Say you've got some decent bank lying around and you want brand new RWD muscle for less than $40k. It's entirely possible and it's all because this is the era of the millennial muscle car. That's right. Young people today love cool cars and horsepower with the same levels of enthusiasm as previous generations. Fortunately, automakers, both domestic and foreign, offer many choices that'll satisfy that burnout craving. These six millennial muscle cars appeal just as much to older buyers as they do to younger ones.
With a base price of just $32,300, excluding tax and delivery, you can buy an all-new, V8-powered Ford Mustang GT with a slick six-speed manual. Output is rated at 435 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque? Options add up fast but for that initial amount you can't go wrong.
Yes, the all-new sixth-generation Camaro will be revealed next month, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the current model. In fact many are sad to see the fifth-gen Camaro go, and now may be the best time to buy. Dealerships want to get rid of their current stock, and for a starting price of $34,500 (again, without tax and delivery), you can have a 6.2-liter V8 with 426 hp and 420 lb-ft. All that power is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual.
Although you may not have the dough to buy the Challenger SRT Hellcat, the funds are available for this: the Challenger R/T Scat Pack. What do you get for a base of $38,495? A 6.4-liter Hemi V8, six-speed manual, and 20-inch polished aluminum rims. Sure, it may be a bit pricier than the previous two, but the Challenger has a presence and personality unlike anything else out there.
Want the Challenger R/T Scat Pack but need a sedan? There is an answer, and it's called the Charger R/T Scat Pack. For $39,995, you can literally get the same setup as the coupe sibling (6.4 Hemi V8 and 20-inch rims) only with more room and space for your family and stuff. Life's good in America.
Hyundai has always been known as a value brand, but its cars today are of equal if not greater quality than anything else out there. Also tired of seeing all your friends drive V8 muscle from the Big Three? The answer is the Genesis Coupe 3.8 R-Spec. For just $33,400, you get a 348 hp, 3.8-liter V6 with a six-speed manual. 19-inch alloys are standard. True, it's not a V8. But for that price to power ratio, it's still a solid bargain many can't pass up.
Consider this one something of a wild card for a couple reasons. First off, the Nissan 370Z Nismo has a slightly higher base price of $41,990. And second, it too doesn't have a V8. But here's what it does have: a 3.7-liter naturally aspirated V6 with 350 hp paired to a six-speed manual. Most of all, however, the 370Z Nismo is special; it's not like the typical 370Z. Thanks to a Nismo-tuned suspension, various aerodynamic improvements, and unique interior trim, the 370Z Nismo is really a street legal track car that'll surely become quite the collectible.
