It’s a predictable pattern: Car is too new to modify. Car is still kind of new, but a couple of tasteful bits won’t hurt. Car is ok to modify. Hell with it, nobody wants these damn things anymore, go berserk. Oh, wait…car is kind of rare now, better bring the modifications back to “tasteful”. Car is too rare to modify…unless the modifications are perfect. Old-school hot rods, Musclecar Era rides, and now even 1980’s stuff is starting to hit the upswing. Kind of makes me kick myself in the ass for getting rid of the 1987 Monte Carlo SS…and for not picking up a Malibu while they were still reasonably cheap. But that’s the way things go, sadly enough. Trends change, cars get rare, and purists freak out like mental patients if someone doesn’t tweak a car to their personal liking or the prescribed theme of the year.

Photo: Car and Driver

If the 1980s stuff is finally starting to get some moderate respect, then naturally, the order is up for cheap 1990s rides, and I’ll go straight for the kill: between the two most likely options, the Ford Mustang and the GM F-car twins, the Ford is open season. Think about it: Chevrolet Impala SS sedans were always well treated by most, and the rest of them have been donk’d out by now. Ford’s first-gen Lightning pickup truck was kind of lukewarm, and the 454SS truck is only revered by those who really understand what they are about. Chrysler’s performance cars were either Mitsubishis, leftover K-cars, or Vipers, and if you aren’t a serious fan, you aren’t a fan there…you’d probably rather have the Mustang or Camaro. And in the 1990s, the Camaro ruled over the original pony. Looks are subjective, but the hard facts were that, not counting super-special versions like the Cobra R, the F-cars trumped in the power department and the SN95 chassis update left a bit on the table as well. And just in case there wasn’t enough salt in the wound, let’s remember the debacle surrounding the 1999 Cobra…you know, the snake missing some of it’s venom straight out of the factory?

Just a quick check of our local Craigslist proved our theory that the cars are dirt cheap. For five grand you’ll get a nice stocker, and we found a 1995 Cobra for $1800 that looked drivable. Sure, you’d have to ditch the clear ricey taillights and pray that second gear hadn’t been jammed into oblivion, but the bonus is that you can do like the guy above did, not give one single f***, and hack it up into something fun. They can handle, they can drag race, and we’ve seen guys actually rally the hell out of them. But maybe you’re a Ford guy and think we’re full of it. Or maybe you are completely against such hackery altogether. What’s your take…what car now is a gearhead’s free-for-all, and if there’s one that should be coming down the pipeline soon, which is it?