At what age, did you buy your first Dodge Charger?

[KillerBee1972]

17 years old heading into my senior year of high school. paid $4450 for it off ebay and drove it home from MI. I will prolly never get rid of it, meanwhile i have also picked up and sold a 74 dart sport, and a 71 superbee. Now at 22 years old my dad gave me his first charger 73 se 440 sunroof and power window car! so i am very happy with my two 3rd gens!

[ncmiller1]

25 years old on January 3rd, 2011.  Searched craigslist everyday within a 1000 mile radius for months and one finally popped up in Phoenix, AZ.  I live in Southern California so I flew to Phoenix, bought the car, and drove it home.  It had an extremely well running 318 in it that got about 17 mpg on the drive over, no overheating issues, just ran like a dream.  Since then it has been replaced with a 505 stroker I built with 8 mpg, I'm still messing with the pinion angle, and the water pump housing seems to be restricting flow.  I'm still trying to figure out what was going through my head when I made that decision... (all jokes aside these cars are amazingly fun to work on and I love every second of it!)

[gtx6970]

My 1st Charger?

I was about 22 or 23 , car was a 1969 Daytona 440 auto
paid a whopping $1300 for it ( missing the nose and  the wing ),,, I got tired of it just sitting and sold it maybe 3 or 4 years later for around $3000,,, the  NOS nose I picked up for it  was sold seperately to someone else.
bought a 1968 Charger R/T 440 4spd and a 1970 Charger 500  383 auto within 3 months of  buying the Daytona , both were parts cars. I think I paid  $150 for the 1970 and drove it home( still have it actually ----- more or less)  not 100% sure but I think I paid about $250 for the 1968 and it ran.but the dana was missing when I bought it.

And yes, this has been a while back

[elacruze]

25 years old on January 3rd, 2011.  Searched craigslist everyday within a 1000 mile radius for months and one finally popped up in Phoenix, AZ.  I live in Southern California so I flew to Phoenix, bought the car, and drove it home.  It had an extremely well running 318 in it that got about 17 mpg on the drive over, no overheating issues, just ran like a dream.  Since then it has been replaced with a 505 stroker I built with 8 mpg, I'm still messing with the pinion angle, and the water pump housing seems to be restricting flow.  I'm still trying to figure out what was going through my head when I made that decision... (all jokes aside these cars are amazingly fun to work on and I love every second of it!)

If you have a 440 source water pump housing, toss it. They're a known restriction problem. Here's a long thread about housings, pumps, etc. with lots of good data;
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,60599.0.html

[FC7 V code]

Bought my first Charger in the Spring of 1983, I was 24 at the time and had grown up around an Uncle and Cousin that were really Mopar guys.  It is a 1970 Plum Crazy RT-SE V-code with black interior . Paid nearly 3k and then proceeded to rebuild/restore it in the mid 80's. Things were a lot tougher as far as restoration parts then. Mostly it involved hundreds of phone calls for "rust free" sheet metal from all over the western states. Some of which wasn't so rust free and still lingers in the rafters of my garage. It was a great time to be young and single and full of energy with a good job, so you could spend all your time and money on what my Dad used to refer to as "your money pit Dodge". After it was done even he had to agree it was one sweet ride and he was color blind so the purple didn't really give him fits . Still have it to this day and it probably could use a new paint job at this point. A few chips and nicks over the years and right now the motor is out for a re-build so I'm doing some brake line replacement over this winter. Since then I've accumulated a 1968 Chrysler 300, an AAR Cuda, a 70 Challenger SE, and a 69 Charger RT-SE.
Also a few other non Mopars in the garage, but I will not bore you with those details.

[The70RT]

The one I have now, got it in 1978, I was 17.....$1000.

[sunfire69]

17...it was a 1968...black with a black vinyl top and red interior 383 4bbl.....the guy want $850 for it ..I only had $800 so he took it.....that was 1974...lol...the car was just 6 years old and I was the second owner

[tubedriver]

1982, 17 years old.
My first car, $450.
Still have it. Original paint!

[XS29L9B2]

when i by my charger i have twenty years olds.

[Sublime/Sixpack]

I was 25 yrs. old.

[XS29L]

First one at 16 for $150. a '69 318 auto , second at 19 at '69 318 auto , third at 21 a '68 R/T 440 auto . Have owned the R/T since the summer of '87. Missed out on a '68 R/T hemi 4spd dana about 2 years after.   

[troy.70R/T]

Awesome thread. I was 17 years old. It was the last few days of the school year in 1992 and a buddy of mine in study hall showed me an ad in the Sioux Falls SD Argus Leader for a 70 Charger R/T. Well the way it worked back then  in school was if you did not miss any school the first half you got a free day.  (so I did not miss any) and in the second half if you did not miss any you got to skip finals (I defiantly did not miss any) (BTW in all my years growing up in the country in SD my school was only ever officially called off once for a snow day, we had a few late starts but only called off once).
     Anyway so I got this ad and called the guy. I told him I wanted to see it and he said that he could show it anytime. ( I remember I called him from the pay phone in the school hallway). Anyway  It was at the end of the school year and my parents did not know that I had three days of Free time coming (ha ha no school )so I hopped in My 77 Monte Carlo and Drove 100 miles south to Sioux Falls SD.
     I met the guy and checked out the car. he told me how he bought it from a bartender in Iowa. ( I now know it was originally sold new in Cherokee Iowa. BTW it was sitting next to a nice B5 Blue 70 challenger for $6500.00 or $5500.00 I can't remember. I told the guy I would be back on Saturday (at 6:00 p.m.) tp pick it up and pay for it. which would have been two days away and he said he would hold it for me. well one sleepless night of wondering how I was going to tell my parents that I had skipped school (which was OK with the school)

[troy.70R/T]

TO tell my parents that I drove 100 miles to buy an old muscle car. welll I finallly told my dad and he was suprised and thought it was cool that I bought it. My boss who was a beef cattle farmer and a dirt track racer let me use his truck and trailer to go get it. THis is another story but my Boss Dave was so cool that he let me use his trailer and truck to go get the car. he even filled the truck up with gas.
     Well I got there and there were 5 people waitning to buy the car. The guy told me if I had been 5 minuites later he would have sold the car. I paid $1570.00 for a Numbers matching1970 Dodge Charger R/T 440 4-speed Car. The motor and trans were out of the  car and dissasembled. And the Trans is not #s matching. Thats the story of my first Charger

[HalfastJav]

Thanks to TK73 i got into a Charger when i was 27(73' 3X Green 400 auto). Now long gone on a Transport to MI sold on E-Bay for a few thou in 2000(right behind the 68 Mustang Fastback.....made a pile ). I sure miss those rides, the Charger was like a Caddy floating down the Hi-way. Good thing we have a few in the neighborhood.......aka Rallyemike and TK73 which i hope to see this weekend. I WILL own another, once the Jav (73) is done and my girls Camaro(78- that she's had for 24 years) is complete.  This Hobby can drain your funds in a heartbeat. So much for perfection......gotta live with some b.s.......Hurry up Ben i wanna see that Dart (72) jumpin tuna cans down the freeway............Heavy foot..... Big dreams..........

[The70RT]

TO tell my parents that I drove 100 miles to buy an old muscle car. welll I finallly told my dad and he was suprised and thought it was cool that I bought it. My boss who was a beef cattle farmer and a dirt track racer let me use his truck and trailer to go get it. THis is another story but my Boss Dave was so cool that he let me use his trailer and truck to go get the car. he even filled the truck up with gas.
     Well I got there and there were 5 people waitning to buy the car. The guy told me if I had been 5 minuites later he would have sold the car. I paid $1570.00 for a Numbers matching1970 Dodge Charger R/T 440 4-speed Car. The motor and trans were out of the  car and dissasembled. And the Trans is not #s matching. Thats the story of my first Charger

Good story Troy

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

1982, 17 years old.
My first car, $450.
Still have it. Original paint!

That's awesome!!! 

[boys3rt]

I was 24 and purchased the car in 1979. I was technically the 3rd owner. The original drivetrain was removed and transplanted in a 69' Cuda for racing. I borrowed the $900 from my girlfriend and got married so I never paid her back. 31 years later and three grown sons we have enjoyed the car and I hope to keep it for the boys when I'm gone.
I never did find the original matching drivetrain but did connect with the original owner. He was most helpful and gave me some of the missing parts years ago. Recently he found the original window sticker and the list price for the car was $4,458.70. The car was ordered with very few options as he wanted to go racing with it. He eventually decided that the car was too heavy and that is why he transplanted the engine / transmission.

Great reading the stories from everybody and I hope you folks will get to enjoy what I have for years to come.

[71bee]

lets see....2001, I was....35? yup, 35 was my age when I bought my 1st Charger. still got it & love the shit outta it to!

[DCharger70]

I bought mine for $1k in 1998 about a month after I turned 17. He constantly beat on it, blew the motor, and sold it to me so he could buy a more reliable daily driver. It needed a LOT of work (and still does) but made a good father/son project. I was able to put it on the road with a fresh 440 in 2000 and have been driving and restoring it ever since. I never plan on getting rid of it.

Fast forward to 2011. For my 30th birthday I bought myself what I've always wanted...a 1969 Charger General Lee replica 

[1971 GF7 RT]

Let's see - 26 years old in 1985, bought it from an ex-girlfriend ( who had it maybe 6 months before selling to me ) who bought it from the original owner.

[The70RT]

Let's see - 26 years old in 1985, bought it from an ex-girlfriend ( who had it maybe 6 months before selling to me ) who bought it from the original owner.

Nice 

[nvrbdn]

thats a beautiful 71. congrats

[60caddy]

Hey, those were the good ole days, I was 25 back in '72.  Purchased a nice used 68 Charger, 318, A/C, power everything, vinyl top, armrest on front seat, 3 sp wiper motor - neat, plus deepdish wheel covers with spinners, only one I had seen then.  Parents also had a 68 Charger - that one I still own and is mostly unrestored.  Hood, roof and trunk never painted, nice clean interior too. 

[70gtx440dana]

I was 18 in summer of 1981....had bought a real nice 69 Road Runner in August our of Texas. I needed a winter beater being from Michigan. I found an original owner 72 Base Charger with 318 auto & am radio. These were the only options on the car. It even had a rubber floor. I do not think I have ever seen another Charger this plain. I paid $325 for it. 

[doctor4766]

Hey, those were the good ole days, I was 25 back in '72.  Purchased a nice used 68 Charger, 318, A/C, power everything, vinyl top, armrest on front seat, 3 sp wiper motor - neat, plus deepdish wheel covers with spinners, only one I had seen then.  Parents also had a 68 Charger - that one I still own and is mostly unrestored.  Hood, roof and trunk never painted, nice clean interior too. 

Wow, if you can work out how to put up some pics it would be cool.