Do any of you use your Charger as your daily driver? why or why not?

[elanmars]

Just curious and why or why not. Don't know if it's a good idea:

I've been contemplating selling my maxima, it would give me enough to take care of my Charger (chrome, a/c, back speakers, alarm) and I'd have some extra for whatever.

Both cars are paid for.
I love driving my charger (duh, who doesn't??), I just don't know if it would be a good idea to have it as the only car for now (I'm in school-and that's a 4-day drive of 30 mins each way, as long as i cruise 55-65, gas mileage is fine BUT this coming semester i'll be carpooling).

anyways, thoughts/opinions appreciated!

[Ghoste]

I live close to work so most days I walk or ride a bicycle.  I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving my Charger in the lot with those idiots anyway.  Now my occasional part time job is another story altogether and all employees are quite encouraged to drive their old cars.
On weekends or in the evening, I'm quite happy to fire the old girl up for a run to grab milk at the corner store.

[1BAD68]

I dont drive mine everyday but I use it as much as I can in summer because my "daily" driver is a cargo van that gets crappy mileage. Saturday I picked up some lumber from Home depot with my Charger and some paint. I threw my tools in the trunk and went to finish a deck I'm working on. I finished up on Sunday and drove home in the rain, I found out that my wipers suck but they worked enough to get me there.

[terrible one]

Mine won't be daily, but only because of the gas! It's not ready for the road yet, but I DO plan to drive the shit out of it.

[Rolling_Thunder]

I ran mine as a daily drive to high school...     never worried about it really...   it did get keyed, pissed on, and little things like that but i still drove it.     It was only a 318 auto car so it wasnt worth an insane amount to most people...   and it was "nice driver quality" - - -   I would use it again but now that its getting the 6.1 and the 5-speed with all the bells and whistles i'll be keeping it under lock and key.

[ChargerRon]

It was intended as a daily driver some 40 years ago when it was built, and I intend to keep that up.  Daily driving doesn't mean your thrashing them and treating them like a $200 Ford Escort. Take care of it and there is no reason you can't drive it. I've seen the amount of rust/body damage some people have had to deal with and repair on a project. If you can fix the rust on the car you shouldn't have a problem fixing a door ding or a scratch it may receive in a parking lot. Just my  Some people like so show/store, some people like to drive. I'm a driver.

[WingCharger]

When I build my Daytona clone, it will be a daily driver! If the greenpeace a holes havent outlawed vehicles with gas mileage below 30 before then! 

[68rt]

keep the maxima drive the charger when ever you want gas is hi

[Ponch ®]

I drive mine every day.....

[Dans 68]

I drive mine on the weekends, as during the week I need my truck to visit my various job sites and bring tools, materials, etc. I guess I'm averaging about 125 miles a week...

Dan

[CHARGERMAN2007_69]

i used to have my 71 charger se 500 as a daily driver to get from school and work and well any where else i neede to go  realy sucked on gas bad  may be thats why i never had any money

[kylem4711]

When I build my Daytona clone, it will be a daily driver! If the greenpeace a holes havent outlawed vehicles with gas mileage below 30 before then! 

whut

[68RT4ME]

Too valuable these days to drive daily, I'd be worried what I'd do if some punk decided to make it his own for the hell of it. Plus, my insurance doesn't cover them for daily use for work. Not to mention the shopping center idiots who bang into cars all the time. I'd be a nervous wreck leaving it anywhere. Not easy to replace one of these. I think of them as endangered species who need protection.

Don't get me wrong, I drive the piss out of it when I'm out in it but, it's a toy. Nothing more. 

[CHARGERMAN2007_69]

see man that sorta whats cool mopars are to be driven not sitting in a garage with a car cover on it all its life

[dpm68]

If you saw mine, you would know why it will take a mountain of scrilla to make it move under its own power. You might even feel sorry for me and buy me a beer or something.

[73chgrSE]

Buy a scooter and park your classic ride in a safe place. Only bring it out on the weekends and it will last longer and give you something to look forward too each week. Me, I drive mine almost everyday but it's not my "daily driver".

[G-man]

Depends how the car is restored and the MPG it gets.

If you stick a 318ci in it and get 30mpg, then fuel wont be a problem to drive every day everywhere.

On other hand

Also gotta ask yourself how is the car getting restored/painted.

If the cars got pealed paint on it now, looks like an old truck but gets 25-30mpg with a (well build 318) then you dont have toi worry about rocks scratching it etc etc, cause its shabby anyway.

However if you paint it up all mirror finish, etc etc... you may not want to drive all the time as the paint will become old looking within few years of driving it.

Every day driver would be the goal. However dont leave it just anywhere, it will get stolen... hence depending on you and what you do and where you gotta leave the car doing what your doing will dertermine whether you can drive it every day.

Some can some cant. Some peoples jobs are from house-house (so more like visiting people hence eveyr day is fine) others work in comercial buildings where they cant see there car (hence you cant- safely)

[viper r/t]

Oh how I would love 2 drive my '69 to HS for my senior year, but i just don't see that happening. Even though I live 2 minutes from school 

[Silver R/T]

I dont use mine as D/D
1. Its being restored so its all torn down now
2. Price of gas is too high to have it as d/d with a 440 in it
I will drive it as much as possible though once restored.

[Red Ram]

I used to drive my 66 everyday. Now I alternate it with a 04 Stratus RT. I found that those old brakes (or me), can only take so many emergency stops required in a city (Seattle) of idiot drivers. 

[Mike DC]

 

A lot of the cars in this hobby are purely fairweather toys.  Lots of cars with $10,000 drivetrains, $2000 wheels, $4000 upholstery, $12,000 bodywork . . . but the taillights, wipers, E-brakes, and headlight doors are all malfunctioning.


If you wanna daily-drive one of these things, your restoration priorities really have to be backwards to the normal mindset.  This time, it's the bodywork and drivetrain that you just rebuild to near-stock shape and leave alone.  But the electricals, interior, sealing, insulation . . .  these are the kinds of things that you need to make real projects out of doing right. This is the stuff that you need to read magazine articles about upgrading way above what the factory ever intended. 

[Todd Wilson]

Too valuable these days to drive daily, I'd be worried what I'd do if some punk decided to make it his own for the hell of it. Plus, my insurance doesn't cover them for daily use for work. Not to mention the shopping center idiots who bang into cars all the time. I'd be a nervous wreck leaving it anywhere. Not easy to replace one of these. I think of them as endangered species who need protection.

Don't get me wrong, I drive the piss out of it when I'm out in it but, it's a toy. Nothing more. 

I agree with your above comments!  That and the fact that the brakes on these cars are not very good compared to todays standards. Lighter cars are out there with way better braking systems. Its a wreck waiting to happen. You run the rat race sooner or later you get tangled up.


Todd

[behrooz_roadrunner]

6 months later, I was using my car daily from daybreak to sunset.
but now I don't use it except emergency conditions.

[nakita7]

Drive it? Why would you drive a car? You're supposed to park it in a garage and brag (er, I mean tell) everyone about it, aren't you? 

I'm in the process of looking for a 318 Charger that I can use as a daily driver. My Grand Caravan only gets just over 20 mpg, might as well drive a Mopar!

[WingCharger]

When I build my Daytona clone, it will be a daily driver! If the greenpeace a-holes havent outlawed vehicles with gas mileage below 30 before then! 

whut

What are you questioning? Those idiots at Greenpace are trying to outlaw "Performance Vehicles" built before 1974.

It will probably end up happening, just like how PETA ruined the american horse industry with House Resolution 857, wich outlawed horse slaughter, and the killing of any horse for any reason. You cant even shoot a horse if it broke its leg! That is pure BS!!

[Mike DC]

Tell greenpeace that throwing away long-lasting metal cars in order to build more flimsy plastic ones is not an improvement on the environmental situation. 

[behrooz_roadrunner]

This pictures is for that time i was using this wrecked horse.   
ooo man, this car makes me remember the DRIVER in PS1.   

[Manfred318]

I drive min as often as I can. I wouldnt call it a daily tho, Ive got the 'ole 85 Ram for that. Mine gets driven more in the fall to spring time frame. Its just too damn hot most days in the summer.

[dodgecharger-fan]

I drive mine every day.....

Me too!

[RECHRGD]

There's different ways of looking at it.  Using one of these classics for a daily driver may be feasible if it is not in pristine condition and gets OK gas mileage.  But, you'll always be at risk of having it ripped off.  People are aware of the value of these things and the more you expose the car to the general population, the chance of theft greatly increases.  I've put over 30K miles on my car in ten years, so it does get driven, but, it's certainly not what I would call a daily driver.  These cars get a lot of attention when nicely restored.  Just park your car in the farthest empty corner of a large parking lot sometime, and then go find a spot to just sit and watch it for awhile.  You'll see people go out of their way to drive by and look at it.  I've seen people take pictures, try to look inside and all sorts things.  So, I try to never leave the car unattended, if at all possible.  As mentioned before, these cars are toys to most of us and are used as such.   IMO a classic Charger deserves to be restored and enjoyed as the piece of automotive history that it is.  Mine gets driven to shows and other cruise type events, or just when I want to get my ego stroked.  If you want a daily driver, I would suggest something like a 1992 Toyota.  Bob

[Mike DC]

   
I think a lot of the hobby takes these things too seriously.  The rare cars and the survivors are a different case, but a regular 318-VIN Charger that's had 2/3rds of it sheetmetal replaced already?  What's really at so much risk?   



Yeah, you might have $30,000 invested in that Charger . . . but you also paid $30,000 for the modern pickup that you tow it with, and you don't exactly baby the pickup.  The dollars aren't worth more just because the car is older. 

I know the parts are very hard to find, but the repro industry is sewing that problem up in a big hurry.  And most of the uber-rare parts aren't really necessary for a cruiser. 

   

[1969chargerrtse]

My newest thing is I get up at 6:00am and head out the door and take it to Dunkin Donuts.  Everyday I meet new people and have a good time talking about cars and these 69 Chargers.  I head home by 6:50ish and jump in the truck for work.  I do cruise nights and run errands in it.  It's just to beautiful to leave in the garage.



                                                                                                                                           

[yeahitsgotahemi!]

I drove my 65 mustang to school and work everday in highschool. Although I enjoyed it, it was alot of hassel. I replaced the starter on the side of the freeway and another time I had to make a cotter pin out of a hex tool when the motor mount busted and my clutch linkage fell apart. Having a project car as a daily driver is a frustration. There's nothing crappier than trying to fix or repair your old ride, and then the inevitable trip to the parts store comes up and the only car you have to drive there with is the one your working on. Not only that something ALWAYS needs to be fixed, or upgraded, or whatever, and the car never gets done as well or as fast as you'd like because you have to drive it everyday. Point is, enjoy your classic car, and abuse your later model daily driver, becuase driving a classic everyday is abusive, especially if it needs work. (not to mention the cost of gas)  

[mikesbbody]

Mines not a DD for a number of reasons 1. i couldnt afford the gas (440) 2. the risk of a accident or some asshole messing with it goes up if its a DD 3. its driven on nice days only it never goes out in the rain if possible 4. (most important) i dont think id enjoy it as much if i drove it everyday having said all that, it does gets driven i cant understand having a car thats not driven 

[Red Ram]

There's different ways of looking at it.  Using one of these classics for a daily driver may be feasible if it is not in pristine condition and gets OK gas mileage.  But, you'll always be at risk of having it ripped off.  People are aware of the value of these things and the more you expose the car to the general population, the chance of theft greatly increases.  I've put over 30K miles on my car in ten years, so it does get driven, but, it's certainly not what I would call a daily driver.  These cars get a lot of attention when nicely restored.  Just park your car in the farthest empty corner of a large parking lot sometime, and then go find a spot to just sit and watch it for awhile.  You'll see people go out of their way to drive by and look at it.  I've seen people take pictures, try to look inside and all sorts things.  So, I try to never leave the car unattended, if at all possible.  As mentioned before, these cars are toys to most of us and are used as such.   IMO a classic Charger deserves to be restored and enjoyed as the piece of automotive history that it is.  Mine gets driven to shows and other cruise type events, or just when I want to get my ego stroked.  If you want a daily driver, I would suggest something like a 1992 Toyota.  Bob

So you're keeping your car super pristine so that when you die someone will have an awesome Charger. Drive it more! You only live once! If something breaks or gets damaged, fix it! Gas mileage?! Sheeesh

[RECHRGD]

So you're keeping your car super pristine so that when you die someone will have an awesome Charger. Drive it more! You only live once! If something breaks or gets damaged, fix it! Gas mileage?! Sheeesh

So 30,000 miles isn't driving it enough??

[1969chargerrtse]

There's different ways of looking at it.  Using one of these classics for a daily driver may be feasible if it is not in pristine condition and gets OK gas mileage.  But, you'll always be at risk of having it ripped off.  People are aware of the value of these things and the more you expose the car to the general population, the chance of theft greatly increases.  I've put over 30K miles on my car in ten years, so it does get driven, but, it's certainly not what I would call a daily driver.  These cars get a lot of attention when nicely restored.  Just park your car in the farthest empty corner of a large parking lot sometime, and then go find a spot to just sit and watch it for awhile.  You'll see people go out of their way to drive by and look at it.  I've seen people take pictures, try to look inside and all sorts things.  So, I try to never leave the car unattended, if at all possible.  As mentioned before, these cars are toys to most of us and are used as such.   IMO a classic Charger deserves to be restored and enjoyed as the piece of automotive history that it is.  Mine gets driven to shows and other cruise type events, or just when I want to get my ego stroked.  If you want a daily driver, I would suggest something like a 1992 Toyota.  Bob

   Yep, that's another way of looking at it.  I'm with you.  I use it here and there and it's never out of my site except for a fast run in a food store and even then it's off to the side.  I never use 2 spots, I just move it over to one side far away from the action.

[471_Magnum]

My commute is only eight miles each way, and the parking lot here at work is reasonably secure. Heck, I don't even lock the doors.

I drove the Charger A LOT. It got me to work at least once or twice a week year round as long as there wasn't salt on the road.

I haven't been drivng the GTX near as much, but that is mostly due to fuel costs, as well as some mechanical issues. Now that I've worked out most all of the bugs, I have been driving it a lot more, but not enough that I've had to fill the tank in the last couple of weeks. I think the next fill-up will be sobering to the point it will be making fewer appearance in the parking lot at work. As we get deeper into the summer months, the allure of the air conditioned car parked next to it in my garage will also come into play.

Neither car was so prestine that the chance of a bird crapping on it scared me, or that a door ding would send me over the edge.

The other concern is insurance. I use specialty vehicle insurance, and daily driver usage is frowned upon by Hagerty.

[GL0169]

i have driven my 69 dodge charger since i bought it in 1987 -thats 21 years now- if i die tommorrow i will die a happy man - sure it has been scratched - hit - and everthing else - but i fix it - and i dont see me driving any thing else