Pony cars, or muscle cars if you prefer, are selling rather well of late. What better time is there to buy a sporty new American car than in the lead-up to the summer of 2010, as the American automotive industry reinvigorates itself, when the deals and temperatures are equally hot?
Brand loyalty is a difficult thing to decipher. Are there any Chevrolet enthusiasts in America who’d be willing to buy a 2011 Ford Mustang…. if the Mustang was the better car…. if the Mustang was the better cheaper car? Then there’s the big 2010 Dodge Challenger, a car with style and horsepower to spare in SRT8 form; a car lacking in both departments when seen as the run-of-the-mill SE. Would a former Ford Mustang owner, or a young guy who grew up yearning for a Camaro, consider a Dodge Challenger?
Let’s assume brand loyalty means nothing. For the purposes of this article we’ll ignore acceleration times, our subjective style opinions, and the gs each car pulled on Car & Driver’s skidpad. Think of pony car purchasing in a purely financial sense. Will it be the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, or Dodge’s Challenger that ends up appealing to your bank account? Find out after the jump.