Vintage Mopars are a hot commodity, but don't think being down on bucks puts you out of the game!

Everybody has that one buddy who was smart and bought a bunch of muscle cars in the '80s. You might even be one of those guys, in which case we salute you for having such incredible foresight. Sigh. Unfortunately, you're in the minority and the rest of us have to pay full retail. And the high prices you find in guides such as Kelly Blue Book, NADA, and Hemmings assume you can find the kind of car you want even if you can afford it. Good luck. You'll have about as much success finding what you want at "book" value as we'd have locking a chimp in a room with engine parts and telling him to build a Hemi.

What most people outside don't understand about Mopar gearheads is that buying Mopars is not a mere obsession, it is a requirement of life. (Significant others, take note!) Rolling in an old Mope is a bodily function like breathing, drinking, sleeping, and eating. Like a strong static electric charge building in a thunderhead, the Mopar man will seek ground when the charge reaches a high enough potential. That Mopar attraction will happen just as sure as the sun rises, and there are several routes the afflicted can take to put her or himself behind the driver's seat of a classic Mopar, depending on the severity of the attraction, the skillset of the patient, and the ability to disgorge sufficiently large quantities of disposable cash.

Number 1: Buy what you want, and pay top dollar. If this is your easiest, most direct cure, pat yourself on the back. You have developed the requisite skills in life to bankroll your addiction. (Praise the Lord and pass the collection plate!) You get bonus points if you've been lucky enough to also find a codependent spouse who shares your innermost Mopar desires. Or maybe they don't share your enthusiasm but you've become adept at obfuscating the true cost of things. Your secret—and your 401k—is safe with us!

Number 2: Get exactly what you want, but save money and settle for someone else's problem-child project. The world is full of Mopar migraines, as witnessed by the endless piles of carnage we see at swap meets around the country. For every finished project we see, there are four incomplete nightmare vehicles looking to sink their teeth into your wallet. Proceed with caution. There's a reason why we feature so many stories on body work, rust repair, and paint. Arm yourself with enough skills, workspace, time, and tools, and dive right in. Otherwise, proceed to number 3.

Number 3: Keep your mind open to many alternatives and seize the opportunity when it comes around. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions." Translated into Moparspeak, it means, "if you buy a creampuff survivor four-door Plymouth wagon with a Poly 318 for five grand instead of a used-up ex-racecar Max Wedge Belvedere for ten times as much, you might like it even better." Most people don't realize Waldo was such an astute Mopar guy, but great minds think alike.

To that point, your author and photog John Machaqueiro took the opportunity to scope out the Mopar car corral at the 2017 Mopar Nationals at National Trail Raceway this past August. Everybody knows The Nats is on every true blue Mopar guy's bucket list; it draws Mopar zombies from all corners of the universe and many of them bring classic Chryslers to sell. Going in, we half expected it to be a blood bath of over-inflated prices. Yep, as always there were those crack-pipe examples that reinforced our low-life status, but we were surprised by the number of affordable Mopars in the pen. Just maybe, we thought, there was hope for mankind!

We're always looking for new, exiting ways to spend your Mopar money, and this time we posed the question: if someone were at the show this year and had somewhere south of $20k cash in their pocket and wanted something (reliable!) to drive home in, what could they get? What could they get two of? Three of? Hell, fill the whole backyard with running, driving Mopes? To our delight, we discovered there was enough running Chryco iron for sale at the Nats to pretty much get us ejected from every Home Owners' Association in the land. Let's dive in!

1964 Dodge 440 Hardtop

Asking price: $18,500

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Once upon a time, a car like this could be found most anywhere for chump change, but those days are gone. This 1964 Dodge hardtop had its original paint and Poly 318 V8, which combined with its immaculate original interior, original dealer-installed air conditioning, and trunk full of original owner documents (including the window sticker!) made it a steal at an asking price of $18,500. This sport roof hardtop B-Body car checks all the right boxes, and except for the less desirable Poly 318 could've commanded far more. We felt this Dodge was the best deal on a running, driving car at the Nats, but three days into the show, it had yet to sell.

1973 Plymouth Satellite Wagon

Asking price: $3,800

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Hey, the Brady Bunch called, and they want their station wagon back! This thrifty 318 automatic car had a very straight body and even the fake wood appliqu on its flanks still looked fine. Wagons like this typically were well cared for over the years, seldom seeing the abuse heaped upon them by their muscle car siblings. With cookie-cutter SUVs the norm for family transportation, a classic wagon like this not only makes sense for fun family outings, but will spins head 'round wherever it goes. This one was a steal at an asking price of $3,800.

1988 Dodge Diplomat

Asking price: $3,000

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When GM and Ford soldiered on with rearwheel drive performance cars in the 1980s, Chrysler had long since moved to frontwheel drive for anything with a performance flavor. That doesn't mean they were out of the game though. Chrysler's Kenosha plant kept cranking out four-door RWD cars for families and police departments. Powered by 318- and 360ci small-blocks, these can be made with little effort into serious performers. The sleeper look and room for many makes them even better. This Dodge Diplomat had a 360 Magnum small-block and could be scored for less than $3,000.

1969 Plymouth Fury Convertible

Asking price: $13,500

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This 440-powered sun machine would make for the perfect vacation getaway, whether it's for the Hot Rod Power Tour long haul or cruising Brice Road during the Mopar Nats. C-Bodies like this Fury aren't considered performers, their sheer size being the issue here, but that doesn't mean they can't be fun. This one looked to be in excellent condition, its perfect interior and straight body ready to hit the turnpike at the drop of a hat. Among the goodies you get for $13,500: a fresh restoration and new interior done in 2012, new alternator, carb, shocks, power steering pump, a transmission overhaul, and a decent collection of extra parts.

1972 Plymouth Duster

Asking price: $12,500

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A-Bodies—and Dusters in particular—make for nice street machines. Their light weight and many engine options means it's easy to make them go fast. The 1970-'72 models tend to be the most sought after, making them more expensive, and this one was priced accordingly. Later '73-up Dusters and their Dodge counterparts—the Dart Sport—can be had for less, but this clean '72 Duster had a rebuilt 360 small-block, 8 -inch rear, new front disc brakes, and a QA1 k-member for a very reasonable $12,500 asking price. The paint and bodywork looked serviceable too.

1973 Plymouth Satellite

Asking price: $12,900

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The low mileage (43k) and pristine interior of this 1973 Plymouth Satellite make it a very attractive buy at $12,900, in spite of being a '73 model. The later "egg-crate" grille Satellites (and Road Runners) are less desirable than their goggle-grilled, fuselage-fendered 1971-'72 precursors, but for many (such as your author) the later '73-'74 look just as sexy, and can be made into bitchin' street machines. We'd probably ditch the 318 under the hood currently, but it would certainly be serviceable for a non-performance application.

1967 Chrysler Imperial

Asking price: $10,000

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Once again, we found ourselves caught in the sticky web of another pristine C-Body, this time a four-door 1967 Chrysler Imperial. A perfect interior and smooth original sheetmetal did a wonderful job of disguising its 85k miles. We have no doubt this would swallow up hundreds of miles of interstate like the Amtrak Sunset Limited, issuing nary a rattle or squeak while doing it. This delicious example of American excess could've been scored for a mere $10k, and most likely thousands less.

1987 Plymouth Gran Fury

Asking price: $1,200

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Like the 1988 Dodge Diplomat we saw earlier, this '87 Plymouth Gran Fury also made its bones as solid, luxurious family transportation. The "for sale" sign didn't say whether it was a 318 or a 360 car, and the owner wasn't around for us to ask, but it did say it was equipped with an Edelbrock intake and a Mopar high-performance distributor, all for the lowly sum of $1,200. At that price, the owner was practically giving it away for lunch money—an awesome buy considering it only needed a scuff-and-shoot paintjob.

1978 Dodge Magnum

Asking price: $10,000

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It never ceases to amaze us how nicely preserved some cars are. This happens frequently with cars off the performance radar which didn't see a lot of hard use on the track or the stoplight drags. Personal luxury coupes like this '78 Magnum marked the end of an era where Detroit was running away from heavy luxurious personal coupes, and many of them had the heavy-duty suspension, rear, and brakes, but not the powerful engine. This one hardly looked worse for the wear with its perfect interior and sleek newer paint. The asking price of $10k looked soft and this could've gone home for as little as $6k or $7k.

1967 Plymouth Barracuda

Asking price: $5,900

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If you prefer something a little more inside the boundaries of traditional muscle car performance, a vintage 1967 Plymouth Barracuda may be your kind of car. Beware though, at the lowly price of $5,900 this classic A-Body has lots of visible rust and more than a few deviations from stock. We were surprised to see a big-block stuffed under the hood along with fenderwell headers. The modified inner-fender sheetmetal means you won't be returning it from its racecar roots any time soon. No reasonable amount of effort or money can return it to stock, so this is destined to be a scrappy play toy for some lucky dude.

1966 Dodge Dart Convertible

Asking price: $7,500

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This really sweet, really straight 1966 Dart convertible is a good example of finding value outside of the traditional muscle car oeurve. Yes, it's a slant six, but a car like this isn't about thunder and fury, it's about kicking back with the top down and having a relaxing Sunday cruise. The sell sheet on this car lists an engine rebuild in 2013, body and paint in 2014, new convertible top in 2014, and a new interior that same year. If you don't mind something off the beaten path, this will get your Mopar jones jump-started for not much cash.

1978 Chrysler Cordoba

Asking price: $12,000

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Of all the cars in story, this 1978 Cordoba was perhaps the most meticulously maintained and/or restored. All snide jokes about Ricardo Montalban aside, this car had amazing paint and what looked like a curated interior. The thing, however, that sent us over the top was how perfect the engine compartment looked. We're not sure if it's a 318 or a 360, but the dual-plane Edelbrock intake, finned Mopar Performance valve covers, and ceramic-coated headers added performance to the overall immaculate presentation. The price had already been marked down once, so there was probably more wiggle room to be had on this.

1969 Dodge D100 Pickup

Asking price: $14,900

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More and more, trucks are looking like a great alternative to muscle cars due to their relative affordability. In a world where Hemi 'Cudas regularly crest the million-dollar mark, a pristine, low-miles (22k) Dodge truck with an asking price of $14,900 looks pretty darned good. It's no restoration either; the survivor patina is the real thing and it even comes with a period-correct camper top. This one was powered by a 225 Slant Six and shifted through an automatic three-speed trans. Solid and rust-free throughout!

1973 Dodge Dart Sport

Asking price: $18,000

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With an asking price of $18k, this not-especially-desirable 1973 Dodge Dart Sport looks to be priced high, but when you take a look at the built-up Magnum 360 under the hood, the overall condition, and the race-ready interior, this is actually a pretty good bargain if you can negotiate the asking price down a bit. The rollbar hints at—or strongly suggests—that this is a low 11-second bracket racer. With just a little bit of attention, it could be brought back to the mean streets to beat up on Camaros and Mustangs.

1965 Plymouth Valiant Convertible

Asking price: $15,995

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1973 Plymouth Satellite Sedan

Asking price: $5,500

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Every cop movie and TV show in the early '70s featured Plymouth Satellite sedans like this '73 model, and if you yearn for the old days you'll go nuts for this one. We were impressed with how sanitary this one was, right down to its patina paint and cop-car steel wheels. The owner's sign says everything works on this 318 automatic car, which has a freshened motor, new tires, new aluminum radiator, and new dual exhaust. We were really digging the sweet interior and could see turning this thing into a more-door sleeper.

1967 Plymouth Belvedere Wagon

Asking price: $6,000

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When it comes to alternative muscle, a wagon like this '67 Belvedere—built right smack dab in the middle of the muscle car era—is becoming the cool thing to have. We don't know much about it other than it's an automatic 383 car, but the vintage interior was intact and looking good. The price had already been marked down from $6,500, so we guess the seller would entertain even lower cash offers. Straight and rust-free as far as we could tell, this wagon has lots of fun times still left in it.

1973 Plymouth Duster

Asking price: $9,500

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It may be just our imagination, but we're pretty sure 1973 Dusters outnumbered 1969 Camaros by a long shot. This Slant-Six '73 Duster was priced a tad high at $9,500 due to some rust we spotted, but it did have some nice five-spoke wheels and the owner was pleasant and seemed open to negotiation. This one is ready to drive, and like our own '73 Duster project, can easily swallow a small-block built on a budget with no problem. The interior was sweet, and with a little haggling this Duster will be a nice score for somebody.

1973 Dodge Charger SE

Asking price: $12,500

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By 1973, the muscle car era was over. The design studios and engineering labs were padlocked, and the accountants were firmly in charge. But before the good guys left, they fired one last salvo, packing some of the best looking cars ever to be penned with the best chassis and suspension stuff, along with the best engines they could muster, given the new rules. The 1973 Dodge Charger was one of those parting gifts, and this one has been reborn with a much healthier 440 with single-plane Weiand intake and a 509 purple 'shaft. We dig the po-po wheels, power-bulge hood, spoilers, Flowmaster exhaust, and perfecto interior. Evan at full asking price, this is a sweet deal.