Muscle car prices from the 80's and early 90's

[Budnicks]

In the early 80's out in Concord, Walnut Creek, Antioch, East Bay Area
you could get a 68 Charger R/T all day long nice driver quality for like $1500
I purchase my 1st 68 Charger R/T in 74 for $350, it was a really nice car too...
I had 5 Chargers for 68-70 back then anything from a R/T-SE 69,
to a 70 R/T 440 Six Pack
2 68's on a racecar & the other my daily driver,
then another 69 R/T 4 speed Dana 60 basket case...

none of them over $2000 in the late 70's-early 80's
they were just used old cars, not desirable to many,
I bought as many as I could...
I've had an even dozen...

Same thing with RR's in the late 70's-early 80's too, even cheaper in some cases,
$500-$800 for 68's,
$800-$1000 for 69's,
70 for $1200-$1500 6Pack 4 speed, dana 60 car
I only bought 1) 71, it was rough, for $500 made a racecar out of it...
I've had 13 RR's to date now...

Last one I sold for $28,000 to a friend racecar basically,
I kept the A12 hood & 6bbl set up I had on it...
my current 68 RR for $6,000 in 2005 everything there, running & driving
needed a bunch of body repairs, very little rust at all, 63,000 miles...

 

[440+6]

In 1979 I bought my 70 GTX six bbl, track pack air grabber for $1000, no rust at all, running and driving just fine. Calculator says $3309 in today's $$
This is what it looked like when I brought it home.

 

[Hemi 354]

In '69, just back from Southeast Asia, I bought my 68 GTX, 440, 4-speed, Dana ( w ~22K miles) for $2400. Sold it about a year later for $3,200 when I went back over the pond. I still have all my pic's.

 

[Car Nut]

In '69, just back from Southeast Asia, I bought my 68 GTX, 440, 4-speed, Dana ( w ~22K miles) for $2400. Sold it about a year later for $3,200 when I went back over the pond. I still have all my pic's.

Scan them and post them, love back in the good times day pictures!

 

[BeatersRus]

i just happened to be in the right places at the right time and was very lucky to be growing up in the time period i did.
after i got out of the Army,i decided to do cars and from the mid 90-s thru present ive owned/bought/sold/traded and scrapped approx 2500-3000 cars.
i lost track way bitd,and i do have records,but only ten years worth.
the irs would know,because i was one of the few scrappers ever to pay taxes,something i got laughed at a lot for back then,but i knew what i was doing.

as far as supercars/musclecars,ive owned a bunch...i always loved my mopars but i liked other cars as well,and have owned most of the desirables at one point.

the prices bitd were affordable,it was a Great time to be a car guy.
sometimes the cars would be free,get them out of my yard...others,couple hundred,if you spent a grand it had to be near mintish body.

some of my favs...
amx javelin 401 4 speed used to run shine in this car.
70 grand coupe 383
69 monaco 383
all the chargers lol,had a bunch cept the 66-7 wasnt into that fastback style and even turned down a green hemi charger for 800 bucks once. ( doh )
70 chrysler 300 2 door huggggggge car loved it.
buncha dusters everything from race cars to street cars,340 was my fav engine.
70 gto
65 f85 cutlass such a cool car
bunch of chevelles,69 thru 76,i wasted a lot of money on those urgh.
and of course my fav was my 70 charger i was building,taken right out of my driveway while i was at work.
**** happens,but i still miss that car..

anyways,prices of cars even in the 90s was reasonable,if you just looked around.
almost 99% of my cars have all been me driving around and stopping to ask,or buying the local towns newspapers as i drove thru and scoping.

lately,all the mopars i helped my town locals get have been under 2 grand,and some ran,most had good bodies too.

i saw a 70 gtx go for under 3,it needed a lot of work but it was a real gtx...

 

[threewood]

Bought a 1968 Charger in January 1991 for $1000. Ran fine. 383 H.P., 727, 8.75 3.91. It has some rust issues but was complete.

I also remember looking at a 1970 Charger R/T SE at about the same time. Almost rust free with a nice 440 and 727, yellow. Guy was asking $4000 and I couldn't afford it.

 

[TxDon]

I bought a 1970 AAR Cuda for $875.00 in 1975, restored it and sold it in 1977 for $3050.00. Thought I hit the jackpot.

 

[metaldad]

paid, i think, $1800 for my 68 charger, 383, with a gear gone in the 727.
got a 70 charger rt out of the police pound for $200 for parts for the 68
i think i paid $2100 for the 73 sebring satellite.
both in the early 80's.

 

[metaldad]

btw, that left rear 1/4 was pretty good. white spots is?
and it's dirty.
never washed a car back then

 

[verdelaw]

I bought a 1970 AAR Cuda for $875.00 in 1975, restored it and sold it in 1977 for $3050.00. Thought I hit the jackpot.
View attachment 344352 View attachment 344353

Ouch! Dare I ask it... how much would that car fetch now? Also.. what the hell happened to that car in only 5 years between '70 and '75?!

paid, i think, $1800 for my 68 charger se, 383, with a gear gone in the 727.

Was the "SE" option available for 1968? I thought that was a '69 thing and later for chargers.

 

[Kern Dog]

Verdelaw....Is that name meant to mean that you are an environmental attorney? Verde meaning Green in Spanish.....
Just curious, not trying to accuse or insult...

 

[drobertson]

I bought this car last year for $500. Took me a while to rebuild the engine and transmission myself, but she runs a-ok.

 

[Dennis H]

I want one but...HELP they are getting too expensive!

View attachment 344117

Man I love this picture.

 

[verdelaw]

Verdelaw....Is that name meant to mean that you are an environmental attorney? Verde meaning Green in Spanish.....
Just curious, not trying to accuse or insult...

I wish I was a lawyer, then maybe I could put away some money. No, there's no cunning cleverness behind the name, it's just one internet pseudonym I've used for forever. What about you Kern? Was Kern a favorite K9 of yours? Is your favorite gourmet hotdog called a Kern?

 

[TxDon]

Ouch! Dare I ask it... how much would that car fetch now? Also.. what the hell happened to that car in only 5 years between '70 and '75?!

A 70 AAR Cuda or T/A Challenger would probably be between $50,000 and $100,000 today in good shape although I'm no price expert. What happened to the car from 70 to 75 was: 1. living in Illinois. 2. Being owned by many yahoos and bounced off some walls.
Surprisingly the drivetrain was excellent and needed no work.

 

[Lets Roll]

Back around 1987 some I remember: 70 Cuda trade in non original 440 running driving 1000.00. some rust and dents. 74 Charger 318 with 727 tow package 400.00 original paint and really nice. 69 charger auto 383 and bondo everywhere 1200.00. 1969 super commando hp2 engine running 300.00. Oh yeah Running rebuilt 426 Hemi at shop at speedway auto salvage 5000.00

 

[Auggie56]

Muscle cars were on the back of the used car lot, by 71' when the insurance companies refused to insure them. With a few tickets to my credit (insurance), no place to store one and a wife who controlled the money, I never had one until 77'. Which was a rusty 69' Coronet convertible, a four speed, with a bad engine. Can't recall what I paid for it, but I put together a 440, and drove it till someone offered some cash for it. I hope to better with this car...LOL

 

[Kern Dog]

I wish I was a lawyer, then maybe I could put away some money. No, there's no cunning cleverness behind the name, it's just one internet pseudonym I've used for forever. What about you Kern? Was Kern a favorite K9 of yours? Is your favorite gourmet hotdog called a Kern?

No, Kern is just my last name. I also like Corn Dogs. Years back a guy I worked with called me Kern Dog when it was "cool" to call people "dog".

 

[cdr]

in 1977 i traded my 10 speed bike for a complete non running 68 black 383 4barrel Charger,it was my 1st car, got it running & then had to sell it.
The 68 Charger I have now was bought for 450.00 in 1975 according to one of the previous owners I found.

 

[TxDon]

Another non-mopar story: after I sold the AAR in 1977 I bought a 1969 Hurst / Olds, number 74 of 906 made. I paid less than $1000 for it and bought two Cutlass parts cars, probably no more than $1700 total for all three. I bought one of the parts cars just to get a set of correct wheels. I restored that more extensively than the AAR and sold it in 1980 for $5500! Today they are also in the $75,000 to $100,000 range. Wish I owned a warehouse where I could have stashed all these...