Best '70s/Early '80s Muscle Car For Beginners

[CharonCriss]

I'm in the very early stages of getting into American muscle cars. On a visual level, I really like Camaros, Trans Ams, Novas, etc. I mentioned in another forum that I don't really know much at all about car maintenance and repair, but I'd like to start learning while I save up. I just sort of want an idea of what I should be aiming for, so I guess my question is what would be a decent muscle car (built sometime in the '70s or early '80s) that would be a good learning experience for a beginner but not really throw them into an overwhelming deep end that would send them running and screaming in the other direction?

[CharonCriss]

Just to provide a few examples of some cars that I really like for their aesthetic...

The Hemicuda from Phantasm: http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9flzzDgLA1qa9fbg.j...

Not a big Transformers fan but I dig the look of the '77 Camaro: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4N8QJKdk1mY/maxresdefault.j...

This '77 Trans Am is sort of my mental idea if what I'd see myself driving: http://www.seanzarinegarcars.com/wp-content/upload...

And I'll just throw this Chevy Nova in here because it was my mother's dream car so I grew up liking them too: http://www.autoinfluence.com/wp-content/uploads/20...

[CharonCriss]

I'm starting from square one so my current budget is $0 LOL I'm actually just starting to save up but I guess that gives me time to do lots of looking before I decide. I'm quickly learning that rust is a pretty big deal for a lot of muscle cars so I might try to learn body work before I get into any other types of repair.

[CharonCriss]

Yeah, I knew Hemicudas were pricey...I didn't know they were THAT pricey! I knew Mustangs had parts that were plentiful compared to other classic cars but I'd heard the same thing about Camaros too and was hoping I might be able to get a Camaro cheaper.

[CharonCriss]

Yeah, I'm learning a lot about the terminology too. I was using the term "muscle car" as a broader term than I should have. With proper muscle cars wrapping up in '71 or '72, I think the type of car I'm looking for would be like "the son of the muscle car". All joking aside, these are all great suggestions and I appreciate everyone's input!