How much extra cash would you pay for a R/T?

[Back N Black]

When i was on the hunt for a charger, i was looking for the best body i could find. It did not matter if it was a small block or a R/T. I passed on a lot of R/T's because they were in bad shape, sure they are worth more when done, but in most cases they need more sheet metal work for the price you would pay for a standard charger. I know what the end result was going to be when i completed my restoration, a triple black charger with a 440 and a red tail stripe. Just think what it would have cost me to find a triple black R/T that had a complete nut and bolt restoration.

[lloyd3]

I guess it all boils down to what you are trying to do and the depth of your pocketbook.  I'm definitely "old school", in that a big part of the appeal these cars have for me is nostalgia.  When I was a teenager, these were the better versions of "everyday transport" and the R/Ts where the hot ticket.  They were also a bit uncommon for all of the usual and practical reasons (cost, insurance, and tickets being the big ones).  I suspect the reason that R/T cars might be slightly more prevalent now is that they have always been the more-desirable version and thus more of them were "saved", or at least the attempts to salvage them were more frequent.  Because nostalgia is the primary motivator, mine still has a factory dual-point, Magnum 500s and an 8-track player.  I looked long and hard to find a mostly original one and I paid the price when I did.  My efforts after that were to make it more-original and as nice as possible.  I could have made it faster and given it a 'modern" sound system, but to what end?

From a project point of view, I would think any version would do nicely, as long as it wasn't severely rusted and fairly complete.  What you build it to is then uniquely your idea of what perfection is.

[Bobs69]

R/T, shmar-tee.  In this day and age I'd be satisfied to find a car that's solid with no rust and was "all there" more or less.  If the car had the bigger R/T bits then I'd consider it an added bonus.  Theoretically even if I bought an R/T all of that R/T stuff would be coming off for better performing pieces/a performance rebuild anyway...

Well, when you decide you want a dog in your life, do you need to have a pure breed?  What for so you can roll him over and show everyone his tattoo and paper work to justify you got something desirable?

I know of a guy that owns a transmission shop and paid some guru something like $2000 to verify his car (dart or something) was what he believed it to be. 

But then again, if you are in it for the money & investment purposes, I guess you'll want some assurance you can reclaim your money.

And I can't help to think about the guy that owns Lee 1.  I could write a few pages about that guy.  Saying that people with clones would rather have his cause it's the real deal.  I'm willing to bet there are some "better" clones out there.  "Lee 1" from the pictures I seen would have been a full resto, and an older one at that.  Not with the fancy new AMD stuff.

It's funny tho, once big money gets involved.................things change, people get defencive, maybe even a little insecure and you want that reassurance that you did the right thing. 

Something to think about for sure.  My car, not an R/T.  I bought it when I was..............hmm can't remember lets say 20, it was junk and my uncle and I were stunned to see any Charger around.  But I'm in Canada, salt & sand............................

[Mytur Binsdirti]

I guess it all boils down to what you are trying to do and the depth of your pocketbook.  I'm definitely "old school", in that a big part of the appeal these cars have for me is nostalgia.  When I was a teenager, these were the better versions of "everyday transport" and the R/Ts where the hot ticket.  They were also a bit uncommon for all of the usual and practical reasons (cost, insurance, and tickets being the big ones).  I suspect the reason that R/T cars might be slightly more prevalent now is that they have always been the more-desirable version and thus more of them were "saved", or at least the attempts to salvage them were more frequent.  Because nostalgia is the primary motivator, mine still has a factory dual-point, Magnum 500s and an 8-track player.  I looked long and hard to find a mostly original one and I paid the price when I did.  My efforts after that were to make it more-original and as nice as possible.  I could have made it faster and given it a 'modern" sound system, but to what end?

I have the same train of thought.

R/T, shmar-tee.  In this day and age I'd be satisfied to find a car that's solid with no rust and was "all there" more or less.  If the car had the bigger R/T bits then I'd consider it an added bonus.  Theoretically even if I bought an R/T all of that R/T stuff would be coming off for better performing pieces/a performance rebuild anyway...

Well, when you decide you want a dog in your life, do you need to have a pure breed?  What for so you can roll him over and show everyone his tattoo and paper work to justify you got something desirable?

The same could be said about diamonds vs cubic zirconia. To the untrained eye, they both look the same, but one is worth quite a bit more than the other, much like  vehicles with that coveted 5th VIN digit. So, when it comes time to "pop the question", are you going to purchase a fake diamond mounted on a plated band or the real deal?    

[Cooter]

I personally don't care. R/T and the fact that people think about it being real means they are in the hobby for bragging rights or investments, and neither IMO are what the hobby started out as. :Twocents

[cdr]

I personally don't care. R/T and the fact that people think about it being real means they are in the hobby for bragging rights or investments, and neither IMO are what the hobby started out as. :Twocents

thanx cooter soooo,to others on here my car is not real     just went in the garage & i see a real charger not a fake charger, it has real RT emblems,just not a real charger RT ,i love my car cause its a charger period,when im done resoring my car it will be the way I want it ,all i can tell ya is the best dogs i have ever had were not pedigree 

[Chad L. Magee]

To me, it depends upon the condition and options that the car has to what I would offer to pay for it.  Owners can modify their Chargers to their liking, but the effects can be seen when it comes time to sell them, for good or bad.  Good modifications can lead to more $ in the pocket, bad ones can make the car sell at a discount.  I tend to be a numbers nut when it comes to oddball Chargers, so that dictates how I view the current marketplace.  True, it costs just as much to restore a rusty shell of a rare /6 or 318 Charger as a Charger RT (or RT/SE) shell.  However, there are reasons why people still restore the non-RTs and usually it has nothing to do with money.  If you don't already have an RT in your stable, it tends to pull at your heart/wallet to offer more than you normally would for one, as they were the top of the line at the time.  After you own a few of them, the novelty wears off a bit....

Now if it was an RT/SE, 4-speed, sunroof Charger, the rules change. .... 

[Dans 68]

Everything else being equal, with the same options and features (except for the 440 motor and not including the Hemi, of course), I'd say about 35 to 45% more. Definitely not worth it from a performance point of view, but worth it from a desirability/braggart/investment vantage. (take your pick) 

Dan

[Sublime/Sixpack]

I guess it all boils down to what you are trying to do and the depth of your pocketbook.  I'm definitely "old school", in that a big part of the appeal these cars have for me is nostalgia.  When I was a teenager, these were the better versions of "everyday transport" and the R/Ts where the hot ticket.  They were also a bit uncommon for all of the usual and practical reasons (cost, insurance, and tickets being the big ones).  I suspect the reason that R/T cars might be slightly more prevalent now is that they have always been the more-desirable version and thus more of them were "saved", or at least the attempts to salvage them were more frequent.  Because nostalgia is the primary motivator, mine still has a factory dual-point, Magnum 500s and an 8-track player.  I looked long and hard to find a mostly original one and I paid the price when I did.  My efforts after that were to make it more-original and as nice as possible.  I could have made it faster and given it a 'modern" sound system, but to what end?

From a project point of view, I would think any version would do nicely, as long as it wasn't severely rusted and fairly complete.  What you build it to is then uniquely your idea of what perfection is.

Well said!  

[Bobs69]

I guess it all boils down to what you are trying to do and the depth of your pocketbook.  I'm definitely "old school", in that a big part of the appeal these cars have for me is nostalgia.  When I was a teenager, these were the better versions of "everyday transport" and the R/Ts where the hot ticket.  They were also a bit uncommon for all of the usual and practical reasons (cost, insurance, and tickets being the big ones).  I suspect the reason that R/T cars might be slightly more prevalent now is that they have always been the more-desirable version and thus more of them were "saved", or at least the attempts to salvage them were more frequent.  Because nostalgia is the primary motivator, mine still has a factory dual-point, Magnum 500s and an 8-track player.  I looked long and hard to find a mostly original one and I paid the price when I did.  My efforts after that were to make it more-original and as nice as possible.  I could have made it faster and given it a 'modern" sound system, but to what end?

From a project point of view, I would think any version would do nicely, as long as it wasn't severely rusted and fairly complete.  What you build it to is then uniquely your idea of what perfection is.

Well said!  

I guess if you were growing up back when these cars were around, you'd want the real thing.  I mean, having the factory dual-point etc on the car, your pretty hardcore.  So you obviously remember what the car drove and sounded like and want that.

[Chargen69]

to me there is no longer a generic charger, but i aint a die hard either, i just feel happy to have one that was in decent shape, after we get through rebuilding it, I'll be happy to have one in awesome shape.  so faced with an RT car versus a "plain" one, I would not pay a ton more for the RT.

[Bobs69]

I can sort of see why someone would want the real deal, but at the same time you can build whatever you want.  I can see it both ways.  It's funny.  Lately I've been thinking of taking a break from the Charger and getting a late 80's early 90's Mustang.  A co-worker of mine that lives and breathes those things was showing my project cars.  My response to that was no way, I want a GT allready done ready to go.


Of course if you are that concerned about having the true R/T wouldn't you have to do what the Transmission shop owner that I know of did?  I mean pay someone respected in the field $2000 to go check every inch of the car, document it for you so you can lay the paper work out at the car show to prove it's  what it claims to be to get the approval you're looking for?  

And an earlier post comparing a real diamond to a cubic zirconia, interesting point.  I know when I bought my wife her engagement ring I bought the best REAL diamond ring I possibly could.  That, I would not compromise on.  Of course there are jewellery stores all over the place, but once I found the ring I wanted my heart was set.   Lots of variables here.


Again I'm not sure I can be completely unbiased, mine is not a R/T, it was originally a 383hp with the floor shifter, now a 440.  But it was quite the site to my eyes when I first seen it as a 20 year old (I'm 38 now) there wasn't any around to compare it to that I new of, not on my budget at the time.  I think I was more attracted to it then and the possibilities of what it could be then I am now.  Guess that's why I'm giving up for awhile and looking for an Mustang GT (yup the real deal GT) to get some instant gratification.  

And this post should tie in with another thread I seen, about Charger owners hanging on to their cars longer then they would another brand X car they own.   hmmmm.

Alot of what ifs to consider isn't there. 

[HeavyFuel]

I find it humourous that some folks don't own XS cars......declare they don't want them......but clone them up to look just like R/Ts.   

Why not just make all the upgrades, leave off the badges, and put on a plain non-R/T stripe on it?

I'll tell you why....cause R/Ts are cool, and they want theirs to be one.
   

Don't bother to deny it....the markings on the cars don't lie . 
 

[cdr]

I think i'll put my real rt emblems on my fake charger upside down

[Cooter]

I find it humourous that some folks don't own XS cars......declare they don't want them......but clone them up to look just like R/Ts.  

Why not just make all the upgrades, leave off the badges, and put on a plain non-R/T stripe on it?

I'll tell you why....cause R/Ts are cool, and they want theirs to be one.
 

Don't bother to deny it....the markings on the cars don't lie .  
 

I disagree here. The only reason mine has the R/T emblems on it is because I was paying tribute to my brothers long gone original R/T as those were all he could save, and he asked me to. The other reason IMO, is because of the same thing I did with my own Charger when everybody will say it anyway.

"Hey, when are you gonna paint it orange with 01 on the doors?" I simply don't have to deal with that question because it's already there.
I had to write "440 HP" on my pad because i got tired of people asking me if it was a 318...Same thing when people come up to a plain brown wrapper Charger and ask "Is this an R/T?"  Once someone upgrades WAY past what the factory did to make an R/T, you simply put the emblems on it to get the average onlooker to reallize it is not a plain jane Charger anymore. Real deal cars are worth more money plain and simple and THAT is the only reason this thread exists. Money.

What is it worth? How much MORE is it worth being "Real"....All about the benjamins....

[Cooter]

I personally don't care. R/T and the fact that people think about it being real means they are in the hobby for bragging rights or investments, and neither IMO are what the hobby started out as. :Twocents

thanx cooter soooo,to others on here my car is not real     just went in the garage & i see a real charger not a fake charger, it has real RT emblems,just not a real charger RT ,i love my car cause its a charger period,when im done resoring my car it will be the way I want it ,all i can tell ya is the best dogs i have ever had were not pedigree 

Not real sure what you mean here..... I simply was pointing out that the fact that people see a "Real" R/T and are only concerned with it being real for the money side, or braggin' rights...Two things IMO, that caused the prices to skyrocket real R/T's in price.

I'm sure your Charger is real, just not a real R/T. I'm also sure you are just as passonate about a Non-R/T as a Real R/T owner. The only difference is the real R/T owner's car is worth more in certain circles. I'm also certain you can have just as much fun driving your non-R/T Charger as I do mine. I was pointing out the only time we "hurt" is come sale day.

[Dino]

I find it humourous that some folks don't own XS cars......declare they don't want them......but clone them up to look just like R/Ts.   

Why not just make all the upgrades, leave off the badges, and put on a plain non-R/T stripe on it?

I'll tell you why....cause R/Ts are cool, and they want theirs to be one.
   

Don't bother to deny it....the markings on the cars don't lie . 
 

Not that I want to debate that as you're probably right, but I bought mine already cloned, all that's missing is the R/T badges.  I'm leaving the orignal arrows on and I'm replacing the R/T strip with a solid stripe from a 70.  Whatever badges someone has on their Charger, it's never a bad thing, it's an awesome car regardless of badges but I don't want mine to say R/T when it's not.  That's just me though, as long as people don't try to sell their XP for an XS I don't really care what they do to it.

[68Bbody]

...
 ....so the one i'm restoring now to be like my 1st car will be a clone of a clone,so it should be worth double 

[cdr]

I personally don't care. R/T and the fact that people think about it being real means they are in the hobby for bragging rights or investments, and neither IMO are what the hobby started out as. :Twocents

thanx cooter soooo,to others on here my car is not real     just went in the garage & i see a real charger not a fake charger, it has real RT emblems,just not a real charger RT ,i love my car cause its a charger period,when im done resoring my car it will be the way I want it ,all i can tell ya is the best dogs i have ever had were not pedigree 

Not real sure what you mean here..... I simply was pointing out that the fact that people see a "Real" R/T and are only concerned with it being real for the money side, or braggin' rights...Two things IMO, that caused the prices to skyrocket real R/T's in price.

I'm sure your Charger is real, just not a real R/T. I'm also sure you are just as passonate about a Non-R/T as a Real R/T owner. The only difference is the real R/T owner's car is worth more in certain circles. I'm also certain you can have just as much fun driving your non-R/T Charger as I do mine. I was pointing out the only time we "hurt" is come sale day.

cooter, i was thanking you for your post,i agree with what you said completely .i forgot to put punctuation in my post, thanx cooter,,, sooooo,to OTHERS,not cooter

[Charger440RDN]

I'm looking for a Charger and I really don't care if it's an R/T or not. In some ways the plain Charger may be better because you can change the color and interior and not feel guilty or lower the value.

[TheGhost]

I'm looking for a Charger and I really don't care if it's an R/T or not. In some ways the plain Charger may be better because you can change the color and interior and not feel guilty or lower the value.

My thoughts, too.

I'd rather get a base model and make it how I want, then spend years looking for one with the right fender tag.  And since I want a newer generation Hemi under the hood, it would be better to not get an R/T, anyway.

[Back N Black]

I find it humourous that some folks don't own XS cars......declare they don't want them......but clone them up to look just like R/Ts.   

Why not just make all the upgrades, leave off the badges, and put on a plain non-R/T stripe on it?

I'll tell you why....cause R/Ts are cool, and they want theirs to be one.
   

Don't bother to deny it....the markings on the cars don't lie . 
 

I agree, everyone would like to have the real thing, but i'm not willing to pay an extra 10 to 15 thousand dollars for a vin tag. With all the AMD sheet metal available now i think R/T's are loosing their pedigree. Guys are using firewalls and building a AMD R/T, 95 % of the sheet metal is after market.

[HeavyFuel]

I'm looking for a Charger and I really don't care if it's an R/T or not. In some ways the plain Charger may be better because you can change the color and interior and not feel guilty or lower the value.

My thoughts, too.

I'd rather get a base model and make it how I want, then spend years looking for one with the right fender tag.  And since I want a newer generation Hemi under the hood, it would be better to not get an R/T, anyway.

Good points.

I'm glad mine is an R/T, and if it ever does get sold, I'll be glad it is.....but it HAS been driving me crazy when deciding how faithful I should be to the build sheet because of it being numbers matching, etc....

[duanesterrr]

Here is my breakdown of value over base xp 383 car valued at 25k:
1) Numbers matching R/T brings 20k more value.   
2) Non-numbers matching R/T is 10k more value.
3) R/T clone brings 5k more value.

Owning a charger = priceless!

[nihil]

Interesting thread, as a friend and I were discussing this a week or so ago. I own an original, numbers matching R/T in RR1 burgundy. My father bought it new, and its monetary value means nothing to me, as it will never be sold unless someone with more money than brains makes an offer that would cause my fathers voice to reach beyond the grave and say "Don't be an idiot son, take it.".

It will not be kept 100% factory, and will see the addition of structural bracing, better performing suspension components (staying with torsion front/leaf rear), and disc brakes. Down the line, I may even pull the original numbers matching engine and trans and put them in storage to cram in a driveline I don't mind abusing. She always was, and always will be driven.

If I were in the market to buy another one, I wouldn't care of it were an R/T or not. I would end up modifying it to the point where the badge it was originally equipped with means nothing, and its price would follow its condition and enhancements rather than its pedigree.

I have seen a number of 'original' R/T cars that have very little of their original sheet metal left. Some even going as far as cutting out the section of the dash with the VIN and welding it to scavenged parts from half a dozen other Chargers or a pile of repro-metal. Are those really R/T cars? Do they hold the same value?

As mentioned earlier in the thread, it pretty much boils down to bragging rights for some, and investment return for others. Any true automotive enthusiast is going to make the best of what they have, and enjoy the hell out of it no matter what badge it came with from the factory.

In some ways I wish mine weren't an original R/T. That way I wouldn't have any guilt about making modifications and could go a bit further with a clear conscience. I also wouldn't have to listen to a bunch of crotchety old farts tell me that I would be 'ruining' it by welding in structural reinforcement, using a more modern battery, or making other minor modifications. I usually tell that crowd "It's my car, you will never own it, and I will do as I damn well please."

On the other hand I do get a bit of satisfaction in saying "Yeah, it's a real R/T", though I'm not sure I could put a price on that. To me it's just an added bonus that comes with owning one of the coolest cars that ever rolled across this planet of ours.