which to do

I think you'd be money ahead to build your own & enjoy it. But.......with the collector car market (as well as the economy in general) going soft like it is you MIGHT run across a deal on an original. A couple of problems with that. You'll have to have the money available if/when you find one for sale, and, there's probably a LOT of people also looking for that same deal.

If it was me, & I was able to do it, I'd probably build a Hemi-Dart Clone or a 70-71 Hemi-Cuda clone (because I've always loved the 70-71 cars). You could do it your way & enjoy the hell out of it without the worries that come with owning & driving an original.