[Orange]

I will tell you what. I have been researching cars for almost a year now and have NO idea what I am going to buy around the beginning of 2012. NO IDEA.

I was DECIDED on a Mustang 5.0, but then looked at the features of the R/T Classic, and loved the interior, push start, sound system, transmission, and looks of the car. I almost did a deal prematurely.

I just recently drove the 2011 Charger R/T Road and Track, and LOVED it. It seems more practical, but less fun since there is no 6-spd. And the optional features are AMAZING! However, the exhaust stock sounds no where near the Challenger's.

On top of all that, the Mustang GT still out preforms the Dodges in every number they put down (0-60, 1/4 mile, braking, handling, gas milage) but they don't have the options like the Dodges and I don'think the interior quality is as high. The only Dodge that comes close is the SRT8 392, and I can't (won't) afford that. I need (want) to be under 35k and this is a DD for a 30 mile one-way commute. So I want 25mpgs on the freeway.

To add more confusion, I have a friend who works at Chrysler Corporate that can give me the friends and family discount.

Holy crap. This is the hardest decision I have ever had to make (probably). I just want to get something I will be happy with for a long time. I am having a new house built this year and getting married. She LOVES the Challenger. It's her favorite car.

Why can't the R/T have the performance of the Mustang? LOL. That would make things much simpler...

K. I'm done rambling.

 

[itzrick]

Have you looked at the practicality of a stang. You will regret it and your new wife will make sure you know it. my 2 cents

 

[HexiumVII]

You really can't beat the mustang for fun to drive and nimbleness that comes with 500lbs less weight. The challenger has some really bad programming for performance (mainly to save gas). So if you tune it up with a predator, it will be a different beast. Looks like you've been a mustang guy. I really like mustangs too, esp the ones before the 70s, and the ones before 2010 had a really nice retro feel (i mean they did start the rebirth). But the latest incarn just looks like a chick car, and there are so many out there. It kinda boils down to how great your need for speed is and how mature you are. Good luck on your quest!

 

[HemiFan]

You should be happy with what you drive everyday. House, soon to be married? Did you notice the big trunk and the fact you could easily fit a couple of kids comfortably in the back seat of the R/T? I'm sensing a potentially good fit here if you went with the R/T...

Besides, unless you're running quarter miles, not much difference on the street between the two as daily drivers in the performance category (my wife has a 2011 5.0) - except of course, you'll look better, your stuff (and family to be) will fit more comfortably, and you'll be driving something not everyone has. Just some thoughts.

 

[Jimbo]

Why can't the R/T have the performance of the Mustang? LOL. That would make things much simpler...

K. I'm done rambling.

If you think about this for any length of time, you will realize that the Mustang's better performance has almost no practical benefit in real life.

98% of the time you will not be driving balls out. Even in spirited driving, you just don't have the road, the room, the lack of traffic, the lack of law enforcement, to use whatever paper performance the Mustang 5.0 is capable of over the Challenger.

If that is all that is bothering you, have a long talk with yourself and you will come to find that, besides "bragging rights", which is sort of a juvenile need anyway, there is no real advantage of the Mustang over the Challenger.

Where I like the Mustang is its size and interior. Those have sold me. Yet I still want a Challenger. GWE, please. I love the new GWE R/T. Anyway, back to you. If the only thing going for the Mustang is the paper performance - a slightly quicker quarter mile and slightly higher g's on the skidpad, but if you love the Challenger in every other way, I would go Challenger.

If you buy a Mustang for its paper performance, as soon as you realize how infrequently you can and do use that paper edge in the real world, you are going to kick yourself for not getting a Challenger.

Here, list the advantages of the Mustang over the Challenger. How often would you use them?

Now list the advantage of the Challenger over the Mustang. How often would you use them?

Your choice will come from the answer to those questions.

For me, I would use the Challenger's fine looks every day. The exhaust note, every day. The exclusivity, every day. The big seats, every day. The pistol shifter, every day. I can go on and on.

On the other side, I could use the Mustang's smaller size, better ergonomics (for me), and better Ford reliability every day.

Looking at those 2, I come down for Challenger every time, even expecting that it won't be as reliable over its lifetime as the Ford.

Your answer may be different. I don't know.

 

[theACE]

The Mustang is just too small for anyone bigger than a teenager. I enjoy my Mustang, and had I not loved the way it looks I would not have bought it. As soon as I get too big for my Mustang though, I am buying a Challenger.

If you don't automatically fall in love with the Mustang based on the way it looks, don't buy it... you WILL regret it. Honestly I would just get the Challenger if I was you, because you are not going to regret it...no matter what happens.

 

[69superbee383]

I have had both and both are great cars. The Stang is smaller and faster and the Challenger of course larger with a better ride and is more comfortable. Looks are subjective. I did not see a difference in interior quality. In fact I like the Mustang interior mainly because you can get a color other than slate gray.

In the end the performance of the two is close enough that I would pick the one you like best. You drive the car every day on the street and the last I checked you wont be cutting high 12 low 13 quarters there.

In the perfect world I would have an R/T and a 5.0 Stang.

 

[Chally2010]

So far everybody has given you some great advice to help you make the best decision for yourself. One other bit of advise to somebody who is about to get married and this is the most important thing so far, a Happy Wife makes a Happy Life.. and I bet she would be right with you if you want to mod it...

 

[Orange]

Man. This is excellent. Im really glad I started this thread because you guys have definately helped. If you ask ny fiance what are some of the reasons I sold my Cobra, she would say I didn't like the fact tha I was paying so much more in gas for extra performance but never using it. That being said, shows me that acceleration isn't very important to me in day to day use. Maybe just on the weekends.

How do you guys feel about the Charger RT?

 

[Keavdog]

I own an 09 Charger R/T. I bought the charger for the styling and room and wasn't really aware of the performance. I have 3 teenage kids at home and it is a BIG car. My boys are 6' each and they all fit fine with my 5'7 daughter in the middle.

The stock performance of my R/T was awesome - I just caught the mod bug and got hooked on acceleration like a crack addict

The new styling has its pros and cons but I'll say the interior is way nicer and get the NAV system - the new 8" multi-function display is really impressive.

So then I wanted to get something special - a performance car... and it was between the Shelby GT500 and the 392 Challenger. They are both great performing cars but the curb appeal of the chally wins hands down in my opinion. I had a 65 mustang GT coupe that I absolutely loved so I'm not a anti-mustang guy....but everywhere you look you see mustangs. Its a testiment to their value (especailly the new GT... forged internals 411 hp for a great price...wow) but they are just everywhere and that bugged me a bit too.

This is my 4th dodge (92 Grand Caravan, 98 Durango, 09 Charger R/T, 11 392 Challenger SRT) and my experience has been great in terms of reliability. My only complaint was the Durango transmission gearing when towing.

So I guess I'm voting dodge here. And if I were your age (assuming 20 something) I'd get the Chally. I love my Charger, but its a big 4 door. You can get away with your 2-door for a few years even when the little ones start popping out.

Let us know how you decide.

 

[TinCuda]

You will get a challenger. Your wife wants one. End of discussion.

My wife wanted a cat, I did not want a cat.

We compromised.

We have a cat.

That is just how it works.


.

 

[troyus]

I went through the same thing, the Mustang was on the short list. My reasons for the Mustang (other than the smaller size which I do prefer, and the better build quality), were all about the numbers. Here's the thing though: In 2-3 years, those numbers won't be special anymore, but the Challenger will still look, feel, and sound great. It will also still be harder to park...

 

[AZ MSCL]

I have both (09 Challenger RT and a 10 Mustang GT). The performance of the new 5.0 is impressive but like Jimbo said "you will realize that the Mustang's better performance has almost no practical benefit in real life." The Mustang is smaller - interior and trunk. The premium stereo is not as good as the premium stereo in the Challenger. The Challenger is our "family" car and fits me, the wife, two kids and luggage. The Mustang technically will do that but comfort stinks for everyone and you can get about 1.5 suitcases in the trunk.

If performance is the only important thing to you, get the 5.0, it rocks. That said, the RT can be modded to come close to the 5.0 but it will cost a few more bucks (it'll outperform it for about $5-8k). The 5.0 is an awesome and fast car but the Challenger is bigger, roomier and no slouch (I've done 0-60 in 4.7 secs but the average is about 5.5 for most RTs). I like both but I'm a Mopar guy from way back. I'd get the Challenger.

 

[StealthChallenger]

You cannot drive a spec sheet. Though the 5.0 has a cooler interior and is the better performer on paper, you still have to live with it every day. Resale on Mustangs is not that strong from what I've seen either unless you have Shelby or the like. The Challenger is more confortable, roomy, and better looking. The 2011 R/T Charger is even more practical with performance basically the same as the R/T Challenger and great looks to boot. I have driven everything from the SS to Bullitts to the new 5.0 to the GT500 to SRT-8s to R/Ts to 2011 Chargers etc. The Mustang is hands down more fun to toss around, but the Challenger is the daily driver or them and is more fun to be seen in. If you have two or more small kids, get the Charger. If not, I think the R/T CLASSIC or used SRT-8. That's where my search has brought me to this point.

 

[Thingfish]

As has been said...happy wife,happy life.

Also you can get a leftover 2010 SRT for around 35k if you shop. That might close the gap a little more for you with the GT.

 

[Sdave]

Wait until 2012 or 2013. The 8-speed automatics will help performance a great deal. The new trans will be 98% efficient according to Allpar.com. That means there is only a 2% loss in hp to the rear wheels.

 

[huggytree]

how about a Mopar 10? i hear they are faster than a regular RT and may be discounted since they are 2010's

also what about a left over 2010 SRT? you can get them for $36k range.....drive slow and get 23 mpg...

the challenger is a larger car than the mustang...do you want small and fast or large and almost as fast?

 

[jsd512]

I'll tell you what I tell anyone else who comes on here, or anywhere else for that matter, and post something similar to what you have posted - Challenger owners, like myself, did not decide to buy this car to race Mustangs and Camaros. I purchased it because I have always been a Mopar guy and that the Challenger offers a bit more pizzazz (real word) in ownership than does the Mustang and Camaro. Mustang and Camaro owners bought their cars for a different reason, no less valid than mine, just different. It does not hurt that this car is downright sexy. I still have people starring at this car at stop lights and cruising on the highway. There are many other reasons that makes this car a wonderful car - big and comfy, plenty of trunk space, a useable back seat and a smooth and quiet ride. Also, these cars can perform quite well, it's just that Mustang owners and Camaro owners (to a lesser degree) do not want to acknowledge that point. R/Ts in showroom condition, can easily run [email protected], which is fast and SRT8s can hit [email protected] (these times do not reflect the maximum ideal performance, only realistic expectations). These times are very respectable, it's just that Mustang and Camaro owners have different definitions of what fast is. Take a look at the overall owner experience, not just what it can do in a straight line.

 

[jsd512]

You will get a challenger. Your wife wants one. End of discussion.

My wife wanted a cat, I did not want a cat.

We compromised.

We have a cat.

That is just how it works.


.

I rarely lol at any comment but this is truely funny and a bit depressing as well. :laugh: I'm not married but I hear just about every married man tell me this or something very similar.

 

[Orange]

It's really tough. I think I have it narrowed down to Dodge, but I don't know which one. 2 doors or 4. From what I understand, they perform about the same between the 2 R/T models. Gas milage is simliar. But the 5 speed auto in the Charger sucks.

I have heard the rumors of the 8 speed trans coming for 2012, which is fine, since that model year might be out by the time I finally pull the trigger.