(By Tom Lohnes) – Now, I’ve done a lot of stories covering used cars that will give you a lot of fun for a little money. But, What about new cars? Well there’s a lot of them and all of them happen to be made here in the USA. Today we will be looking over the best bang-for-your-buck vehicles from each of the Big 3 American manufacturers.
Alright, let’s start with Ford. With Ford’s recent switch to crossovers and SUVs, they haven’t left behind much in the form of a driver’s car. But, for $35,360, you can get yourself a Mustang GT. The Mustang GT packs some solid numbers, with 460 horsepower, 420 lb.-ft of torque, and a 6-speed manual, the Mustang will be sure to give you a nice punch in the face when you floor it, hopefully away from a crowd. Ford has (sort of) put their performance magic into a crossover, in the form of the Edge ST. The Edge ST packs 335 horsepower out of a 2.7-liter Twin-Turbo V6 that can propel the Edge to 60 in 6.1 seconds. It’s not great, but for a daily driver, the Edge ST packs plenty of punch. The Edge is a whole $8,000 more expensive than the Mustang, putting it at $43,500
FCA has a lot of tricks up their sleeve when it comes to performance cars. Most of them involving the 392 Hemi V8, and that comes to mind when I’m thinking of going fast on a budget. The Dodge Challenger Scat Pack starts at $40,245 and has 485 horsepower, a 6-speed manual, and a very loud factory exhaust note. The hefty scat Pack gets to 60 in a shockingly quick 4.3 seconds, considering its 4,200-pound curb weight. Our second Hemi powered brute is the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT. Think of the Jeep as a Scat Pack with all-wheel-drive. Getting to 60 in 4.4 seconds, the $69,140 SRT jeep is a little expensive, but it has a very nicely appointed interior and a smooth 8-speed ZF automatic, the SRT is sure to please your daily driver needs.
Moving on to GM, we have two big deals. The Chevy Camaro LT1 has 455 horsepower, 455 lb.-ft of torque, and a price tag of only $34,995, and can do 60 in 4.0 seconds flat. But, there’s a better deal here. Starting at $59,995, the 495 horsepower C8 Corvette can do 0-60 in 3.2 seconds without the Z51 package, and a shocking 2.8 with it. The C8 is a mid-engine supercar now, and it can challenge the big boys. Bang-for-your-buck-wise, I’m on team Chevy.
Not sure I’ll ever look at any vehicle over $40K as a bargain…
Have you looked at ANY new vehicles lately? A new Vette for less money that a Silverado or Suburban or Tahoe. Granted the only thing you can haul is ass, but still… Great job Tom.
Tom , your doing a great job writing . Keep up the good work . I’m a bit of a cheap skate at had never spent over 10k for any vehicle in my life till 2 years ago . Yeah , now were up to 14k . It’s good knowing how the other have lives . You know , the ones with a payment book .