So the wife wants a fun sports car of her own. Think I've talked her into a new or slightly used Challenger. What packages and options are a must have? R/T Scat Pack? What about a wide-body versus standard?
Ideas and input are appreciated.
What does she want in terms of performance? My daily driver is a 15 SXT. For a daily driver it's all I want. I know it's the slow poke in the family but if I want to pass someone it gets the job done quick. Also no problem breaking loose leaving a light. Everything above an SXT is going to cost you more money to buy and give you poorer gas mileage. I also have a 12 RT. The SXT is simply cheaper to operate because of better mileage and it runs on regular where the RT takes mid grade. Also, I don't care for the looks of a wide body, but again, which one does she prefer the looks of?
Define what kind of sport car she had in mind? Light and nimble, carving corners is not really the Challenger best traits.
Quote from: blown motor on March 28, 2021, 06:50:31 PM
What does she want in terms of performance? My daily driver is a 15 SXT. For a daily driver it's all I want. I know it's the slow poke in the family but if I want to pass someone it gets the job done quick. Also no problem breaking loose leaving a light. Everything above an SXT is going to cost you more money to buy and give you poorer gas mileage. I also have a 12 RT. The SXT is simply cheaper to operate because of better mileage and it runs on regular where the RT takes mid grade. Also, I don't care for the looks of a wide body, but again, which one does she prefer the looks of?
My 2015 R/T just calls for regular gas. That's what I've always ran in it.
Is the wife eyeballing Challengers? Or is she just looking for something fun to drive in general? I picked up a 2006 C6 corvette with 6711 miles on it for cheap and it will out drive most of those modern Challengers. There are a lot of low mileage Vette's out there, they're fast, they handle and they're reliable, many of them are garage queens, bargains on C6 and C7's are all over the place now that we he C8 is out.
If I were buying a newer challenger I think I'd get a scat pack car... you can find decent deals on them if you shop around. Anything with a modern hemi under the hood has more power than you need on the street. I'd also opt for an automatic with paddle shifters.
I don't like the cloth interior in the modern challengers, leather is worth the $$$
My wife has a 2019 SXT. I have an 06 Magnum R/T. I can beat her off the line and for trips to the gas station.
SXT with the 8 speed get 2x the mileage and has the same HP as the old 5.7. The new trans really makes the difference.
And really, how crazy is she likely to drive everyday. Once you buy the car, it is yours for a while. She drove a Scat pack first. No cigar.
The only thing she misses is the sound of a v-8. Not the go.
And if she decides she wants more go in the future, the v-6 responds well to a bolt on supercharger. Easy 500 horses with one.
She wants something fun and quick. She used to have a Jetta turbo which she keeps saying how much fun it was to drive. Has to have the right lines. I know I can't sell her on a SXT. She wants a V8 and says she wants a hemi. Thought about a vette. Maybe we will have to let her test drive one so she can compare to the Challenger. Does the wide-body offer anything in handling?
I'm in the same situation with my wife. Her birthday is next month and she would like a fun, late model non daily driver to enjoy on nice days and possibly take on longer overnight road trips for vacations, car shows and cruise ins.
Her only requirement are NO black cars and it MUST have a manual transmission, she is a die hard gear head :twothumbsup:
I've looked at many possible late model candidates Mustang GT's Camaros, BMW's, Porsche, Mercedes Vipers etc,
I've narrowed it down to Scat Pack Shaker Challenger, Hellcat Challenger or C7 Corvette.
The C7 have good power and handling and are less common than the earlier Vettes but no back seat if we want to take the grand kids with us.
The Shaker Challengers seem to hold their value well, I'm seeing a lot more autos for sale the the manuals.
I have a number of friends with them and they all are very satisfied.
The manual Hellcats are cheaper than the autos and I'm seeing a number of them in the mid's 40's but these seem like a car that could get you in trouble real quick is your not careful especially if we get caught in the rain.
Good luck to the OP in your search, I have about a month....
Took a trip from our home in Washington state to Salt Lake City and back earlier this month in our 2015 Shaker R/T Challenger w/automatic transmission. We had sun, snow and rain during that 5 day trip. Went over three mountain passes. Speed limit is 80 mph across southern Idaho and northern Utah. Spent 3 of those days driving around SLC visiting family. Here's the trip odometer reading when we got home. The 5.7 gives us enough go. I had the 2016 Challenger Scat for a loaner for 4 days one time. Fun but I prefer mine.
Terry
great thread.
Now that I am not commuting daily to the office, I was thinking about my next car. I was leaning towards a 392 Scat Pack or TA. It would be my daily, but not likely get driven everyday. I am likely looking at next year, but will be following this thread.
Jason
Quote from: 71vert340 on March 29, 2021, 08:57:48 AM
Took a trip from our home in Washington state to Salt Lake City and back earlier this month in our 2015 Shaker R/T Challenger w/automatic transmission. We had sun, snow and rain during that 5 day trip. Went over three mountain passes. Speed limit is 80 mph across southern Idaho and northern Utah. Spent 3 of those days driving around SLC visiting family. Here's the trip odometer reading when we got home. The 5.7 gives us enough go. I had the 2016 Challenger Scat for a loaner for 4 days one time. Fun but I prefer mine.
Terry
That is Great mileage for an RT!! My 2018RT manual best is just under 20..
As for which car to look at, the RT or 392 Scat not much difference in cost. Not a fan of the wide body.. But if I lived up north or where it snows I would consider The SXT AWD or GT AWD.. Those V6's have plenty of power.. Plus you can only drive so fast on any highway..
Still have our 2016 SRT Challenger, not my daily driver, but sure is fun when I do drive it. And the grandkids think it is the best ever! My daily driver is a Saab, but the Challenger is a bigger and heavier car, economical on the highway and plays nice in town.
Judy
When I ordered my 2015 Shaker R/T, I really wanted a manual trans car but the 8 speed Auto with the MDS cylinder deactivation was a strong selling point. We took a 6000 mile trip in 2016 with it from home across northern US to Iowa, down through Missouri, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona and back home. Here's a photo taken in eastern New Mexico on that trip at just over 4600 miles and average 29.6mpg. Amazing mileage with the R/T. Got home at just over 6K miles and the trip gas mileage was 27.5mpg. We love it. I apologize for the poor quality photos. Crappy phone.
Terry
YOu guys should rent several cars to see what she likes.
She wants sporty and quick like her old Jetta? Sorry, but the Challenger is a boat.
Must it have four seats so one get comfortable on long drives (especially for the passenger)?
My daily driver is an Infiniti G37S convertible w/a stick shift.
Pretty sporty. Don't need the convertible? Hardtop is fine too. Can get a good one w/low miles under $20k.
True that my Challenger is a boat but it's a comfortable boat. At my age (68), I need comfort and ease of access without getting a mini-van or SUV. Here it is in photo. Want sporty for cheap, probably a corvette if you don't need the back seat. The Infiniti is a good choice for sporty, gas mileage and comfort for 2. I have ridden in the back seat of my Challenger and it's comfortable once I got in but back seat access is not good. I got it to match my 71 convertible and I didn't plan on having more than two of us in there.
All I'll say is, if you do buy a modern Challenger, my #1 must have is the driver's convenience group. HID headlights are great. Then there is blind spot detection. Amber warnings on your mirrors to tell you when someone is in your blind spot.
Lots of good, ho-hum advice. ::)
If I was in the market for a 2021 Challenger..it would be a manual one with the most horsepower my wallet could handle. :burnout: :burnout:
If I wanted economy I'd buy a little import POS. I could be wrong, but I don't think the OP (and his wife) is overly concerned about mpg.....they are looking to buy a FUN CAR!!!
Used Infinity, BMW etc... can be had cheap as they have poor resale value but the big negative is the cost to repair/service them. Great suggestion to rent one for a week and see if you can live with it. Cheaper than a contract.
Have a friend who may be selling a BMW Z4 6-cylinder so that could be an option. She says she really wants an American car so Challenger still heads the list. She saw a Hellcat the other day that caught her eye. Oh-no!
Quote from: captcolour on April 12, 2021, 05:47:53 AM
She saw a Hellcat the other day that caught her eye. Oh-no!
oooooh...YESSSSS :burnout:
I have been seeing a very light blue., almost petty blue, hellcat around town lately. It's a sharp looking car, I bet your wife would be very happy with something like that :)
Quote from: ledphoot on April 13, 2021, 03:19:26 PM
I have been seeing a very light blue., almost petty blue, hellcat around town lately. It's a sharp looking car, I bet your wife would be very happy with something like that :)
You guys are no help :rofl:
Cincinnati auto show is the first weekend in May. Planning on going so she can at least see and sit in a number of cars at the show.
Took the wife to the local CDJR dealer to at least test drive an automatic and a manual to see which one she really wanted, plus to make sure she really liked the drive and feel of the Challenger. This was my idea (what was I thinking!). They had several automatics and one widebody manual. She loved the granite metallic color and the looks of the widebody. Two hours later ended up buying it. Had more options than I would have chosen if ordered one, but I think I got a pretty good deal considering.
2021 Challenger R/T Widebody ScatPak 6.4L with sunroof, upgraded seats, Harmon-Kardan sound system, large screen with NAV, etc. Basically had all of the packages/options I would have selected plus more. Hopefully I'll get to drive it some.
Congratulations on your purchase, nice car :drooling:
Quote from: captcolour on April 26, 2021, 06:02:15 AM
Took the wife to the local CDJR dealer to at least test drive an automatic and a manual to see which one she really wanted, plus to make sure she really liked the drive and feel of the Challenger. This was my idea (what was I thinking!). They had several automatics and one widebody manual. She loved the granite metallic color and the looks of the widebody. Two hours later ended up buying it. Had more options than I would have chosen if ordered one, but I think I got a pretty good deal considering.
2021 Challenger R/T Widebody ScatPak 6.4L with sunroof, upgraded seats, Harmon-Kardan sound system, large screen with NAV, etc. Basically had all of the packages/options I would have selected plus more. Hopefully I'll get to drive it some.
NICE!!! congrats to your wife on the purchase.
Please post a review if you get to drive it.
any pics of the interior???
Jason
Great choice - she'll come home smiling' every time she drives it.
Judy
You will love that car. The widebody has some goodies the standard body Challenger doesn't. Besides those awesome 11" wide wheels, there are beefier sway bars, so that car will handle very well. You should have the adaptive suspension, so you can choose how stiff the suspension is according to how you are driving the car, or to your taste.
Congratulations!
EDIT: Just about all wide body owners are installing mud flaps, or rock guards, however you refer to them. The wide tires kick up rocks. This is one company that makes them...
https://zl1addons.com/products/challenger-widebody-deluxe-rock-guards
Well chosen!! :bigthumb:
Next she will get you to sell the Solitude and get a class A so you can bring it on vacay..... :))
Love it! :cheers:
What a hot car for her!
I have a widebody Hellcat and love those 305's all around. Except when it comes time to buy new tires. LOL
Very nice ride, congrats to you and the wife. Good luck on getting some time behind the wheel :)
Quote from: Cudajason on April 26, 2021, 06:51:54 AM
NICE!!! congrats to your wife on the purchase.
Please post a review if you get to drive it.
any pics of the interior???
Jason
Finally was able to take a few pics yesterday. And was finally able to take the yellow spoiler guard off. Looks much better.