Where did you find your Charger?

[69bronzeT5]

I found mine in a field/backyard. Rotted pretty badly but amazing mint trunk & rear interior floors.

[CHASWINGMAN2]

My very first charger:
  Sitting in english class one day I borrowed a local trader paper from a class mate.  I found an add that said "68 Charger, rusty but runs $200.00"  I had 40 minutes before the bell rang and was going nuts.  I asked for a hall pass to use the restroom (pay phone in the same hallway) and scrounged for a dime (showing my age).  I called the number and got a busy signal, my heart sank.  Tried a few more times and gave up.  Stirred in my seat until the bell rang (I think that's where I got my first gray hair).  The bell rings and I call my sisters boyfriend, he worked nights so he came and picked me up.  I knew the car was close by because of the phone number, so I went to my local police station (I knew the chief, kinda sorta) and they had this big book with phone numbers first, addresses second.  They let me look it up and off we went.
    The poor car sat with sagging springs and was covered in about a foot of snow, but it was complete and looked like it might run.  I knocked on the door and some old dude answered.  I told him I saw his add and tried to call (he never did ask how I found him).  Frank and I had to shovel his driveway and clear the car if we wanted to look at it (of course the driveway was about 5 car lengths long). 
    She was bright red with white top and interior, very rusty and very sad looking.  I promised her a 2nd chance.  He would not let me take the car because the muffler was missing and he didn't want me to get in trouble.  Frank and I went and got a muffler and 2 clamps, the old guy let us use his hacksaw and after about 30 minutes we had it on.  He cut the price to $150.00 and gave me the title.  Frank followed me home, but on the way, a Ky trooper pulled me over for littering.  My vinyl top was coming off in sheets.  We ended up picking up everyone else's trash until it got dark, about 45 minutes, while the trooper sat in his warm car.
    The car was so rough looking that my parents would not let me park it in our driveway, so I parked it on the street.  That began a passion for old mopars that has never gone away.  The passion has outlived 2 wives, 3 or 4 girlfriends, 2 wars and 6 jobs.  My 3 boys love Mopars and I just hope they have better luck with women than I have.

Ok, yeah, I know, enough is enough

[Charger1973]

I have found all of mine basically left for dead.  The first one I found in person, the others were found through networking and talking to people. 

[red72chrgr]

used car lot.

[Arigmaster]

I found mine in North Dakota while on a job site. It was sitting all by it's lonesome with stuff stacked on & against it. The people I bought it from had a repair business behind their house and the woman who owned it said it wouldn't start... The rest was history..lol

[TruckDriver]

My current Charger actually was offered to me by a chat friend that had it in Arizona. I was looking for a '69 at the time.

[rt green]

a buddy was working on a house his brother rented out. the guy who lived there had it and wanted to sell, he needed the cash. my buddy calls me, and asked if it was worth the money he wanted for it. i said that i didn't know, because i had never seen it, but if he didn't want it, i would take it, without even looking at it. talk about a gamble. my buddy didn't want it because it needed some work. he's not the hands on type. went to see it in the dark. but i still took it. the guy looked as if he was going to cry when the deal was closed. ill always remember that look. i had it once in a bad divorce. i felt good though, still do. after seeing what kind of work {cobble job] he was doing to it, i was glad i saved it

[69DodgeCharger]

I found my first 69 R/T in an auto swapper in April of '88 it was about 60 miles away. I went and looked at it and was hooked immediately, even though it was kinda rough. Texas car with rotted 1/4's and trunk floor. I wish I had kept it. My second 69 i found in a 2 line ad in the January 98 issue of Hemmings Motor news. After some phone conversations, and some pics in the mail I sent him the money and it was finally delivered for $2250 total to me in August of 98. I have found and parted several other 68-70's through either junkyards or aquantainces.

[CB]

found my 69 on the board, bought it from a member. (old board)

[terrible one]

The 'Bay.

[twilt]

found 1 here-seller needed $$, contacted me and asked if i was interested , 1 bought as a result from the old D-C.com Cars Wanted  section, 1 from Ebay, 1 from a local trader paper. Also have bought 7 parts cars off ebay and one on the old site.

[moparjohn]

In the fall of 2001 I decided it was once again time for a Charger- it had been 11 years scince my high school Charger was around. I picked up Mopar Collectors Guide for a look and in the for sale Charger pages was the ad:
                                                            For sale
                                                            1969 Dodge Charger SE power sunroof , 383 4 bbl, PW,A/C PDB, loaded
                                                            $16500 or trade for 70 Chally 4spd.
                               Well I thought my HS car was an SE and I liked those options but there is NO WAY that car is still available and I've never heard of one with a hole in the roof, but I'll call anyway.  Well I talked to the man a few times and he trusted I would take care of the car so I sent him some money and hired a truck to haul it home (from Colorado) I only saw 4 pictures on the net and bought it UNSEEN!!!
Jan 4 2002 the car was delivered to my work (which is right off a major hiway) and I paid the driver the shipping and it came out of the trailer. It was everything I was told it was and nothing was less than what I was told.  I fell in love right there,  even when it was  not so clear to my co-workers what I had.  Now 5 years later even those who saw it that fateful day understand what I saw in this car becuse it is the realized dream.  John

[69bronzeT5]

Great stories guys!

[Doright]

1st one 27 years ago from side of the road with a for sale sighn 71 Charger Plain jane Anchorage AK.
Next one and favorite was in the back yard of a freind of a freind 72 Charger SE w/sunroof Anchorage AK.
then another one the side of a Gas station Boulder CO. 71 340 ralley gun metal grey lots of options including sun roof
then a 73 Plymouth Satilight I gave to my son got it from a freind at work
My matching 73 Plymouth Satilight to my sons except mine is a BB w/ rally dash and buckets and consol got it from Ebay sight unseen cept. for a few ebay pics.
And finaly my current 72 Charger SE with Sunroof from Hemmings got a few pics picked it up the following week.

All have needed work all were drivers nothing fancy

[Mean 318]

I include my 70 Coronet 440 in these posts, It is a MoPar "Muscle" car after all. Mine was in a field, left for dead!

[Zentelis]

I only saw 4 pictures on the net and bought it UNSEEN!!!

I had a similar experience. I'd wanted a '68 440 4-speed "running project" for a long time and happened to check ebay one day. There sat a primer gray R/T with a 4-speed swap. The guy was selling it to finance a Challenger project (i think..or a 'cuda?)
Anyway, it was in California, I was in Pennsylvania. I emailed him back and forth and he sent me every picture I requested (frame rails, etc etc). So, I bought it..we used an escrow service and split the cost in good faith.
The car showed up and the mechanic that looked it over (before I took delivery) was shocked..the engine was just rebuilt and was a 440 out of another '68 Charger. Not only that, it was an original R/T car (XS29)..from the sellers emails, I was under the impression that it was a 440 swap into a non-R/T.

All in all, the car was in better shape (mechanically) than the he let on. It was only this past summer that I found out that the rear-valence, wheel wells, and passenger's quarter panel were just about rusted apart

I also bought it right before the really crazy prices hit the hobby..about a year later, I saw a similar '68 in worse condition go for over $12,000, and the prices just kept climbing from there.

[xs29j8Bullitt]

My first Charger was a 383 4BBL 1969 Charger that had been repossessed by a local bank.  The year was 1973 and the bank sold it to me for the upaid loan amount plus some fees/penalties... $550

In 1977 I bought my second Charger, the Hemi powered triple black 1968 Charger R/T that I still own.  I found out about it through a friend that was returning a favor, I had found him a 2X black 1968 Hemi Road Runner (I could not afford the car).  The Charger was 400 miles away, and after some preliminary price haggling on the phone (and arranging creative financing), I made the trip to buy the car for $740!

XS

[Zentelis]

In 1977 I bought my second Charger, the Hemi powered triple black 1968 Charger R/T that I still own.  I found out about it through a friend that was returning a favor, I had found him a 2X black 1968 Hemi Road Runner (I could not afford the car).  The Charger was 400 miles away, and after some preliminary price haggling on the phone (and arranging creative financing), I made the trip to buy the car for $740!

You "haggled" over $740?!  If only we knew then what we know now 

[Rallyecharger]

I found my '69 Charger through a buddy.I was moving to our acreage when my buddy alerted to a 1 day sale on the Charger.......looked at it in the morning,bought it in the afternoon.As the story goes.....the guy needed money.
And last fall was reading one of the canadian mopar clubs web pages and spotted a '74 Rallye Charger and I just had to have it!! I love the 68-70's  but I own more 71-74's......esp. Rallyes....
go figure

[Silver R/T]

Backyard of a local mechanic. He had dogs running all around it, so I had to be real careful when I was inspecting it as not to trip a landmine

[xs29j8Bullitt]

You "haggled" over $740?!  If only we knew then what we know now 

It is a bit funny now, but to a college kid back then a borrowed $740 was a small fortune... 

His original asking price was $1000, but over the phone he went down to $750 quickly.  I thought he would go down farther, maybe to $550-$600... so I gave it my best shot when I arrived to look at the car.  After test driving the Charger, I haggled with him for about an hour... At last he said something to the effect "Look son, if I lower the price $10 will that make you happy?"  Realizing I was about to blow the deal, I just nodded yes...

XS

[AKcharger]

My 1st '70 Charger was behind a guys house in 1980, he dropped a strong 383 in it and I bought it for $350 drove it in HS, beat on it and sold it for $300 when I went in the AF

Found my current '70 in 2002 abandoned in a storage lot in Anchorage AK, the storage people were IDIOTS and the entire 6 mo. I searched for the owner they threatened to scrap it. Found owner in N.C. after 3 months of internet "detective" work ( I could really write book on the whole story it was so involved) Anyway, $500 for the title from the old owner and $250 back storage to the idiots...then the fun started ...I had NO idea what I'd gotten myself into.



Found our '72 ralley from dodgechargerguy here on the board in 2004, he posted some "good deals" he'd found and I followed one of the ads up. A '72' numbers matching car in NJ was a good deal so we drove up there and towed it back to VA for $2500 and fixed it up for the wife





Both are done now and make us happy

[gers1968rt]

I bought my first charger from my sister's boyfriend. It was a 68 383 HP four speed. It was an original canadian car and was rough and too rusty and had been in an accident once before. I had always wanted an RT but never found one I could afford. Nine years later in 1988 I went to Florida with my wife and two kids. I bought a booklet showing all the junkyards in the USA. I mapped out all the yards I could visit on my way down or back that were not too far out of the way. I must have visited a dozen or so on the way down but had no luck. I was also picking up any auto trader type papers, too. On the way back to Canada I went to a yard west of Valdosta, Ga, about 40 or 50 miles off of the interstate. In the yard was a complete 69 runner and I thought my luck was about to change. The guy at the yard said he had sold it the day before, . Being as I love to take a different route when I can, I decided to go cross country back to Atlanta. We came to a little town called Albany, Ga and I decided to get a auto trader, but not knowing the town I missed the main street exit and took the next exit into the not so affluent neighborhood. There under a pecan tree, up on blocks was a 68 RT, . I turned the car around and stopped at the house. A woman at the house told me that her brother owned the car and it was for sale, he had been asking 500 bucks for the last 3 or 4 years,  but  the local kids were only offering him 400 for it, so I got his phone number and went on my way back home.
   After closing the deal over the phone  I went down to pickup the charger. When we rolled into the yard my brother looked at the car and said, "we came 18 hours for that!?" More importantly, however, was the fact that the owner had the car off the blocks and he was washing it for the last time. Thats when I knew that he still loved that car. Now, 18 years later I still have it.  Gerry

[mikesbbody]

i advertised for mine in a autotrader magazine i said i wanted a 71-74 charger i got all kinds of people trying to sell me all kinds of cars, but only 2 71-74' chargers. one was about 3 hours drive from me the guy aid he wouldnt be home but i was welcome to check it out.
When i got there it had just rained, he had left the hood up and there was water all over the block! the car hadnt been used in years but had a good body with no rust. The guy lived in a HUGE house with like a quadruple garage it was all open 1000's of dollars of tools, a big block v8 racing boat, motorcyles, etc. his house was open! the keys were in the charger...(lucky im a honest guy) i figured id start her up maybe go arund the block it started up (very noisey busted exhaust) i drove it forward a few feet put my foot on the brakes and the pedal went to the floor! so much for the drive around the block!. The other was the charger i bought the guy had moved to my city and had it stored in a storage unit he told me it was "green" but when he rolled up the door it was a bam! in you face green! it took about a month but i finally got it off him. ps this is a great idea for a post i love reading the stories 

[dpm68]

In Aug. 2003, my girlfriend and I were going up to Grand Lake, CO. for the wekend to fish and whatnot, and there it was, a 68 R/T, in the middle of a horse field. It had been sitting there for sometime, and now it has been sitting in my garage for some time. One of these days I'll get out of school and have a real job...

[694spdRT]

The '68 I found in my dad's garage.    He bought it in 1975 for $300 and drove it home. I posted a thread about the history of it a while back.

My girlfriend(now wife) saw the add for my '69 R/T in the March 1991 issue of High Performance Mopar and made the mistake(for her) of showing it to me. At the time I didn't usually check magazine classifieds for some reason and would have never seen it without her bringing it up.  I still have the issue with all the info I scribbled down when I called the guy. Funny thing is all the stuff that prompted me to call about the car when I was younger like the tunnel ram and fat Mickey Thompson Indy profile's on aluminum slots have been changed as the car went from a well used and abused street thumper back to a stock restored show car. 

[Bandit4142]

1969 Super Bee -  (Bought in 1992)  Found it sitting behind a A1 Auto Pawn sitting in a pile of junk wheels and misc parts...   Ironically I was looking for wheels for my '84 Trans Am...  traded the Trans Am straight across for the Bee 10 minutes later.   

1970 Charger R/T - (Bought in 1995)  Found it in Hemmings -  Ad copy   "1970 Charger R/T - all there - $4500 (555) 555-5555"  Left on a 700 mile roadtrip to buy the Charger a hour later.

My current '69 Charger - (Bought in May of '05)  A friend was building it for his wife, and after the divorce he knew I wanted the Charger, so we worked out a deal and now its mine.   

[69bronzeT5]

Good stories guys!

[Shakey]

Good stories guys!

Lots of neat stories in here also:

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,8146.0.html

[BigBlackDodge]

Found mine in 1996 by word of mouth. The car was sitting in the local housing project.....for 5 years! Got the car for 200 bucks (none running 360 in it) and had it towed home. There were many rusty razor blades and empty little plastic baggies inside....... There was even a phone number scratched in the hood for those late night non-perscription refills.


Here's a pic the day I got hit home.


BBD

[Brock Samson]

Now look at that car?!
How could anyone pass a deal like that up!?.   

[Mean 318]

My dad worked with a guy who collected MoPars and used them as yard art..... So I was a 15 year old who had his permit and wanted a car so I told my dad to ask this guy if he had a 69 Coronet or Bee. For a week I hounded my dad about asking him, he finally asked him if we could go out and look at what he had. He told my dad that he had a 70 Coronet that he would sell, but one problem... I didn't like the 70s, but figured it would be cool to take some pics of what he had. We didn't even leave town before my mom called and told my dad "he is NOT coming home with a car!!!" Well sure enough, we pulled up in the yard and there she was, sitting in the grass -more like in the ground- . It was love at first sight! We looked at her and I knew that I had to have the car! He had mentioned a price, I got some pics and went home. A week later I had my first job!!!! I saved for six months, got in a car accident and the Coronet had to be put on hold while I fixed my dads truck.... talk about a kick in the teeth! So I then saved some more, and finally me, my mom, and my dad went out to his farm with cash in hand. We got out there and the car was back in the weeds, the grass was up to the top f the doors. We took it for a drive up the gravel road and back, my dad first and then me. That was about the best moment a teenage boy could have! It took us three hours to talk him down to where I could afford it! My mom couldnt believe I had ust spent money on the car! I drove it home that day, and took it to a car show. It was dirty, full of junk, but I couldn't care less.... IT WAS MINE!!!!

[Mean 318]

OK, It may not be a Charger... or a muscle car, but it is very important to me and the story is kind of cool.
I was in the marching band -I was also in track and cross country so back off,  - We were doing our practice out on the street one day, my buddy points down an alley and says "look at that" It was a 90 Power Ram 4x4, I told him I wanted it.... very half heartedly. Later that day I was on my way to autos class, I got out to the parking lot only to see someone hit and run my truck. I had JUST put 800 into fixing this truck, and was pissed! I had got the cops, but they couldn't do anything, even tho we found the guy, and my paint on his fender, they couldn't do a damn thing! That day at 3:00 I went over to the office that the truck was sitting, and sure enough it was gone! I was crushed! I went inside hoping it was someones who worked there, I talked with a very surprised security guard who let me leave a note that said "Is your truck for sale? 701-775-**** About two weeks later I was out in the garage and the phone rings. I answer and a guy says someone left a note about his truck. I told him my story and he said that he was thinking of selling the truck. We set up a time to go look at it. I managed  to get my dad to go with me, we pulled up, there she was, sitting on the street. Him and my dad shot the shit, he leaned in the door and turned the key..... it fired right up!!!! We drove it, and I then spent the next month begging my dad to help me get a loan to buy it. I took all of my friends, and my girl friend by his house to look at it! EVERY DAY I DROVE BY IT!!! Finlay, after four test drives I went to his house and sat down with the owner. He talked man to man with me, he asked what I thought was fair.... I told him what I could afford.... about 2800 and he looked at me straight in the eyes and said "are you going to take care of this truck?"  The next day I had a check for him! I had it for six months and got rear ended! I got home from the hospital and made the call to the old owner, I was more upset than him, but I told him I would fix it up! I ended up fixing it up, and now drive it when it is nice out!

[69bronzeT5]

Do u have any pictures of that 68 Charger that was with ur car?

[Mean 318]

Me?

[jasonfromIKILLYA]

An ad in the local paper.  It was in a trailer park in Frankin Indiana.

[migsBIG]

I've had over 30 Chargers over the last 15+ years. My current three were real diffrent purchases.

I got my 1972 SE 400 body for $900 for a friend to be used as a parts car.
My 71' R/T was bought from a friend and sold back to em 2 times in twelve years. The third time I bought it back from him, it cost me $3K for it.
I bought a 1971 Charger off ebay as I needed the fenders. The only dealer at the time who had nice fenders wanted $750 ea for em, so I bought it for $700. If one quarter wasn't hit by a truck, it would have costed more.
I recently got a 1972 Charger in trade for a 1938 Dodge panel van. Has power windows, disc brakes, ac, bucket seats, rallye dash, new paint and ran. That with registration cost me a whopping total of _________ in the deal. I would post how much I got it for, but I am selling it off currently.

[Old Moparz]

My first Charger, a 1969 SE, came from an ad in "The Want Ad Press" out of NJ in 1981. I paid $1600 for it with a semi-fresh 383-4V & 727 trans. The car had some rust issues that weren't repaired quite right, but it was a clean driver with a mint interior. It was also abused, but I didn't know that until later on. (Experience is the best teacher.) I dumped a lot of money into it over the 3 years I had it, & was planning to line up a body shop to fix the rust in the quarters, fenders, & trunk floor. The timing chain went about the same time I was doing this, & it took the rest of the motor with it. I was in college & broke, so I put the car in the same "Want Ad Press" & sold it for $650.

I was happy to see the headache gone, but I did want another Charger. I had tried to find another body to use my drive train & interior in, but no luck. I even placed a wanted ad in the classified & was offered a 1970 RT/SE with 17,000 original miles for $5000. Too much for me to spend, & too much for a Charger in 1983. This was when the timing chain went, but I didn't know the motor went with it at this point. I started looking at other B-Body cars & scored the 1970 GTX I posted about in the "Worst Mopar Loss Thread" for $450. I did have a chance to buy some POS red, white, & blue, 1969 Hemi Road Runner that supposedly, some famous race car driver had owned, but it was missing the Hemi. The $3000 asking price for a rust free Road Runner body was nuts back then. (Can you say Sox & Martin?)

For a short time I had both my Charger with lots of rust & a bad 383, a GTX with lots of body damage & a bad 440, & dust in my wallet instead of cash.     So I did what a lot of people did back then, I bought a $400 beater & ran it into the ground. It was a 1971 Lincoln Continental with a 460-4V & no gas gauge. The MPG was sooooo bad, I had to fill it all the time since I had no idea how much gas I had. I only ran out once, but that was an experience I won't forget. I was on a busy highway, with no shoulder, during rush hour, on my way to school, & in the rain. This was Route 4 East just before the George Washington Bridge toll plaza, so for those who have been there.   

For me, that stretch of time from 1983 to 1985 wasn't so great when it came to car ownership. 

Fast forward to the present. The '68 I got a few years ago was on ebay & from Corydan, Indiana. The auction was ending on a Sunday night, so I took Friday off & left Thursday night to go see it. Got there on Friday & the seller who was really cool to talk to, said I was the only one who came to look. The plan was for my wife to log on at home to bid on it since I probably wouldn't have made it back to NY in time, but the seller offered it to me outright & said he'd stop the auction. Well, that was a no brainer so I agreed. I paid $1200 for the shell which had twice that in new sheet metal on it, & who knows how many hours of labor to do it. 

I always knew I was patient, but I didn't expect to be patient for over 20 years trying to locate a good Charger body.   

[Bones68charger]

Well I was a teenager living in West. Nebraska where I am still living today. I remember telling my mom that I wanted a 68 blue Dodge Charger. I have been a fan of Chargers since I was little watching the Dukes of Hazzard. Well I was working at  John Deere dealership and drove a 1977 Ford F150. This was 1997 by the way, well down the road from where I worked there was a 1968 B5 blue Charger. I could not believe it! I tried to talk my parents into buying it, or help me buying it and they would have nothing of it. My dad said he was not going to send me to college in an old car. Well I stopped and talked to the guys who owned the body shop that owned the car, and they wanted way more then I could afford. I was only 16 at the time and $400 was a ton of money. I think they wanted $9000 or something.

Well I drove by the car every day and stared at it. I finally got my dad to come down and check out the ride, well low and behold he now wanted the car. I did not care as long as we had the car. They had a hard time selling the car because it only has a 318. I really could not care what it had. Well from May to September the car just sat there. My dad worked at the same John Deere dealership as I had and one saturday he pulled the car into the shop so the mechanics could look at it. After they gave him the thumbs up that it was good mechanically he let me test drive it. I tell you what I was in heaven on Earth, but my dad still said he did not know if we could get it.

The next Saturday I went to work, when I came out for lunch, my truck was gone but the Charger was there. I just assumed it was mine and hoped in found the keys and took off! When my dad found me he asked me how I liked my car, and of course I was ecstatic and he said I hope you like it because your going to make every damn payment on the car. So every day after school and on the weekends, I washed farm equipment and I made every payment. It's been about 10 years and I know have the money to start doing stuff to her. By the summer I hope to have my engine done and put it, and next year paint. Cross my fingers!

[69bronzeT5]

Me?

[Mean 318]

I have to do some scanning to post them, and my scanner is on the fritz

He has as fallows
68 R/T 440 car Charger
71 Charger
70 R/T 440 Charger
two 69 318 Chargers
two 68 318 Cars
68 Slant 6 Charger
70 440 Charger NICE
69 383 Charger NICE
70 440 Charger Not too bad
79 Lil Red Express
69 Road Runner
59 Desoto Not bad
unknown year 300.... maybe a 60 Not bad
58  Belvedere 4 door
2 Edsels
64 New Yorker 4 door... was VERY nice till his kid ran it into a tree
lots of 70s rams
68 Satellite 4 door 318 car
71 Demon

[Mean 318]

and one less 70 Coronet 440

[69bronzeT5]

Wow..thats alot of cars.

[Khyron]

I had to post "other, because it was the old Dodge-Charger.com



Thanks Brian for the Link, Thanks Dan for the sale!

[72chargerSE]

Mopar Collectors Guide April or May 97 issue (The one with Bo,Luke and Daisy and the General on the cover, as I remember) It's advertised right in there!!!!

[Joshua]

Mine was inherited......uncle purchased from OG owner in early 80's.........