Saw a Dodge Challenger up close, PICTURES

[lil goat]

I went to the local car show at the Burger King today to meet Tom S and see the Sol Bra in person, I was very surprised there was a brand new Dodge Challenger there. I liked it a lot. I will not replace my Solstice but a very nice car, never did find the owner to ask him about it.

[MyNewSolstice]

My neighbor has one! It is SOOOOOO cool nice 20 inch rims BUT the put RSA's on the hoops!
UGGGH! apparently Dodge doesn't read our forum!

PS it is quick but it is a different quick cause there is so much car around you!

[Stealthy4]

We've been seeing these around MI for the last 6 months or so. I was able to go to SAE world congress where Chrysler was the main sponsor and this is the car they brought and presented on! I have to say that i think the car looks sweet and has great power, however, the thing weights well over 4000 pounds and its essentially built on the same chassis (its been shortened) as the charger, 300C, magnum and every other LX platform...its cool but 4000+ pounds takes away from it...it NEEDS the 425hp to get moving, and the huge brembos to get it to stop...

The interior leaves something to be desired as well...it has zero shape and has the same cheap plastic EVERYWHERE - all monotone black as well.

Cool - YES
Worth the price tag - Not so much

[AdamVIP]

I saw one last weekend. I didnt scour at it but it looked good. Theres no denying that car is heavy. Its got a lot of raod presence.

[SmokinSolstice]

Wow very nice I like it. I hope the camaro does not weight has much as this. However I have yet to see one around here, did noot know they were selling already!

[bradyb]

Larry H Miller in Sandy UT has them for sell with a minimal mark up, $62,000. And the $1,100 gas guzzler tax too.

I think they are cool but they're just a pretty body on my Charger's under pinnings. The Camaro will be smaller, faster, cheaper with much better mileage. The Charger looks too much like a 1970 Charger @ 1.1 scale.

[Randy@ddmworks]

They had one of these as the Pace Car for the "24 hours of LeMons" race that we ran in this past weekend in SC. Nice car, but I didn't like the Carbon Fiber DECAL on the hood.

[Excelsior]

those are HUGE parking spaces!

[StevieG]

Originally Posted by bradyb Larry H Miller in Sandy UT has them for sell with a minimal mark up, $62,000. And the $1,100 gas guzzler tax too. I think they are cool but they're just a pretty body on my Charger's under pinnings. The Camaro will be smaller, faster, cheaper with much better mileage. The Charger looks too much like a 1970 Charger @ 1.1 scale.

I drove a friend of mine's 2 weeks ago. His is black with black and red suede leather interior and badges saying his is #602. Sweet looking ride but VERY BIG and VERY HHAVY. He has an Aston Martin DBS too, and I've driven them both back-to-back. The Aston is heavy too, but in comparison, it felt incredibly light weight. The steering in the Challenger however is spot on perfect. It has a quick turning radius and has amazingly perfect feel. The car rides high and is fast--not quick but fast. Unfortunately, I would not buy one either. It is too big, too inefficient, and too overpriced with the add-ons dealers are asking.

[Stealthy4]

Camaro will definitely weigh less

[StevieG]

Originally Posted by Stealthy4 Camaro will definitely weigh less

Compare that to this:

Challenger SRT8 Charger SRT8 1970 Challenger
0-60 (SRT8) low 5 seconds low 5 seconds n/a
Horsepower/Torque 425/420 425/420 425/490
Mileage (SRT8 Hemi) 13/18 n/a
Wheelbase 116” 120" 110
Length 197.7 200.1" 191.3
Width 75.7 74.5" 76.1
Height 57.0 58.2" 50.9
Track 63.1 63" 60.7
Weight 4,140 3,800 (V6) - 4,031 (V8)
Weight distribution 55.6/44.4 53/47 (V6), 54/46 (V8)
Interior volume 93.9 c.f. 104 cubic feet (120.2 EPA)
Cargo volume 16.2 c.f. 16.2 cubic feet (460L)
Front head room 39.5 (1004) 38.7 (983) 37.4
Front leg room 42.0 41.8 42.3
Front shoulder room 58.2 59.3 58.1
Front hip room 54.7 56.2
Seat travel 270mm/220mm 10.6 driver, 8.7 passenger
Rear head room 37.4 36.2 35.6
Rear leg room 32.6 40.2 30.9
Rear knee clearance 1.2 4.5
Rear shoulder room 53.9 57.6 56.8
Rear hip room 51.4 55.5

rear

This thing is truly a tank. Curb weight of 4140 lbs. That is one fat mother. No kidding.

[bradyb]

Via Motor Trend: Camaro 112.3 inch wheel base and an overall length of 189.6 inches, nearly four inches shorter between the wheels and just over eight inches shorter overall compared to the Challenger.

The 3700 pound 304 horse V6 would be kind of fun with a 6 speed for 26 MPG. I don't know if it's the usual M/T BS but supposedly there are still the rumors of a Euro turbo LNF model at about 3,500 pounds. It will be nice to see full production hit the dealers at once with both the RS and SS.

The stupid Challenger is being released in the low thousands with high dollar SRT8s while the 5.7 and 3.5 come later. I guess the Dodge dealers need a "Special Edition" SRT8 with $20K markups since they aren't selling any trucks or cars right now anyway. Three or four SRT8s might cover half of pay roll by themselves.

Can you imagine paying $62,000 for a car and then 12 months later having it worth $28,000? Talk about burning money.

[StevieG]

Originally Posted by bradyb Via Motor Trend: Camaro 112.3 inch wheel base and an overall length of 189.6 inches, nearly four inches shorter between the wheels and just over eight inches shorter overall compared to the Challenger. The 3700 pound 304 horse V6 would be kind of fun with a 6 speed for 26 MPG. I don't know if it's the usual M/T BS but supposedly there are still the rumors of a Euro turbo LNF model at about 3,500 pounds. It will be nice to see full production hit the dealers at once with both the RS and SS. The stupid Challenger is being released in the low thousands with high dollar SRT8s while the 5.7 and 3.5 come later. I guess the Dodge dealers need a "Special Edition" SRT8 with $20K markups since they aren't selling any trucks or cars right now anyway. Three or four SRT8s might cover half of pay roll by themselves. Can you imagine paying $62,000 for a car and then 12 months later having it worth $28,000? Talk about burning money.

The guy whose Challenger SRT8 and Aston Martin DBS I drove paid $25K over stikcer for his Challenger. He has amble income, both passive and active, and he is selling the DBS now. He will mothball the Challenger before 5K miles and put it on blocks. He thinks it will be worth a lot more than $60K down the road, if so, so be it. I ain't liking it though. It is a nice riding vehicle and it is fast. But it is big, a gas guzzler, and offers nothing new in terms of technology. It has a Nav system and a sharp stock stereo system, but come on, that is true of many other cars. $60K for an American Muscle car in its first year of production. Nope. My wallet stays attached to my belt via my Harley Davidson chain.

[bradyb]

Originally Posted by StevieG The guy whose Challenger SRT8 and Aston Martin DBS I drove paid $25K over stikcer for his Challenger. He has amble income, both passive and active, and he is selling the DBS now. He will mothball the Challenger before 5K miles and put it on blocks. He thinks it will be worth a lot more than $60K down the road, if so, so be it. I ain't liking it though. It is a nice riding vehicle and it is fast. But it is big, a gas guzzler, and offers nothing new in terms of technology. It has a Nav system and a sharp stock stereo system, but come on, that is true of many other cars. $60K for an American Muscle car in its first year of production. Nope. My wallet stays attached to my belt via my Harley Davidson chain.

They'll probably be worth a bit more then the 2002 35th Anniversary Camaros, 2005 Mustangs, 2004 GTOs, 2003 Cobras, etc...

[StevieG]

Originally Posted by bradyb They'll probably be worth a bit more then the 2002 35th Anniversary Camaros, 2005 Mustangs, 2004 GTOs, 2003 Cobras, etc...

Maybe. I don't know for sure. What I do know is the 2004 GTOs and the guys who paid $10K over sticker for those got fleeced big time. I wanted one badly, til I saw it in person. Then, I laughed over 3 years as I was called repeatedly by the stealership salesman who initially tried to fleece me, he called from 2004 til 2007 trying to sell me a GTO. Last an 06 for 8K below sticker. Notice, I do not have and have never owned this last generation GTO.