Where & How Did You Find Your Car?

[Shakey]

My hunt for a '69 Charger R/T started around September 2004 as I traveled on business throughout the United States.  I have customers all throughout the Southern part of the country and I figured I would find a relatively solid car, ship it back to Canada and restore it.  After about 3 - 4 months of searching I told my Father and my Father-In-Law what my intentions were.  Both agreed that since I was the Father of a Child that was less than a year old, it would hardly be fair to spend the next few years of weekends building a car.  Both had suggested that I spend more money than I budgeted for to find a complete car or a project that was in its final stages.

My Father-In-Law called me later that night and said he had found three Chargers all within an hour from his farm.  One fella (a Professor) had a green '69 R/T that he was almost finished but had run out of time and money because he was going through for his PhD full time.  He had five other Mopars including another '69 Charger and was willing to let the green one go.  We made arrangements to look at it in January 2005.  Turns out to be an R/T SE that was almost finished and mostly complete.  Made an offer a few weeks later and put a deposit down a couple weeks after that.  It was tucked in a barn at the rear of the property so we had to wait until April to get it as the snow was just too deep.

So folks,

How did you find your car?

Where did you find your car?

P.S. - I didn't think that the story was that long until I had to type it out.

[viper r/t]

Well let's see, it all started about 3 or 4 years ago. Me and my dad had been looking around for awhile, with one of my dad's friends. We actually found alot of chargers all over Kentucky, but they were either rotted to crap, not for sale, or the owner's are going to fix them some day . So I had almost gave up, until January of last year, my uncle decided to go with us and see what all he could find, that was actually worth bringing home. Originally I was wanting a charger that wasn't completely done, that I could make a general lee out of, but anyway we had found two charger's actually local and one was for sale. It was originally a 68 charger but they said it sat out in a field for years and somebody swapped VIN'S to a 69. It was primer gray, grille was gone, front valence gone, pretty much all the good stuff for $8,500. So we decided to talk more with the guy who said he didn't want to sell. Somehow we finally got him to price the charger, it was a Viper blue 68 charger completely #'s matching, original A/C car, console, the works. The car was completely restored, and by night fall we had the charger in the garage. All together I'd say the charger that I got was found less than 10 miles from my house....

[WM23N1]

By Terry Patrick

I had been looking for a 1971 Super bee for many years. When I was about 12 or 13 I was just getting into cars and the dodges and plymouths seem to have the most impact on me. I remember a yellow '71 Super Bee sitting in a field a few miles from my house that really got my attention. It was parked in front of a guys shed with 2 other chargers. It had a pistol grip 4-speed and the standard Super Bee hood. As time passed by the car was never for sale and eventually the guy did paint it and moved off.I had always wanted one but never could find one closeby.I met up with a guy at a doctors office one day in july of '99 who drove up in a nicely restored '72 duster 340. I struck up a conversation with him and I mentioned how I really wanted a '71 Super Bee. As luck would have it he had one sitting in his yard he wanted to get rid of. I followed him to his place and there it was sitting behind his workshop.I looked it over to make sure it was a legit Super Bee. Sure enough it had the WM23N1 vin plate and the yellow super bee emblem on the dash.He was not asking too much for the car but i asked if he would trade it for a decent RUNNING '71 satellite.The deal was made and off to my house with the bee.It has power disc brakes and the valence with the cutouts(the chrome tips were in the trunk). It was missing the hood insert but thanks to Tony D'agostino and Jerry from J&J parts i now have 2 of them.The car shows about 55000 miles and the last tag on it was from 1977.I found an old bussiness card inside it from a local wrecker service and when I asked someone from the wrecker service if he recognized the car, he did. He told me who owned it at one time and where he was from.The car currently sits in my backyard under a cover partaily stripped,blasted,and waiting on me to get around to working on it someday soon, I hope.

[70charginglizard]

Not to make things look simple, but

Local area e-bay search.

3050.00 bid.

Done.

[694spdRT]

I have the High Performance Mopar magazine right in front of me that my wife found the ad in from May 1991. I remember it like yesterday because it was so out of character for her to point out cars to me. I was not even looking for another Charger at the time. She said this one looks like a good deal it is a '69 R/T 440 red and black.....I called on it that day and bought it the following weekend. When she complains about how much money it cost to restore it I just say "Don't blame me, you're the one that found it!"  

Looking back at the ad now it was a little misleading. The "good" body was fair at best, the "excellent" interior was out of a '69 GTX, the "original" paint was there just under one or two other coats, and the 4.10 Dana was really a 3.54. Oh well, it was a red and black R/T 4 speed and that was all I cared about. The only thing I do regret is not buying a lot of the other cars that were also for sale in there.  

[jaak]

I had been lookin' for one a couple of years, had one sold out from under me, and some were priced too high for their condition, I thought,
Then one Sunday afternoon, a nice day in 99, I was bored so I filled my truck up and just went riding around to see if I could spot one anywhere....I done this every so often.  Well I ran across a 68 XP Charger sitting in a yard with about 6 other mopars, I stopped no one was at home, Then I rode on a little further saw a 69 RT at a closed service station, I wrote the number down off the sign on station, Called monday, went back up there on Tuesday with cash in hand.

[RD]

short and sweet, its been in the family since 1975.

[TruckDriver]

Two years ago, when I really wasn't looking for a Charger at the time. I was chatting with a guy who I chatted with for a few years. We were chatting about his old Mopars that he had. He said he still had a Charger that he wanted to sell cause the neighbour kids wanted to use it as a demo derby car and his wife didn't care for the 3rd generation body style. He had bought it cause he got it from a friend of his, and his friend hadn't driven it since the mid 80s and was using it for storage. We kept on chatting and after about another 15 minutes went by, the light in my head turned on. I even had to scroll back to re-read about him saying he had a Charger. So, I asked him about it, he told me what it was and a few of the options, and that he did a in car re-build of the engine. Before he could even finish, and before I ever saw any pics of it, I told him he sold it. He said "I want $2,500 for it", and I said sold, sold, sold. About a week later, he sent me about 20 pics of the car the way it was sitting in his yard in Golden Valley Arizona. Also with the email and pics, he said, "I decided you can have it now for $1,500. cause I rather see this car be restored then just sit". Well, needless to say, I sent him the money. I first got to see it for the first time in person last August '05 when it finally got delievered to me. Except for the trunk floor (which leaked and had a old shag rug in it on the passenger side),  and the very minor surface rust where the vinyl top was, it is totally rust free. The doors close like a new car yet even. I hope to get it running this year.

[derailed]

I had been searching for a 67 GTO for a couple of years and kept finding alot of over priced junk. Ive always been somewhat of a mopar fan as well and found my car in Hemmings in PA while I was looking at a GTO down there so I figured id look at it as long as i was there.  A week later I was bringing it home on a trailer.

[General_01]

The '71 Superbee I found in "Deals on Wheels"in 1989. I had a rusty '74 Charger at the time and was looking for something better. I was looking for a '69 at the time, but I also liked 3rd gens. I decided to call the guy and talked to him. I asked if the car would make it to Minneapolis,MN from Great Falls, MT. He said no problem. I told him I would buy the car. My cousin and I flew in with one-way tickets at 9 pm. I looked the car over in the dark . I paid him and we drove it back to Minneapolis. It doesn't have the correct hood or the original motor, but it is a 4-speed car. I have an automatic in it now, but the 4-speed is under the workbench and the pistol grip is stashed away so it can go back if I want it too.

The '69 I found while talking to a guy at a job I used to have. It was 2001 and I was talking with Kelly about cars and I told him I was thinking about selling the Bee and buying a '69 Charger. I said "You know. Like the General Lee". He said he knew where there was a car for sale like the General Lee and it was for sale. I asked if it was a '69 Charger and he assured me it was. "Yea. It's done up just like the General Lee". I couldn't beleive it. That weekend we went and looked at it. I went home and talked to my wife for about 10 minutes and called him back and told him I would buy it. Here it is the day we brought it home.

[General_01]

Here's an overhead of the Bee, my wifes Vette and my cousins Fairlane.

[hemihead]

Worked in a salvage yard in 91 passed on it when it came in.The boss's son who worked with me bought it.10 years later i bought it off another guy.Doing a restification presently. 

[Nupe]

My friend Randy found my R/T for me.     Actually about three times.  His brother's neighbor who knows only a very little about Mopars kept telling him of a 71 R/T "original 340 six pack car".  They blew it off until one day they called his card on it to see if there was even any car at all (has a way of making things up).  Randy was brought to some old trailer and immediately noticed the R/T hood.  Did a quick check of the VIN and it was real and a pistol grip. 

Ended up getting moved to a couple more locations until Randy's mother noticed the car down the street from her house.  Knowing plenty about Mopars from her sons  , she told her son who told me.  I ended up getting it after a week of trips to the house and dealing with the crack head owner.


Sure is hard to try and act like a car isn't worth much, yet try to get it quickly enough before someone else finds it.   

[rare69]

actually grew up just down the street from my car. when i was five or six i used to ride my bike by a yellow hot rod and would slow down or stop and look everyday. when hot rods became more important i knew a few guys who had inquired about the car but it wasn't for sale.finally, thirty years later i stoped buy the old guys house and told him about growing up addmiring the car and told him i wanted to restore it to its former glory. and low and behold he said OK but not cheap.but i don't care i wouldn't sell it for anything it is the car that started the whole thing for me.

[Charger Aficionado]

  eBay for me too...  The R/T SE was local, so I went to look at it.  Orig sheetmetal and Power Windows were what sold me.  I was high bidder at $6,300 (pix were VERY BAD) and reserve wasn't met, so I went to see and made a deal  (Long before prices spiked).

[Silver R/T]

Jesse spotted it and Ive bought it when I heard about it from fastbackJon

[bull]

The '71 Superbee I found in "Deals on Wheels"in 1989. I had a rusty '74 Charger at the time and was looking for something better. I was looking for a '69 at the time, but I also liked 3rd gens. I decided to call the guy and talked to him. I asked if the car would make it to Minneapolis,MN from Great Falls, MT. He said no problem. I told him I would buy the car. My cousin and I flew in with one-way tickets at 9 pm. I looked the car over in the dark . I paid him and we drove it back to Minneapolis. It doesn't have the correct hood or the original motor, but it is a 4-speed car. I have an automatic in it now, but the 4-speed is under the workbench and the pistol grip is stashed away so it can go back if I want it too.

The '69 I found while talking to a guy at a job I used to have. It was 2001 and I was talking with Kelly about cars and I told him I was thinking about selling the Bee and buying a '69 Charger. I said "You know. Like the General Lee". He said he knew where there was a car for sale like the General Lee and it was for sale. I asked if it was a '69 Charger and he assured me it was. "Yea. It's done up just like the General Lee". I couldn't beleive it. That weekend we went and looked at it. I went home and talked to my wife for about 10 minutes and called him back and told him I would buy it. Here it is the day we brought it home.

The Charger looks great but that's about the ugliest motor home I've ever seen.

My first Charger, a red and white '70, was on my school bus route when DOH was in full swing. When I turned 15 I told my dad I wanted to buy it so we went and paid down something like $350 for it and took it home. I drove that car for 11 years.

I got a green '68 R/T when I was 18 for $50, kept it for a few months, chased down a previous owner on the other side of the state to file for lost title and then sold it back to the guy I bought it from for $500.

My current '68 I got after searching all over the US and Canada for nearly two years. I did a lot of screwing around before I finally talked to the right people and found it within 15 miles of my house. I did look at several Chargers before that but they were all '69s. I had to have a '68. Actually, I take that back. I did find one '68 for sale but it had no title and looked like a hlpag car.

[Charger_Croatia]

I didn't, forum member ipstrategies found this one for me.  Thanks Russ. 

I have spent a lot of time on-line on different places while looking around. Maybe I would ran into bad deal but thanks for old site and Troy (hlpaq warning) I decided to wait.
Despite nasty look this car is very solid, could be easily daily driver but I decided to restore it. My first run will wait for a while. 

Here is the first photo of of her where she was found.

[69Charger_440]

Here is kind of a long story, but I am writing this for those who are hunting for their dream car and who think that there are no longer any deals out there.  Also to prove that things happen for a reason and good things come to those who wait.  Anyhow, after seeing some cars on Ebay go for more than what I would have paid, I decided to start looking locally.  Well actually my brother was looking for me since I was in NM at the time.  Anyhow, one day he called me and said,"that there was this '68 about a mile from my house."  He told me that he would stop by and ask the guy if it was for sale.  I believe it was a Thursday.  Well he tried going over to this house all weekend so he could talk to the guy, but no one ever answered the door.  On Monday, he tried once more in the afternoon, and the guy who answered the door was pretty friendly.  He told my brother that the car wasn't even his.  He said he bought that house, and the owner of the Charger asked him if he could leave it there for a while.  The man said that it had been close to seven years since he last saw the owner of the Charger.  So that Monday morning, for whatever reason, he called a friend of his who had a tow truck and asked him to tow that car out of his yard.  The man said he would have given it to my brother if he had known he had wanted it.  So that's that.  According to my brother it was in pretty good shape.  So anyhow,  I was pretty bummed out since it is not everyday one gets a chance to get a free Charger (I would have worried about all that legal stuff later).  Anyhow, I was thinking about giving up on my dream and pouring all the money I had planned to drop on a Charger into my '01 Dodge Ram, with the 5.9 if anyone is curious to know what it has.  So anyhow, I decide to place an ad in my city's paper just for the heck of it, also a Thursday.  Well on Saturday, my brother called me, and said this guy called saying he had a '69 R/T for sell. I'll have to cut this a little short, it's 2:48 A.M., and I am tired .  Anyhow, after my brother sent me pics, and after telling me the guy wanted less than $6,500 for it, I told him right there and then I would buy it.  It runs and all, but the only thing bad is the roof.  Lucky for me I already have a replacement roof panel .  So that is my story.  Now some pics!!         

[69Charger_440]

Here is kind of a long story, but I am writing this for those who are hunting for their dream car and who think that there are no longer any deals out there.  Also to prove that things happen for a reason and good things come to those who wait.  Anyhow, after seeing some cars on Ebay go for more than what I would have paid, I decided to start looking locally.  Well actually my brother was looking for me since I was in NM at the time.  Anyhow, one day he called me and said,"that there was this '68 about a mile from my house."  He told me that he would stop by and ask the guy if it was for sale.  I believe it was a Thursday.  Well he tried going over to this house all weekend so he could talk to the guy, but no one ever answered the door.  On Monday, he tried once more in the afternoon, and the guy who answered the door was pretty friendly.  He told my brother that the car wasn't even his.  He said he bought that house, and the owner of the Charger asked him if he could leave it there for a while.  The man said that it had been close to seven years since he last saw the owner of the Charger.  So that Monday morning, for whatever reason, he called a friend of his who had a tow truck and asked him to tow that car out of his yard.  The man said he would have given it to my brother if he had known he had wanted it.  So that's that.  According to my brother it was in pretty good shape.  So anyhow,  I was pretty bummed out since it is not everyday one gets a chance to get a free Charger (I would have worried about all that legal stuff later).  Anyhow, I was thinking about giving up on my dream and pouring all the money I had planned to drop on a Charger into my '01 Dodge Ram, with the 5.9 if anyone is curious to know what it has.  So anyhow, I decide to place an ad in my city's paper just for the heck of it, also a Thursday.  Well on Saturday, my brother called me, and said this guy called saying he had a '69 R/T for sell. I'll have to cut this a little short, it's 2:48 A.M., and I am tired .  Anyhow, after my brother sent me pics, and after telling me the guy wanted less than $6,500 for it, I told him right there and then I would buy it.  It runs and all, but the only thing bad is the roof.  Lucky for me I already have a replacement roof panel .  So that is my story.  Now some pics!!         

more pics

[TheGhost]

I had just gotten a new digital camera, and decided to go on a Mopar hunt.  Found a couple third gen Chargers, and a few other Mopars, but, on the way home, I spotted the taillights of a 67 Barracuda in a driveway.  I had been halfheartedly searching for a 2nd gen Barracuda online for a couple weeks, so I decided to stop and ask if it was for sale.  The guy said "Make me an offer".  4 weeks and $4000 later, she was sitting in my driveway.


I think the original thread I made when it happened is on this site, actually.

EDIT:  Found the thread.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,1133.0.html

[Jon Smith]

picked both cars up locally, which is probably fairly unusual for someone from england
the 72 rallye was at a dealer
i turned up the 69 a few miles from my house within a couple of days of deciding i wanted another car

[THE COLONEL]

Well, one of the very first Chargers I looked at, in 2002, just to see what was out there, and pricing at the time,  I came across this Charger for sale on here that had some of the ugliest wheels I have ever seen on any car, let alone a Charger.   The guy was in Alabama and I was in Pittsburgh, and was not ready to buy at the time, but the picture of those wheels just stuck in my mind.   Here is a pic:



After searching for a couple years, and having some money now, I came close to getting a few off of eBay only to lose in the last seconds, but I always kept searching on this site too.  Well I came across a Charger on here that, to my knowledge, was for sale for only a few months.  I kept going back to it, and decided to call the guy and talk to him.  To make a long story short, I decide to make a deal to buy it, sight unseen other then GREAT PICS he had.  So I get my fathe,r and his trailer, and we travel from Pittsburgh, PA to Foley, Alabama.  We look at the car and I decided I wanted it.  So we load it on the trailer, and the guy gives me all the pictures he had when he documented its restoration.  We make the deal and leave on St Patricks Day in 2004 with it.  About a half hour down the road I decide to look at the pics he gave me.  Low and behold, there is that same Charger with the ugly wheels I saw when I first started looking.  I was in shock.   It was for sale off and on probably for two years, and I still end up with it.  It is amazing how things sometimes work out.  I really feel the car was saved for me by some miracle until I had the money to buy it.  When I saw the pic of the Charger with the ugly wheels, I knew I made the right decision on buying it, and that it was for me.

So now it was time for a name.  The car was yellow, so I was thinking Big Bird and stuff like that.  I also thought about Colonel Mustard from "Clue" because it was yellow.  The Charger also had a horn in it, which is the "Charge" theme, something a Colonel might blow in the army years ago.  So that is how I came up with the name "The Colonel".

[nh_mopar_fan]

Saw mine on Ebay. Spoke to the seller but didn't bid. When reserve wasn't met, I made him an offer, he took it. We flew out and drove it home.

[TruckDriver]

I came across this Charger for sale on here that had some of the ugliest wheels I have ever seen on any car, let alone a Charger.

I seen worse on cars. Got any close up pics of those. I don't think I ever seen any of those before.

[HAZZARDJOHN]

Here is my story. In about 2001 I decided, That I wanted a General Lee. I grew up with the show and was a huge part of my childhood. Well We were at a family event out in Northwestern MN. I told my uncle about my wish To do this. He started telling me about some crazy guy he knows has one of those in the barn. I said is it a '69 and he said "Yes I am sure it is". Well the next morning we went out to the guys place and he came out with a beer in his hand wearing dirty overalls. He had an old farmhouse that looked like Boo radley's house. He was a hermit. Well My uncle shot the s#!t with him for a while. Then he brought up me wanting a charger. He said "Hell I got one of those!" Well we went out to his barn and I could see the front end of a charger! But to my Disappointment, it was a '70. But I went in there and looked at it. It was complete and solid in the important areas. The plates said '86 on them so it has been sitting awhile. Well we struck a deal. I had know way of getting it home so he said I could leave it there as long as I need. I came up their the next summer with a trailer and another truck and some winches figuring we would spend all day trying to hump this thing on the trailer. Well when I got there he started it up and pulled it right behind the trailer I was in shock I assumed it didn't run for the years of barn dust that was on it. Well we pulled it onto the trailer and I brought it to my folks house. Their I drove it off the trailer and into the barn. (the first and Last time I have ever driven a 2nd gen charger). Me and some buddies proceeded to strip the front clip off, remove the motor, and gut the interior, in the course of a few weekends. and that is where it sits to this day. Life got in the way. Housing, college first Job, First House, marriage,...etc.

I am working on buying some land and building a new house. When I get my bigger garage I will be towing it home, and doing a restoration on that car.  Some day, Just not today!

~HJ

[BB1]

ebay

That's even shorter; Local car. 

[smasherofall]

I kinda lucked into mine back in 1988. My 72 Demon had just been stolen and stripped so I tried to buy my step-fathers 71 Superbee, 440 6 pak, AG. He sold it 2 days before I had enough cash to buy it  . A couple weeks later a buddy stopped by the parts store I worked at in a 68 Charger, real bad smoking 400 but looked really solid. $400 later it was mine 

[DC_1]

Well my story is a rather recent one and another one of those hard to believe twist of fate. Let me start by saying I am 37 and my first recollection of Chargers was when I was 12 years old. I remember it vividly. I pushed my green CCM bike with banana seat and all up to the corner Sunoco gas station to put some air in the tire after replacing the tube. This is back in the days when gas stations actually use to do work on cars and when they had the air just outside of the door mounted to the wall. While putting air in I looked in the garage and sitting in the bay was the badest car I ever had seen. It was a black 68 Charger RT with white interior. They were putting exhaust on the car and I remember them firing it up with out the mufflers. The thing scared the hell out of me!....Anyways from that day forward I was always a Charger lover. A couple years later when I was 14 one of my buddies got a job at the same gas station pumping gas at night after the garage closed. I use to go up to hang out with him and in one of the bays was that black 68 RT I saw a few years earlier. My buddy told me that it was the guy who owned the gas stations car. His name was above the door so I always knew who he was. ....When I turn 15 I bought my first 69 for $400 I sold the car a few years later and always wanted another. A few years ago I picked up a 69 SE that was from Georgia and in need of a restoration but not completely rotted. Then just before Xmas a buddy of mine was telling me of a pretty mint red 68 RT that was totally restored about 12 years ago but looks like it was done last week. It was always garaged and the guy who owned it only drove it maybe 3 times a summer. He wanted to get rid of it and although he wasn't advertising he was open to offers. I currently live in Toronto and this car was about 4 hours from me in my home town of Windsor. I made the drive down and looked at the car. It was everything my buddy described. I took some pics and even posted them on here for some comments on whether I should buy the car or not. After decided to do it and making the deal I went to the Transportation office with the VIN number to get the vehicle history and make sure there were no liens on the car. I don't know if it is the same in the US but here in Canada you get what's called a Used Vehicle Information  Package. It has the history of the car including the names of all previous owners. On my way to pick up the car I was reading through it and I saw that the guy who owned the Sunoco station with the black 68 also owned this car and was listed as the second owner. Once I arrived to pick up the car I told the current owner how the previous owner had a Black 68 RT at one time that I use to see at the gas station. The guy told me that when he bought the car this car was in fact black and during the restoration he painted it back to the original factory color which was red......I was totally freaked out.......the car that I dreamed of and turned me on to Chargers was now 25 years later mine! ! !......is that fate or what!

[jgbailey57]

I was visiting a friend in my home town of Omaha, NE in January '01.  I walk past the Charger covered in 6" of snow not knowing what it was.  I visit with him and when I leave he flips on the porch light and there are the 69 tail lights staring me in the face.  I asked him what kind of car it was and why he had it.  He's mostly a VW guy and it struck me funny he had a real muscle car.  I was kinda wanting a muscle car and when I heard it has a 440 I was thinking wow, that's a pretty big motor.  I still didn't know much at all about Charger's, and I couldn't really tell what it looked like covered in snow.  He said it was the same car they used in Dukes of Hazzard.  It had been years since I'd seen the show, but I remembered the car.  I asked what he was going to do with it and he didn't know.  He said he was storing a VW at a buddys place but he had to clean up.  The bug was way in the back and the Charger was right up front.  He asked if he'd like to trade cars to make it easier to clean up.  He said he only had $1100 in the bug so that's what he wanted for the Charger.  I came back a week later with a trailer and picked up the charger.  It sat in my backyard for about two years untouched then I got bored so I brought it in the shop to kinda check it out a little.  It wasn't supposed to run but it wasn't locked up.  I figured I'd dump a little gas in it but it came out faster than I could put it in.  I went out to my boat and grabbed the tank and hose from it.  Hooked it directly to the fuel pump and it fired right up.  I couldn't believe it.  Now I'm just trying to finish up a '66 Cutlass convertible for a friend so I can have some funds to work on my car.

[BLACKWOLF]

I went to a local salvage yard one day to buy a 4.3  for a GMC Safari van. i had been interested in finding another Charger for some time. I went back in the office after i loaded the engine in my truck to ask the owner if he had or knew of any Chargers for sale. He picked up the phone and called a salvage yard in smithville, mo. that had alot of old cars. The guy said he would take $300.00 (he was more into custom 50's cars). My parents went up there and put a down payment on it. Then i went the next month and picked it up. It is now in my back yard disassembled. My first 2 cars were a 73' rallye and a 74' se.

this is a picture my parents took of it at the salvage yard.

[Shakey]

Well my story is a rather recent one and another one of those hard to believe twist of fate. Let me start by saying I am 37 and my first recollection of Chargers was when I was 12 years old. I remember it vividly. I pushed my green CCM bike with banana seat and all up to the corner Sunoco gas station to put some air in the tire after replacing the tube. This is back in the days when gas stations actually use to do work on cars and when they had the air just outside of the door mounted to the wall. While putting air in I looked in the garage and sitting in the bay was the badest car I ever had seen. It was a black 68 Charger RT with white interior. They were putting exhaust on the car and I remember them firing it up with out the mufflers. The thing scared the hell out of me!....Anyways from that day forward I was always a Charger lover. A couple years later when I was 14 one of my buddies got a job at the same gas station pumping gas at night after the garage closed. I use to go up to hang out with him and in one of the bays was that black 68 RT I saw a few years earlier. My buddy told me that it was the guy who owned the gas stations car. His name was above the door so I always knew who he was. ....When I turn 15 I bought my first 69 for $400 I sold the car a few years later and always wanted another. A few years ago I picked up a 69 SE that was from Georgia and in need of a restoration but not completely rotted. Then just before Xmas a buddy of mine was telling me of a pretty mint red 68 RT that was totally restored about 12 years ago but looks like it was done last week. It was always garaged and the guy who owned it only drove it maybe 3 times a summer. He wanted to get rid of it and although he wasn't advertising he was open to offers. I currently live in Toronto and this car was about 4 hours from me in my home town of Windsor. I made the drive down and looked at the car. It was everything my buddy described. I took some pics and even posted them on here for some comments on whether I should buy the car or not. After decided to do it and making the deal I went to the Transportation office with the VIN number to get the vehicle history and make sure there were no liens on the car. I don't know if it is the same in the US but here in Canada you get what's called a Used Vehicle Information  Package. It has the history of the car including the names of all previous owners. On my way to pick up the car I was reading through it and I saw that the guy who owned the Sunoco station with the black 68 also owned this car and was listed as the second owner. Once I arrived to pick up the car I told the current owner how the previous owner had a Black 68 RT at one time that I use to see at the gas station. The guy told me that when he bought the car this car was in fact black and during the restoration he painted it back to the original factory color which was red......I was totally freaked out.......the car that I dreamed of and turned me on to Chargers was now 25 years later mine! ! !......is that fate or what!

That is the best story I've heard in a long time.  Very cool!

[41husk]

i bought my 68 Charger from the cars for sale section on the old site,  CudaKen had just introduced me to the sight and I had a 72 rallye clone at the time but really wanted a 2nd gen.  Infact this Thursday will be the two year aniversary of my cars arrival.  I bought it Thanksgiving morning and had it delivered from Nampa Idaho.

[CaptMarvel]

A couple of years ago, I had been passing a 2nd genertion shaped car with a cover on it at a vacant house on the west side of Fresno for several monthes. The gate was locked & no-one was ever around. Finally, I was was passing it after a windy day & noticed the rear corner of the cover had flipped up to reveal bumble bee stripes, an R/T! I kept leaving notes on the fence, but never any response. One day I saw a guy cleaning up and the gate open, I stopped & started talking to him. He said that he had just sold the house & was moving everything out. He had stored the Charger there while he was living out of town. I asked if he would like to sell the charger (a factory yellow/black 68 R/T with 440 & console auto) he said that he had had others interested too, but only wanted to give him a few hundred dollars, and said that was insulting. I asked what he thought was fair, "I'd sell it for 3G" I almost broke my wrist getting my cash out. Turns out he was the 2nd owner & had it since 71. I drove it home that day & it has been a blast! Moral of the story: dont offer people pennies for this old stuff, you are wasting your time. I paid what was still a very fair price (for what it was) and didnt make an enemy either. They are out there, just be ready to part with a couple of thousand when you find one.

[THE COLONEL]

I came across this Charger for sale on here that had some of the ugliest wheels I have ever seen on any car, let alone a Charger.

I seen worse on cars. Got any close up pics of those. I don't think I ever seen any of those before.

Sorry, but I don't have close up pics of them, which for me is good.  They are like old hurricane wheels.

[CB]

a member from the old DC.com board kept his 69 R/T project and sold me his other 69

[triple_green]

I the little nickel want ads under misc autos. Advertised along with a boat and a 86 Taurus SW.

[Charger_Fan]

That is the best story I've heard in a long time.  Very cool!

That's pretty damned cool!

Mine was sitting at the end of a guy's driveway in 1986 with a weathered old for sale sign in it. $1,200 later & it was mine.
This is October 1986.

[Lowprofile]

I found mine behind a old body shop in Omaha, NE  12 years ago.  After taking what looked like 2000 lbs of old parts off of her, I loaded her into my dropdeck 48' trailer and brought it back to Vegas......where she sat for 7 + years, UNTIL MY DIVORCE!
Now, my Charger sleeps soundly behind the barn of my new Wife's home, waiting for me to finally get started on her reserection to musclecar greatness this year!

[Steve P.]

Screwed on E-PAY for 1 and from a buddy in Vegas for my zero rust car..

Anyone want to buy my screw job??

[andy74]

i was driving my 74 camaro,with my son and a buddy of mine,blasting down some back roads one sunday morning,when my son says"hey dad,did you see that old dodge in that driveway?"so we turned around,and i see the owner walking across the yard with a for sale sign!he told me that he had owned it for 5 years,and had only put 4 hundred miles on it,and his wife said he had to sell it.we bullshitted for a few minutes,then i really looked it over,and told him id be back in a few days.i borrowed the 4 grand that we agreed on from a credit card,put a for sale sign on the z,and had my detailer give me a ride back with a dealer plate-monday night she was mine!that was 2 1/2 almost 3 years ago,and alot of ass busting along the way,not to mention getting married,having a new baby,etc.i would only sell her now if i bought a 71 bee,which is the car ive always wanted

[Chris G.]

The time (or money) was right back in May 2002, so I went looking. Hit www.dealsonwheels.com and there it was. The cars come out online first, so I called the guy the first day it came up. A few days later it was sold. Once the rag came out on news stands the guy was fielding over 10 calls a day on it. It was gone before it even hit newstands. Anyways, I never did meet the honey, but here's the first thing I saw. I know some here remember the pic. The other '70 I looked at was OK, but thankfully I turned that down. I am also thankful I bought from a normal human and not some dealer.

Since then I have met great people from here and other places, and also started a registry with Don that is going stronger than ever.   and 70's Rule!  

[General_01]

The '71 Superbee I found in "Deals on Wheels"in 1989. I had a rusty '74 Charger at the time and was looking for something better. I was looking for a '69 at the time, but I also liked 3rd gens. I decided to call the guy and talked to him. I asked if the car would make it to Minneapolis,MN from Great Falls, MT. He said no problem. I told him I would buy the car. My cousin and I flew in with one-way tickets at 9 pm. I looked the car over in the dark . I paid him and we drove it back to Minneapolis. It doesn't have the correct hood or the original motor, but it is a 4-speed car. I have an automatic in it now, but the 4-speed is under the workbench and the pistol grip is stashed away so it can go back if I want it too.

The '69 I found while talking to a guy at a job I used to have. It was 2001 and I was talking with Kelly about cars and I told him I was thinking about selling the Bee and buying a '69 Charger. I said "You know. Like the General Lee". He said he knew where there was a car for sale like the General Lee and it was for sale. I asked if it was a '69 Charger and he assured me it was. "Yea. It's done up just like the General Lee". I couldn't believe it. That weekend we went and looked at it. I went home and talked to my wife for about 10 minutes and called him back and told him I would buy it. Here it is the day we brought it home.

The Charger looks great but that's about the ugliest motor home I've ever seen.

:icon_smile_big:That motorhome has been in my family since it was new. My dad saw it for sale on a car lot on the way home. He wanted to buy it. He called his brother, my uncle, and told him about it. My uncle promptly went to the car lot and bought it out from under my dad. This was 1974. Fast forward to about 1991-1992. My uncle sells my mom and dad the motorhome. A few years later he sold my dad the trailer the General is on. You wouldn't believe the number of people who want to look inside that little motorhome. It has a Chevy 292 6 cylinder motor. It was originally a three speed on the column, but my dad put an automatic in it after he bought it.

[WINGMAN]

I have gone to the ElDorado KS charger show for the past seven years and have become good friends with Rockey Slagel. He was down in Enid OK back in 03 and stoped into sooner auto salvage looking for parts. The old man that ran the yard told him that sooner was a late modal salvage yard and he did not have old cars or parts, but he was retireind at the end of the year and he wanted to sell his 69 daytona that he had for the last 30 years.Rockey took down all the info and when on the way back to KS he and his wife were discussing the daytona and said JR is looking for a daytona. When they got home rockey called my and told me about the car, man i almost fell over. I called the owner the next day and set up a time to go look at the daytona.Next week i drove down to Enid to see the car, met the owner, a real nice man. he took me out back to a tractor trailer box that he had in his back yard, open the door and there was the daytona.Well i am not going to tell you what i payed for it but if i wanted to i can over double my monet today.And the car is NOT fo sale.     

[Dave22443]

Well, I don't know if my story can hold up against some of these others, but its pretty special to me and I don't mind telling it. 

The year was 1982 (I think) and I was a 17 year old driving my dads old hand-me-down pickup truck.  Don't get me wrong, I thought the truck was great (a 1970 Ford long bed) but I wanted something with a little more style.  As it so happened, there was a gold '68 with a black top in town that a weird guy owned. (At least he seemed weird to a 17 year old)  He lived right around the corner from my best friend and one day we spotted a for sale sign on the window.  We both liked the car, so we both went to go look at it.  He wanted $500 for it.  It had minor rust in the quarters and was a 318 auto w/console and had a black interior.  He started the car up for us and it purred like a kitten.  We talked him into a test drive and that was my first experience in a Mopar.  To me, the car rode and drove like nothing I had ever been in before and its funny now to think about it, but I was actually amazed at how rock solid the speedometer needle was.  I remember telling my friend that it didn't bounce when you drove it! 

I wanted the car in the worst kind of way.  I absolutely loved it.  My dad however, was not impressed and back in those days, $500 to a 17 year old might as well be a million.  If dad wasn't helping, I couldn't buy, despite my trying to sell him back my old pickup!    The car got sold to someone out of town (probably one of you collector types!) and I never saw it again.  My heart broke and I felt like I had this big empty spot in my life.  I made a vow that day to one day own one if it was the last thing I ever did.

Fast forward a few years to 1989.  Life had come over me and over time I forgot about the old Charger.  I mean, it was hard to keep thinking about it when that old gold '68 you lost out on as a kid was the last Charger you had ever seen!  I mean, in 7 years I had not even SEEN another '68 they are that rare around here.  Then one day, I loaded up my panel van and headed out on my route to make my deliveries and I swear my heart almost stopped.  (I had to untangle my jaw from the steering wheel)  There in the parking lot of my very own building was the most beutiful sight I had ever seen!  It was half dark green and half primer and the top was showing its age, but I'll be damned if it wasn't a 1968 Dodge Charger looking back at me!

I freaked out.  All those years.  None had ever been seen.  Thought I had forgot about it.  But the feelings of that fateful day all came crashing down on me like it was yesterday.  Thoughts began racing through my mind.  Where did it come from?  Why hadn't I seen it before?  Who owned it?  Why was it here???  AHHH!!!!

So I did what any sensible man would do.  I jumped out of my panel van and ran back into the building, breathlessly asking everyone I could if anyone knew where that car had come from?  Nobody had a clue!!!  I began to get depressed again.  I felt it slipping away.  Surely if I left the car would be gone and I would never see it again.  I had to do something.  I know!  Tell the boss the truck broke down and sit there by the car until the owner shows up!  No wait, can't do that.  Boss ain't stupid and I need my job.  Okay, think Dave... think!  Ah hah!  I know!  I'll leave a note!  "If you ever want to see this car, CALL ME!"  Did I remember to put my number on it?  (checks paper)  Yup!  Okay.  Place note in secure location (obvious secure location, don't want them to not see it!) and wait for the call.

Sure enough, at the end of the day when I came back from my routes, the car was gone.  I rushed home to check my messages and told the wife NO ONE answers the phone but me and oh, by the way, you'll have to cook in tonight, we're not going out. 

Three weeks go by - no phone call.  Depression.  Anger.  Frustration.  Until...

I was standing around the water cooler kicking back one morning before I left to go on my routes and was shooting the breeze with a co-worker.  We'd been talking for a while and I was getting ready to leave when she made the comment.  "You'll never guess what happened to me the other day."

My heart jumped.  But why?  What did it know that I didn't?  Could it sense something???  I casually replied, "Oh?  Whats that?"

"Somebody left a note on my car."

I swear, I thought I was going to explode! 

I couldn't hold it in anymore and without hesitation I blurted it out.  "A GREEN 1968 DODGE CHARGER?"

She looked at me with a really strange face.  "Yeah.  How did you know?"

  "THATS MY NOTE!!!"

Well, the car turned out to be her husbands.  She had driven it that day because her car was in the shop and sorry, but no, he didn't want to sell it.  So I settled for second best, first dibs if he ever did.

Fast forward to 1997.  The phone rings.  Its for sale.  I still have first dibs.  Do I still want it?

SOLD!!!  But you don't know how much?  I DON'T CARE!  SOLD!  Oh.  Ouch.  Maybe I DO care!  NO MATTER!  SOLD!!!

As it turns out, the Friday afternoon when she had gotten home with the car after driving it just that one day, her husband put the car in storage in a local airport hanger and hadn't touched it since.  The rent was due again and several of the guys (also with cars) that were sharing it were pulling out.  He had no choice but pull out too and figured that since he hadn't touched the car in 8 years, he wasn't likely ever too.  When we opened the hanger, there was the car sitting exactly as I had seen it so long ago.  It was dusty, but the tires were still up.  We wet the carb and jumped the battery.  I climbed in and it fired right up!  I drove it home that day with the biggest smile on my face I think I've ever had.  Heck, my jaws are starting to hurt just thinking back on it now.

Driving the car now makes me feel like I'm 17 again.  Windows down, wind blowing my hair, speedometer hanging rock steady at just a little over the posted limit.  I love my car.  Its part of the family now.  And no, its not for sale...

[PocketThunder]

my C500: HLPAG     traded Hans my 55 Chevy for it.  evreyone thinks i was nuts but i dont think so.
my 68: dead relative    after an elder distant relative died of a heart attack, nobody in that family wanted it so i took it under my wing. 

[Charger_Fan]

Well, I don't know if my story can hold up against some of these others, but its pretty special to me and I don't mind telling it. 

Ok, that was a good story too!!

[road/track]

I found my 71 SE original 440 (u-code), 4spd,Dana etc in local add.
I call the guy and said i wanted to see the car, he said he could not show me the Charger for another 2 weeks due to that he would go on vacation (why try to sell the car when your on vacation??) He said he would call when he was back, I assumed I lost the deal but 2 weeks later he called me and said he had a new phone number!! (another guarantee to hide from any potential buyers) I went to see the car and found it under the tar.
I did the MOT test the next day (the car have been sitting under the tar. for several years) but the MOT guy was  LOL when he was doing the road test and she passed without any comments at all.

[Purple Haze]

I love telling the story of my lucky find. I purchased my R/T Charger last November of 2004. I wasn't too sure what I had until this site let me know that what I found was a rare car. I had an opportunity to buy this car for $7,000 and I wanted to know if this was a good investment, so I started researching values. While researching the R/T, the seller had an urgent need for space in his garage, so he lowered his price to $4,500 as long as I would get out within a week. After finding out what I did, I got it out quickly. The tag reads as follows:

26 END
J45 M21 M31 R11 V21 V6W
V1X A34 B51 C16 C55 J25
FC7 C6XW EW1 123 020584
E87 D21 XS29 V0G 183781

The Vin # XS29 V0G indicates that this is a six pack car. This corresponds on all of the numbers on the fender tag, dash vin, door jam vin, engine vin and trans vin. The broadcast sheet was still intact on the back seat. (see pics on web link) This turned out to be the one that matches the car. Since I started taking the car apart, I found three more broadcast sheets for other cars.

Here's the story on the car. This car has been sitting in the garage since 1976 and the guy that I bought it from states that the motor locked up due to sitting for such a long time. The car belonged to my cousin's cousin. I remember the car as a kid in high school. He was racing the R/T and lost control of the car when he hit a parking meter with the left quarter and door. Since he worked in a body shop, he had it repaired at work. As he was working on it, he bought a Firebird and lost interest in the R/T. It sat for years and later was not able to turn the 440 6 pak, so he replaced it with a 383. Again, he lost interest and it sat in his garage for many more years with the 440 motor out in his yard. The six pak set up was stored in his basement, while the 4 speed trans was stored in a shed. The R/T was only a year and half old when he bougth it and drove it for about two years when he had the accident. So the car actually only has 35,597 miles.

The 440 motor was sent to the machine shop and was saved but the heads are shot.

(Pics)
http://community.webshots.com/album/117932981iHZrRJ

Dodge Don gave me some info on the production #s on the R/Ts and this appears to be one of a kind. Even if it isn't one of a kind, I'm very happy with my find. So I'm definitely gonna keep the Charger. I almost passed this car up, but my wife insisted I buy it for investment. But now she insist that we should not to sell it.


Quote from Dodge Don:

"Purple,
Congrats....you SCORED BIG TIME!!!!!

For 1970 Charger R/Ts:

E87 - 440 Six Pack.....only 684 of these were built (7.3%)......and there were only 347 built (3.7%) with the 440 Six Pack and the A833 4 Speed......and only 159 built (1.7%) with 440 Six Pack, A833 4 Speed and 4.10:1 Sure Grip.

So your car appears to be 1 of 159 (based on available historical records).

Other info:
FC7 - Plum Crazy Paint...only 1199 built (12.8%)
C6XW - Black/White Seats...only 1312 built (14%)
V1X - Black Vinyl Roof....4516 built (48.2%)
A34 - Super Trac Pack.....only 394 built (4.2%)
J45 - Hood Pins....3205 built (34.2%)
V21 - Performance Hood Treatment....only 169 built (1.8%)


If you assume the same build % (not guaranteed...varies by colour/option combos)....

We know it's one of 159......if only 12.8% were Plum Crazy then it is 1 of approximately 20.

We know it's one of approximately 20......if only 4.2% had the A34 Super Trac Pack then it is 1 of approximately 1. You can slice and dice the % anyway you want....it still comes up as very rare.

I believe (cannot prove it) that your car, with that combination of options is likely 1 of 1."



Currently

[68ChargerJMP]

My 68 was bought new in 68 and has been in the family since day 1.

[Ghoste]

Perusing the want ads looking for a 69 Charger and suddenly my wife leaned over my shoulder and pointed to a picture and said, "Now THAT'S a nice car.  That's what something called a Charger should look like".  It was my 67 and it was cheap.  Being the brilliant type that I am, I figured it was my way to get her to warm up to the hobby.  She absolutely hates the styling of the 2nd gen Chargers.  I thought I'd buy this thing, make it hers and have no choice but to get mine.  Nearly 8 years later, it's still here, I still don't have a 69 and she still couldn't care less about the old car hobby.

[PocketThunder]

Perusing the want ads looking for a 69 Charger and suddenly my wife leaned over my shoulder and pointed to a picture and said, "Now THAT'S a nice car.  That's what something called a Charger should look like".  It was my 67 and it was cheap.  Being the brilliant type that I am, I figured it was my way to get her to warm up to the hobby.  She absolutely hates the styling of the 2nd gen Chargers.  I thought I'd buy this thing, make it hers and have no choice but to get mine.  Nearly 8 years later, it's still here, I still don't have a 69 and she still couldn't care less about the old car hobby.

Ya know what Ghoste, i feel your pain.   Althought my spouse is into old cars now that we've been together for 10 years, most of my friends are all about buying newer cars... 

[itchyballs]

well i was like everyone here always looking for that elusive charger. i actually was doing some work for my sister and was getting ready to leave when i decided to look thru the pittsburgh post gazette. there was a 69 charger for sale!! i almost crapped my pants. it was late so i decided to call first thing mon. morning. i called the guy and he said he had some people coming to look at the car already(figures) but to call him later and see if it got sold. i did and he said only one guy was really interested but money talks so i took a ride down tues.(called off work too) to look at the car. i actually had to meet the guy because getting to his house was a nightmare. what a sight when i showed up at our meeting spot and saw the charger!! we went back to his place and looked the car over real good. it is a 318 white hat special. he was the original owner and gave me a bunch of original dealer pamphlets and the original sticker for it!! we made the deal and i came back  with my first charger!! what a high!! the only sad part about it was he told me he never wanted to see it again... but it still has the original never rstored interior in almost mint shape!!! factory air works great too!!!

[moparjohn]

It was the fall of 2001 and I had paid off my truck,  wasn't doing anything special with my spare time and  still liked reading muscle car mags.  I started looking for a car in Oct or Nov. I had a Charger in High School  so I wanted to have one again. I knew 3 things- it had to be a big block, I wanted PDB and I wanted an SE (like my HS car) I came across an ad 1969 Dodge Charger factory power sunroof and so on.  I called thinking the car would be gone- it actually was listed for over a month- NO TAKERS- Destiny! I talked to the owner Mike Konn of Co. and we went over every detail for 2 weeks- I wanted to know all about the car- he wanted a four speed car but wanted this car to go to good hands. He had the car scine at least 93 when he had it painted and the engine rebuit, but the car wasn't driven much and many trim items still needed to be bought/cleaned/attached etc. We agreed on a price and I wired him a deposit and then the balance.  I had only seen the car in pictures and when it arrived on Jan 4th 2002 it was loved at first site and the car was exactly as described.  The past 4 years have been the best- continuing the restoration, meeting Mopar people (GREAT PEOPLE) and going to as many car shows as possible. The car had 47,700 miles when I got it and is over 80,000 now. It will go anywhere, turn heads doing it and keep the smile on my face the rest of my life!

[694spdRT]

I found my 71 SE original 440 (u-code), 4spd,Dana etc in local add.
I call the guy and said i wanted to see the car, he said he could not show me the Charger for another 2 weeks due to that he would go on vacation (why try to sell the car when your on vacation??) He said he would call when he was back, I assumed I lost the deal but 2 weeks later he called me and said he had a new phone number!! (another guarantee to hide from any potential buyers) I went to see the car and found it under the tar.
I did the MOT test the next day (the car have been sitting under the tar. for several years) but the MOT guy was  LOL when he was doing the road test and she passed without any comments at all.

Did you know your car is 1 of 29 produced? I think all the 3rd gen big block SE 4 speeds are very cool cars.   

[SuBLimE 69]

Thanks for kicking this thread off Shakey !  Some killer stories here for sure.

I'll give you fellas the Readers Digest Version:  I looked at a ton of Chargers in several different states.  I drove all over the south east and lost a couple eBay auctions (they made me nervous anyways) Most of the cars were too rough and too much money.  I looked at two 68 R/T SE cars (one 440,4-speed) that I wish now I'd have pruchased but my plan at the time was to build a car with a resto theme and not original.  I skipped on the both R/T cars because I knew it would be a damn shame to start cutting the others.  I called a number with no pic in the online old car trader.  The description was very very vauge and basiclly said green power steering new tires.  I called the number and spoke to nice old fella who stated he had just retired.  he stated he was selling his house and his cars and was going to travel the country as an over the road truck driver for a few years.  He had no computer and could not send me pics but stated the online trader people had been by to take them but for whatever readon they never showed up online.  He described a solid car and seemed like a down to earth old man.  I explained to him that I was driving 12 hours to see the car and had just gotten back (day b4) from looking at a car in Florida.   He assured me it was a soild rust free car.  I was in the truck 1 hour later and drove all night because I was so scared someone was going to snatch it b4 I could get there.  I arrived and saw the car exactely as the old fella described.  The price was a damn steal to say the least.  I had really expected a semi rough non running car for the price.  I loaded her up and the search was over. 

After alot of money I think it has turned out ok.  I still need to put her in a new coat of paint and pick up a gear vendor but it's one step at a time.  I think the hunting the cars is the most fun.  I have turned several people onto cars that i found and didn't buy just so someone who cared would save them.  I'd love to own huge building a save them all but my wife would leave me for sure..........hmm.......maybe I am on to something here.....

[Telvis]

I had just sold my Challenger project so that I could buy the 69 Charger I had been trying to get for years. I started selling off parts on Ebay that I had left from the Challenger. I was at Yellow Freight shipping a 360 motor. The guy running the forklift started asking about the motor. I told him about the Challenger and my recent Charger purchase. He immediately asks me if I want another one. I said maybe. He got his cell phone out and calls his uncle who has a 68 Charger in his garage. An hour later I'm in the guys garage. There sits a 68 Charger with a 383. EVERYTHING is original and unmolested. It's been sitting in the garage for 15+ years. The guy hooks up a battery and it started right up. The interior was beautiful. I just about passed out. He then takes me out to a building in the back yard where he has parts hanging everywhere. He had bought a parts car years ago and had disassembled the car so he would have parts for the other one. At this point I am shaking all over. I asked what he wanted for everything. He scared me initially. I thought he would throw some inflated price at me.  He went on about how these cars are getting more and more valuable. He then told me he would not take less than $5,000 for EVERYTHING!! I couldn't write a check fast enough. The rest is history.

[SeattleCharger]

   I got mine from posting an ad HERE in the cars wanted section.   Well, the old site.  After about three or four months of ad running I got an email from someone that lives about twenty miles from me.   Thanks Dodge Charger site!

[road/track]

Did you know your car is 1 of 29 produced? I think all the 3rd gen big block SE 4 speeds are very cool cars.

Yes I have realized that, and doing the research I also found that it was EV2 HEMI Orange..........
I am collecting a few missing parts before I'll start the restauration.(most re-paint and detailing)

[67RedCharger]

While Bobbin' around out in the Pacific Ocean on a US Navy warship, USS COONTZ DLG-9 with the knowledge that I would be getting out of the Navy in a few months, I sent my brother a letter requesting sales literature for the 1967 model cars.  When I started getting the literature, I was favoring the 1967 Buick Riverra, but for $6,500.00 that was beyond my economic means.  When I saw that red 1967 Dodge Charger with the black carpets, and pearl white interior, the Buick took second seat to my likings.  I sent my brother $500.00 for a down payment, and the car was waiting for me at the local Dodge dealership when I got home January 13 1967.  I joined the rebellion on that date.  Of course there was no such thing as Ebay back then, and finding one in a junk yard was not my desire to finding a nice car.  YOU BUY NICE CARS AT THE DEALERSHIP with that new car smell eminating all around the car.   

  ~ 67RedCharger ~

[greenpigs]

 When I was in high school the city let co-op students work in the city garage. I was in light equipment(cars,trucks, cop cars etc and the guy who bought the under cover cars and ordered the regular cruisers told me about a Charger sitting beside a body shop. The car was in the rotton side of town where every other lot sold used cars. So anyways...one of the shops had a bodyshop as well and the Charger sat on the other side of the building hidden from view of anyone on the lot. I talked to the owner..blah..blah.. and it was funny he said it had 440HP..because it was stamped on the ID block by the distributor. So I paid $800 and had it towed home. Well my dad did as it was a present for graduation and to keep me busy, which is why the other guy told me about it. Moe..the guy..didn't want me to get into trouble as he figured I would be to broke and or busy to with that car. He was right
 I also got 1 drivers side door and 1 passenger side fender both green and a bunch of floor mats in the trunk( about 30 sets) for that price. The dead rats were free.
 This happened in May of 1990.  

[4402tuff4u]

It took me two years to find my number matching 1968 Charger R/T. Constantly searched the web, local classified and even lost one to a higher bidder by $ 100.00 on ebay. Anyhow, I got to work one morning (5:30 AM) on April of 2004 and logged on to Trader on Line.com and saw nothing new. At around 7:00 AM I saw a new listing under 1968 Charger's and sure enough a number matching - no rust - unrestored - with new interior in boxes Charger was listed. I immediately called and spoke to the guy who was a collector of cars and said he had to many projects going on at the time. He had purchased the Charger in California two years before. We spoke about an hour about details on the Charger. The Charger had the fender tag but no build sheet. Anyhow, he emailed tons of photos of every corner/inch of the Charger. We hit it off pretty good. I asked him if he would give me first refusal on the Charger. He said "of course! you were the first caller". I couldn't get down to Georgia due to work schedule and working weekends so after two days of thinking about it and having my friend a detective run a check on the seller and Charger, they both came clean. I bought the Charger. Did not try or bother to negotiate the price down. He had this fellow from Australia in hot pursuit of the Charger. The guy I bought the car from said he could give me this guy's number if I was interested in making some money on the Charger. We had reached a written deal already on the Charger and that's why the seller I bought the car couldnt back off from it. I think I made out pretty good on the deal. MM-1 Too!! With the help of expert ChrycoPsyco and many others here this Charger is going to be awesome!!

[96dacia]

After reading this post my chances to get a Charger one day are somethyng like 1% ? P.S.  I`m from Romania. What do you think, is it impossible to bring here a car like that? How much do you think it will cost?

[andy74]

After reading this post my chances to get a Charger one day are somethyng like 1% ? P.S.  I`m from Romania. What do you think, is it impossible to bring here a car like that? How much do you think it will cost?

hang around here long enough,and one of us will help you find a car,some of the guys here have already done it-welcome aboard

[hemigeno]

I got my first Charger exposure in my cousin's triple green '69, non-console 3-speed manual 318 car.  Even though that was about as far from a true musclecar as you could get, I still loved the look.  Wasn't able to buy a "toy" until about '95 when I found a black '68 383/auto for sale fairly cheap while cruising some local backroads.  Bought the car, and had envisioned turning it into a Hemi 4-speed, and actually collected a bunch of parts for that conversion over a 3 year period.  Then, I realized how much I would have in this conversion, and compared that to what real Hemicars were selling for at the time (1998).  The way I was going about it, I would have about as much in that clone as most concours-restored cars cost then.  So, I started trolling in Hemmings.  

One afternoon, I came home early from work, and the new Hemmings was in the mailbox.  I opened it up, and saw an ad for a '69 R/T, which was everything I was trying to turn my '68 into - 4-speed Hemi R/T, for less than what I would have in parts alone on my clone.  I talked to the wife about it, and within 45 minutes of seeing the ad, I was on the phone with the seller.  He later told me that he had well over 40 calls on that ad within 3 days, but I was the first.  He had offered the car for sale locally before the Hemmings ad, and a guy was already trying to scrounge the money to buy the car, so he had first dibs.  The seller gave him 2 weeks to come up with the money, and in the meantime sent me pictures, fender tag rubbings, etc.  After a week and a half, the seller called me up on a Thursday, and said that if I wanted the car, to come get it since the local guy wasn't ever going to get that much money together.  I said that was fine, and I'd be down the following weekend.  He said "No, you don't understand.  If you don't come down this weekend, I'm going to the next guy on the list - See you Saturday, or not at all"...  So much for having my buddy go down with me as a copilot.  Jumped in the truck the next day at noon, and did a solo banzai 15 hour run to get the car, napped for 2 hours, did the deal for the car, and drove 16 hours back with only a stop for a 1 hour nap along the way.  You couldn't have beaten the smile off my face the whole way though.

I found my Daytona through contacts made getting detail parts for the Hemicar.  A guy I was dealing with wanted to know what kind of car I was working on, and I described the R/T to him.  He said he knew of a guy in his hometown who had two project Daytonas, one of which was a perfect match (he thought) for my Hemicar.  Once he said that, he thought the better of handing out the guy's contact information, which I had to then pry out of him.  Ultimately, he relented and put me in contact with the seller, who not only had two project Daytonas, but two project '69 HemiChargers as well, all of which he had held in storage for 20+ years with nearly enough nice used and NOS parts to restore 2 or 3 complete cars.  I made contact with him, and we developed a friendship talking about wing car specifics, which I already knew a lot about.  He eventually figured out that I was serious about wing cars (and Daytonas in particular), and decided he'd be willing to sell me one of his Daytonas.  He had been given tons of offers over the years to sell his cars, but he had dismissed all of them as guys who either didn't appreciate the cars for what they are, or were just out to make a buck by flipping it.  From the date I first contacted him to when I took a trailer to pick the Daytona up, 18 months elapsed.  It was worth the wait, and I value the friendship I have made with the seller as much as I value the car (we still keep in weekly contact on average).

[96dacia]

 You are lucky to live in U.S, cause like you find the Charger in junkyards for a small price, well i can find a lot of old BMWs or Renault`s. ))...allmost a car )

[Charger Aficionado]

You are lucky to live in U.S, cause like you find the Charger in junkyards for a small price, well i can find a lot of old BMWs or Renault`s. ))...allmost a car )

You can find a junker around anyday too  

[ChargerSG]

I found mine in an old ad(i had been looking for one in like a year, been loosing allot of them and the prices had started to rise) soo i call this guy up and he says that he whants 16k for it and i just said thats to much for a 318 car(thou it was low milage) but he dident take any of mine offers soo it ended there. Like 2 months later i see a new ad on it and with the same price, soo i called him again and no one had bought it and put an offer on it but he still said 16k. Like a month later i mailed him about it and then he said 15k, but i thought it was to much but now he had showed that he could go down, we mailed back and forth for like a month and then  he just say "you can have it for 12k i just put a high price on the car because i wanted to sell it to the right person, not some one who would make a hotrod of it but would restore it to original".
And 2 month later i had the car, and it was a keeper for life, 2 owner car(only drove it to the curch) with really low mileage and look like untoched(exept the bad paintjob in 80)

[Khyron]

Well, my story is kinda good, but not too clever.

I was on a 3rd gen Firebird / Camaro board, and I was working on my trans am, I was just about done, had it driving and she ran well, built up a 355, solid runner.... But that's for a different board. My wife and I were having a conversation, we were joking around and she told me she wanted another baby.

I just looked at her, and said jokingly, "You get a baby when there is a 69 Charger in the garage"
She says "Are you serious" I said "yeah, here"
I sat down and wrote out a contract that says specifically that when I have ownership of a running street ready 69 Dodge Charger that I will give her another baby

Fast forward a few months. We decided we were going to take out a home equity loan to put siding on the house, put in a pool, extend the deck and put up a wood fence. When we got done with the work, we ended up saving quite a bit of money.

I fancy myself as a handyman and did a bunch of the work myself saving a lot of money, about 10 grand to be exact.

She says to me one night "Here is my permission to spend the rest of the money for a Charger."

I just starred at her. Then promptly posted on every board I'm on

Thread title "Looking for a 69 Dodge Charger"
In the body of the message I said "Looking for a 69 Charger in the NY area or surrounding states.

A day latter I get a PM from non other then BrianS from this board. He was also on the 3rd gen board I was on

He emailed me 2 links, One to Moparts.com and one to Dodge-charger.com The ad read this...

I've decided to sell my Charger-69, originally 318/904. Now 360/904.
Many new parts-partial trunk floor, new Legendary seat covers and carpet,
new Year One hood signal lenses and side markers, new paint, etc.
Needs some things done. Asking 7,000.00/neg. Upstate NY near Binghamton.
More pictures and info available for serious inquiries. PM, e-mail, or call XXX-XXX-XXXX. Thanks...

Dan

Yes, Yes, I saved the original ad

I was in shock; I shoot off an email explaining that I was interested. The reply was short and sweet "I made this Doc file to answer any common questions. If you're interested. Call me. I look at the Pictures and was in shock to how good this cars shape was to the price. I called and setup a time to go see the car. Had money in my pocket. I took the 3 ½ hour drive and was by myself. It was so hard to keep the speed limit. My heart was pounding and my hands were sweating. When I pulled up I saw her parked under a large tree. Sitting in her gold and black uniform. I couldn't believe the condition of this car. Dan and I spoke for awhile; he was honestly a great guy. Very fair, explained all that the car needed, and extremely helpful, I took the car for a test spin

Side note. I have wanted this car since I was 12 years old. But I never drove one. Was I going to like the way it drove? Was I doing to like the power? Handling? Suspension? Size of the car?

Dan drove first, he put the old girl through her paces and I was impressed. Then he pulled over and said "You drive"

I got in the drivers seat, and drove off like an old lady Dan was like "Common, drive it" So I got her up to speed and played a little. Just a little.

We pulled back into Dans driveway and he looked at me, smiled, and said "You know what, you're the only other person I ever let drive this car" I laughed and said "Well, I have a pocket full of money, that's why"

We talked a bit more then we came to an understanding. I want the car, we talked price, and we where bother satisfied with the final amount. I could tell Dan didn't want to sell this car, so I think I offered a fair price. It included the original engine, and he through in a bunch of other parts that the car didn't need, but it was nice to have.

Wow, I didn't expect this to go this long. But I'll leave you hanging a bit. After I put money down, and agreed to come back with a car trailer the following weekend. And that, was a WHOLE nother story.

And here she was the first day I found her.

[Shakey]

Thanks for all of the great stories.   

[NHCharger]

In 95 I was doing a addition for a guy(Warren) who drove a delivery truck. I was finally on my feet after the recession. Told him I was looking for an muscle car. One day later he brings me over to a small body shop 1 mile down the road. Behind the garage sat a #'s matching Chally, 340,4 speed. Car was in pieces, see thru floor option. Needed everything, asking price $ 350.00. I passed on the deal
Three months later Warren calls, "I found another car, don't know what it is, you never see them here in NH, kinda of swoopie looking". This car is only 6 miles from my house. I drive over with my friend Pete who runs a garage. Under a Pine tree next to a busy road sat a 71 Charger SE,383auto,slapstick. I alway loved the 3rd gen Chargers but hadn't seen one locally for 2 or 3 years. The car was Hemi Orange but was so dirty it looked brown. Price was $2k. Needed a new vinyl top, lower quarters, dashpad, rug, and some misc. items. It ran and drove great. The owner was 3 months behind on his child support, if he didn't have $1,200. by the weekend he was going to jail, and it was Wednesday.It was also mid-October and selling this car before winter was getting tough. He said a girl was coming over Thursday night with $1,200, if I could beat her there with $ 1,200. the car was mine.
While driving the car home on Thursday night I was stopped at a red light in downtown. My wife was giving a neighbor a ride to work and passed thru the intersection. The neighbor said to my wife "OMG, did you see that hideous looking car at the lights?". My wife said," Brian just bought an old car, I just pray to god it wasn't that thing."

[PocketThunder]

In 95 I was doing a addition for a guy(Warren) who drove a delivery truck. I was finally on my feet after the recession. Told him I was looking for an muscle car. One day later he brings me over to a small body shop 1 mile down the road. Behind the garage sat a #'s matching Chally, 340,4 speed. Car was in pieces, see thru floor option. Needed everything, asking price $ 350.00. I passed on the deal
Three months later Warren calls, "I found another car, don't know what it is, you never see them here in NH, kinda of swoopie looking". This car is only 6 miles from my house. I drive over with my friend Pete who runs a garage. Under a Pine tree next to a busy road sat a 71 Charger SE,383auto,slapstick. I alway loved the 3rd gen Chargers but hadn't seen one locally for 2 or 3 years. The car was Hemi Orange but was so dirty it looked brown. Price was $2k. Needed a new vinyl top, lower quarters, dashpad, rug, and some misc. items. It ran and drove great. The owner was 3 months behind on his child support, if he didn't have $1,200. by the weekend he was going to jail, and it was Wednesday.It was also mid-October and selling this car before winter was getting tough. He said a girl was coming over Thursday night with $1,200, if I could beat her there with $ 1,200. the car was mine.
While driving the car home on Thursday night I was stopped at a red light in downtown. My wife was giving a neighbor a ride to work and passed thru the intersection. The neighbor said to my wife "OMG, did you see that hideous looking car at the lights?". My wife said," Brian just bought an old car, I just pray to god it wasn't that thing."

Thats awesome!   When i tell my sposue about the next car i'm going to get, she already knows the basic questions like:
1) Does it run?
2) Does it have an engine?
3) Is it a complete car?
4)Does it have seats... Etc....

[nh_mopar_fan]

Brian,

I am rolling.

[Charger_Fan]

Brian,

I am rolling.

Me too!!

[NHCharger]

Brian,

I am rolling.

Me too!!

The conversation when my wife got home wasn't quite as funny.

[RT DAVE]

Found it in a "Deals on Wheels" magazine back in '92 when I was in high school.   I just recently found the add when cleaning through my junk, but I think my wife has lost it again for me.   

[Shakey]

  

I think three threads should just about cover it!   

[Charger_Fan]

 

I think three threads should just about cover it!   

You just couldn't resist bumping this one, could you?      


Geez, now I'm laughing all over again about NHCharger's story!