Newer challenger's

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I'm thinking about sucking it up and driving my Duster this evening to run an errand. But it's like 95 degrees and I will be doing it alone if I do because my wife would be really uncomfortable. Or we go together in her car and I leave the Duster in the garage once again. One of those times where my Challenger would have been nice to still own.
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Biggest reason why my cars rarely get driven. i don't care much if it's a little bit on the warm side, but above 80*, I want a/c. I'm old and cranky, LOL
 
I'm just keeping them all. Drove the Scamp to work Tuesday. Drove my Jeep on Wednesday. Drove the Challenger today and I'm gonna drove my 1969 VW Beetle tomorrow! I love them all :)
What you have done to the scamp?
 
I've personally drove around in the newer stuff. R/T challenger, Scat Pak challenger, 2SS Camaro's, GT 'stang. Here's my opinion.

Pro's:
  • They offer all the creature comforts
  • Fast and powerful for "off the show room floor". Will mop the floor with yesterdays muscle cars off the show room floor.
  • 28-30 mpg. That's right. 500 hp (net at that!) and still get ya the MPG's
  • Handling and braking is outstanding
  • In general, very reliable.
  • Safety features should the unfortunate happen
Con's
  • Just going to the Post Office, feels like any other mid size new car.
  • Not nearly as fun to open the hood and "dream of the next step" .... like dual quads, etc
  • Very expensive to upgrade heads, intakes, etc.
  • And the nostalgic feel is gone. Completely. That character is missing :(
 
I've personally drove around in the newer stuff. R/T challenger, Scat Pak challenger, 2SS Camaro's, GT 'stang. Here's my opinion.

Pro's:
  • They offer all the creature comforts
  • Fast and powerful for "off the show room floor". Will mop the floor with yesterdays muscle cars off the show room floor.
  • 28-30 mpg. That's right. 500 hp (net at that!) and still get ya the MPG's
  • Handling and braking is outstanding
  • Safety features should the unfortunate happen
Con's
  • Just going to the Post Office, feels like any other mid size new car.
  • Not nearly as fun to open the hood and "dream of the next step" .... like dual quads, etc
  • Very expensive to upgrade heads, intakes, etc.
  • And the nostalgic feel is gone. Completely. That character is missing :(
Exactly, the new stuff just doesn't have the "soul" or character of the classics. I have owned and or driven each of the ones you mentioned, and yes they can be a blast to drive, get great fuel economy, handle and brake really well, but the feeling just isn't there.
 
Con's
  • Just going to the Post Office, feels like any other mid size new car.
  • Not nearly as fun to open the hood and "dream of the next step" .... like dual quads, etc
  • Very expensive to upgrade heads, intakes, etc.
  • And the nostalgic feel is gone. Completely. That character is missing :(

Funny, I found it the opposite for a couple of these.
  • Mine always felt special and I would happily jump in it to go to the Post Office. Always liked walking back to it while it idled by the curb; love the sound and the look. Didn't sound or look like any other mid sized new car to me.
  • I like the visuals of my motor and never had problems with making plans. If anything it was one of my problems. :D
  • No real argument on the cost of hopping one up, but I will say a 6.4 cam into a 5.7 really isn't any more expensive than one into an LA. And the nice thing about any of the Hemi's is that the heads already beat most of what is available for a SB so those really aren't necessary to upgrade. Same with the intake other than maybe stepping up to a 6.4 one on a 5.7. On the other hand, long tubes and aftermarket cams are much more expensive and everything comes with the expectation that a tune is needed which can set you back a pretty penny.
  • I always loved the character of mine. Easy going and mellow until I asked for a response in anger. It was (in my mind) the best of both worlds.

Something I have to acknowledge is that I was probably somewhat imprinted on the newer Challengers. I was there in Vegas when they unveiled the prototype, and every time I saw them on the road I said I was going to own one. So I certainly have a predisposition towards seeing them in a favorable light. Not much different than some of the reasons we like Mopar instead of GM.

I owned both my Duster and my Challenger at the same time, and in my eyes, the Challenger just did everything better than my Duster. The only place the Duster was better was in that I could point to it and say I drug it out of a junk yard and put it back on the road and did most of the work myself. Certainly something to hang a hat on, but when comparing what a car is actually support to do the Duster just fell short in most every way. The Duster is getting better, but still a long ways to go.

Character and feel are such an individualistic thing. So hard to put a finger on.
 
I had a 2013 Ram that I absolutely loved. But, I got sick, and still had to work, so I wasn't using the truck as a truck. So, we traded it for a 2018 T/A Challenger. It still doesn't have 6k miles. I looked it up on another forum, and there were only 72 in this color sold in the U.S. I absolutely love it. It has everything, even the 6 piston calipers. I still have 4 classic cars, so I haven't moved on.
Like others said, the old cars, combined with no a/c plus living in Florida, they end up sitting.

20201115_164703.jpg
 
Funny, I found it the opposite for a couple of these.
  • Mine always felt special and I would happily jump in it to go to the Post Office. Always liked walking back to it while it idled by the curb; love the sound and the look. Didn't sound or look like any other mid sized new car to me.
  • I like the visuals of my motor and never had problems with making plans. If anything it was one of my problems. :D
  • No real argument on the cost of hopping one up, but I will say a 6.4 cam into a 5.7 really isn't any more expensive than one into an LA. And the nice thing about any of the Hemi's is that the heads already beat most of what is available for a SB so those really aren't necessary to upgrade. Same with the intake other than maybe stepping up to a 6.4 one on a 5.7. On the other hand, long tubes and aftermarket cams are much more expensive and everything comes with the expectation that a tune is needed which can set you back a pretty penny.
  • I always loved the character of mine. Easy going and mellow until I asked for a response in anger. It was (in my mind) the best of both worlds.

Something I have to acknowledge is that I was probably somewhat imprinted on the newer Challengers. I was there in Vegas when they unveiled the prototype, and every time I saw them on the road I said I was going to own one. So I certainly have a predisposition towards seeing them in a favorable light. Not much different than some of the reasons we like Mopar instead of GM.

I owned both my Duster and my Challenger at the same time, and in my eyes, the Challenger just did everything better than my Duster. The only place the Duster was better was in that I could point to it and say I drug it out of a junk yard and put it back on the road and did most of the work myself. Certainly something to hang a hat on, but when comparing what a car is actually support to do the Duster just fell short in most every way. The Duster is getting better, but still a long ways to go.

Character and feel are such an individualistic thing. So hard to put a finger on.
What I meant was the rack-n-pinion steering, 4 wheel disc brake, strut suspension feels like ..... all that on a '08 Pontiac Grand Prix.
 
A friend of mine has been trying to get me to buy a newer challenger. I know that they are more comfortable and run great, but I'm not good with technology stuff, he showed me all the things that his challenger has on it through the information center on the dash and it was mind boggling to me. Plus they are not cheap, I'm not ready for a big car payment at almost 63. I did think about it though.
I owned a ‘15 SXT, that’s a V6 with all the R/T upgraded parts. Gutless out of the hole, but otherwise an excellent road car that you’ll want nothing really. Yea, not as fast as a HEMI for sure, but there is no lack of get up and go once you are on the Hwy.

For less money than a R/T, you can upgrade the car with a hood exhaust and a super charger that will (still cost less than a R/T) & stand just about exactly toe to toe with a R/T and still get better mileage while cruising.

But I don’t blame you with not wanting a car payment.
Not one bit.
 
What’s a car payment?
You pay cash for all your new cars? I'm not going to pay what they are asking for the newer challenger's, and at 63 I'm not interested in getting into debt over a car and I have better things to do with my money.
 
Well I will contribute to the rabbit hole. I too have a Modern Scat Pack Challenger. To say I love driving it is an understatement. I have driven it across the Country three times. One of those times I had so many tools in the car it listed! Seriously you could fit three dead bodies in the trunk. And I was by myself so the cab was loaded down as well. I was so impressed (and still am) I found a wrecked SRT with Tremec six speed and dumped in my 72 Demon. I am turning less than 1500 rpm’s at sixty mph. It is a hoot to drive. I will never go back. It was very hard for me to do the swap as I did it all myself but it was worth every aggravating step. No regrets!

3CD1A807-2AD4-4361-B7C2-9FEE62294061.jpeg
 
Well I will contribute to the rabbit hole. I too have a Modern Scat Pack Challenger. To say I love driving it is an understatement. I have driven it across the Country three times. One of those times I had so many tools in the car it listed! Seriously you could fit three dead bodies in the trunk. And I was by myself so the cab was loaded down as well. I was so impressed (and still am) I found a wrecked SRT with Tremec six speed and dumped in my 72 Demon. I am turning less than 1500 rpm’s at sixty mph. It is a hoot to drive. I will never go back. It was very hard for me to do the swap as I did it all myself but it was worth every aggravating step. No regrets!

View attachment 1715969553
i just love that Demon. Right stance, color scheme, you knocked it out of the park!
 
Well I will contribute to the rabbit hole. I too have a Modern Scat Pack Challenger. To say I love driving it is an understatement. I have driven it across the Country three times. One of those times I had so many tools in the car it listed! Seriously you could fit three dead bodies in the trunk. And I was by myself so the cab was loaded down as well. I was so impressed (and still am) I found a wrecked SRT with Tremec six speed and dumped in my 72 Demon. I am turning less than 1500 rpm’s at sixty mph. It is a hoot to drive. I will never go back. It was very hard for me to do the swap as I did it all myself but it was worth every aggravating step. No regrets!

View attachment 1715969553
I came close to buying a crate 392 hemi and a Tremec 5 speed for my 69 charger. I just couldn’t do it with my bad back and my time crunch. I decided to put the money into the stock motor and Tremec 5 speed.

Along that lines, the Trick Flow 240 heads are in stock at 440source.
 
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