When it comes to buying a classic car for a street muscle project, a lot of people feel they’ve been priced out of the market.

If you are looking for a 1970 Chevelle or ’69 Mustang Mach 1, you may be right. These vehicles are among the most expensive in the automotive world. But if you are buying a classic car today, there are ways to do it without going broke.

OK, you could end up going broke anyway, but at least you’ll have fun doing it. Food and shelter are overrated anyway.

We found this unusual ’68 Cougar XR7 on Facebook Marketplace. It is advertised as “rust-free” and priced significantly less than your typical ’68 Mustang.

Our advice is to look for something else — something similar but not matching. Sometimes the alternatives are intriguing, and you won’t end up in a cliché muscle car. Instead of a ’70 Chevelle, perhaps a ’70 Pontiac Tempest or Oldsmobile Cutlass is more in your price range.

Maybe a four-door or a wagon would be fun. Don’t pigeonhole yourself, especially if you are on a budget.

We think a good alternative to a car like the Mustang is its cousin, the Mercury Cougar. Before they got all big in the ’70s and went chasing Monte Carlos to the local disco, they were a sporty and quirky alternative to Ford’s original pony car.

The Cougar hit the market in 1967 as a more upscale choice in a market niche dominated by sporty but often untamed compacts (including the second-gen ’67 Plymouth Barracuda and all-new Chevrolet Camaro).

Unlike the other three entries in the segment (the Firebird would come a few months later), the Cougar had a V-8 engine as standard equipment, the 289 two-barrel with 200 horsepower. The 390 four-barrel FE with 320 HP was optional.

It had unique sheet metal and only one body style was offered, a two-door hardtop on a 111-inch wheelbase. That’s three inches longer than the Mustang for those keeping score at home.

The Cougar was a smash hit that first year, outselling the Barracuda and Firebird combined. The final tally was 150,893 cars.

New for 1968 were federally-mandated front and rear side marker lights. That’s the easiest way to distinguish it from a ’67.

The Cougar’s sophomore year saw some trim and model changes. The 302 debuted with a two-barrel carb and 210 ponies.

The 390 was still offered, but the most interesting Cougars were the 427 with 390 horsepower and the 428 Cobra Jet. The Cougar was the last vehicle in which Ford used the 427, and the 428 CJ was legendary from day one.

But the Cougar that most intrigues us today is this ’68 we found on Facebook Marketplace. It is the upscale XR7 model, which gave you rocker panel moldings, and special wheel covers, but also an overhead console with map and warning lights, deep loop carpeting, and leather-trimmed seats, among other niceties.

It’s the powertrain that got to us, though. It is the basest of the base: 302 two-barrel and a three-speed manual gearbox! I’ve been around these cars since I was a kid and I’ve never seen one with a three-speed stick.

What makes it even crazier is it has the factory knee-knocker air conditioner and power brakes. Where else are you going to find such a bizarre combination in another pony car?

The asking price is $12,500 and the owner claims it is rust-free. The driver’s side is going to need a bunch of work, but what a great project this would make. We bet you could get it for less than the asking price, too.

Try to find a ’68 Mustang in supposed rust-free condition for this price. Good luck with that.

Let’s say you make this score. Do you restore it to stock? Add a late-model, fuel-injected small-block or a Coyote? (Anything but an LS, please … ) It’s a blank canvas, but that three-speed is talking to me. Maybe build up the original 302 and keep that unusual gearbox.

The best thing about this is you certainly won’t see yourself coming and going at every Cars and Coffee.

Let us know what you think.