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To upgrade or not to upgrade, that is the question

4K views 34 replies 21 participants last post by  titanman2789 
#1 ·
For those of you who don't know me, my name is Patrick, I am 17 and live in Florida. I am extremely fortunate to have the family that I do both financially and emotionally. Last year, I was given a 2012 Challenger SXT Plus brand new. Now that I am about to head off to college, I ask myself should I upgrade to lets a a 2010 or 09 RT? After discussing it with my parents, I have a choice. I can upgrade to an RT, but will pay the difference which I can, AND I will pay my own insurance on my own policy once I start college in the fall, after getting several quotes this is not cheap at all! Or keep the SXT Plus and not pay insurance in college. I want to upgrade because I want more power, I feel as though I can handle the RT and desire it. That being said I know that I'd fight tooth and nail to pay the insurance on it while Im a full time student. So the question is do I wait and upgrade to the RT and battle insurance payments, or keep the SXT and make it mine, mod it cosmetically and performance wise to be more the car I have in my mind. And before I am attacked, yes I know I am spoiled, yes I know most parents wouldnt get a car like I have now for their children, and I do understand how it can be seen as ungrateful to my parents. But this is a serious issue I have had on my mind and seek the advice of older more experienced peers in this field. Thank you
 
#2 ·
I am 20yrs old and I have a V6 also I had money for the R/T but when I talked to the insurance payments under my moms name it was 300+ monthly. If I were u I would mod the sxt and use that money on ur car instead of insurance. Adding horsepower to a registered V6 will not raise the insurance price so I would kind of go that route.


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#34 · (Edited)
Don't get in a hurry. Go to college for a while and see what your finances look like. There are a lot of hidden costs at college. (keggers, etc.)

If you still think you can swing it, go for it...... I think your priorities might change.

I Graduated from College several years ago and I can tell you that even though I had a full scholorship and a car that was already paid for .... Money was tight!

I enjoyed joining a Fraternity, going to the sporting events, and dating the girls there as well! These all cost money. So I would encourage you to listen to what Unwound said ..... Don't get in a hurry. Go to college for a while and see what your finances look like, while drivng YOUR Challenger!


Regards


James C. (Cuda Cliff) Ward RN B.Sci.
Texas Tech University (class of 84)
Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity alumni
(survivor of many many keggers)
PROUD OWNER of a Challenger!!! :D
 
#4 ·
Wait. You will want/need the money in college for other things (beer and spring breaks come to mind). Plus you may not want to spend time working to get the money for insurance with everything that will be going on. You can always reward yourself after school with something you want.
 
#6 ·
I agree, wait. If my kids had asked my opinion (mine are ages 30 and 26) on that I would have told them save up and wait until college is complete.
 
#11 ·
I would keep what you have...You have a brand new 2012 Challenger SXT at 17...yeesh count your blessings.
Personally I wouldn't consider going from a 2012 V6 to a 2009 V8 an upgrade
 
#13 ·
At 17 there's only one reason you would want to upgrade to a bigger motor.

Look up the penalty for exhibition driving which LoJack don't tell. It's worse then speeding and wreckless driving. You would most likely lose your licsense within a few weeks. Judges/cops aren't easy on teens. Plus your driving skills aren't good enough yet.

Save that insurance money for more important things like beer, and chicks.
 
#17 ·
Flashback 28 years ago. They year was 1984, my best friend bought a used 318ci, 3 speed manual shift Challenger. The car was cool and all, but we decided to swap the motor for a 340 four barrel with 2.02 heads and a purple shaft cam. Installed a 4 speed pistol grip from a swap meet along with a 3.91 sure grip 8 3/4 rear.

That Challenger went from cool to bad a$$.

Oh, and we were only 16 at the time... (Looking back we would have done the exact same thing all over again)

You're only young once.

Go for the R/T
 
#18 ·
Your youth and eagerness for more power can be a dangerous combination. The 5.7 has tons of torque, and it is very easy to go sideways in. The desire to speed is immensely powerful in this car. With it's flat torque curve you just want to go and go.

Keep your head in the books, and get a good job. Then you can buy an R/T, or hell maybe an SRT. Good things come to those who wait. Learn some patience, and be happy you have a Challenger at 17 given to you. Not many people can say that.
 
#19 ·
If this helps any, (car wise) after college I plan to relocate and buy back my dad's Z06 (Heavily modded) that my mom sold after he passed. It holds immense intrinsic value to me and realistically I'd do anything even sell the car I have at the time to buy it back.
 
#28 ·
Also no, I would never upbadge anything I own. Its disrespectful to real R/T or SRT owners and ignorant. Personally if I had either of those models I'd remove all the badging. So not everyone knows what I have under the hood at a glance
 
#22 ·
Be grateful for what you have. You have a sweet car. When I was 17 I had a 2000 Toyota Camry with 150k on it. 4 cyl.

College is not the time to be working your ass off to pay for your insurance. Party and have fun. Yeah you MIGHT run into someone that has a v8 challenger or camaro or whatever. But the vast majority of your classmates will not have such a nice car as yours.

I know it's easy to look past this when you didn't work for your car. Think if you had worked hard to be able to just afford what you have now. You'd be damn proud of your sxt. Keep your car. Buy yourself whatever muscle car you want after college when you get a good job. Just so you know the job market sucks right now. I graduated college in may 2011 and still can't find a real job in my field of study. So don't bind yourself financially. It's just a car. You're pretty lucky as is. If I didn't have my wife with an awesome job that bought me my se then I'd still have that junker Toyota Camry and barely be able to pay my bills or be living with my parents.

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#23 · (Edited)
Weigh what you need vs. what you want.

I'd keep the 2012; it's what you need to keep financially sound, especially with college, you'll have many other things that you'll want to be spending your money on.

A 2012 SXT to a 2009-2010 USED R/T, would be a downgrade, not an upgrade.

What you want is more power and its easy to get caught up in the "want a V8" scenarios. Stick to your guns and self-confidence: keep the 2012. Consider a 2012+ for an upgrade later.

When wanting more, go find a safe place to do some spirited runs or just go out cruising for a bit. I find that's what helps me get away from the "want more power" bug.


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#26 ·
A 2012 SXT to a 2009-2010 USED R/T, would be a downgrade, not an upgrade.



When wanting more, go find a safe place to do some spirited runs or just go out cruising for a bit. I find that's what helps me get away from the "want more power" bug.


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I agree. Is it really worth it when you're not having to pay a thing for the car now to go 1 sec faster 0-60 stock and pay for your insurance and whatever else to keep your car? Cruising helps me out too. SXT or R/T or SRT they will all cruise the speed limit just fine. And since your mother will be notified of your speeding you're gonna hear about it a lot with a v8. You can still have some good fun with the 3.6. I like to get it sideways sometimes.


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#27 ·
Thanks for the great opinions guys really. As far as my mom being notified of me speeding, once the cars in my name that will be the first thing to go. I'm going to keep what I have and make it my own.
 
#29 ·
I would also keep what you have while in collage. Another thing to remember is College is not a place I would park or even bring my car too/around. You're going to have a lot of people around you that don't care too much about your car.

Also, if you're around the central Florida area. We have a few guys/gals who meet up at the local events on the weekends. I'm right next door to UCF (I don't park anywhere near the campus......).
 
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