Does a Dodge Charger matter today in the world of automobiles?

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

I saw a few new Chargers today and was thinking, do they matter anymore?

While I'll say they look better now than the past generation, and the Hellcat Charger is interesting, they are really just an alternate for the accord/maxima/camry crowd.
They are in rental car fleets, and pretty much an appliance these days. 

I mean, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd ben cars weren't rental cars, were they?   

[Baldwinvette77]

i never really cared ever since they came out in 2005

i remember the dukes movie came out about then, and me and a friend asked each other "which would you have, the 4 door, or the one that is actually doing jumps" .. although this was back when we were 10 and 11 respectively and truly believed that 1 1969 charger was used since the original show 

[myk]

They matter to me, I like the new Charger.  But that's just my opinion, though...

[Mike DC]

 
American + sedan + RWD + V8 + performance/cool oriented = I'm glad it's out there and selling well. 


It also wears more hats than the original did.  Depending on the options this Charger serves as the base model Coronet, the Super Bee, and all the variations of Chargers.

[Ghoste]

There is a loyal following for the current Charger and there are forums and shows dedicated to them, people modify and race them, so I think they matter.  Will they have a long term following, who knows?  Perhaps they will eclipse the so called classic Charger and we will become the irrelevant ones.

[myk]

Ha ha, the newer Charger fanbois would like to think that but they can keep on dreaming.  1st, 2nd and 3rd Gens will forever be rooted in history as the building blocks of American performance; nothing will ever change that fact...

[68X426]

Two many doors to matter.

[1974dodgecharger]

Cult following for new charger I would say yes. Will it be a classic say in 20 years I would say big no.  I met so many people who preserve the new charger like it was the old classic...they have appraisers telling them their srt charger with 200 miles on it 2007 model mind u say it's worth 90k right now.  I met people who put plastic in their seats to preserve their seats while they drive it to the store and back....you know plastic like yo grandma used for her coach back in the day.


Other than AWESOME CAR no doubt leaps and bounds over our classic in performance, but at the end of the day it will never mimic the looks of the classic and feel for old muscle rumble.

[JR]

Outside of the Hellcat having the title of American Sedan with the most HP and the highest top speed, I don't really think it's all that significant. Isn't the LX platform still an old Mercedes E class underneath?

It's significant in that it marks Chrysler's return to profitibality again, but in the grand scheme of the automobile industry, im not sure. There are much more important/significant cars.

I think the current Charger is probably the culmination of how good the big American car+big v8+rear wheel drive formula has come to, but its limits are apparent.

I would say the most significant cars are the ones that shape the auto industry the most, or the ones that lay down new paths in the industry. I would say the "important" cars are the alternative fueled or hybrid ones like the Model S, the 918/P1/LaFerrari trio, the Chevy Volt, and so on.

I consider the current LX platform cars in the same league as the Chevy SS/G8, and the pony cars. A whole lot of fun, but not important in the big picture of the industry.

[Ghoste]

In that context, how significant were the first couple generations of cars bearing the moniker "Charger"?  Arguably the Daytona was important to the auto industry but did a 66 or 68 or 71 really contribute anything historically important?  They were just passenger cars with attractive styling and the availability of large engines.

[wingcar]

This is really a matter of comparing apples and oranges.....two different cars built for those in a different time.  Today's Chargers are a whole different breed and are Chargers of old in name only.  The Charger has evolved with time...whether we want to admit it or not a 1969 (or insert your favorite year) Charger just wouldn't sell in the numbers that today's Chargers do.  That's a fact.  Not saying that people wouldn't like a car styled after the originals....just look at the new Challenger and the styling changes made to the new Charger...but today many want a car that is more user friendly, and that means in many cases two additional doors.  Over thirty plus years separate the original Charger from its present version and a lot has changed in that time....including people's attitude towards cars.
So do today's Chargers matter that much in today's world....just look around at how many are on the road and that is your answer.

[67440chrg]

I am not a big fan of the new Chargers but I have seen it bring some people over to the Mopar brand. I have a friend that was a die hard chevy man. His wife got a new charger and now a few years later they own a new Challenger. I think the new charger even with the extra doors is significant in bringing back a V8,RWD family car that is also fast like the originals were.

[Scaregrabber]

The Hellcat Charger matters a lot. It kicks foreign sedans ass and doesn't bother to take names. The other "Chargers" are just another 4 door car.

Sheldon

[1974dodgecharger]

The Hellcat Charger matters a lot. It kicks foreign sedans ass and doesn't bother to take names. The other "Chargers" are just another 4 door car.

Sheldon

Hellcat is an engine not body style per say....will new charger be a classic in 20 years no......is the hellcat engine significant to dodge hell cat yes..............

[myk]

The Hellcat Charger matters a lot. It kicks foreign sedans ass and doesn't bother to take names. The other "Chargers" are just another 4 door car.

Sheldon

I'm gonna go ahead and disagree with that one.  

Sure, the Hellcats are the ones in the spotlight, and everyone from Top Gear to Dodgecharger.com and little Jimmy in 6th grade math spend the better part of their days daydreaming about Hellcats, but at the end of the day the Hellcat isn't the car making the money.  What car is?  It's the millions of "boring, lowly, regular" Chargers that are being mass produced, bought and sent off to work as taxis, police cars, government cars, rental vehicles, as well as daily transportation to the countless masses of regular people who can't afford any better but are nevertheless spending a lot of money to own a Charger.

The Hellcat Charger is a pretty car, but by itself it won't be able to give Fiat the cash it needs to keep the factories pumping or keep the legend of the Charger moniker alive, relevant, and moving into the future; no, it's the garden variety Charger that is ultimately the muscle behind the name....

[1974dodgecharger]

At the end of the day all cars are just cars.....

I maybe the slowest 68 charger around vs a v6 2015 charger but damn I look so much better 

[1965gp]

I switched over to Newer Mopars when Pontiac got shut down. I think it was said earlier this is an apples and oranges scenario- you can't compare the gen 1/2/3 with the LX cars.

I will start by saying we had a 2007 Sublime Daytona- the attention that car got was unreal. My daughters both loved that car- everyone was amazed with that car. Literally had people stopping to take pictures of it- that is why fans of the LX cars feel they are so important. When it came time to replace it ( nothing wrong- wife got tired of a lime green car) we were definitely ready for a change.

We looked at everything- I mean EVERYTHING in our price range- Import/domestic, luxury import/domestic, VW, Audi, Lincoln MKZ, used Mercedes, used BMW, trucks, suv's.... It took months. We found that we could not come near the performance the Daytona (5.7) offered for the price. Everything was a turbo 4 or 6 and was boring to drive compared to what we were used to. You need to realize we were buying a new car simply because we wanted something different. The G8 GXP was the only option and there just weren't many available.

What did we do? Bought another Charger- but in black. 1 yr old SRT8 (12 I think? 11-14 body style with 6.4) for under 40k that was in perfect shape and honestly will blow the doors off of most of the muscle cars in our garage.

To decide if it is relevant  today I would fill a parking lot with Impala's, fusions, Taurus', Camrys, Altimas and accords and see what stands out. I think the Charger stands out to car guys from all of its competitors- maybe not the v6, but the RT and SRT models look sound and feel far superior to their competition. The other manufacturers simply do not have anything like that to offer. I would say second place goes to the Taurus and 3rd would probably go to the Camry (I left out the Chrysler 300 since it is basically the same car and coincidentally the other car we considered). Outside of Cadillac GM doesn't really offer anything that interests me.

All my opinion of course and I do have a monthly payment on one so it may skew my thoughts. I just know that we were trying not to buy the Charger and just couldn't find anything with 4 doors, could be used for daily family duty and could turn a 14 sec 1/4 if needed at the same price point.

[John_Kunkel]

The selling price of old Chargers says they still "matter".

[Ghoste]

But does the new Charger?

[69wannabe]

They are OK, one of the nicer looking 4 door car on the market for sure!!! It bothers me when there is a group talking about cars and I say I have a dodge charger and they ask how new it is?  They don't know what to say when I say 69 model!!!  My daughter work's at cracker barrel for the summer while out of school and she was telling me about a group of older guy's with muscle car shirt's that came in and she told them that her dad has a dodge charger and one of them guy's said we like old mopars but not the newer 4 door chargers and she told them that I have a real dodge charger and not a 4 door!!!  Made me proud!!!! They will be around for awhile but will never be what the old charger's were or are today!!

[stripedelete]

no

[1974dodgecharger]

They are OK, one of the nicer looking 4 door car on the market for sure!!! It bothers me when there is a group talking about cars and I say I have a dodge charger and they ask how new it is?  They don't know what to say when I say 69 model!!!  My daughter work's at cracker barrel for the summer while out of school and she was telling me about a group of older guy's with muscle car shirt's that came in and she told them that her dad has a dodge charger and one of them guy's said we like old mopars but not the newer 4 door chargers and she told them that I have a real dodge charger and not a 4 door!!!  Made me proud!!!! They will be around for awhile but will never be what the old charger's were or are today!!

lmao.....heres the funny thing to that  how the folks like the older charger don't recognize the newer chargers.....the folks with NEWER CHARGERS AS IN MODERN don't recognize the older CHARGERS!!!  They say the FIRST REAL CHARGER came in 06 with 4 doors....

[Ghoste]

Yeah but those are just trolls and moles planted by Chrysler to sow those seeds of discontent.

[Mike DC]

 
Can you imagine a bunch of guys in 1968 talking crap about '68 Mustangs, and saying their 1920s Ford coupes are "the real ones"?


Our 1960s/70s cars are almost 50 years old.  The time for a new Charger has come, twice over.  

And a new one SHOULDN'T  be exactly what we want, for the same reasons the 1968 Mustang was not what the 1920s Ford guys wanted.  Times change.  New generations have different wants & feelings.  (Like, for example, not having our big grudge against 4drs . . .)  

[BROCK]

On the other hand the 68 - 70 Dodge Charge has been in many top 10 most beautiful cars of the world lists.  It has shared that glory with the Cisitalia, Mercedes Gullwing & Lamborghini Muira.  Not bad for an old musclecar!

[tcs69rt]

As the owner of a 69 Charger RT, I cannot get by the 4 doors, probably my "issue".  I think they should have called a 4 door V8 sedan the Coronet, yes I know they made a 2 door RT as well, but they never made a 4 door Charger. I was quite happy when I saw the Challenger being brought back and I think alot of us were wanting a 2 door performance car. In 2013 I bought a 2011 Challenger RT 6 speed with 1800 miles on it and I am now content. Thought I would share this with you it was a college project I created and yes I did get an A in the class! 

[UH60L]

Can you imagine a bunch of guys in 1968 talking crap about '68 Mustangs, and saying their 1920s Ford coupes are "the real ones"?


Our 1960s/70s cars are almost 50 years old.  The time for a new Charger has come, twice over.  

And a new one SHOULDN'T  be exactly what we want, for the same reasons the 1968 Mustang was not what the 1920s Ford guys wanted.  Times change.  New generations have different wants & feelings.  (Like, for example, not having our big grudge against 4drs . . .)  

Ya know, I'm starting to think by your posts... that you're the mike from allpar...

That said, your comparison is silly, because (unless I'm really missing something here) 1920's Ford coupes were not called mustangs.

It's not about the cars per se, it's about the badge they wear.  The cars are actually not that bad, and had they called them Coronet, I might have even bought one and parked it next to my '69 Charger and my '11 Challenger.

Times changing has nothing to do with anything.  I've owned several 4 doors over the years.  Some of them were pretty nice cars too.  (actually our last 4 door had a nicer interior than our Challenger does...)  But, not one of those cars was a Dodge Charger, never will be, never pretended to be.

Those cars were family sedans.  That is what we bought them for.  That's what they were used for. 

We didn't buy the '69 Charger or the '11 Challenger with idea of hauling our kids around or buying groceries.  The fact that they have big trunks and usable back seats is just a bonus.  We bought them because they're muscle cars and they're cool.  (and because I had wanted a '69 Charger since I was a kid...)

You don't by muscle cars for gas mileage, or for how easy it is to put a car seat in, or for "convenience".  You buy them because they're muscle cars.

Unfortunately, the sedans they are selling these days are mostly used for what they are, appliances, to be thrown away or traded in every year or two.  (some people just can't go more than a year without a new car, what's up with that?...)  Thus I don't think those cars now hold or ever will hold, the type of importance or significance or personal recognition to the populous that the '66 to '74 Charger continues to have.

Regardless of HP and modern convenience, they just don't have the cool factor.  The looks were getting better with the '11 to '14 model, but then they took away or changed some the "Charger" styling cues on the '15.  The only positive thing on the '15 to me, is the front end, and it's still got a long way to go...  Yeah, most modern cars could blow my Charger off the road, but few, if any, modern cars could look as good as mine while doing it. 

Even the new Challengers, as cool as they are, many people have to have the newest thing.  I wonder how many 2009 Challengers got traded in on Hell Cats?  I don't plan on ever selling our 2011.  Perhaps when it's paid off and the Charger is done, we'll buy another new Challenger.  I just can't see getting rid of a car that I love that still runs and looks good.

My car is 45 years old, and even sitting in my garage waiting for parts, I get compliments on it from strangers (as well as the occasion offer to buy it).  I don't think there will be as many used versions of the current sedan still running after 45 years as there are '60s and '70s Chargers still running today...

[Mike DC]

 
 
No 2000+ muscle car will be as classic as a 1960s model.  Period.  It's half a century later in the evolution of the gasoline automobile. People have different wants from cars today.  People want them more compromised to be good at doing more things than they used to.  The less appealing styling of the modern car is a DIRECT result of those compromises.  


As for the importance of the Charger name?  Here's my response to that:



Hey, it's a 2-door, isn't it?  




In 2006 they put the "Charger" name onto a car filling the roughly the same place in their lineup as the originals did.  

The modern Ram pickup is far heavier & more electronic & luxurious & expensive than the original Ram was.  But it's not a sacrilege to call the new one a "Ram" is it?  Like it or not, the same portion of the buying market wants different things than they used to want 50 years ago.  

Four doors is the same # of doors as the uncool cars 50 years ago, but it's a lot less uncool than it used to be.  At least among mainstream buyers.

[JB400]

In modern terms, the Coronet nameplate isn't really all that cool.  For a name that was meant to bring some excitement to the Dodge lineup, and to represent the brand in Nascar, I think they actually picked the right name.  The car they put it on, is a different story.  They could have kept the Intrepid nameplate, but that doesn't have the appeal, and as a nameplate that was already 11 years old, Dodge needed something new.