2. Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
The third-generation F-Body was GM`s favorite muscle car offering from the early `90s to 2003 when Camaro and its twin brother Pontiac Firebird were discontinued. The Z28 Camaro was introduced in 1996 and it featured a powerful 5.7-liter V8 with 325 hp which was enough to launch it just from 0 to 60 mph in just over 5 seconds and propelled it to 160 mph top speed.
The third-generation Camaro was a fairly simple car, easy to maintain and work on and it featured live rear axle, strong gearbox, and tough chassis. This was the perfect modern muscle car. Tough, durable and reasonably fast with a big aftermarket offering of spare parts and go-fast components. In contrast to other more sophisticated cars on this list, this Z28 is a red-blooded American performance machine that you can get for under $10,000. Of course, always look for stock examples that haven’t been modified.