Someday soon

[ollie]

Within the next year to year and half, I will be in the market for my Dream car. 1969 Charger. I have been wanting one for basically as long as i can remember. Thanks to them Duke boys, lol. I live in a small town in the Middle of Michigan and dont see many Chargers in my area. I will be searching near and far for the right car, not knowing what that may be yet. I'm guessing my budget will be around $30,000 or so.
My question is... What and where should i be looking. I'm hoping to find a driver, not a show car but something that is reliable and i could actually drive to some shows and downtown events.
Any major things to look for or be aware of? I would be happy with 68-70 Charger but really like the 69. Always wanted a 440 but 383 would be fine. 4 speed or automatic. Always liked the center console look with buckets in the front and hard top, not vinyl top.

Any info or help would be appreciated. I know i need to research and not rush into any purchase.
Thanks

[Dino]

Welcome to the site!

Where in Mi? I'm in Ann Arbor

[ollie]

I'm in Midland
And thanks

[jefferson]

Hate to break it to you. In the next year 30k will get you a shell really. Hell 30k now is not getting something that doesnt need another 30k spent on it . Double that figure and you will get a nice driver

[4cruzin]

Welcome to the site from Howell, MI!  Hopefully you find something that will work for you!   

[CDN72SE]

Welcome to the site and good luck pursuing your dream car. 

[67440chrg]

Welcome!!  Good luck I hope you find a driver that you can be happy with.

[bakerhillpins]

Welcome 

My suggestion to you is start looking now. You might not have the $$ on hand but watching the market over the next year plus will give you lots of insight into what's out there in both asking price and condition. The stuff that sits vs the stuff that moves fast, where in the country stuff is etc.  I watched the market for close to 2.5 years with money in hand before I got my car. I searched religiously almost every night using the same tools so I knew what was a new vs old listing nation wide. By the time I picked mine up I knew exactly what was out there and what was a good price and there was very little buyers stress at that point. I was on the car within 24hrs.

Good luck.

[Dino]

My car came from Midland, although by the time I got it in '11 the owner had moved to Northville.

I got it by placing a wanted ad on Craigslist. The owner never put it up for sale but when he saw my ad he contacted me and we made a deal.

Don't expect too much for $30K though.

[Mopar Nut]

Welcome aboard!

[ollie]

Thanks everyone, I've been on the site for awhile reading and researching.. I missed out on a 69' a few yrs back  that was one town over and a killer deal. Hopung to find another deal sometime down the road.

[tan top]

hello &welcome 

[6pkrtse]

Welcome to the site! I am located in Mi also (Livonia). As you say, not that many around. Once in a while someone else shows up in a 68 or 69. I am usually the only 70' around the cruise nights or car shows. Yes, it is crazy what people think these cars are worth these days. Good luck on you find. I am sure all of us on here will help you find something also.

[Dano 1]

I agree with everyone else's advice about keeping your eyes on the market as much as humanly possible. I'm seeing a lot more cars and other stuff on Facebook marketplace that may or may not be on Craigslist so that can be another potential source. National Craigslist search sites like Searchtempest.com can also be useful if you're will to broaden your search area. 
One other thing I will add, when you do have the money in place and are ready to buy, be ready to go at a moment's notice for the right car. If you don't own a truck/trailer have a plan for how you'd rent or borrow one on short notice. One of the only reasons I was able to get my car was that I was willing and able to drop everything and go after the car as soon as I got word from the seller, and move the car that day. I was third 'in-line' on the car and the reason the seller stopped working with the people in front of me was because they were delaying pickup and changing plans on how and when they would get the car.

[VegasCharger]

To the OP, welcome aboard!  

.....I was third 'in-line' on the car and the reason the seller stopped working with the people in front of me was because they were delaying pickup and changing plans on how and when they would get the car.

I agree with Dano on his quote here. You have to be in "dash" mode when a good deal comes. Too much blah blah blah and the seller is ready to move to the "next" buyer in line.

Dano I see that you're relatively new in here, so welcome aboard as well.   

[6pkrtse]

That is how I was able to get my free 70' Road Runner. I stopped & inquired about it. The dude says you want that p.o.s. hook a chain to it with your truck & drag it out of here.... Well, I didn't exactly do that but I did go home & hooked up my open trailer & went back & picked it up.

[J-440]

30k?  Whoo, good luck.  Maybe that will get you a nice granny cared for car with a 318.  I agree, these cars have gone way up. 

[bakerhillpins]

30k?  Whoo, good luck.  Maybe that will get you a nice granny cared for car with a 318.  I agree, these cars have gone way up. 

Yes but the bubble will pop again and if you're patient and in the right place at the right time you can get a great deal.  The debt load in the market is climbing again with lots of "free" money (mortgages/loans) around just like 10 yrs ago. I sat around and waited till the backside and got what I consider to be a good deal. The one real difference is the economy created around the storm events which generates a lot of short term labor to rebuild but also injects a lot of flood cars into the market so look out. Here on the site we tracked a few Super Storm Sandy cars as they made their rounds.

[ollie]

I've been watching and patiently waiting for the time to come when I can get my Charger. I've seen a few good deals lately so hopefully when the time is right I will find the one that is right for me.
Anyone see any good deals around?

[Challenger340]

Haven't seen many "good" deals in quite awhile ?
Your budget still at the $30K mark ?

[bigdsul]

I've been watching and patiently waiting for the time to come when I can get my Charger. I've seen a few good deals lately so hopefully when the time is right I will find the one that is right for me.
Anyone see any good deals around?

Have you tried Facebook? I've seen some better posts up there on a few of the MOPAR pages and for what you are asking I've seen a couple decent non R/T offerings. The market is drying up and worse than it did for the Ford deuce coupe.

The one good deal I let walk away due to transportation issues was found on Facebook. 70 charger 500 383 b5 blue running driving condition restored about 5 years prior with black vinyl top matching b5 blue interior and ran like a top. That was 20k and back in 2015. Transportation has been the killer for me. By the time I found transportation for a good price the car had sold to the next person in line. Same thing here on this site when a car came up for 25k shortly thereafter. So make sure you and the aeller can work something out where you can get some transportation lined up and the seller can wait. I'd highly recommend using Facebook and finding your car there. Go with Uship and post an add online to have the car shipped to you. As long as the body is on wheels and can roll 95% of shippers can move it for ya. Forget buying from an auction site. Seems like every seller has the next SEMA car or 100 point trophy queen after you spend 50k to restore the body and 30k elsewhere lol.

[chargervert]

I have my 70 Charger R / T 440 Sixpack car for sale right now at 35k . If you are going to invest money into restoring a second generation Charger, it's always better to put the money into a real R/T,and being a V code is the cherry on top.

[ollie]

I have been looking on Facebook, Craigslist and here of course. Facebook is where I have seen a few decent ones "in my opinion", so I hope I will get lucky when the time comes. 30k will be my approx. budget still.
I will definitely look I to the uship , sounds way easier once I have the funds.
Thanks for all the replies to my post. Can't wait to get my dream car.