RODE IN AN 06 CHARGER YESTERDAY

[ITSA426]

You can't go back - or we'd all wet ourselves over those exciting metric beige mid 80's Chargers.  Now there was a khaki car!  Dress that puppy up with a red interior and you got a treasure! 

Make mine metric.

[472 R/T SE]

I must agree Chris.  I'd rather not there bee a water-ed down version.

Maybe now's a good time to get out from underneath my nostalgic Challenger. 

[bull]

The name "Charger" was abused long before 2006. It's just takes a little time for some members to understand that.

You're correct, it was abused as early as 1975 IMO. But two or three or four wrongs don't make a right. At least Chrysler acknowledged that Charger meant two doors back then if nothing else. And Ford knows what the word Mustang means: mid-sized two door performance car. And despite Ford's crappy financial outlook right now they still sold and sell) a helluva lot of Mustangs. I see way more of them than I do '06 Chagnums out there and the Chagnum is supposed to appeal to a wider range of buyers.

It's funny to me that we're even still debating this because I can't see ANY Chevy guy welcoming a four-door Camaro or ANY Ford guy welcoming a four-door Mustang. I guess it just goes to show how Mopar guys are so willing to settle for mediocrity rather than demand excellence (no offense). It doesn't surprise me though the way DCX has dumped on us for years despite our loyalty. I honestly believe had we all stayed the course with our criticism about the '06 they would have listened to us for a change. They seemed to have listened when they built the Challenger.

[Ghoste]

I think the only reason the Mustang has lost some of the wow factor is because they have sold so many of them.  Which is precisely why DCX is going to try a 2 door Challenger and is already hinting at a Charger makeover.
Being said, the cars performance is undeniable and I also agree with the points made about the new ugly car just helping to keep the classics more desirable.

[BigBlackDodge]

When the '06 subject is brought up around here the ONLY thing brought up in it's defense is it's performance and comfort qualities..................which it has! When someone compares those against a 35+ year old design it's obvious the '06 wins hands down, no comparison......duh. Lets compare a '70 Dodge against a '35! I wonder which one handles/performs better? Any guesses out there? I'm betting the '70 does.

That leaves the styling comparison.......................


BBD

[RT DAVE]

Took out the '69 for a ride yesterday and was cruising alongside an '06 SRT-8 Charger....spoke to the owner (older guy) and asked if he liked it....he said its "scary fast".....we both then proceded to get on the cars for a bit.
I could tell he would have walked away from me if he really wanted to....  

That isn't anything to be ashamed of.  Those things will run in the mid to high twelves once they're broke in.   

[6pkrunner]

Old Mustangs don't get the looks they used to once Ford rolled out the copycat version a couple years ago. If DCX did that with the Charger, the older ones would lose a certain something. They wouldn't be ignored, but they wouldn't have the same "wow" factor if something new was parked next to it that looked similar. Wait till the Challenger rolls out. While everyone's panties are wet right now, they will also be the same guys pissing and moaning about how many show up at car shows and take 1st place. It's gonna be a scene when the guy with the '70 Challenger gets ignored because some guy pulled in with a new one. That will happen without a doubt. I'm glad DCX went with the Challenger rather than the Charger . Let the legend and look live on through the original Charger...no need to try and duplicate it. 

So very true Chris. The new Challenger will mostly have the same looks as the old but will be quicker, faster, handle and brake better, and return twice the mileage. Plus any part will be available at the nearest dealer.
Much like parking a '47 knucklehead Harley next to a 2004 Softtail. Only the most ardent diehard will really notice, except when its time for the road trip. The new one outshines in every area but nostalgia.

[Ghoste]

Does anyone know if the Mustang crowd go through the same new versus old issues?  Especially in regard to shows?

[RT DAVE]

Does anyone know if the Mustang crowd go through the same new versus old issues?  Especially in regard to shows?

I don't think there's as much of a division in that crowd because the new cars don't suck.  Don't know for sure, but I think the owners of the older cars approve of the new ones more than the new owners approve of the old ones.   

[Ghoste]

Kind of the opposite of us.  Interesting.

[pettyfan43]

I still haven't figured out all the griping about the 06 Charger. I own a 66 Charger and a 73 Charger S/E. I have owned 15 (YEAH FIFTEEN) 68-70 Chargers. I have owned two other 73-4s , a 72 CHallenger, a 67 Dart GT, 67 Coronet R/T, 70 RoadRunner and a 74 ROadRunner and probably one or two I have forgotten about.

Since I was 17, I have had Mopars, most of the time EXCLUSIVELY Mopars. I am now 39 and along with the Chargers, I also have a 2004 Dodge Ram with the little 5.7 Hemi.

I LOVE the new Chargers, the car fills the same void the 66-74 did. it is a sporty, personal sporty car, with its own style and flair. it will for the most part out run and out handle its competiton. It is also practical enough for a family guy who wants a cool car.  When I bouth my truck, I probably would have bought an 16 Charger if I didn't need a truck.

I'd love to have one more 68-70 to complete the "set" I have and to me an 06 R/T Daytona or SRT8 would look right at home in the garage with the others.

Remember though, I have a 66 Charger and LOVE it, the 66 seems to have that same "love it or hate it" styling thing going on.  Maybe it's just the fact that I like cars with their own individuality. 

[Silver R/T]

interesting to see a member that owned so many mopars over the years...
yet likes 06 magnum

[pettyfan43]

Yeah I do like the 06 Magnum. My wife likes the Magnum so much, that will most likely be her next set of wheels. I'd LOVE to have an 06 Charger for a driver.  I do however need a truck so at least for the forseeable future, I'll be wheeling the 04 Ram as my driver.

I'm a Mopar nut through and through. My taste in cars is not a "johnnny come lately" deal. Mopars have been in my driveway for almost 22 years now.  I can't remember the  last time I was without one.  I have owned them long enough that I remember when they were cheap and nobody else wanted one. I bought my first 69 CHarger R/T for a huge 400 bucks. I only gave 500 bucks for my 73 Charger S/E - BOTH were running driving licensed vehicles!

I have also owned a quite diverse assortment of other cars as well. Fords and GMs, Never owned a Japanese car, had a couple relatives that worked for Chrylser, including my mom for 28.5 years.  In my life Jap cars are a BIG No NO. Won't have em, don't like to see one parked in my driveway.

That being said, not anything Mopar appeals to me. You couldn't give me an 80s Charger. I wouldn't give you a nickel for a Neon.  I DO NOT follow blindly - the new Dakota and Durango are just ugly to me.

I went for the RIDE OF MY LIFE in 1989 at the Dodge Charger nationals in Memphis TN in Rick Hanley's white 66 Hemi Charger. This car has been in several magazines and books and is the white car with the white wheels and the "Mr Hemi" license plates.  This ride, coupled with a visually identical car with a 383 4speed a relitave has, has caused me to search for a decent 66 Charger since 1989. I bought my car last year and got a heckuva deal on it. 

The left fender and hood were replaced at some point, the rest of the car has the original paint and is a nice straight solid car.

My love for Mopars comes from seeing Bullitt and Vanishing Point at a very early (pre school) age. They left a very lasting impression on me.

I'd love to have another 69 Charger so I could build the Dirty Mary Crazy Larry clone I have always wanted.

[dkn1997]

oh yeah, it rode pretty well also

[Lord Warlock]

AS far as the mustang folks go, yes they go through the same griping as the charger folks do between the different body styles.  Some love the old styles better, some like the 03-04 cobras better than the 07 shelby which is basically just the "new" variation of the svt cobra.  I'm primarily a mustang/mopar guy, having stuck with these two makes for 20 years.  Had an 82 GLX 5.0 4spd mustang for 9 years after putting my charger in storage.  It was my 2nd mustang, my first was a 66 convertible v8 4spd.  Since then I've owned a 2000 GT and now have an 04 SVT cobra.  The SVT boards go thru the same whining griping between the old style and new styles.  Personally I like the new versions outside, but don't really care for the inside, and decided to buy the svt cobra because I couldn't get on the list for a new shelby, and certainly wasn't going to pay a 15k premium over sticker for one either. 

Dodge should have called the 91 stealth a charger, it was an R/T which is why I bought one in 93, but it would have garnered hate mail due to its japanese v6 powered motor just as the european powered 06 charger.  At least the AWD stealth can go around turns at 90mph safely, and top out over 165, which put the ugh suburu pictured earlier to shame.  We stealth owners like to talk down the suburu and mitsu EVO8 cars as a bastardization of our own sports cars, which at least looked like a sports car.  I have to admit that the stock stealth turbo was quicker than my charger, and faster top end (took it to 165 at 6000 rpm a week after i bought it, and the fastest my charger r/t ever went was 135.  But the charger will scare you as it goes fast, the stealth is a go kart and feels like you are going 70 when you are doing over 100.  The 04 svt cobra is quicker than the charger as well, but doesn't handle like the stealth does, it really drives like a mustang.  At least I don't have to put up with teeny boppers in hondas challenging me at stoplights like they did with the stealth, they know the cobra is beyond them.  Out of all the cars though, the charger r/t reins supreme in my memory and is why I've held mine for close to 30 years now.

[FastbackJon]

No matter how fast you go, you have to realize that you can never outrun the car's own ugliness. If dodge put some kind of hemi in the '80's Colt Vista, it might have been fast, and it might have kept up with the original Chargers, but it still would have been just a Colt Vista.



If you have just the going fast part, you don't have the whole package. Chargers are supposed to look bitchin and go fast! And first and foremost, I don't think any four door car can look "bitchin." After that, you could move onto critiquing the grille, taillights, interior, etc, and over all styling (or lack thereof).

You get my point.