“Muscle Cars” of the ‘80’s and ‘90’s I’d Like To Own

Why I shouldn't look at auto classified ads

For whatever reason, I found myself on AutoTrader.com today. Initially, I just wanted to see how much '95 Tauruses like my wife’s were selling for (her 165,000 mile example that we bought three years ago for $1,700 is running just fine, but I was just curious in case we wanted to sell it and get something else). It wasn't long, however, before I stumbled upon a low-mileage Taurus SHO; Ford's ultra-quick (for the era) version of it’s best-selling sedan.

Then I started thinking about other "muscle" cars of the period. Though the late '60's and early '70's were the definitive era of the "muscle car" as they're now known, there were some notable examples of this classic formula (an unassuming mid-sized coupe or sedan with an abnormally high-output engine) when I was a kid, too.

Here are a few examples I found on AutoTrader.com. I'd love to have just about any of them:

1994 FORD TAURUS SHO - 64,000 miles, $6,500 (this is a STEAL for such a clean, low-mileage example of this Yamaha-powered BMW 5-Series slayer - I'm sure it's already sold!)

1987 BUICK GRAND NATIONAL - 94,000 miles, $15,500 (a very good deal for this quickly-appreciating neo-classic)

1992 LINCOLN MARK VII LSC - 103,000 miles, $2,700 (a rough example with faded paint, worn interior, and transmission trouble, but still a classy T-Bird-based Lincoln coupe with the Mustang GT's 225-horsepower five-liter V8)

1990 PONTIAC MCCLAREN TURBO GRAND PRIX - 47,535 miles, $7,990 (though not the fastest of the front-wheel-drive Grand Prix's, the McClaren Turbo model was ahead of its time and will likely be the most collectible of the FWD breed)

1986 MERKUR XR4TI - 58,000 miles, $5,000 (not a bad price for this potential collectible; especially since Ford only imported them from Europe for four or five years)

1996 CHEVROLET IMPALA SS - 46,272 miles, $17,400 (typical market price for this ultra-fast, full-sized four-door sedan that Chevy transformed from "Caprice" to "Impala" by dropping the Corvette LT-1 V8 under the hood; the fact that it was only produced for three years, and that 1996 was the last and best model year for the vehicle makes this low-mileage example worth the hefty asking price)

1990 FORD THUNDERBIRD SUPER COUPE - 8,140 miles, $16,300 (a black '91 model was the fastest car I have ever owned; this 35th Anniversary Edition is well-priced given its low-mileage and sure-fire future collectibility potential - I wish I still had mine)

1987 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO SS AERO COUPE - 6,272 miles, $19,900 (practically new; though steep, the price isn't all that unrealistic considering the ultra-low mileage and the fact that just over 6,000 of the NASCAR-style "Aero Coupe" Monte Carlos were produced)

1991 DODGE SPIRIT R/T - 136,200 miles, $5,200 (yes, it was built off the despised '80's K-car chassis, but this turbo-charged monster could accelerate quicker to 60 mph than its contemporary Mustang GT and Camaro Z-28 - it was nearly as quick to sixty as a standard '91 Corvette!)

Okay, some of them sound cheesy, I’ll admit. But compared to the anemic neutered-by-smog-equipment vehicles of the late ‘70’s, these machines were pure automotive adrenaline!

What are YOUR favorites?

I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who remembers the performance cars from these years fondly, so come on, valued readers! Leave a comment about one of these Reagan-era rides that made your heart race “back in the day.” It’s just a matter of time before the gavel drops at the Barrett-Jackson auto auction on one of these babies for several hundred thousand!