Three Old-School Muscle Cars That You Want To Downright Avoid


What do you think of when you hear the word muscle car? Do you have any concerns? Can you picture it in your head now? Do you have a big engine that roars when you turn on the ignition? It’s a tough, rough stand-alone vehicle with rear-wheel drive and high performance.


Waiting in line for the flag to drop puts fear at the heart of the competition. Maybe you’re imagining something with flames and a big-ass paint job. Color doesn’t matter, come back to earth. The coolest car in the parking lot that draws everyone in. why? Because it’s a muscle car.

TOPSPEED video of the day

RELATED: Automakers seriously downplayed how much horsepower these muscle cars make


The essence of a true blue American muscle car

chorche de prigo / Shutterstock.com

1970 Dodge Charger action shot

But are they all cool and worthy of the love and enthusiasm we give tough American classics? Hard-nosed, gurgling gas, loud, made from American steel, a true muscle car is a loyal vehicle you can rely on to get you from one point to the next as fast as possible. Confidence as good as any other type of car. Orbit around luxury cars, smash sports cars, and finally embarrass utility cars. Muscle cars are in a class by themselves.

Looking back at the ’70s, it wasn’t all that bad. It’s the evolution of disco, bell-bottom jeans and Saturday Night Fever. This decade began with America finally ending its unwanted wars, and ended with a new war to control emissions and air in the environment. The Clean Air Act of the 1970s was introduced to control the number of harmful pollutants released into the air by automobiles and other industrial vehicles. New emissions laws impacted both the fuel economy and horsepower of cars of this era.

RELATED: The Rareest American Muscle Cars in Existence

1974 Ford Mustang

White 1974 Ford Mustang
mecham auction

Front 3/4 shot of a 1974 Ford Mustang

The first car mentioned hurts to say, but the 1974 Ford Mustang II should be avoided like a drunk freshman. It was a small, rather underpowered car that had no balls and could barely keep up with conversations. The base model had a whopping 88 horsepower for very low performance.

It was 500 pounds lighter than the previous year, 19 inches shorter, and nowhere near as fast. The ’73 model has a V8, as opposed to his 4-cylinder in the ’74, so it gets left in the dust fairly easily and you’ll regret it if you go head-to-head. The steering and suspension were soft but dependable. So when the ’74 Mustang was stripped down, the front end was the first place it went. Still, stay away from this non-iconic Mustang.

RELATED: 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T by Modern Muscle

1979-1983 Dodge Challenger

silver 1983 dodge challenger
bring a trailer

Front 3/4 shot of a 1983 Dodge Challenger

The next muscle car to avoid is not just a model year, but an entire generation. Has anyone ever said or thought, “This generation is no good”? So is the second generation Dodge Challenger. 1979-1983 was an abomination for the brand. It’s actually a Mitsubishi Galant with the Dodge Challenger badge.

They weren’t embarrassed like this in their game. Equipped with a weak 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, this foreign car with an American name is nowhere near fast. From 0-60 he takes off in 15.1 seconds and reaches a top speed of just over 100 mph. The second generation Dodge Challenger is one of Mopar’s biggest mistakes.

The laziness that Dodge displayed in the ’80s makes you wonder what they were thinking and if anyone came to work. This brings us to his third muscle car he will never consider buying. It has a muscle car name, but it happens to be a subcompact with weak front-wheel drive.

RELATED: 10 Most Luxurious American Muscle Cars of All Time

1981-1987 Dodge Charger

blue 1985 dodge charger
mecham auction

Front 3/4 shot of a 1985 Dodge Charger

The third muscle car waste is the 1981-1987 Dodge Charger. The lack of creativity exhibited by Chrysler’s management in the 1980s seemed the norm. It’s hard to see how Lee Iacocca revived them with these poor notions of what they thought American muscle really was.

Car enthusiasts didn’t accept that this three-door hatchback was considered anything but a muscle car. Especially since it was a mix between a Dodge Omni and a Plymouth Horizon. The name Dodge Charger is synonymous with speed and toughness.

Thanks to “The Dukes of Hazzard”. A true muscle car to the end. His 1969 Dodge Charger is the epitome of American toughness. Not a stupid flag on the roof. But when you look at the 1980s Charger, you can’t help but think of its slowness and weakness.

RELATED: This footage of pure stock drag among old-school muscle cars from the 1980s will surely strum your nostalgia strings

Old-school muscle cars to avoid

That unfortunate Mopar had to include two brands with iconic names on this list, but it’s all about messing around, slapping any name on the crap and calling it American muscle. It’s the price you pay when you think you can. We know that the old-school muscle car market wants to avoid these three.


This article was optimized by the SEO Team at Clickworks SEO