IF I were to get a new car, it would be a plain white Challenger R/T with the 6MT.
I like the Mustang and used to like the Camaro, but the Challenger beats them both in terms of styling. I like big cars and this is in that category. I don't know why people say it's hard to park. It looks no bigger than my 2-Door Crown Vic. I could park that car with no problems.
z31maniac wrote: See that's funny since the Challenger is NOTICEABLY slower than a 11+ GT.
I'm sure the Mustang is a great car but its all about frame of reference and what one likes. I've never been in one so I have no idea of a speed comparison.
From what I've read I'd probably like the way the GT drives better. My brother didn't look at Mustangs because he doesn't like them. I didn't really like the Mustang either until the latest revision.
I will say he gets a lot of comments on his car and really loves it.
I know I know the used car vs new thing but I keep looking at it and thinking that even as a GT car I could get a 996 Turbo with like 30k miles on it for the same money
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: I like the Mustang and used to like the Camaro, but the Challenger beats them both in terms of styling.
I liked the Challenger (or should I say I didn't like the Camaro) until I saw the two together, and IMO, the Camaro looks 100 times better.
Jaynen wrote: I know I know the used car vs new thing but I keep looking at it and thinking that even as a GT car I could get a 996 Turbo with like 30k miles on it for the same money
This, x eleventy-seven!!!
Included the Hemi Challenger in my recent car searches. There's a E36 M3load of 2-8K mile cars as compared to real drivers as if they're all being kept as collectors. Primo berkeleying prices too.
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: IF I were to get a new car, it would be a plain white Challenger R/T with the 6MT. I like the Mustang and used to like the Camaro, but the Challenger beats them both in terms of styling. I like big cars and this is in that category. I don't know why people say it's hard to park. It looks no bigger than my 2-Door Crown Vic. I could park that car with no problems.
Ah, the Ralph Guiles One Lap Challenger... Funny fate that car had. Cooked the brakes in, IIRC, the first turn, went off and was totaled. It was also a pre-production model.
I want to like it, but... my gut tells me no.
Jaynen wrote: I know I know the used car vs new thing but I keep looking at it and thinking that even as a GT car I could get a 996 Turbo with like 30k miles on it for the same money
Apple, meet Orange
neon4891 wrote:SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: IF I were to get a new car, it would be a plain white Challenger R/T with the 6MT. I like the Mustang and used to like the Camaro, but the Challenger beats them both in terms of styling. I like big cars and this is in that category. I don't know why people say it's hard to park. It looks no bigger than my 2-Door Crown Vic. I could park that car with no problems.Ah, the Ralph Guiles One Lap Challenger... Funny fate that car had. Cooked the brakes in, IIRC, the first turn, went off and was totaled. It was also a pre-production model. I want to like it, but... my gut tells me no.
bad karma to goof on Kowalski
ugh
Jaynen wrote: I know I know the used car vs new thing but I keep looking at it and thinking that even as a GT car I could get a 996 Turbo with like 30k miles on it for the same money
True, but running costs and insurance would be vastly different. I only pay $10/ month more for the Mustang then I did for a Frontier.
Zomby Woof wrote:SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: I like the Mustang and used to like the Camaro, but the Challenger beats them both in terms of styling.I liked the Challenger (or should I say I didn't like the Camaro) until I saw the two together, and IMO, the Camaro looks 100 times better.
Let me rephrase. I like the way the front of the Camaro looks. It looks good. The back end however looks like too many people had too many inputs on how everything should look. That really made my mind up.
I just picked up a 2012 RT auto. It's the first Dodge I've ever owned...I've owned probably 10 mustangs since '92, the newest one I had was a '07 GT, just to let you know where I am coming from. Anyway, I got the go-ahead to trade in wife's '07 since she hardly ever drove it. I test drove the '12 Mustang 5.0 auto and stick, and the '12 Challenger auto .... didn't even consider the Camaro as I think they're ugly. The ONLY reason the stang was in the mix was because of the Coyote engine. At the end of going back and forth in my own head for a month, I decided to get the Challenger. Why? It's roomier in the back seat (my 9 year old can COMFORTABLY sit in the rear seat), it rides better, it's roomier up front (no bumping elbows with the wife), it's quiet on the inside, it has decent seats, power everything, etc (stuff you've seen other people mention).
There were 2 things that ultimately put me in the Challenger. First, it's a DAILY DRIVER...do I REALLY need 50 more hp (and 500lbs less weight) that the Mustang has? Answer: NO...the Hemi's got more than enough power to get you in trouble. I think this is the single most important question you need to ask yourself when considering a daily driver. The second thing that pushed me into the Challenger is the fact that the damn car just looks totally bad-ass (even with stock 20" wheels at stock ride height [which is too high, but we'll fix that later]). For me, it boiled down to the fact that, when I first saw the concept car back in , what 2007(6?), I said to myself "I have GOT to own one of those one day"..well, for me, that day came, and believe me, I have not regretted the decision once! ....and in the interest of full disclosure, I still own a 1993 SVT Cobra Mustang that I bought new so I still have a stang with the right number of pedals to play with :)
For those saying it's too big to dea with as a daily driver, i dealt with a 740iL as a daily driver and that's bigger than the Challenger. It's not that hard. A lot of us drive pickup trucks, too, and those are bigger by far.
People used to daily drive much larger cars as most domestic cars were that big or bigger in the '60s and early '70s. Cars like Caprices and Galaxies and Fury IIIs. and the station wagon versions of those cars. We are supposedly better drivers in this group than average Americans, so handling a slightly larger car daily should be no problem, even if you're used to driving a Miata.
Challengers are holding their value quite nicely, so they are priced a bit higher than I was looking for when I went out looking, and why I'm in an '06 Mustang GT instead of a Plum Crazy Challenger R/T right now.
It's true that Magnums were never manual. Its also true that half of my manual cars started life as automatics. Having said that, im not even considering swapping my magnum. The auto fits what it is.
I know I know the used car vs new thing but I keep looking at it and thinking that even as a GT car I could get a 996 Turbo with like 30k miles on it for the same money
Parts prices and upkeep will be vastly different. The challenger is a normal car with fairly cheap parts. When my magnum got damaged (same-ish car) i got the entire right rear suspension (FIVE control arms, spindle, spring, shock, rotor, caliper, abs sensor, etc) for ~$110 used from LKQ. Totally different ballparks on cost of ownership. Not that im disagreeing with you.
Why? It's roomier in the back seat, it rides better, it's roomier up front, it's quiet on the inside, it has decent seats, power everything, etc
Yeah, IMO there's a big difference between the challenger and the camaro and mustang on that front. Especially vs the camaro. The Challenger can feel like a normal car when you want it to. The Camaro can never feel like anything other than a bunker on wheels. Space and visibility are just too crappy for it to not remind you that you're in a very compromised (specialized would be a nice euphemism) vehicle. I have somewhat less problem with the mustang in that way but thats only because its smaller and lighter per its lack of space and visibility. 
Ok, so the Challenger is a big GT car. That is exactly what I'm looking for. Like I said before, my daily commute is pretty much all highway so that works for me. Again, no HPDE's with it, as I have other cars for that. If I can get 24-26mpg out of it, I will be happy.
I am thinking that unless I find a screaming deal, I can wait 3-4 years until my Mazda is paid off and get the car then. That way I will be looking at the current model with the updated suspension and interior rather than the older 2009-2010 ones, not that there is much wrong with those. If I do that then I can use the Mazda in the winter, too.
Again, I have driven a 2011 Mustang GT a few times. It was very fast and I liked it, but I know they have been having issues with the transmissions and people are popping motors, too. The Camaro is cheaper, but I just like how the Challenger looks a lot more than the Camaro.
The only people popping motors are doing it with crappy aftermarket tunes.
Ford sells a supercharger kit that doesn't void the warranty.
I will admit that the transmission is clunky and noisy,but it seems to be breaking in over time (just over 2000 miles on the car now)
z31maniac wrote: The only people popping motors are doing it with crappy aftermarket tunes. Ford sells a supercharger kit that doesn't void the warranty. I will admit that the transmission is clunky and noisy,but it seems to be breaking in over time (just over 2000 miles on the car now)
That is true about the tune. I have heard something about tuners not compensating for the #8 cylinder having a separate fuel map than the rest of them, and possibly a bigger injector. The tuners didn't realize that, and that results in putting a hole in that cylinder! 
The one I drove a few times had both a stock shifter and an aftermarket shifter, and then back to a stock one. I preferred the stock shifter honestly. I had no issues with the transmission and it felt nice, but the owner has said that it's getting clunky now and was saving up for a built tranny to replace the stock one.
I did like the car. His car is a base, no-frills GT. It was comfortable, and I thought the base interior was light years ahead of the 2009 WRX I was driving. I felt like I was in command of the universe in that thing.
I get the feeling that the Challenger will be similar, but handle more like the big muscle car coupes of the old days. It really doesn't bother me that it's not as fast, because I hope to keep my Trans Am or CSX for stuff like that. 
Good deal! I LOVE the way the Challenger's look, but have always been a Mustang fanboy.
Chris_V wrote: For those saying it's too big to dea with as a daily driver, i dealt with a 740iL as a daily driver and that's bigger than the Challenger. It's not that hard. A lot of us drive pickup trucks, too, and those are bigger by far. People used to daily drive much larger cars as most domestic cars were that big or bigger in the '60s and early '70s. Cars like Caprices and Galaxies and Fury IIIs. and the station wagon versions of those cars. We are supposedly better drivers in this group than average Americans, so handling a slightly larger car daily should be no problem, even if you're used to driving a Miata.
Exactly. I daily drive my Caprice wagon in the summer months, and I rarely have issues with its size.
Another question about these...
I've read somewhere that the new Hemi V8's have 16 spark plugs. Is that true?
SilverFleet wrote: Another question about these... I've read somewhere that the new Hemi V8's have 16 spark plugs. Is that true?
True
Love the looks of the Challenger. Everytime I see one I want one so bad. I have zero use for it though. It doesn't do much besides look good
Why wait 4 years?! Get it NOW
In reply to SilverFleet:
Yep, coil on plug AND plug wires, leading and trailing.
miatame wrote:SilverFleet wrote: Another question about these... I've read somewhere that the new Hemi V8's have 16 spark plugs. Is that true?True Love the looks of the Challenger. Everytime I see one I want one so bad. I have zero use for it though. It doesn't do much besides look good
I just bought the 3 last year, and it's been a very good car and cheap to run. I am just plotting out a game plan so when it's time to get my next car, I know exactly what I'm getting into. From the research I'm doing, I guess that a new model is coming out in 2014. If all goes well, the newer 2011+ cars will depreciate so much that I can snag one for around what I'm paying now for the 3. The 2011+ cars have a number of updates that make them appealing over the 2009-2010 ones. The only downside is that the orange color I like will be out of the question.
I have also been driving the wife insane with Challenger talk, and I think she may kill me before I get the chance to buy one.
I test drove one. I didn't buy it. They are nice cars, but you need to know what they are not.
They are NOT lightweight. They are NOT good-handling sports cars. They are NOT fuel-efficient. They are NOT as fast as you think they should be.
That being said, they are beautiful vehicles that are very comfortable and have lots of room. They are great for cruising around and going on long trips. I would never, ever consider racing one.
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