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Can't bring myself to trade up

13K views 124 replies 53 participants last post by  brad8e 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi guys, let me start off by saying I love my '10 R/T. I've owned it since new, it's paid off and it is my "Everything" car. I don't own another vehicle (And don't really want to), so I drive it to work every day. Rain or shine, frigid cold, blizzards, whatever. I take it to car meets with my club in the summer, and I regularly attend track day events with it. Road course, autocross, drags, etc. It is an absolute blast and it has stood up to all of it like a champ.

However, like many long time members on this forum, I've been eyeing up the 2015/2016s. Pretty much since they came out. Specifically the R/T Scat Pack or the SRT 392. I keep telling myself I shouldn't because I am content with my car. But I gotta admit, had the Scat Pack been available in 2010 I would have bought it instead.

I'm a "Keep it simple" type of guy so I don't like a lot of options. I like the 15.4 inch Brembos, the suspension and overall appearance of the new SRT, but I don't really like the price jump and the extra standard features. So I've been leaning more toward the Scat Pack. The 392, normal Brembos and sport suspension offer amazing performance for the money, so naturally I'm VERY tempted. The new interiors are also a great upgrade.

I work at a dealer, so pricing, financing and getting the car I want isn't an issue. I'm just not sure it's worth it over my car when I could modify it with the money I save. I look at other members like Yahooligan and 19johned53 who love their old 5.7 R/Ts but only got new Scat Packs because unfortunate circumstances claimed their older cars. I'm lucky to have the car I have. It's been so good to me and I don't wanna lose that. I might end up with a lemon, or 2015 quality issues that some people have been complaining about.

Maybe I overthink this, but I'm just not willing to part with my 2010. For that reason I can't bring myself to trade up. Thanks for reading. I'm sure others have experienced this dilemna. I'd like to hear your thoughts.
 
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#2 ·
Doesn't sound like much of a dilemma to me. If you are happy with what you have that's all that matters. I have a bit of Hellcat envy, but really my 2015 Scat Pack is the perfect car for my wants/needs. There will always be something newer and faster out there. The great thing about the new Challengers is there will be an ample supply of all of the models including the Hellcat floating around for the next several years so we can always upgrade down the road when circumstances change.
 
#4 ·
I know the feeling..... Went and test drove a 2015 Scat. Love the pull of the 6.4 and active exhaust and other things about the car. But I would have had to trade in my 2011 R/T. Just couldn't bring myself to do that. Did some mods to the '11 and got it just the way I want it.....Just love these cars but couldn't trade the old girl in for a new one.
 
#5 ·
Thanks guys. I know I'm not the only one, it's probably natural to be tempted by a newer faster model. I even had the salesman looking for cars and crunching numbers for me. I felt bad for wasting his time but he understood that I can't part with it. I also feel bad for considering trading my car.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Keep it! I never see and 2010's on the road anymore but the new one's are a dime a dozen. If you like the ride of yours definitely keep it. That's the one thing I've always missed of my 2010, the smooth ride. The suspensions stiffened up a lot on even the base models since 2011. Apparently we have three more model years on this body style so you have plenty of time to save up and have two! Keep it!
 
#7 · (Edited)
I do like the ride of mine, although I might get coilovers next year since I'm most likely keeping it. The R/T suspension does have some shortcomings. I have a lot of body roll in any kind of racing involving turns.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Just posting a message about it here shows your tempted & have been thinking about it, and unfortunately the temptation will never go away. Aviod the Noid and quit thinking about it else it will drive you crazy and you'll have to get you one like the rest of us bozos.......

 
#9 ·
I upgraded my heavily modded '10 RT B5 Classic. Maggie, TA hood, wing spoiler, SRT brake upgrade, Barton shifter, etc, etc. A lot of love, money, & time to get her just right. Sold her & still question my decision.

I upgraded to a 15 SRT A8. I do like bells & whistles, so all the tech I like. My issue w my old car, is I did so much to it, I didn't want to drive it on a regular basis anymore. Started looking for reasons not to drive it.....didn't want dings, rainy, etc etc.

With my new car...she's a daily driver- sun, rain, snow, doesn't matter. I now have a car with more than enough power, a great daily driver, that I look forward to drive, and really no need to mod, although I may in the future , but not for the need for more power, like my old RT, but, just because I can.

My advise, upgrade and don't look back.


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#10 · (Edited)
I upgraded my heavily modded '10 RT B5 Classic. Maggie, TA hood, wing spoiler, SRT brake upgrade, Barton shifter, etc, etc. A lot of love, money, & time to get her just right. Sold her & still question my decision.

I upgraded to a 15 SRT A8. I do like bells & whistles, so all the tech I like. My issue w my old car, is I did so much to it, I didn't want to drive it on a regular basis anymore. Started looking for reasons not to drive it.....didn't want dings, rainy, etc etc.

With my new car...she's a daily driver- sun, rain, snow, doesn't matter. I now have a car with more than enough power, a great daily driver, that I look forward to drive, and really no need to mod, although I may in the future , but not for the need for more power, like my old RT, but, just because I can.

My advise, upgrade and don't look back.


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That's another way to look at it. The modding urge is part of it as well. I have a list of things I'd want to do to my '10 in the future (coilovers, brakes, better cooling, maybe more power, etc.) but it might end up leaning more toward track car or show car than a daily driver, and like you said I might not want to drive it every day. A beater is not something I'd want to consider.

An SRT or Scat Pack would have more capability at the track and still make a great daily driver. I'd be less tempted to modify it (At least I tell myself that). Kinda the mentality that got me into considering it. Overheating or destroying brakes in one track day would not be fun. Hasn't happened to me yet but it might if I keep it up. Is it smarter with my money to modify or trade up? It honestly has been a tough call.
 
#11 ·
i think everyone has thought about up-trading.you just happened to drive by a dealer and see a new color or model and then the wheels start turning in your head.i was looking at a left-over srt-core and went back and forth for about 2 months.i have jazz blue and if i had a nickel for everytime ive washed it i could buy a hellcat.finally i was talking to my buddy about trading in my car for the white srt-core and he says,,let me get this right,you wanna trade in your jazz blue because its hard to keep clean and your tired of washing it all the time.do you realize how stupid you sound.that was my ah-hah moment.i still want a color change but i really love my car and the blue is nice so maybe ill just buy some more car soap and say screw it
 
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#12 ·
Thanks for the responses. I'm pretty much set on keeping my car. The new models are amazing but I just have to remind myself how I bought my dream car in the first place. Basic R/T, 5.7, 6 speed, no sunroof, standard radio. Just the way I wanted it. It is a perfect platform to modify and improve. To be honest when I bought my car I didn't expect the Challenger to still be in production in 2015. I like to see how others feel about it.
 
#13 ·
I have also done a ton of mods to my car since I bought it in the summer of 2013...and I pretty much got it the way I want it. I do see a ton of 2015's now around here, and honestly, I do not like the front grill and I prefer mine. Also not crazy about how the rear looks....I do like those new chrome wheels though. But honestly, I plan on keeping my 13 R/T for life, and see absolutely no reason to trade up. Got a couple phone calls already from the stealership wanting to buy it back from me and get into something newer. My simple answer was no thanks. Bye!
 
#14 ·
My choice was easy. Drove in with a 2013 lifted Wrangler and ordered a 2015 SRT M6.
I had a 2007 Vette which was somewhat modded. I would only drive it on nice days and used to worry about it all the time.
My SRT is basically stock (catch can/Mopar strut brace). It has more than enough power, handles well for a car of it's weight, and is a blast to drive.
My only worry is door dings.
My point is, there is no real need to mod this car. It's Jekyll and Hyde. It's great on the street, and can turn into a beast with the push of a button.
If you buy the Scat Pak and mod it, you'll end up coming close to or going over the price of the SRT.
 
#15 · (Edited)
I ordered my brand new 13 R/T for 27K knowing I could easily afford the car and afford mod's. IMO nothing better than having a car that is paid for. I know if I bought a SRT I would mod the car so it would not be like all the others. It's just my nature. I say keep the car and enjoy the "paid for" ride. Just my .02 cents.
 
#17 ·
I'd have a hard time getting rid of mine as well. I think of how my car started and everything I've done to it and I enjoy it but I wouldn't rule out adding another one in about 2 or 3 years.
 
#18 ·
Man I feel yah on this one, I would love to have the 392 engine but I want it in my 2010 I think it looks better than the 15s and I could care less about the bigger brakes and blah blah of the srt but man I do love that engine that's why I have been thinking about superchargeing my 5.7 to get about the same hp as a stock 6.4
 

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#19 ·
Well, as you know, I totally get where you're coming from. I loved my '11, it was and did everything that I wanted, it was paid off, etc. I wouldn't have traded up even though I could've gone to an '11 SRT8 for a modest cost.

Since I lost my '11 due to reasons outside of my control I'm taking the opportunity to address the one area that I wish that I had more; Power.

Everything that I did to my '11 had a purpose. I wasn't much of a mod for show guy and based on what I learned from my '11, my goal here is to basically get a factory version of what I did to my '11; Exhaust, brakes, suspension (as much as I loved how the coilovers handled, they weren't ideal for daily driving due to clearance and how harsh they over over sharp bumps).

Nothing I did was permanent and I kept all of the original parts so that I could go back to stock.

That's the same goal with the '16, only I'm not planning on doing anything to the suspension or exhaust since it will be my DD and the SP exhaust kicks ass. Catch can, braces, and maybe some Michelin PSS and a set of winter wheels and tires. And maybe a Barton shifter. :)

Anyway, sorry to get off topic. If I were still in your shoes then I wouldn't trade up either. Part of the appeal/attraction to these cars is the personal/emotional attachment that we have to them and they become a part of the family. I wouldn't give up one of my kids or pets so that I could get something else, the same goes with the Challenger. I don't even have my '16 yet and already feel attached to it because it's being built for me.

My birthday is this week, I was hoping it might end up with a build day the same as my birthday but it's scheduled to be built next week. Oh well. :)
 
#23 ·
Like you said in your original post, conditions out of my hands took mine away. Pdx.challenger hit it on the head........"It's not a trade up if you are happy with your Challenger."


While I'm excited as heck about my new Scat coming, I was happy as heck with Ol' Yeller.


"Mother Nature" won, as she always does, and I had to "start over" and move on. This one was "it" for me:







Enjoy every second of yours :)
 
#24 ·
I agree fully, if you truely love the car, keep it regardless. Especially if it's paid for. I know I'm already attached to mine, and will never sell. If anything I might add a hellkitty to the stable in 2018/19 after my RT and Ram are paid off.
 
#26 ·
I had the same exact car as Yahooligan and I missed it for a few weeks. But the SP is just a better car in every way compared to my 2011. Now if they decide to make a GWE Hellcat I might be trading up again.
 
#31 ·
No doubt that they're better. There will always be something better. :) Your post shows the other side of the coin, where there's less attachment to a specific car. I've seen a lot of people on here that are on their 2nd, 3rd, 4th Challenger because they love the cars and want the upgrades of the newer models, a different color, etc. If I were that way then I'd end up being divorced, too. :D
 
#45 ·
That pretty much sums things up for me as well. I went through Camaros, Trans Ams, one Mustang, two Corvettes, and even a Pontiac Solstice, and I didn't keep them very long until I was bored or my life changed (kids) and a two seater just couldn't be used for most of my trips. Enter my first Challenger in 2009. It's a family friendly muscle car that you can drive all the time. I kept my 2009 longer than my previous cars (6 years) and only traded into my 2015 as the 2009 started to get long in the tooth and started needing more maintenance than I had time for. That, and the 2015 took care of the very few gripes/wishes from my 2009, like an automatic with broad enough gears to both pull stumps and get great gas mileage (lower RPM) on the freeway, split taillights (I never liked the single-bar style), better electronics, and so on.

So far, a year into my 2015 now, and I can still say it is the most impressive car I've ever owned, trumping even my 2005 Corvette which I bought brand new as my "dream car". Not sure why but I was bored with the Corvette in a year. I always attributed it to the fact that a car becomes more a member of the family and you can simply make more memories in it... when you have more seats. :)

Mike
I'm close to owning my dream car - believe it or not it wasn't a Challenger - it's a C5 Corvette!
Although my Challenger won't be going anywhere.

:smile:
 
#50 ·
I'm close to owning my dream car - believe it or not it wasn't a Challenger - it's a C5 Corvette!
Although my Challenger won't be going anywhere.

:smile:
My first Corvette was a 1999 Z51 hardtop. Loved the performance/handling but at least for me, the car was problematic. I bought it in 2002 so it was out of warranty and I fixed things myself. About a month after I got it, I replaced the steering sensor which looked like this:

C5 Corvette Steering Sensor Installation

About a year later, the muffler literally fell off (rusted hangers/muffler). That's when I upgraded to the 2005. Never really had any trouble with that one other than the mystery random battery drain on occasion. They're great cars. I guess I just never developed a "relationship" with them because I have 2 kids and it was always an all-or-nothing car: meaning I always ended up driving it alone since it wouldn't carry but one other person. To me, the Challenger just has more personality.

Mike
 
#27 ·
In my case, I kept my 2009 SRT for 6 years until it started needing (mostly typical) maintenance type things like brakes, battery, and a WIN module that was starting to act up which I knew would be $700 to $800 to get replaced out of warranty. My point: maybe keep yours until you feel like a new car warranty might be able to offset some of the expenses that might be coming up. That's what I did. The down side is... the more you mod it, the more you want to keep it. ;)

Mike
 
#28 ·
Same dilemma for me except it's the personal attachment and not so much any mods I did (didn't really do any lol).

I've been eying a new SRT or Charger SRT HARD these past few weeks. But, I took quite a few road trips with my daughter in my R/T and have made so many memories with her and that car that I can't bring myself to do it. It's been good to me and the only thing "missing" is more power. I'm not a forced induction kind of guy so maybe I'll just end up dropping a 6.4 in it down the road lol.
 
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