Thinking about selling

[RallyeMike]

You already know the answer - you said it yourself: You arent enjoying it as much and its not getting driven much. If you get the itch you can always pick up something later. It's not like the car is a family heirloom or something. Last year I sold a Charger I had personally restored and owned since 1987 for the same reasons.  I don't regret it at all.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Family first Ron...toys second!

Good luck in what ever you decide

[resq302]

Ron,

I was in the same situation as you three years ago this coming month.  My wife and I were in the market for a house and we had money set aside but not really enough to make a dent in the payments so after a long and regretful process my charger was up for sale.  It felt like I had to bury one of my kids.  Luckily, I have a very understanding and loving family who helped me through it by my mom giving me some money and my grandmother giving me an "advancement" on my inheritance as she called it.  Both of them knew all of the hard work I put into my charger and also did not want to see me sell it as they knew I would have been an emotional wreck afterwards.

I know what you mean about not driving it as much as you used to as I was in the same boat too once I had my first daughter.  Money got tight and car shows were on a restricted basis due to finances.  However, if you ever have a stressful day, you know that you could always go home and take the charger out and pound the pavement to relieve a little stress.  I know it does for me.  The only downfall is that it just means that the tires will need to be replaced at a faster rate if I don't learn to relax another way.   

[Dino]

If you can get what you want without selling the Charger then sure, keep it.  But $150/month for a really big paperweight adds up fast and that's money you will need.  I disagree with statements like 'if I sell now I'll never find another'.  There are plenty Chargers out there, prices have fluctuated for years, it is not a fact that 10 years from now they will be either all gone or worth a million bucks.  That's the same line I heard ten years ago and look where we are now.

You clearly now your priorities and I do hope you can find a way to have your cake and eat it, but the Charger should really be the lower priority here.  I sold mine a year ago and am now looking for another one, a better one.  I don't regret selling it, you do what yo have to do.

[y3chargerrt]

My soon to be 3 year old grandson is making it harder to sell. He loves "Pa's racecar". He was playing with his hot wheels yesterday. He was picking up each one and saying this is not a Mopar and throwing it aside. When he found a mopar he says this is a Mopar and parks it in line. The funny thing is hes always right. He has one green 69 Charger and it tells me this is yoru racecar Pa.
    I took him to his first car show last september. We won a trophy and I carried him up to get it and the woman handed it to him. Everytime he sees it he says "Thats the trophy I won". So the spark may return when hes a bit older and goes to more shows. I will start doing the budgeting this up comming week to see what I can swing. I have more then eonough in my 401K to borrow for the down payment if I have to. I can always sell the Charger later if things get to tight.
    If I do keep the Charger my new place has to have a garage big enough to hold it. The fact that my Charger is stored 12 plus miles away makes it tough to run out and work on it for a bit after work. If it was parked in the garage at home that alone may help the spark to return.

[stripedelete]

1. It's a great time to buy.  I just stole one from Freddie Mac.  I cleared my throat and they came down $30K.  So start kickin' the bushes.

2.  Family first!  That's why you should only have pay for 1/2 or 2/3 of your daughters education.   Take it from the "poster child" for under achievers, paying for the whole thing is not doing her any favors. 

3. If you decide to sell, you won't find a better home for your car than Bakerhillpins.

4. Good luck.  It's a tough call......

[SRT-68]

Make the house happen first, and as others have said you can get another Charger.  Being able to pay off the house in 15 years is a great goal. Get a house with a garage and build a Charger with your grandson. The moments spent building a car with him are worth way more than a carshow. Right now project cars are going for $3-5k. My 4 year old loves cars and is real good with his hands from the building of my car.

[y3chargerrt]

I am leaning towards selling. Finding a house with a large enough of a garage in my price range is limiting my options some. Who is this Bakerhillpins?? I assume he my Charger would be going to a good home if I sell to him? Ron

[Neal_J]

Sell it.

There's no shame in admitting you've moving on to another phase in life. 

It's a chunk of metal not a member of the family.

If you decide you want one again someday, there's always gonna be another chunk of metal  for sale.

Neal

[NHCharger]

I am leaning towards selling. Finding a house with a large enough of a garage in my price range is limiting my options some. Who is this Bakerhillpins?? I assume he my Charger would be going to a good home if I sell to him? Ron

Ron, I sent you his cell #

[Sendero]

My input ( I am 48 with 2 kids in college)

I don't know your specific situation but in general I would not sell..why?

1.The housing market has not reached the bottom yet ( foreclosure rates are still sky high accounting for 28% of all home sales. Banks are holding a huge inventory of homes in technical default but not reflected in the market..yet. When these homes go into the market...another price adjustment down will occur. ( Mortgage underwater)

2. The economy is in contraction again so buying now is a bad time to take out a loan. ( if you had lots of money in hand  - now would be be a decent time to buy but if you don't have that free cash laying around...reconsider.

3. Selling a "hidden" asset in a deflationary period is poor timing.

4. Buying a house on a 15 year mortgage is usually a good idea... especially with high interest rates. Not the case today ( historic lows/cheap money)

5. Buying a house at 48 might not be a good idea especially if you don't have a down saved already.  Down-sizing at your age may be better option. If you can't afford even selling your larger home for a smaller home ( with a small profit from the outcome) ....reconsider.

....unless the house has a great big garage!

6. Borrowing from a 401k is typically viewed as a bad choice ( though using yourself as your own bank has it own advantages) . If number 2 on my list leads to loss of employment, you will lose the amount borrowed from your plan immediately and then have to pay taxes on that amount to the IRS as  " additional income" . OUCH ! And then go into default on the mortgage. Double Ouch!

7. Its a Charger and you will kick your self if 1-6 comes to pass and you lose your Charger too (future value lose - fun loss)

On the surface of your situation, I see alot of financial risk and not a hell of a lot of reward for it.

Just my 2 cents...Good luck !

[chargermike]

thats a beautiful charger. i would keep it if you can. even if you can replace it. it would not be the same. i had a aar cuda and sold it and have wanted another ever since. but cant afford one now. just to much. sometime there not just cars there family. good luck with your new house.

[TUFCAT]

I am leaning towards selling. Finding a house with a large enough of a garage in my price range is limiting my options some. Who is this Bakerhillpins?? I assume he my Charger would be going to a good home if I sell to him? Ron

Bakerhillpins is a really great guy.  I met him and his boys at Carlisle last year and I've talked to him several times since. He's been looking for a Charger for about 16 months now. He's dealt with his share of fluffed-up cars, unscrupulous sellers, and deals that have fell through. He deserves a good car.

I can't think of a better endorsement than if I sold my Coronet to Bryan, I'd sleep well knowing it went to a good home.

[Kern Dog]

I'm in a similar spot here.
The recession has affected the construction industry to the point where I have only averaged 6 months of work in each of the last 4 years. I have been able to stay afloat due to a few factors, the main one being married to a well paid spouse. Still, it appears that to stay ahead and have a small amount of reserve cash, I'll be selling my Duster. I love this car. Its not as nice as the Charger, but I really enjoy the car.
I bought it for $300 as a 1974 Plymouth "Gold Duster". It was a slant sick, 904, 7.25 sled with disc brakes. Its been welded, massaged, converted and cloned to appear like a 71 Duster 340 with B5 blue paint (Original color!) Hood blackout with Twin snorkel scoop and "340" callouts. I rebuilt a 360 mill from a 79 Cordoba and converted the car to an 833 4 speed. I slipped in a Coronet 8 3/4 axle with 3.55 gears and a SG diff. Its been my only 4 speed Mopar out of 30 that I have owned over the years.
For me, I know that re-creating this type of car in ten years won't be nearly as difficult as finding a Charger or Road Runner. Although I hate to see this car go, there were many of these cars built. Your case is different though. I could not imagine what it would take for me to sell my Charger. I have no kids and my nephews are too young to know what it is. I have nobody to "will" it to, so I may die with it.

[Supercharged Riot]

dont worry about it  man.  I was thinking about selling my car too.
Actually, the car meant a lot more to me than I thought.

You'll def miss it if you sell it.
These cars are like hot girls.....hard to get and expensive.  and easy to lose.

I havent seen any chargers for relatively low prices anymore. and they are rare as hell.

I vote that you keep the car. good luck with life challenges man. 

[y3chargerrt]

I will talk to a real estate agent probably today. The economy isn't as bad here as in alot of the country. I live right in between Washington Dc and Baltimore. The unemployment rate never got about 8% due to the large number of federal employees here. I don't think if I buy now with the low prices and low interest rates that I will end up under water.
    I have worked on electron microscopes for the same company for 25 1/2 years. Its a international company so I feel pretty safe with my job situation (knock on wood!). We have held our own through the downturn. If I can swing both a new house and the Charger I will but I dont want to be a slave to my mortgage payment. I'll keep your guys posted. Ron