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Who would sell a classic for a hellcat?

16K views 82 replies 53 participants last post by  Lord Warlock 
#1 ·
Just wondering, not seriously considering. How many of us would consider selling our classic musclecar (I know there are quite a few owners here that own one) in order to pay for a new Hellcat challenger?

I've held on to my first car now for almost 40 years, it rarely gets used but could easily gain me the downpayment necessary to afford a new Hellcat. Its finally reaching the condition where I can drive it again, but really don't think it would see a lot of use other than taking it to local car shows and occasionally taking it for a drive around town to remember the good old days. Its by far more of an attention getter than a new challenger is, but i would get a lot more use out of a new Hellcat than i would out of the 69 charger r/t se thats been sitting in storage for 30 years. I've had fun working on it, rebuilding it to a better than first purchased condition. I could probably get 20 years of use out of the new car but would it be anywhere close to rewarding as owning my 1st car purchased as a teenager.

Anyone considering it? I already own a challenger i'm pretty happy with, but know i'd enjoy a hellcat as well, can't really justify spending 70k on a hellcat unless I liquidate old toys first, personally i think i'll just go get a better paying job than sell off the charger but it is tempting.
 
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#62 ·
I guess I'm in the minority here as after 13 years I have put this up for sale. My wife says I'll regret it but its to fund a hellcat. Anyone interested, its listed in Hemings, shoot me an IM.
Wow that is a tough choice. Those 63 to 67 Vettes were always on my bucket list of cars to own at least once (but never did). That would be like me selling my 69 Charger. Good luck.
 
#61 ·
I would not sell your Charger for a Hellcat. I would, however, trade in your DY 2010 R/T Classic on it. Classics are awesome if you can tinker and enjoy going to shows. Plus, they go up in value, not down, as the Hellcat will do once the hype wears off. 2008 Challengers were selling above MSRP at one time too...
 
#64 ·
I sold my 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner so help pay for my new Challenger. Did it hurt? Damn right it did! I bought that car when I graduated high school in 1986 for $1800 and kept it all these years until this past August when I sold it to a Mopar nut from Minneapolis.

I love the fact that now I just do outside and the car starts right up. No fixing anything, no messing around. Just enjoying the new car!
 
#65 · (Edited)
But how will everything work in 15 years when Chrysler no longer makes parts for it? Mainly thinking about electronics. That is what happened to the early 90s dodge cars...engine lasts, electronics eventually fail. The classics are pretty basic not many real comfort items to consider but with gas water and a few basic fluids can run a long long time. Its amazing how far we've come in car comfort in 40 years.


I'd trade the DY Classic in for a hellcat, but wouldn't get enough out of it to make a dent in payments. If I sold my DD (DY) and two other toys, I'd clear about 35k, but even then financing 40k at a minimum still puts payments higher than I'd pay for a car. I'd have to also sell the 69 in order to afford it, and not feeling its necessary yet. Even with the charger added in, I'd still have to kick in some cash to actually bring a hellcat home. It would simplify my life quite a bit but would make me extremely anal about stuff with one car, I'm not so bad when I have 3 or more. Keep in mind that savings are plenty high to pay for one but I don't count savings or investments as liquid. Retirement is more important than speed. Life goes by fast enough as you get older.
 
#66 ·
Myself, I won't worry about parts in 15 years as I will most likely be dead anyhow. I'll just enjoy the car while I'm around! :wink3:
 
#68 · (Edited)
Regarding parts. Ironically restorers of late 60s Mopars went through this parts drought when the cars where about 20 years old. Even for very basic restoration items. When I was a young man trying to restore my 69 GTX I just bought then (circa mid 1980s timeframe), I was going nuts getting certain things. Fast forward to today and due to cheap 3rd world manufacturing, everything can be had pretty much for these cars as they are worth enough that people will pay some pretty high prices for repro parts, making them worthwhile to manufacturer. I am sure there will be enough demand on a few collector modern cars made that the same will happen. Also growing out of this niche will be companies who you can send parts to for repair. Even today, there are places that specialize in repairing electronics and gauge clusters etc from 1990's cars that are not even that popular to own. In general though due to complexity, you won't be able to restore a modern car found abandoned in a field and left for the dead the way you can a vintage one. Other than that type extreme case, we should be fine.
 
#70 ·
obligated by law to make the parts for 35 years.


Nope, dodge stopped making parts available after only 5 years back when they sold stealth's from 91-96, I got the last group of emblems made for the 96 in 2001. I don't think they have to make parts for 5, they just do because there are plenty of units to justify it still.
 
#71 ·
I have a Protouring 1969 Camaro that will be getting an LS swap soon. If I had the money I would have a 1969 Charger with a Hellcat engine in it! Best of both worlds! I love the Hellcat, but it is only going to depreciate in value.
 
#73 ·
Yes the hellcat will depreciate, and then it will increase in value again, just like the old musclecars did. The difference in this situation is that I would get to enjoy the 426 HEMI of our time, and then before it depreciated to its lowest value I'd be dead and wouldn't care what it eventually would sell for in the far distant future. It took a very long time for the charger to appreciate to what I consider mid-echelon in price. I never expected our cars to be worth 100k back when I was trashing it as a teen, although I suspected it would be collected, thought it would be more in line with less than 15k which is what restored classics were going for at the time.


I've always said that I planned on enjoying the new challenger without worrying about its future values. As the charger was aging gracefully the automotive enthusiasts went through many phases, from driving mostly stock hot rods to headers, intakes, exhausts...much like today, and adding fake scoops, wild colors, jacking up the back of the body, slamming it all to the ground, installing them on 4x4 frames....etc. etc. and I always felt a need to keep mine stock because of its rarity, how rare I wouldn't know till later. Now I feel a little guilty about putting a polished carburetor and braided steel lines on it.
 
#76 ·
Consider this...

What happens if I just SIT on my car?

What happens if I die, will anyone else enjoy it?

Outside of close friends and family, does anyone else give a rip about the car?

Would I enjoy a car that I actually drive more than one that just sits?

If all you have the car for are memories, are you saying another car would not help you create MORE?
 
#78 ·
Ya know... I'm just not so sure about the Hellcat depreciating. It's going to be a low production vehicle and probably won't be around long. There's a ton of demand, so it could end up following the GNX and Ford GT. Really depends on how many they make though. There aren't many 707 hp vehicles around though.
 
#80 ·
It's a low production vehicle alright, because Dodge can't get their act together to build the damn things. Think back on all the hype, the burn outs, Jay Leno, Tim Kuniskis (if you order one, it will come.) Then think about delayed availability on colors, Sepia Laguna leather, black hoods, Brass Monkey wheels, sunroofs, and now the A8 trans. I got my call last week like so many others, "do you want the car you ordered, or do you want a manual trans?" You've got to be kidding! It's looks like this will come down to, "We have 2 black ones left, who wants them?" Sorry for the rant but my car has been on order with no change in status since early November and now there is talk of no more automatics for 2015. Dodge, WTF?
 
#79 ·
The old stuff doesn't compare to the new stuff. I would sell the old one all day long for a Hellcat.
 
#81 ·
only a very few go straight into collector status, and those tend to be uber rare very limited production models. The hellcat has already outgrown that level of production. 1500 to 3000 produced is enough to make it just another production car in value. They'll depreciate, at least the ones that get driven will, the garage queens will hold value longer, but in 10 years, there will be plenty available for those who want one cheaper. The big question is whether you'd want to own a car that had 707 hp that had been used by someone else, or several someone elses. I learned a lesson getting a supercharged cobra used, engine was great...gearbox wasn't perfect and limited use somewhat when driving extra aggressive. Kept it for 4 years and sold it, it was better when I sold it than the day I got it...much like every other car I own.
 
#82 ·
It depends on time ranges. While the Hellcat is not limited like a Hemi Cuda, it is certainly rarer than a 68 to 70 GTX 440 for example. All of them will forever be desirable cars. Even muscle cars went through this early down 'cycle'. What did offset the perception early on was the crazy 17% inflation rates of the 1970s. This disguised their early depreciation. If late mass produced low HP 70s Trans Ams and Z28s can fetch 25 grand now, then time changes perception more than one realizes. What really governs collector prices long term is what a 'new-average' car sells for, which by its nature takes into account inflation. For example a 69 383 Roadrunner currently is about a 30k car, give or take, which is about what an average new car sells for. Nice 383 Roarunners have always followed this 'new car 1 to 1 percentage' once they hit 10 years old and on. A Hellcat will likely follow longterm "6-pack-440" pricing percentages in my opinion, since its just not rare enough to follow Hemi pricing. No one will make a fortune on them but no one will get killed either. No worries for me, I don't believe trying to make A LOT of money on a single car is feasible unless you wait 40 years and buy a car that only a handfull were produced, and it gains a a cult following too. A lot of stars have to align and its just not a great plan. Thats why I just enjoy what own which involves keeping them in really nice condition but not because I think I will make a killing on them. Given enough time though, their values should make them 'free rides keeping up with inflation'. That's enough for me.
 
#83 · (Edited)
Back to the original point, selling a classic for a hellcat, sometimes life forces decisions on you. I am actually considering getting out of all my car toys, and if things don't turn for the better soon, the charger may be on the block afterall. What I do with the charger this year will make the difference I'm sure, working the last kinks out of starting the car after a long restoration. Plan on advertising one toy next week, then not sure what i'll do with toy#2, clutch linkage failed on me this weekend, so will have to figure out what caused the problem and if its worth fixing. At this point I just want the charger out of the back yard where I can play with it more.
 
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