ANOTHER new (to me) car

[Skippy722]

Yeah I probably need more help being this is car #9 and I’m barely in my 30’s. But I don’t want the help, as life is too short to drive boring cars.

Enter the Challenger I’ve been wanting since they originally announced them way back when! I don’t have a good picture of it yet, been driving it. 2014, 160k, 5.7 v8 auto trans, obligatory resonator delete so it doesn’t sound like an asthmatic breathing through a straw. Brother in law gave us a good deal. He took fantastic care of it, even has new tires and all new brakes.

It feels great owning 2 of the vehicles I’ve been drooling over since 2008-2009… my 4th gen Ram being the other.

It is my wife’s “fun” car, I just get to drive it occasionally

 

[Skippy722]

View attachment 303017
I may need help...

The “help” is some 200 treadwear tires and an E85 tune+forced induction

 

[fantastic]

I think they did a great job on the appearance of these cars.

 

[Number_35]

I think they did a great job on the appearance of these cars.

I think the Challenger is the best-looking of the retro muscle cars. The Dodge stylists nailed it.

 

[Kira]

A friend's son had a 2016, I think, with the 3.6l. It was your color and you could see where the stripes had been removed.

Like a cranky, old curmudgeon, I eschewed any and all retro/comeback cars, but I've mellowed.
That's the one I like best. The Thunderbird was "disappointment, redefined".

Best of luck with it. Gotta love 160k.

 

[PF52]

I think the Challenger is the best-looking of the retro muscle cars. The Dodge stylists nailed it.

I think so too. And that's tough to do with a "retro" design. Keep it the same too long, and it gets stale, but change it too much it becomes a cartoonish caricature of itself.

 

[I<3oil]

It feels great owning 2 of the vehicles I’ve been drooling over since 2008-2009… my 4th gen Ram being the other.

You drooled over owning a 4th gen Ram truck....?

 

[Skippy722]

You drooled over owning a 4th gen Ram truck....?

Okay not literally drooled, just always wanted one since 2009… I just think they’re neat

To be fair, I looked at Nissan, Ford, and GMC/Chevy before I ever test drove one. Prior to that I hadn’t even driven one!

 

[Silverado12]

I've had two of those. The first was a 2010 V-6 in metallic black and the second was a 2016 5.7 R/T Shaker with the 6 speed in B5 Blue. Call me strange but I liked the six cylinder one better as it had a smoother ride and was automatic.

 

[Number_35]

I've had two of those. The first was a 2010 V-6 in metallic black and the second was a 2016 5.7 R/T Shaker with the 6 speed in B5 Blue. Call me strange but I liked the six cylinder one better as it had a smoother ride and was automatic.

Bear in mind the Pentastar with its net 280ish HP would have made for a pretty hot muscle car back in the late '60s/early '70s.

 

[JavierH19]

Isn't this the last year of the Mercedes 5 speed. Great transmission.

 

[Number_35]

A friend's son had a 2016, I think, with the 3.6l. It was your color and you could see where the stripes had been removed.

Like a cranky, old curmudgeon, I eschewed any and all retro/comeback cars, but I've mellowed.
That's the one I like best. The Thunderbird was "disappointment, redefined".

Best of luck with it. Gotta love 160k.

A friend's wife really liked the look of the retro T-Bird.

I enquired here, and I think it was @bdcardinal who warned me off them - exotic engine, and lots of parts made of unobtanium.

I passed on the message - they live way across the country now, and as of two years ago he was restoring and camperizing a '70s VW bus instead. I approve.

 

[bdcardinal]

A friend's wife really liked the look of the retro T-Bird.

I enquired here, and I think it was @bdcardinal who warned me off them - exotic engine, and lots of parts made of unobtanium.

I passed on the message - they live way across the country now, and as of two years ago he was restoring and camperizing a '70s VW bus instead. I approve.

I just want to say that I really hate that I have that opinion of those Thunderchickens. They could have been an awesome car, but they ended up being a Lincoln LS in drag. I am both delighted and sad that all the plastic thermostat housing jiggly bits are obsolete from Ford.

 

[MCompact]

A Challenger has been on a couple of my potential purchase lists. Nice!

 

[fantastic]

I think the Challenger is the best-looking of the retro muscle cars. The Dodge stylists nailed it.

Yep! %

 

[Number_35]

I just want to say that I really hate that I have that opinion of those Thunderchickens. They could have been an awesome car, but they ended up being a Lincoln LS in drag. I am both delighted and sad that all the plastic thermostat housing jiggly bits are obsolete from Ford.

I do like the styling. I'd assumed the drivetrain was conventional Ford, but IIRC you said that it was something exotic from Ford's Prestige Auto Group (PAG) era - Jag 3.9 perhaps?

That scared me off on my friend's behalf!

 

[bdcardinal]

I do like the styling. I'd assumed the drivetrain was conventional Ford, but IIRC you said that it was something exotic from Ford's Prestige Auto Group (PAG) era - Jag 3.9 perhaps?

That scared me off on my friend's behalf!

Yup, Jag 3.9. Good engine actually, but that car should have had a 4.6 DOHC V8.

 

[Number_35]

Yup, Jag 3.9. Good engine actually, but that car should have had a 4.6 DOHC V8.

In my opinion (not that they asked me), Ford should have shortened the Crown Vic platform (keeping the drivetrain) and added the retro T-Bird sheet metal.

Sort of a Ford Falcon to Mustang thing ...

 

[SC Maintenance]

Okay not literally drooled, just always wanted one since 2009… I just think they’re neat

To be fair, I looked at Nissan, Ford, and GMC/Chevy before I ever test drove one. Prior to that I hadn’t even driven one!

There are lots of average cars out there I would like to own. To each there own.

 

[crashz]

Love the Challenger. Shocked by the road manners of then newest generation Ram 1500's as well. But alas, we can't have them all.