I own a 2013 Dodge Charger SRT (an FC brand). At $51k & 470hp out the door, it's the best performing and cheapest muscle car in its class. It can also seat my family of 4 comfortably. In 6 years and 42k miles, I've had zero drive train issues. Only problems I've had are suspension (I drive on pot hole ridden Chicago area roads) and tires worn prematurely due to bent suspension arms.
Dont know what your experience is with FC, but that's been mine.
42k miles / 6 years is a barely used car. I would expect a post year 2000 car to go 150k, even 200k miles with no drive train problems assuming normal conditions. Also, the stats show Fiat/Chrysler experiencing the most problems:
Not saying that Dodge doesn't make power. Mopar power is for sure a thing. The Demon and Hellcat in particular are awesome feats of engineering. Now they've come out with a 1000 HPE crate motor, too (the "Hellephant").
But F/C reliability, construction quality, etc. are known issues. As the other comment shows via JD Power rankings, F/C has poor QC. However, as those rankings show, Ford isn't amazing in that area either.
But, I'd challenge the "best performing and cheaptest" statement. The 2018/9 Ford Mustang GT peaks at 460 HP and 420 lb-ft of torque, starting at $35k. One could argue the new mustangs are less "muscle" and more "sport" cars, but I'd say it's still muscle.
p.s. I'm not affiliated with any automotive company.
Dont know what your experience is with FC, but that's been mine.
Edit: math on years owned.