Why do you own your car?

[lloyd3]

Is it love? Is it an investment? Is it a family heirloom?  Why do you take the time, spend the money, and do the work that it takes to keep one of these cars?

[JB400]

I wanted it, I got it.  It's in model car form right at this particular moment, but I still like it   Don't really care how much it's worth.

[polywideblock]

its the result of a promise that i made to myself 30 years ago,that one day I'd own a "real" American car

[GOTWING]

As for the Superbird, I followed up on a phone call i got from a old high school friend, it fell right in in my lap 

[triple_green]

It was the car I wished I had had in high school.....

[billssuperbird]

The first time I saw one I wanted one.my son will get it and I know he will never let it go

[areibel]

It was the car I wished I had had in high school.....

I bought one just after I got out of high school, A B-5 383 auto car that had been hit in the rear and had new quarters, tail light panel, etc..  I went to the dealer and bought an NOS "I" piece to fix the dinged up one- $21!   I drove it a couple years and it wouldn't pass PA inspection, there was a hole in the front frame rail.  I parked it, and my Dad sold it off when I went to college.  The current one I've had about 6 years, but it's in no where near the same condition!

[moparstuart]

Family influence me to like Mopars but worked hard to build what i wanted and the way i wanted it ,   My dream car yup .

[kab69440]

So that no one else can have it.

[marshallfry01]

It was the car I wished I had had in high school.....

Same for me! I've always loved the charger though. Nothing else has the body lines like a 2nd generation charger.

[Patronus]

Just figured I saved her from the earth a lil bit longer. Wasn't in it for the '69 Charger.. it just happened. I figured Mopar was the right way to go. I love em all, build em all too.

[Matthan]

Because I watched the Dukes of Hazzard when I was a kid and had to have a 1969 Dodge Charger!

[Dino]

Fell in love with the bodylines, nothing comes close to it.  It's probably the only muscle car I'd spend this much time with, don't care all that much for others.

[Old Moparz]

Is it love? Is it an investment? Is it a family heirloom?  Why do you take the time, spend the money, and do the work that it takes to keep one of these cars?

Because I'm a sadistic idiot.

[projectanimal]

For the love of the car and hobby!  It also makes me smile each time I walk in the garage!! 

[Cooter]

Cause nobody else wanted it...

[Daytona R/T SE]

Humans annoy me.

And since I'm such an unsociable shit,  

Spending all this time alone in the garage banging on my junk,  

Helps to limit my exposure to the great unwashed masses,

[1970Moparmann]

Been a car nut since I dropped out of my mom.   Started to appreciate Mopars around 14 - 15 when all I saw were Camaro's and Vette's.  First time I saw a Superbird, it was love....  Knew it was my ultimate car..  Dream came true.

I have been known to buy some cars to flip to fund a restoration.   One of the flip cars is still in the garage from 8 years ago... WTF.  Wife won't let me sell it.   

[XH29N0G]

Long story- My first car was a red 1960 valliant that my grandfather bought to wind up my dad when he was in College.  Dad wanted a 300F.  My grandfather also bought one of those.  Anyway, we got the valliant and I came along in the mid 60's.  I used to sit in the back seat and reach through the package tray into the trunk.  Then in March of 1970 we traded it in for the Charger.  I remember the exhaust in the winter, the smell, the cursing of my mom when the choke stuck open and the car would not drop below 30 mph.  I later remember popping the clutch while we were rolling the car back home (choke stuck again), the engine started, and I passed another car in reverse.  Finally Dad sold it to me in 1983 and I kept it ever since.  Now it is getting restored and I don't know what I'll do after I drive it to my parents house to show it to them.

[hawkeye]

It was on my bucket list.  Everyone should be so lucky as to own a 2nd gen charger sometime in their lives!!

[Baldwinvette77]

Why do i own my charger? when was 9?, me and my friend wanted to buy the "dukes of hazzard car" (i think this was back around 2000) we never found out it was a dodge charger until about a year later i think, movies like blade, fast and furious 1, dukes of hazzard 2005, etc. kept the dream alive, my friend gave up, i kept looking, in 2011 fast five came out and at that point i was getting sick of seeing dozens of chargers wrecked in movies, and decided to buy a cheap totaled charger that not many other sane people would buy to build 

[ChargerD100]

Always has been my favorite, my aunt (deceased) bought me a charger hot wheel when i was 5 and that started the lust for one as well as dukes re runs, so my car is gunna be a tribute to the general with the vectors i got for it and to my aunt (gunna put a couple decals under deck lid of things she liked and remind me of her, cubs decal and a grave digger monster truck decal, and the car is named terri cuz of her)

[Rosco]

Grew up watching Dukes when I was little. Then the movie came out just as I was starting to really get into cars, and whatever problems the movie has, the General Lee was not one of them!
At first I wanted a General Lee, but as more time passed I realised i just wanted a charger, and the more time that passed, the more I wanted one.
And then finally, I was in the position to buy one 

[ws23rt]

Our first car tends to imprint on us. Mine was a 57 desoto when I was 14.  While working on it I saw reference to double rocker shaft engines in my chilton repair manual. I got hemified. I've been a mopar guy every since and the B body cars from 64 to 71 hold the lasting attraction. ( Hmm Those were the years of the 426 Hemi.)

[Fitz73Chrgr]

My Dad had a '68 when he was in high school and a '74 when I was young.  We got the '73 as a project when I was in high school and there will be another 2nd gen in the family some day. 

[Charger RT]

33 yrs ago I drove my little brother to buy his 68 R/T in my 69 charger. I totaled my 69 a few months later in the snow and 5 yrs later he gave me first shot to buy his 68 for 400.00. My son will get that car somewhere down the road he loves it.

[toocheaptosmoke]

Oddly enough, I was never huge into "cars", more of a truck, jeep, atv type of guy.  Don't get me wrong, I like almost anything that's old, cool, and has a motor, but my first vehicle was an '84 Jeep scrambler.  Most of my vehicles have always been older than I am, driving a POS is almost my trademark at this point.    Couple years ago when I was finishing up college everyone was telling me I need to sell my old junk and get something new and reliable, for the "real world."  Had to choose a path, get something newer, or keep driving crap and put money aside for a project car.  I said F the new car, keeping the old iron alive just gives you a satisfaction new cars can't.  That's when I decided to find something really cool for my next project, a muscle car was something I never had.  Always been kind of a dodge guy, and liked the new challengers, so a 1970 challenger was the first car I really looked into.  But then I started seeing the 2nd gens and they just sucked me in, I remembered a friend's dad's '69 that was one of the few cars to really catch my eye years back.  (I've never actually seen a DOH episode ) That was it, I decided if I was going to take the time and money to fix up a car I was gonna do something worth it.  Screw buying some practical Kia with great financing...  

[lloyd3]

So...I'm reading emotion and nostalgia for most of you. Something you either always wanted or you saw one and was transfixed.  Makes sense to me.  Not seeing much consideration as an investment.

[8WHEELER]

I just turned 17 ''1978'' my Dad came home from work, and told me he was going to let me buy a car.
Then he told me his buddy at work was thinking of selling his car, I asked him what kind of ford is
it Dad? ''he only liked fords'' he said a 68 Dodge, I asked what kind HE DID NOT REMEMBER  

The next weekend we drove 20 minutes away, pulled on a long 1/4 mile driveway, came out of the woods.

There sat a PP1 red 68 Charger infront of the garage, I had never seen one before, fell in love, went back the next weekend,
gave him the cash, THANKS DAD    The engine is bigger now, and so are the wheels and tires.

Dan

[Tilar]

So...I'm reading emotion and nostalgia for most of you. Something you either always wanted or you saw one and was transfixed.  Makes sense to me.  Not seeing much consideration as an investment.

If everyone here did it as an investment we wouldn't be pumping 35k into a car thats only worth 30k, and we wouldn't have 1/4th the knowledge of these old cars that we do here. I think most here would be called an enthusiast... which by definition is a dedicated fool, or was that dedicated fanatic? 

[tan top]

   all chargers & mopars are awesome in their own way ,  
but a second generation charger   , is the most beautiful shaped car ever made IMO  , every thing is perfect !!  just looking at it ,the body lines  curves , can sit & look at it for hours & hours , even now some 24 years later from the day i got it   ,    once you get in , crank the motor & hear it fire ,  that sound of it idling away   ,  then foot on brake , shift in to drive , that sound    the feeling !! then roll out on the street ,  ready for action  ,   love these cars !!  


wanted one ever since i saw DMCL &  bullet in the late 70s , think i was prolly  5 ,6 ,7 or 8 , never even knew the name  , then watching DOH when it first came out   , said to parents i'm going to get one of them one day , or words to that affect , just a shame the market value of these cars has gone crazy , even if these cars were worthless & no one wanted them ,  i would have a garage , yard full of different optioned & colored chargers   , & still spend far too much money & time on them    

[remta1]

just living the dream

[Fred]

Because I love everything about it. It's a masterpiece.

[lloyd3]

The reason I asked my question is because after almost 5-years I'm hearing that mine is finally "done".  It's been gone so long I've almost forgotten that I owned it.  I'm of two minds here: sell it now, before I get emotionally attached again, or enjoy it for a while and see what happens next.  Hard call.

[JB400]

The way I look at it, you worked on it and worked for it, you might as well just enjoy it.  Did you buy the car just to fix it or because you wanted it?  If you just bought it for something to work on, than I'd agree to sell it and buy another project car to restore.  It's kind of like the hobby plane category.  There are people that build them so they can have something to fly, and then there's the group that just likes building them so others can fly them.   Car hobby is the same way.  Where do you fit in?  For me personally, I build so that I can enjoy.  But, I don't mind helping others get theirs going as well.

[dyslexic teddybear]

I'm third generation Mopar, that's where that part comes from.

The moment I was hooked on HP.....[cue BAs "Summer of 69"]

A distant relative took me for a ride in his 69 GTX....no dramatics, until he got to just the right straight spot......

A easy downshift to third, a roll on the throttle.....at 50mph, secondary's come in, the tires hazing.....when they finally hook some.....the feeling of being pressed back in the seat.....

I was addicted from that precise moment. Any Mopar......[sigh]. I look at other brands stuff, and I see some seriously cool rigs.....but then I think of a couple hundred Mopars I would rather have.....

[lloyd3]

These cars do uniquely stimulate the senses.

[Old Moparz]

When I was a kid in New York City in the late 60's, I distinctly remember two cars I saw regularly. My family moved from Manhattan in the summer of 1971 when I was 8 years old. One car was a Charger & one car was a fastback Mustang. To me, they both looked like race cars & I loved looking at them. I had a Hot Wheels version of both & they were two of my favorite cars. They looked fast when they were parked, but could've been 6 cylinder cars for all I knew.   

I don't remember the exact year of each, but a few details stood out that I definitely remember so I can almost guess the year. There were louvers on the rear of the Mustang, which was a red & black car, along with a scoop on the hood. (Maybe a 1969 or 1970 Mach 1?) I don't recall the color of the Charger, but I remember the HUGE SHINY GAS CAP on top of the quarter panel & some mag wheels. (Could've been either a '68 a '69 or a '70?)

When I got a slot car set around the age of 10, one of the cars was a yellow & black Charger Daytona. I had no idea this was based on a real car & thought it was only a race car. Several years later I had found out it was a street car & had wanted one ever since. The first hell ride I got was in a 1969 Mach 1 with a 428 Cobra Jet a friend of mine had. This was a 4 speed car, shaker hood, rear louvers & it was red & black.

Another friend had a 1969 Charger with a 383-4V that was a bronze/gold color with a black vinyl top. It wasn't as fast as the Mach 1 but I sure liked it a lot more. (Less rattling going on, too...LOL) It had a set of Cragar SS mags on it but that's all I remember of it. He always talked about fixing a few things & repainting it but he sold it off like we all did & I lost touch with him. The guy with the Mach 1 also had a 1969 Boss 429 in white. He had both cars for many, many years but I lost touch with him as well & don't know what became of the Mustangs.

So.....I bought a 1969 Charger about 1 year after high school in 1981 & I was hooked on them, & other Mopars since. I tried to buy a couple of different ones over the years but it never worked out. The Daytona always eluded me because of the prices so I decided to build my own replica & have most of the parts I need. Seems like finding the time is more difficult now but I won't give up trying.   

[Baldwinvette77]

The charger pretty much embodies what a musclecar should be, A 2 ton middle finger to the masses   

[lloyd3]

That about covers it.

[charge69]

I had been looking for a pristine 1968 Roadrunner for more than a year and had just got in a debacle over buying a 1969 4-spd N69 Roadrunner in near-new condition that the seller wrecked the night before I was to pick up his car! I had already left a hefty deposit to hold it until the next day so I could go by the bank and get the rest of the money as it was too late to get it then! He took it for one last ride, I guess, and someone hit him in the driver-side front fender and smashed it and the grill pretty good. Needless to say, I was Pizzed!

The next week I was relating the story to my brother and he said he worked with a guy that had a Hemicharger and probably would sell! I asked him about it and he said the guy was the second owner but had owned it since 1971 (this was 1976) and he had seen and ridden in the Charger and it was a good car. What color, I said, and he replied red! I lowballed him a price when my brother said offer him a price and I will call him. I expected my brother to call back with a much higher counter-offer but he called back in about 15 minutes and said ...... (SOLD)!  I hurried to the bank and got the money for his price and went right over and got the Charger and the title before he could change his mind!

Got an original R6 red Charger R/T Hemi-auto in great running condition for ............... $700.00!

Drove the Charger until 1982 when I put it in the garage for a "someday" restoration and never got home without being "curbed" to look at the motor and offers to buy. Resisted some great offers when I could have desparately used some cash because I loved driving it and new I would, someday, restore it!

[68neverlate]

Same here.  My best bud owned one when I was in high school... wanted one ever since! 

Close to retirement now so will have the time and $$ to keep it up real nice...

It was the car I wished I had had in high school.....

[smokinjo]

It was always a dream of mine to own one. My dream has finaly come true.

[Fred]

It was always a dream of mine to own one. My dream has finaly come true.

Well enjoy living it. 

[riverratSE]

Always wanted a Charger. They are DAMN COOL!!! Had to save the one I have now cause it was getting neglected behind my buddy's barn, so I made a trade and dragged it home.

[mikeydf14]

Bought my first Charger in 1970, a 1969 318 auto for $1500 I loved the car. Joined the Navy in 72 and sold it. Wasn't sent overseas so I bought my second 69 a 383 2 bbl auto soon after for $1500.  Sold it for a brand new 1974 Chevy Vega GT kept it 9 months (Garbage) and bought my first 68 Charger 383 4bbl HP auto.... yep for $1500.  Kept that until I married in 1977. FAMILY TIME.  Kids gone & retired so I got my fourth Charger another 68 383 4bbl HP auto (well over $1500 this time!) and this one is not going anywhere.  That's why I own my car.  Been a 2nd gen Charger lover since I was 16!

[ws23rt]

I have posted how I came to like these cars. It looks like most every one else had a similar experience.
Investing is not why we are here.
I recall muscle car values going up fast in the early 80s and causing grief for us. Some of us had to change our minds. Some had to sell cause the price was so high. And the rest could not afford the prices. This was good for those of us that could hold on but many were priced away from this hobby. I am pleased that so many are still able to keep this up and the investors have moved on to other stuff.
  (Investors are not feeble minded, they saw what we see, there is lasting value in these cars.)

[69wannabe]

Had just finished working on a cutlass but really wanted a real "muscle car" Was tired of seeing all the mustangs and Camaro's and chevelle's at all the local cruise in's!! It was the late 90's and the dukes were back on TNN and my son was 4 or 5 yrs old and we were watching it regularly. I had sold the oldsmobile and was looking for something different, when it hit me!!! Why not a charger I mean look at the General Lee!!! That's the most bad a$$ car on the planet!! I lucked up into a 68 383 4-speed running and driving for less than 4 grand in mid year 99. It needed some TLC and still does at times but it has came a long way from what it was when I bought it. Now a 493 cubic inch 4 speed with 355 sure grip instead of a 276 one legger and lots of new metal around the car. Although is it mostly complete it still requires attention now and then which I suppose they all do!!!!

[dodgey68]

why wouldn't ya wanna own one, look at them,sexy lines, ,,

[HeavyFuel]

Is it love? Is it an investment? Is it a family heirloom?  Why do you take the time, spend the money, and do the work that it takes to keep one of these cars?

Because I'm a sadistic idiot.

Yeah.....what he said...

[greenpigs]

Some of it was the DOH but I wanted a bunch of different cars and the Charger kinda fell in my lap, so I went with it. In other words if a 67 Firebird 400, 70 AMX or 70 Cyclone Spoiler was found first I would own that now.