what would you do, sell it and buy a Charger or keep it and enjoy it

[AZ-Nick]

I am not looking for pity party, I just need to release some frustrations and ask an opinions.
Time has come to make a decision in life, not many of you know me or if you do, you do not know much.
I have been a lurker here for years and occasionally I would post to a thread, the most important thing is we all love Mopars.  4 months ago I was diagnosed with an incurable medical problem that has me going in for eye surgery every month injecting Chemo therapy into the back of my eye, yes it hurts, hurts real bad when they do it, but it needs to be done.
Because of going blind for a couple of weeks and knowing that I need to have these injections done, you start to look at your life in a whole new way. I started to plan for my departure, sounds crazy, I am only 57 and I thought the end was near, my wife and family thought I was nuts and they did everything they could to look at reality and not imaginary.....
Last Friday I was sitting around feeling pity for myself, this comes and goes all the time. Then I remembered my 69 Charger I bought new in 69 and the good times I had beating it to death, we all did that back then, we would race anything that pulled up alongside of us. Then it hit me, I have a HEMI in the garage and my all original 71 GTX, Naw, I can't pull the 440 out and put the Hemi in that. I would hate to screw something up and then regret it.
My other car is a GTO, nope the Hemi won't go into that real well, I thought what should I do.
Sell the GTO and buy a Charger or another GTX and go to town with it......
I am pretty sure it will be a bias suggestion but am I crazy to take on another project in my condition when I could be driving around in my Goat?
Well, what do you think, should I or should I keep the Goat??

[moparstuart]

buy a charger 

[69bronzeT5]

Hard to say man, I love that GTO and I would love to own it...but nothing beats a 69 Charger....

[69charger2002]

you knew before you asked.. and you were right.. my biased opinion is hands DOWN a 69 charger.. by the way i REALLY hope your chemo progresses and you get much better for a long long time. so you can enjoy your 69 for a few years! keep your head up, you have LOTS of friends here, even being a lurker. 
trav

[AZ-Nick]

Hard to say man, I love that GTO and I would love to own it...but nothing beats a 69 Charger....

yea I know, here is my 69 in 1969.....

[69bronzeT5]

Here's my dads old '69 GTO. But yeah, I would go for the Charger

[Charger-Bodie]

Hard to say man, I love that GTO and I would love to own it...but nothing beats a 69 Charger....

Except a 68!! Check the polls baby!!

By the was AZ love that GTO !!

[LeeBoy]

The GTO is sweet, I realy like those as well. My wife has told me in the past "If you like it and it makes you happy then do it". If you want the charger get a nice one and slip in the Hemi and tear up some asphalt! 

[terrible one]

Easy.

Whichever you want more, would enjoy more, or whatever.

[TruckDriver]

Do what your heart tells you to do. Your the one that has to live with your decision, it's best you make it. It's not about what makes us happy, but what makes you happy.

[Hemidoug]

Sorry the hear about your heath issue...hope you get well soon! I can't begin to tell you what to do with your GTO...all I can say is you haven't lived until you have driven a Hemi.....Nothing like it in the world. I know that doesn't make it any easier......just something special about the whole Hemi experience. The torque, the sounds, from idle to 7K...just nothing like it in the world.

[mikesbbody]

well...this is a charger forum  I say sell the goat (it is probably my favourite non mopar) i wish you all the best 

[472 R/T SE]

Hey Nick.  I know zackly how you were, are, feeling.  As soon as I got out of the hospital the first time I started re-evaluating things.  So I sold my low mile Harley my Mom bought for my Dad in '77 and cashed out a 401k.  With the Harley money I bought a crate Hemi and the 401k money got me a car I thought I always wanted.

My Charger was all original, including functional cruise control & #'s matching drivetrain.  After my plans with the other car fell thru, I didn't think twice about "ruining" it by replacing the drivetrain with the Hemi.  I always wanted a real Hemi car and we all know a person has to be loaded to get into one.  Sure, to some you may depreciate your Gettx.  But you can't take it with you when you go.  We're just care takers so we just as well get a rig we want and enjoy.  I wouldn't hesitate yanking the motor out of the '71.  It's not like you're putting T-tops in it. 

If you don't want to install the Hemi in something, sell it and buy a driver Charger.  If you really like the Goat, don't sell it.  Or figure out which two cars you want and make it happen. 

I read about your recent troubles over on moparts.  I live by my signature.  I hope these treatments continue to work for the better.

[AZ-Nick]

Hey Nick.  I know zackly how you were, are, feeling.  As soon as I got out of the hospital the first time I started re-evaluating things.  So I sold my low mile Harley my Mom bought for my Dad in '77 and cashed out a 401k.  With the Harley money I bought a crate Hemi and the 401k money got me a car I thought I always wanted.

My Charger was all original, including functional cruise control & #'s matching drivetrain.  After my plans with the other car fell thru, I didn't think twice about "ruining" it by replacing the drivetrain with the Hemi.  I always wanted a real Hemi car and we all know a person has to be loaded to get into one.  Sure, to some you may depreciate your Gettx.  But you can't take it with you when you go.  We're just care takers so we just as well get a rig we want and enjoy.  I wouldn't hesitate yanking the motor out of the '71.  It's not like you're putting T-tops in it. 

If you don't want to install the Hemi in something, sell it and buy a driver Charger.  If you really like the Goat, don't sell it.  Or figure out which two cars you want and make it happen. 

I read about your recent troubles over on moparts.  I live by my signature.  I hope these treatments continue to work for the better.

T-tops..  you got it Mike, thanks for the words.....Nick

[Ghoste]

Yep, keep the Goat and the Plymouth and put the Hemi in the GTX.  Stick the original 440 wherever it is you that Hemi stored right now and it won't be a big deal to change it back.  Having a Hemi already installed and the original 440 to go with it probably only makes the GTX more desirable to potential buyers anyway if you decide to sell it one day.

[1969chargerrtse]

Yep, keep the Goat and the Plymouth and put the Hemi in the GTX.  Stick the original 440 wherever it is you that Hemi stored right now and it won't be a big deal to change it back.  Having a Hemi already installed and the original 440 to go with it probably only makes the GTX more desirable to potential buyers anyway if you decide to sell it one day.

  Hope you do o.k with the operation.   Good Luck.   

[Troy]

I guess it really depends on what you're trying to capture from your youth. If you miss the Charger then why do you have the other two cars now? There are good reasons I'm sure. Since you contemplated putting the Hemi into the GTX then I'm wondering if you miss the car itself or just the "good ol' days". Personally, my first car was a 70 Challenger but the car that had the greatest impact on me was my 68 Charger that I drove all through high school. Nothing else would have been a good substitute (in my mind). I have had (and contemplated buying) other cars but always with the goal of having another Charger (but now I have five so I'm reversing that trend). Sometimes I wonder what I've missed out on by attempting to relive those memories - like maybe I've been so focused on the car that I didn't step back and look at the total experience. What I've learned is that all those great memories include great friends and a lot of youthful inexperience and exuberance. My car was an integral part of all that - but not necessarily the center point. These days all those friends have kids, houses, minivans, and soccer/baseball practice. The roads are all wider and congested. The places we used to hang out are all overrun with crazy kids (oh, I guess that's still the same but now we don't fit in). You have to ask yourself if you will be happy with the car even if no one else is around to share your renewed youth. Also, you have two other nice cars that you could get out and prowl the streets with. Is it worth it to you to give up one of those to chase something whose reality may not live up to your dreams? If you buy a car that you have to work on you won't be able to enjoy it immediately and you stand the chance of getting burned out or losing your enthusiasm before it's even on the road. Then what have you lost? Personally, I'd find a Charger (because that's what I did) but with the goal of merging those old memories with new ones. It's great when I'm driving to flash back to times when life was simpler (and more fun) but then take my little nephew (or my dad) out for a spin.

Troy