Just want to do a poll and see what everyone thinks.
First Generation went from 1970-1974.
The Challenger then discontinued and resurfaced in 1978 until 1983.
It came back in 2008 and is only scheduled to be in production till 2014.
What do you think the faith of the Challenger is?
Do you think Dodge will discontinue it and bring in another coupe?
i won't vote, bad karma, but the writing is on the wall if chrysler doesn't start getting the new generations hooked. there is just not enough to keep this going, if they change the outside they are done, so why would we buyanother one if no real guts changes?
i hope they listen.
They could put what ever power plant they want in it. The only way I would buy another is if it were a convertible. Then I would not trade mine in I would just have two. One hardtop and one convertible. But thats just me I love my car and am not getting rid of it
I'm with you. Give me a Challenger convertible and I might never buy another car. Can get mine chopped for $18-20k and believe it or not, I'm seriously considering taking the plunge.
they need to offer Supercharged versions of the 5.7L and the 6.4L from the factory. Ram-air option functional hood or High pressure zone opening in front of windshield ala the old Camaro hood. Functional brake cooling ducts and a speed-sensing wing or duck-tail in back. LED taillights, optional extra stiff suspension, panhard bar, turbo version of the 3.6L V-6, 6 speed Auto with overdrive, and of course the convertible! I have more than one friend that wants one bad but won't buy an aftermarket convertible Challenger. Paint? Get with the program and get some paint from somewhere other than Japan. Sorry about what happened over there but we have to move on. Some Maroon with white stripes, chestnut metallic, burgundy, light pearl metallic green, etc. Give tons of choices on paint because everybody is different and likes different things. Bring back HO! Keep TO....Get a Super White maybe with some slick "white" wheels......180 degrees from the "blackout" ideas.........think outside the box.
I don't see how they pull off a major redesign, since the original never had one. The only way to freshen it up without messing it up is to do a 'Cuda model. But unless sales pick up dramatically, that probably won't happen.
They will redesign the Challenger only if the Cuda is killed. There is a big market for american muscle...especially mopar. Just look at everyone in here that will trade-in if they do the right thing.
Look at all the bone heads paying 6 figures for the old ones. It will come, and with Gilles behind the wheel, he is no joke. He will deliver.
Honestly I do want better sound and nav. I want it all. But I do also want more power. 392 is great but its time to make the SRT8 compete with the likes of the ZL1 and GT500.
I dont think there is much in the way ahead for a total redesign, as the original 70s Chally never got one. I could see dodge freshening up the current body, perhaps a little streamlining here and there?
good style is timeless.. which is why the carnworks to this day.. for a redesign it doesnt have to be radical... a little light chsnge here.. fender crease there.. etc.. look at the porsche 911 or corvette for this.. a little tweak goes a long way!
Hate to say it or even think it, but it may be inevitable... Not sure if a redesign is needed with more options or just a drop in price with lower interest rates, personally love the car the way it is.
I think both Dodge and Challenger owners would benefit if they killed it off so people only have a choice of buying what used ones are out there someday. I'd like to see it relaced with a 'cuda that's also very retro looking, lighter, and powerful as hell. I KNOW many Challenger owners (myself included) would go for a 'cuda should one be released. It would be a total hit IMO and renew interest all over again.
Really like the 'Cuda too. Does anyone think they'll produce a Challenger convertible before they kill it off entirely or just go straight to the 'Cuda? :scratchhead:
I guess to a point all of us should hope they do kill it off(especially you guys with the srt's and various special edition rt's) cuz the value of our cars will do nothin but go up if you can no longer buy a new one...
If Dodge is going to spend the $$$ for sheet metal changes, then replacing the Challenger with a Cuda makes sense. That would avoid the problem Ford had with the Mustang, where the 2005-9 sheet metal really worked and sold well. Minor tweaks just to make a change resulted in the far less appealing 2010+ Mustang sheet metal and lower sales.
I am still optimistic. I vote there will be a next generation addressing the major issues: less mass, higher mpg model, more power, improved interior quality etc.
Only way I would buy a new Challenger is if it looked nearly the same and it had an engine with at least 550 HP. Other than that, Im keeping my 392. Oh and the price cant be all jacked up either. LOL
Challenger, right now, just does not command the name recognition that Camaro and Mustang has.
New/future challengers needs to be competitively priced and with enough options to appeal to a wide variety of buyers.
Ford has done with with great success with the Mustang.
As Ironside pointed out...if you "build your own" online the challenger comes out way overpriced.
Whatever happens at least the line has run long enough that decent aftermarket support should remain for a good long while.
Did not vote since there was not a "don't know whats going to happen" option
Don't know, but I'm thinking not. I'm at the age that it really doesn't matter to me what they do. I have the "one" that I want, and will pass on to my son some day.
It would be sad to see them screw this "Challenger" up with "new and improved" thinking.
We have the ultimate production "retro muscle" right now. Not the fastest, but fast, the best looking of anything out there, and it's a comfortable cruiser with substance.
If I wanted smaller, I would have looked at Mustangs, but Ford did the usual, IMO, and jacked up the looks on their lastest offering. The 5.0 is a strong motor, but the Mustang doesn't have the "looks" or "beef" that I like in a car.
Chevy, not even in my thoughts, unless they did a "retro" as good as Chrysler for a '68 Camaro.
Bottom line, I'm not trading for a new Challenger, redesigned, or upgraded. I love what I have, and if I live long enough, I'll mod it when needed, the good old American way, myself.
Interested only in the one make and model I have as well. I think the price put it out of reach for the normal "ford " people and that's not a bad thing. The content of the car reflects the cost..at least thats the way I see my baby! I would love to see a cuda tho!
The 5.0 is a great motor. Unfortunately they have more HP then Torque. If that thing had better torque across the band, it would be a killer little pony.
And thats the thing. The mustang isnt a muscle car, its a pony car.
The camaro and Challenger are REAL muscle cars due to their size.
I believe that the redesign will be called Cuda, and that we will see whatever upgrades have been made to the other LX series cars by 2014 (I.e. Charger and 300 upgrades like Nav, keyless entry and start, one touch up and down windows, etc)
Could keep building basically the sane car for another 5-6 years easily. I hope the next gen addresses the issues like weight, power, mileage, etc, but I don't see that happening unless it also appears on the rest of the LX cars first.
I'd love to see a redesign that says good-bye to the past. I love the new charger design, and I loved the last one too. If they modernized the challenger the same way they did the charger, I'd still be a supporter. For a month or two, I'm sure I'd poo poo the new look (as I have with every other dodge redesign to date), but then I'd fall in love with it.
It needs to slim down and increase power to stay competitive with the others though. I love the 392, but even with the new beefed up engine, it's already fallen behind the other 2 with no factory SC option. The real namesake of the ram truck is the cummins (an aftermarket supplier). Pair up with a supercharger company and do the same thing. Badge it with the aftermarket blower company and make it prestigious. They did something like that with the 392, which was a cool move, but it still needs to prove itself head to head with the competition. As for the whole "it can't beat the viper" mentality, that's just plain dumb from a planning standpoint. If you want to keep that idea going, make the viper even faster. Don't sacrifice the challenger's name for the sake of a car that almost nobody can afford anyway. Step the R/T up to a 392 and put a blown 426 in the SRT in the first year of the redesign. People do NOT buy challengers for gas mileage. The MDS system is all fine and good, but as evidenced by the long list of people that buy a diablo to deactivate it, it's not selling challengers.
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