Modern day Challenger
I sold a 70 440 six pack Challenger in 2012 and bought an SRT 392 Challenger with the 6 speed manual. Although it was a nice car I realized I actually HATED IT. I woke up and realized "I'M AN OLD CAR GUY" Computerized , ABS , Traction Control , blah blah blah Just didn't thrill me like I thought it would. I traded it in on a new truck and bought a 71 Cuda 383 I haven't looked back with ANY regrets. Not to mention I never lose money on old cars The newer cars nose dive in value every day.
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This...up above...I couldn't agree with this more...HELL, YES!
The newer vehicles just don't have a "soul". Sure, they're reliable, quiet, comfortable, and fuel efficient (relatively speaking), but they're BORING! Imagine being at a party and having a choice at who to talk with: "Person A", who's been around the the world and has all sorts of interesting stories and experiences, or "Person B", who watches TV all day and wants to talk about Judge Judy.
I guess it depends on the end result you want. If driving an old car takes you back and gives you a certain feeling, a modern Challenger isn't going to fit and will probably feel like it has no soul to you. And really, the only "soul" a car will ever have is the one you give it.
Can't argue with the depreciation, though. Other than to say that I bought my Challenger for $25xxx and sold it for $23xxx, 3 years and 20K miles later. I did lose money, but the enjoyment I got out of it was more than worth it and was far less than if I had bought a Mustang. And the dealership I sold it to listed it for $29,999 and it only lasted a week or two. Not that it would be the same today, just my experience.
For me, I am in it for the drive. And while I enjoy my Duster, it just doesn't drive as nice as my Challenger did. It feels different and takes me back to when it was my daily, but the Challenger was much more comfortable, quieter, ran smoother, didn't stall and buck when cold, was significantly faster and had my back when I got on it too hard coming out of the round about.
And for me it had plenty of "soul" because when I drove it nice it just did a great job of being basic transportation. But when I got on it, it was like "Finally!" and got down to business. Add that a 707 hp old car can be somewhat of a pain to drive depending on how you get the HP, while a 707 hp Challenger will likely drive a whole lot better and still have the "pucker" factor. And I don't think that trend goes away at 485 or 375 hp even if it is somewhat reduced.
That all said, I'm trying to blend the 2 with a 5.7/T56 swap into a '73 Duster. Partly because I can't point to a Challenger and say "I built that", but I will be able to say that with my '73.
