When it comes to finding that smile-inducing muscle car, the pickings are slimmer in 2024. However, these used rides can help.
Ok, Chevrolet and Dodge are killing off their resident horsepower mongers. Don’t fret; you can still scour the used muscle car market for some of the sweetest tire-eaters out there. Check out five of the best used muscle cars you can get in 2024, like the Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack Shaker and the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.
These five used muscle cars are performance bargains with an appetite for tires
Although Dodge and Chevrolet are closing the books on their muscle-bound models, the used car market can put your concerns to rest.
- Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack Shaker
- Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (S197)
- Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
- Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 (S550)
- Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock
In 2015, the Dodge Challenger got a much-needed update, this time riding on the LA platform. Of course, the muscle car’s update played second fiddle to the swivel-eyed lunacy of the then-new 707-horsepower SRT Hellcat.
However, Dodge also rolled out a much more livable, affordable, and charmingly old-school Challenger R/T Scat Pack. Hell, you might be able to outflank the Hellcat hate at your local Cars & Coffee with a manual, 485-horsepower Shaker. Sorry about the tired boat jokes in advance.
Beyond the natural aspiration, the supercharged S197 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (2013, 2014) is one of the standout muscle car kings of the last 10 years. With 662 horsepower on tap, a 200-mph top speed, and a TREMEC six-speed manual transmission in the middle, the crazy Shelby is one of the wildest muscle cars ever.
Further, the sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE shrugs off the preconceived ideas that a muscle car can’t be coaxed around corners with urgency. In fact, the 650-horsepower ZL1 1LE is, to this day, one of the swiftest American cars to take on the Nürburgring.
Perhaps one of the most unique Ford Mustangs ever, the S550-generation Shelby GT350 is a product of the Coyote V8 era. However, the GT350 developed its 526 horsepower from a flat-plane 5.2L Voodoo engine. It’s the most powerful naturally aspirated Mustang ever. That, and it’s one of the wildest used muscle cars on the market in 2024.
Missed your chance on an SRT Demon or Demon 170? You’re not entirely out of luck. The Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock incorporates many of the Demon’s drag strip-ready features. Contrast them side-by-side, and you’ll find the Demon’s power chiller, torque reserve, active drag suspension, and tougher TorqueFlite transmission.