All your life you have aspired to own a classic car that catches everyone’s eye as you roll down the breathtaking Pacific Coast Highway, windows down, with a warm summer breeze blowing through your hair. The only thing stopping you are ridiculous prices that might even make Donald Trump think twice.
Most dream classic cars are going to be a bit pricey, but there are affordable classic cars that can turn out to be more than just an alternative to the highly priced car of your dreams. Hagerty, a leading classic car insurance provider, has created a list of the Top 5 attainable dream cars and some of the recent prices paid for them at auction.
First off is the 1973 Chevrolet Corvette 454/275 LS4 Convertible with a price of $38,600. This positively regarded ‘Vette is an alternative to the beastly, highly coveted 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/435 L71 Convertible that comes with a big engine and an even bigger price of $155,000. With such an enormous price differential and not as big of a horsepower difference as people might think, the big-block C3 Corvette is a viable alternative.
When someone utters the words muscle car, Mustang is usually the first car that pops into your head. The 1966 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Fastback Coupe sure is a beauty, but it comes with a lofty price of $135,000. Hagerty believes a great alternative to this car is the 1964 Ford Falcon Futura Sprint Coupe, a two-door that surprisingly has much in common with the Mustang. The Mustang is actually based on the Falcon’s chassis, and both share small-block Ford V-8s. At a price of $21,300, the Falcon is truly a steal.
Mopar fans with super high aspirations have always had their eye on the 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda Hemi Coupe. But unless they have $211,000 to drop on a car, it’s out of the question. Although it isn’t cheap, at $73,200, the 1970 Dodge Challenger 440/390 Coupe is still quite a muscle car and one of the coolest Dodges of all time. Statistically these two cars are very similar, and you get a heck of a car for about a third of the price.
As far as iconic cars go, the 1967 Jaguar E-Type Coupe is right up there with the best of them. But at $61,700, it’s out of reach for most people. A more affordable car is the 1967 Triumph GT6 Fastback Coupe, at a reasonable price of $9750. The Triumph has the appearance of a 2/3 scale model of the Jag, and for a fraction of the cost.
Last but not least is the highly affordable and famous 1980 Lotus Esprit Turbo Coupe. Many remember this car from the James Bond movie “The Spy Who Loved Me,” where it was used as both a car and a submarine. This classic car is an alternative to the sleek 1976 Lamborghini Countach LP400 Coupe (pictured at top), which costs $134,900; a price that will put a hole in your wallet. Sure the Lotus’s turbo four can’t match the Lambo’s V-12, but for $18,800 it will likely exceed your expectations.
It doesn’t take all your savings to buy a dream car. In fact, some are relatively cheap. As little as $10,000 can get you on PCH with the car of your dreams, with others left envying you as they drive by.
