OK, opening a can of worms, but, What is so Great about the General Lee?

[aussiemuscle]

What is so Great about the General Lee?
1. it's a charger
2. it's Orange (i like orange cars)
3. it's Iconic
4. it increased value of chargers
5. it's a stupid show, but everyone likes to laugh at southern americans. (why else are there so many shows about Cajuns?)

Damn, that's a nice charger!

[johnnyseville]

The only time I like Looking at the General Lee

[Lennard]

The only time I like Looking at the General Lee

I already knew that, that's the whole reason you started this topic.

[bill440rt]

As a kid I thought the GL was a cool car, as an adult I like the Charger for being a Charger.

 100%

Of course it's easily recognizable, it's an extremely stylish muscle car from an popular old TV show. You could say it's a TV celebrity of sorts. The average person would more than likely recognize it due to popularity, but the average person may not understand what a Hemicuda or a Daytona is.
Why they "win" at shows is a no-brainer. Popularity contest. I saw a bad GL clone done to a '70 clean house at a local show once. Why? People's Choice voting, duh. People gravitate towards it because it's easily recognizable. Oooooh, shiny thing!  
Many people in their 30s-40s own or want to own a GL because it brings them back to their youth.

I loved the GL as a kid, partly why I loved Chargers throughout my whole life. I just appreciate them more for what they are, not from some TV show.

[elanmars]

The show sucked, the wannabe clones reflect a lack of imagination.

Written like an old curmudgeon without any sense of humor.

Written by a guy who probably loved all the Burt Reynolds "yee-haw" movies too. Ignorant redneck humor and symbology are not for everybody.

the word is symbolism.

[UH60L]

I grew up watching DoH and there's no way I'd own a GL.  As a kid I thought the GL was a cool car, as an adult I like the Charger for being a Charger.

Not to mention I now cringe at the thought of how many Chargers have been destroyed (and a few are still being destroyed) by the DoH.  However, it's cool if someone wants a GL and it results in a Charger being fixed up/maintained/preserved.

I love these posts.....

There were 96,100 '68 chargers made.

There were 89,199 '69 chargers made.

'70 chargers were not used in the DoH tv show.

Depending who you ask, the rough estimate is that about 305 dodge chargers were destroyed by the tv show.

That works out to..........   .1 percent of the 185,299 '68 and '69 chargers produced.  Thousands were crushed in the 1980's.....

Weather you love or hate the Dukes or "the general",  the "so many were destroyed" argument is just really getting old and not really true when looking at the big picture.

[UH60L]

"Dukies" are a sensitive lot.

So are "purists"....

[F8-4life]

The dukes saved a hell of a lot more chargers then they wrecked, just by association.

[UH60L]

DOH is probably one of the most iconic shows on TV just for the fact that it continues to live on almost 30 year since it went off the air.    Anybody ever heard of a Seinfeld festival yet?  Me neither.   Star Trek yeah OK,  but all those other critics darlings shows just go away after 7 years. 

You're not seriously comparing DOH to Seinfeld...are you? If the Seinfeld cast ever did some sort of fan reunion, there would a huge turnout. The DOH will never be remembered for the actual show, it will be remembered for the car.

And John Schneider is making peanuts for these meet and greets...just ask him. Jerry Seinfeld gets $$$ every time his show is on...which is pretty much any time of the day.

The GL is by far the most recognised car in TV history...the show...not so much.

"The DOH will never be remembered for the actual show, it will be remembered for the car."

Go to google and type in dukesfest.

[Cooter]

I grew up watching DoH and there's no way I'd own a GL.  As a kid I thought the GL was a cool car, as an adult I like the Charger for being a Charger.

Not to mention I now cringe at the thought of how many Chargers have been destroyed (and a few are still being destroyed) by the DoH. 

I love these posts.....

There were 96,100 '68 chargers made.

There were 89,199 '69 chargers made.

'70 chargers were not used in the DoH tv show.

Depending who you ask, the rough estimate is that about 305 dodge chargers were destroyed by the tv show.

That works out to..........   .1 percent of the 185,299 '68 and '69 chargers produced.  Thousands were crushed in the 1980's.....

Weather you love or hate the Dukes or "the general",  the "so many were destroyed" argument is just really getting old and not really true when looking at the big picture.

My point exactly....Haters are so quick to Hate, they usually don't do the research to even know what they are hating on, just repeating what they've "Heard/read". Even the "Duke'sfest Chargers being jumped is a no brainer...Guy offered those rusty hulks up for sale, yet nobody wanted them. As soon as they are jumped, these same people that didn't want the cars(As they were too far gone) seem to want to complain about them being jumped?? WTF?

[jb666]

Like I said, most of the Problems only arise from the "Haters" of the GL. The average Joe in the public loves the car. Loves what it stood for.

Only time a problem arises is when purists just have to decide to hate on the GL because someone asked them "When are you gonna paint it like the General Lee".


BTW: I can only HOPE I look as good as Cathy Back looks when I'm older than dirt.

Well said.. I have yet to get one negative comment at local shows, and we are out there 5 days a week hitting every cruise/show we can find... The only negativity comes from the purists... At the end of the day, we all own the same make and model.. Hate on something else 

[JB400]

From what I'm reading, it's more jealousy than anything.  Park a stock R/T, GL and a Daytona side by side by side in a regular car show, most of the general public will always favor a GL.  Car guys will favor the Daytona.  The R/T will be overlooked unfortunately.


The regular chargers owners shouldn't ridicule the GL, it's part of the Charger heritage. Don't ridicule it, embrace it.  Put a poster or diecast of the GL when you display your car.   Show people what GL was before it became a GL.  If GL owners didn't love the charger, they wouldn't own a GL.  Charger made the GL, not the other way around.

[mauve66]

the perfect GL would be the Duketona with that set of dual quads sticking out of the hood that lennard has in his sig

[Mike DC]

Yeah, people at shows vote for GLs over other better cars.  Big deal.  People also vote for red Hemi 4spd cars instead of better quality green slant-6 Valiants.  This isn't some unique GL phenomenon. 

 

[Brock Lee]

"Dukies" are a sensitive lot.

So are "purists"....

I am neither. Being on the outside looking in, at least the purists are preserving something "real". The original configuration of these cars. Dukies, on average, are trying to preserve a dated TV show with bad writing and mediocre (at best) acting like it is some gleaming symbol of a "right" and "just" world. Never understanding that world is as "real" as Star Trek, or any other work of fiction.

[TheGhost]

I wonder if GM guys get into arguments over KITT or the A Team van...

[68coronetGLwannabe]

The show sucked, the wannabe clones reflect a lack of imagination.

So building a car back to its factory specs is using the imagination?  When I see a nicely restored Charger I can appreciate it without hating on it no matter what the owners choice was. Unless a car is 1 of 1 i'm sure there is more the factory built just like it with their lack of imagination. I sure am glad my lack of imagination gets lots of attention a even a few awards. 

Mopar enthusiast.

[Khyron]

The only time I like Looking at the General Lee

66 Posts and this... you're a Troll ..... STFU and GTFO 

All forums have Search buttons, Use it for all general Related threads.

[UH60L]

"Dukies" are a sensitive lot.

So are "purists"....

I am neither. Being on the outside looking in, at least the purists are preserving something "real". The original configuration of these cars. Dukies, on average, are trying to preserve a dated TV show with bad writing and mediocre (at best) acting like it is some gleaming symbol of a "right" and "just" world. Never understanding that world is as "real" as Star Trek, or any other work of fiction.

The "purists" aren't doing anything.  They're comments and complains rarely, if ever, change anyone's mind about what someone should do with THEIR car, and rightly so.

Both sides of this argument can get snooty, but then so can the "outsiders".

The insulting way you attack the tv show is as ridiculous as saying "that circus clown is no better than a circus clown!".  I doubt the team behind the Dukes tv show was intending the show to win a bunch of writing or acting awards.  It was exactly what it was itnended to be.

You don't like it, fine.  No reason to try to insult people who do/did.

That show is far better than many on tv today.  It was a show that (responsible) parents could feel comfortable watching with their kids.  I'm all for nudity and crude humor etc, but not with my kids sitting next to me.

Plus, for me, it was the only show my dad and I watched togeather.  He was 43 when I was born in 1970, and he was a sergeant in WWII.  He died in 2007 at age 80.  We had very little in common.  But we both liked watching the Dukes.  That will always be something that links me to him, now that he's gone.....

Not everyone is some sort of Dukes "trekkie", as you insinuate.  (but even if they are, so what?....)

[kikgas01]

I will trade my 69 Charger for a General. Anyone interested, hit me up!

[Daytona Guy]

I believe I have the right to an informed opinion on this. Loved the TV program, built and owned a GL (age 19) when the show was pop. I am a MOPAR guy. Having said that, the GL thing can get old. Just depends why and how someone does the GL thing. If it is "nobody", thinking that owning a GL will give them attention trying to gain self-worth from a car, this person is a looser and needs to go see a Psychiatrist. I have met these kind of GL owners and they are nut jobs, and you really want to get away from them the moment they start talking, because they will not shut up. It is the same type of nut job that wears a Darth Vader costume to a Star Wars movie or attends their conventions. Be a balanced healthy person, enjoy the history, don't be "That Guy", and have a blast owning the GL. They bring back great memories of a great era.  

On the other side, the purists needs to also loosen up, life is more than a car. If you own your car, you have the right to do what you want to your car. You owe nothing to no one. If you want to build a butt uggly car - go for it. If you want to build a low budget car, go for it. You want to mortgage your house to build a frame off, go for it. Let's just enjoy what we all do together. It takes everyone

Dane

[Ghoste]

I am a purist, I'm definitely NOT jealous, I just don't care for the way they look.  However, I'm also not a hater, feel free to build all the GL's you want and love them as much as you want its cool by me.  Just don't expect me to share your opinion, thats all.  And that should be how everyone feels about every personal choice really.

[kikgas01]

Shouldn't matter if it is a GL or DMCL carChargers are cool

[Khyron]

Shouldn't matter if it is a GL or DMCL carChargers are cool

This

[Ghoste]

Exactly.  (I don't own a DMCL Charger either but I wouldn't necessarily rule it out)