger: A Rebadged Passenger Car
When we think of a Dodge Challenger, we think of a car screaming down a road, leaving burnt rubber behind. What we don’t think of is a rebadged Mitsubishi Galant Coupe with Dodge Challenger branding and an engine that could make only 100 horsepower. When they retired the Challenger in 1983, it was a relief.
12 1976-77 Dodge Charger Daytona: Rebadged Luxury Sedan
The Dodge Charger Daytona, in its original ‘60s avatar, was a NASCAR competition killer. Since it was some 19-feet long, this was not what you would call a daily driver. However, one could overlook that huge size and still be in love with the car, unless you ended up buying the late ‘70s model, which was nothing but a rebadged Chrysler Cordoba, that did not impress or deceive anyone.
11 1980 Ford Mustang: More Economy, Less Muscle
The USP of the 1980 Ford Mustang was its low price and the fact that people could get a Mustang for cheap. The fact that its lackluster 2.3-liter engine could make just 88 measly horses was something marketing tried to skip over, but this was one of the worst Mustangs ever that looked boring and accelerated even worse.
10 1978 Oldsmobile 442: Not Like A GTO
When Pontiac launched GTO, Oldsmobile wanted a share of the muscle car mania as well and launched the 442. The name of the car came from the four-barrel carburetor, 4-speed transmission, and dual exhausts. Initially a good car, by 1978 the aero-back body style and the 145-horsepower 5.0-liter engine made it a dull and rather expensive ride.
9 1976-1980 Plymouth Volare Road Runner: The Rusty Ride
The Plymouth Road Runner was an iconic, stripped-down muscle car that couldn’t have been made better had they tried. But when they revived the Road Runner nameplate as a trim for the rust-bucket they called the Plymouth Volare, it made for some dark days in the muscle car world.
8 1993 Pontiac Firebird: Better, But Not Quite
While the Pontiac Firebird debuted its fourth generation in 1993 with a new and aerodynamic shape, it wasn’t till mid-1995 that the engines began to get more powerful and match the muscle car image the car was trying to get back. It was better than the third generation Firebird of 1992, but 1995 models were better than this because of more powerful engines. So this wasn't bad, just mediocre.
7 1981 Mercury Capri RS Turbo: Looked Powerful But Wasn’t
The 1980 Ford Mustang made just 88 horsepower. In comparison, the Mercury Capri RS Turbo did make 117 horses, on a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine. But while it looked far more capable than the ‘Stang, appearances can be deceiving. The bulging hood and sides gave it a sinister look, but it was as meek as a lamb.
6 1974-1978 Ford Mustang II Ghia: Underpowered & Cheap Luxury
The second generation of the Ford Mustang came ten years after the launch of the first. As much as the first generation delighted, the second generation disappoints. But consumers were at the mercy of gas control as well as strict emission laws, so they took whatever they could get. The Mustang II was cheap and ran cheap, and the Ghia trim gave it luxurious accents. So it sold like hotcakes.
5 1978 AMC Gremlin GT: Just Too Ugly
The AMC Gremlin was so ugly, it was considered cute, and so it sold in droves for a little while. Then people realized that ugly is ugly, and thanks to the lackluster 120-horsepower engine, the “cuteness” of the Gremlin soon faded away. By 1978, sales flagged to an all-time low, and AMC killed off this model in favor of the Spirit.
4 1980 Pontiac Trans-Am Turbo: Plagued With Problems
The 1973 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am made a cool 290 horses, which dropped to 210 by 1980. Other than the power going down, the Trans-Am Turbo, which used a turbocharged to power up the engine to respectable numbers, was still at its nascent stage and prone to many teething troubles. There were so many reliability issues that Pontiac took the Turbo off its roster by 1981.
3 1984 Mercury Cougar XR7: A Bit Too Tame
Despite a very titillating advertisement, the Mercury Cougar lacked muscle car styling and gave out 145 horses on a turbocharged four-cylinder engine. While 145 horses were respectable, it was still a long way off from making the Mercury Cougar a powerful muscle car, though it did emerge a leader in restoring some of the lost muscle car glory that the ‘70s had eaten away.
2 1982 Chevrolet Camaro: Chevy's Shame
How bad can a Camaro get, in the ‘80s? With an “Iron-Duke” engine, a four-cylinder 2.5-liter mill, this particular Camaro only gave out 90 horses. Owning this aggressive-looking "muscle car" must have felt like being charged money to feel disappointed, every day.
1 1976 Chevrolet Monza: A Good Car With A Bad Engine
The Monza looked like a decent muscle car, though it was based on the capricious Chevrolet Vega. That said, it was supposed to come in with a rotary engine from Mazda but could carry only a very weak V8, an equally lackluster V6, and sadly, the atrocious Iron-Duke four-cylinder 90-horsepower engine. This was a cheap muscle car, that drove cheap as well, and pulled down Chevy’s image even further.