General Challenger DiscussionThis section contains general discussion about the Dodge Challenger. If it does not fit into a more specific area, it probably belongs in here. (Dodge Challenger General Discussion)
I am in the market for a Challenger R/T 6 Speed to replace the Jeep Commander I have for sale. The Challenger will be my daily driver and toy seeing about 1,200 miles per month. I have a budget of roughly $24-$26k Max to spend. Due to the fact I'm racking up miles pretty quickly I'm trying to find something with under 35k miles so that I can get about 5 years before I hit 100k.
My main concern is what model year to buy at this point. I've seen plenty of nice 2009-10 R/T's with low miles in great condition within my budget with nice options. The 2011-13's are a hit or miss with options but the mild improvement on the interior is nice.
Ideally, I'd like an R/T plus model b/c of the 18 inch wheels, leather, electronics convenience group, and better speakers. I must have audio controls on the steering wheel which is hard to find on pre 11 models? Blue tooth is a must, which appears to be standard on all of them.
My main question is, should I hold out for a 2011+ model R/T? I know the suspension and steering are improved and the interior looks nicer. I really like the 2011+ steering wheel which is oddly enough my biggest gripe about the pre '11 models. But.... other than those reasons I cannot think of why I shouldn't get a nicely optioned 2009-10 considering they are much more common and within my price range.
I think I was probably thinking along your lines when I started my search this summer but ultimately realizing I could have a 2012 R/T brand new for about the same money as I could get a low miles 2010 made the decision easy. I found a car I wanted a few hundred miles from my home and said no as many times as I had to until the sales manager agreed to my price. Took a couple of weeks of "you've got to be kidding, I can't do that" until I got a yes and now she's mine, new car smell and all.
Take this for example, here's a brand new 2012 R/T at $26,580. You're telling me you can't cover the taxes and tags to have a brand new car? You're not going a dime over $26k when that brand new beast could be in your driveway this weekend?
In a nutshell, buy what you can afford and mod later to add the options you don't have.
Adding bluetooth and audio controls to the steering wheel is possible as mods/upgrades after the fact. I believe S/S Dodge had some good writeups both here and the Z forum. Much better to go this route then have a car that is a strain on your budget.
Another thing...right now 2009-10 RT's are the only tuneable RT. Current '11+ tuning is for SRT's at the moment. I suspect RT's will be released soon. But just an FYI.
To the original poster, I just test drove a 2013 R/T Classic with the Super Track Pack and 6 speed. Compared to the old 2010 R/T Classic 6 speed with Super Track Pack I had, the new one was much better. In fact, I liked it so much that if the 392 was not out there and it was my only car, I would trade my 2010 SRT in for it. BUT, I am lucky enough to be able to have the Challenger as a toy, so I have a SRT. The big improvements I noticed between the older R/Ts and the new ones is the handling. There is way less input required to get the car to do what you want. Steering is lighter. Clutch and shifter were firmer and more precise, and brake pedal was not as squishy with much less travel. Brakes seemed to work better too. It is simply more refined than the older ones though they are the same car basically. The seats felt less slidey on the new ones, and the interiors and steering wheel are a bit better. The ONLY thing that is better about the 2010s is the color selection. Otherwise, get the newer one.
The Following User Says Thank You to StealthChallenger For This Useful Post:
Thank you for all the info guys. I am leaning toward a new 2012 or 2013 R/T at this point. A couple have been priced at $26k +++ with the STP surprisingly enough. I am going with what some may consider the boring colors either Silver, Billet, or Granite Pearl.
Some dealers said they could find me an R/T without STP and knock off another $1200 bucks if I was interested.
To those of you with STP, is the ride much more harsh say riding down the interstate on less than perfect roads? I commute roughly 60 miles round trip mostly interstate. My biggest concern is I'll go through tires much faster than if I went with the 18's on the basic R/T.
Thank you for all the info guys. I am leaning toward a new 2012 or 2013 R/T at this point. A couple have been priced at $26k +++ with the STP surprisingly enough. I am going with what some may consider the boring colors either Silver, Billet, or Granite Pearl.
Some dealers said they could find me an R/T without STP and knock off another $1200 bucks if I was interested.
To those of you with STP, is the ride much more harsh say riding down the interstate on less than perfect roads? I commute roughly 60 miles round trip mostly interstate. My biggest concern is I'll go through tires much faster than if I went with the 18's on the basic R/T.
I used to have an RT without STP, and now have a '13 RTC with STP. I will tell you the difference in handling is night and day. My old RT tended to float a little, the RTC with STP drives much more like a sports car and is just plain fun to drive. Not harsh at all when commuting, and pretty cool for a heavy car around the corners. Plus the cars with STP sit lower like the SRTs. I would highly recommend it if you can afford it. You'll also find that there aren't a lot of choices when it comes to 18" tires. Some of the nittos are very nice, but you can get some very high quality 20" tires for a reasonable price once the stock tires wear down.
If you like the silver, billet or granite (all of which look very clean to me) you'll enjoy not having to wash the car all the time. My old RT was black, and while very stunning when clean, it was a constant battle to maintain it.
Thank you for all the info guys. I am leaning toward a new 2012 or 2013 R/T at this point. A couple have been priced at $26k +++ with the STP surprisingly enough. I am going with what some may consider the boring colors either Silver, Billet, or Granite Pearl.
Some dealers said they could find me an R/T without STP and knock off another $1200 bucks if I was interested.
To those of you with STP, is the ride much more harsh say riding down the interstate on less than perfect roads? I commute roughly 60 miles round trip mostly interstate. My biggest concern is I'll go through tires much faster than if I went with the 18's on the basic R/T.
Ouch...that hurt. Nothing wrong with Billet at all in my book!!
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'11 Challenger SRT8 392 Auto, Billet Metallic Other Cars:
-1983 Camaro Z28 Magnacharged 408
-1990 Cavalier Z24 3.1 All stock, 154K miles
-2000 S-10 4WD 4.3 V6
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