Gremlin was on my list when getting my first car coming out of college. It was possible to option the thing all sorts of ways, including with some "performance" parts and disc (front) brakes (disc brakes were relatively rare in American cars at the time - and the ones for the Gremlin were non-power!) at a reasonable price. Biggest engine available from the factory was the 304 V8 (thirsty bugger), but according to Wikipedia's references V8s up to 401 cu in (AMC made 360 and 401 inch V8s as well as the 304) would "just drop in" and a dealer was factory-sanctioned to offer one with the 401. As it turned out, my finances were rather limited by the time school was over, so I got a used Opel 1900 wagon another student was selling for enough money to pay that year's bills - a story of woe for another day, and definitely not train-related.

The only Gremlin I actually drove was a fleet vehicle with definite front end problems, but it got a couple of us to where we needed to go and back again. And unlike the Vegas they took more than a year or 2 to rust out (not much more, but more). Wife had a late-production Hornet (with the "hot rod" 2-barrel carb "big" six) when we got married, that was fairly reliable and driveable but a total fuel pig.