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Modern RWD cars do very well in bad conditions thanks to traction/stability control. My Magnum does surprisingly good in snow.
The Regal GS I have has traction control, that was the best vehicle I ever drove in the snow bar none except awd/4wd. Someone previously mentioned RWD is as good and I'd have to strongly disagree with that. I've driven both extensively in all kinds of conditions. It's just a a matter of physics, trying to push something over a slippery surface will never give you as much control as pulling it. Plus you have the weight of the engine directly on the wheels.
Just one simple example here, suppose you're in town and go around corner to quick (not that I ever did that). If you start sliding a little there is not a whole lot you can do with RWD. With FWD you can turn the wheel and punch it.
OP may have mis-stated the term muscle car although he DID use the mustang as a comparison. If you are looking for mustang level performance under $15k you are certainly looking at a used car.
That much power in a FWD car will get you torque steer and generally difficult power management and you'll end up feathering the throttle to avoid smoking 1 wheel.
Muscle cars are cool because you can lay some rubber by smoking the rear wheels, but what is even cooler than that is a 4 wheel burn out. So while a WRX is powerful, the STI is closer to the muscle you're looking for.
In my opinion, one of Audi's V8 S4 models is a top choice and might be found under $15k very soon. Otherwise, the STI and the R32 could be very entertaining drives. No opinion or comment on reliability.
There a plenty of FWD cars with a little "umph" but I would definitely not consider any of them muscle cars.
I have a 2013 Dodge Dart 1.4T. I've done some small mods(exhaust, air intake) and it's still extremely slow(220hp ish with 200 lbs torque ish). But I love it, it gets great gas milage, it's wonderful in the snow, and overall has been a good car. You can get a 2013 for easily less than 15K with still low miles. I bought mine last year with 7K miles for 16K.
And those are one of my favorite sleepers for sure.
That's the best part about it, no one knows. As I said to my cousin a lot of cars may be faster but they aren't as fast. 60 to 90 is scary and that is where you will either catch up or pass, it just keeps on accelerating after that.
The OPs desire would have been easier back in the 1990s when there was a glut of FWD sport coupes like Mazda MX6, Ford Probe, Mitsubishi Eclipse and it's Chrysler clones, the GM cars (Grand Am coupe and it's siblings), the Honda/Acura coupes like Integra and Prelude, Nissan 240SX, Toyota Celica, Chevy Berretta, and Subaru SVX (the forgotten sport coupe). Most sports coupes no longer exist anymore. It's almost all sedans now.
I noticed no love for the 2010-present SHO. While not FWD per se it is as close as you will get to "muscle car" and is AWD.
I thought about posting it. There really are a lot of options. He doesn't seem interested in AWD though. And the SHO was the only Taurus with the V6EB motor, which only came with AWD. They are very heavy cars, though.
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). If you start sliding a little there is not a whole lot you can do with RWD. With FWD you can turn the wheel and punch it.
