The only car brand that you can get in neon yellow or bright day-glow orange or hot purple and no one will think twice about it (or you) 
That alone makes i worth it!!!
The only car brand that you can get in neon yellow or bright day-glow orange or hot purple and no one will think twice about it (or you) That alone makes i worth it!!!
I test drove an SRT8 of that range with all of it's more power, and i was highly disappointed by the power. In something that heavy, you needs lots of power.
OTOH, it felt big and heavy, but handled surprisingly well for it's size, and the interior was very surprisingly nice and comfy. I would not mind spending lots of time in one, but i wouldn't have the slightest urge to race it.
I've test driven an auto 392 and a manual R/T and I like them both. The manual is the only way I'd go personally. The interior was just way too wide for me at 5'8" and 150 lbs. My C6 Z51 fits me much better. Also, they are so wide, and the doors are so thick that it's tough to get in and out in a parking lot or tight garage. My Corvette is similar in this regard but not quite as bad.
I haven't read all the responses, but why not get a '14 or older model and drive it for a few years, then upgrade to a '15+ once they've depreciated into your budget? There will always be an excuse to wait for ______ whatever, but you can't drive a Challenger when you're dead as you say.
Another question: I'm looking at a ton of these online via sites like Auto Trader, and is there an easy way to tell if a car has the Track Pack or the Super Track Pack?
My brother has an SRT8. It is a beast, handles pretty well for a school bus sized vehicle, and is plenty fast, faster than I need to go. He has had no trouble with it. His is a 6 speed, no sunroof, which made it a special order. I think if it is an SRT, it has all the go go stuff, big brakes, sway bars, LSD. It sort of went through the rear tires kind of fast, go figure.
Challenger Track Pack discussion I am not sure if there is a vin decoder to figure out the track pack vs super track pack
I've driven all three renditions of the v6 Challenger, a 6.1/6spd car, and ridden in a 5.7/6spd car. I wouldn't buy a v6 that didn't have the 8spd. Even the 3.6 doesn't feel very good with the old 5 spd auto. From what I remember about the 5.7 vs 6.1, I don't think the 6.1 makes that great of a case for itself unless you really care about the difference between 13s and 12s or actually care about the suspension or looks differences. I kinda feel like any Challenger with decent 20" wheels looks 90% as good as any other challenger (set/392/hellcat etc).
I've also driven a 5.0/6spd mustang and a 6.2/6spd camaro ss and would overall rather have a 5.7/6spd challenger even if it's a bit slower.
I drove a 2014 R/T with a stick a while back and loved it. What it lacks on performance on paper it more than makes up for in sound and driving feel. It was a riot.
Get the 2015 if you're gonna keep it forever.
I gotta say after watching them run at the local drag strip I wasnt very impressed. Honestly thought they would be faster.
Over the years I have drive all levels of Challengers from six cylinder rental car all the way up the the Hell Cat with the red key 
and for my money I would buy a 2011+ 392 car. I think they are a good mix for a car that can be fun to drive and easy to live with as they handle well and have good power and are much cheaper than the HC. One thing, get it in white 
Paul B
Well, I did some thinking over the weekend, and I think the first step is to simplify my current fleet. That means I had to pick which project needs to be passed on down the road. Between my CSX and my Trans Am, I chose to keep the Trans Am. So yeah, if anyone's interested, it's up for sale in the classifieds.
I also had a chat with SWMBO, who I've been hounding incessantly with all things Challenger for years now. I detailed my plan of selling the CSX, keeping the Mazda for a while as a winter car/dog hauler, and having a truck. She didn't like that idea, because it's not downsizing, but I did propose eventually replacing our 2WD Dakota with a 4WD something for winter duty. That idea was received a little better, since she knows that the Dakota is getting up there in age.
So, back to Challengers...
I was on the way to work in some snow this morning in my Mazda, trying to imagine what it would be like dealing with driving a Challenger in the bad weather. Someone mentioned earlier that you cannot turn off traction control without the Super Track Pack. That means that if I'm going to get one, it at least needs to have that. I wish there was an easier way to figure out if a car had it than crawling underneath and looking at the color of the shocks.
In reply to SilverFleet:
Does dodge have rpo codes like GM does? There is a sticker that lists all the option codes the car has on it. Like a G80 rear end, or wx3 for the SS package on b body impalas?
The Challenger is one of those cars that I shouldn't like. It's big, flashy, not as fast as a Mustang, and it's made by Chrysler 
Yet every time I see one, I think to myself, "Mmm... I think I'd like one of those."
In reply to Nick (LUCAS) Comstock:
I know that older Chrysler products used to list everything on a sticker in the glove box. unlike GM stuff with the RPO codes, the Chrysler cars told you what the options were right there! My 1997 Dakota has this. I have no idea if newer ones have that type of sticker.
In reply to SilverFleet:
Oh, you can turn it entirely off.....it's just everything else gets turned off as well.
The 6.1L SRT in dyno mode pulls freaking hard....
The thing I don't like about the Challenger is the weight and too long of a wheelbase.
They build the Charger and Challenger on the same chassis. So a coupe with the length and weight to be a sedan. Gotta work on my brother and get him to come out to Mather AFB with the SCCA crew in a few months. Enough space to go go go.
Someone mentioned earlier that you cannot turn off traction control without the Super Track Pack.
Just wire one of your wheel speed sensors through a switch on the dash.
This might sound stupid but what about an AWD Charger?
92dxman wrote: This might sound stupid but what about an AWD Charger?
Earlier in the thread it was mentioned that they are pretty fragile.
As for me, my eye has wandered to the 2012-ish Chrysler 300 SRT8. Those have the updated interior and can be had for around $30k or less. All the luxury bits and 470hp, not too bad.....
In reply to 92dxman:
I don't want an AWD LX car because...
-I want a RWD Challenger, because various reasons
-The transfer cases on the AWD ones go explodey
-Any chance of getting reasonable gas mileage would be out the window with the AWD system
Also, I really want one with a manual transmission, and that only happens on the RWD Challenger.
In reply to SilverFleet:
And because the Dokken air-guitar guy said 4 doors is 2 doors too many! Weedley Weedley Wee!
NecroBump!
It's been just over two years since I originally declared my want for a Challenger. Since then, I've sold off one project car (my CSX) and focused solely on my Trans Am, when time allows me to wrench. My daily driver Mazda 3 is soldiering on with nearly 160k on the odo; it's getting up there. The wife's car is due for replacement soon, as that's starting to nickel and dime us as well. Her "default" replacement for that is a Mazda CX-5, and I'm just waiting for the OK from her to go get one. I also tried to switch up my truck situation, but if you read my recent thread about buying and selling cars, you know how that turned out. 
Which leads me back to the Challenger.
I think I've zeroed in on what I want: a 2015+ R/T Plus. Used ones are starting to fall into range, and I like the feature set they offer. I'm never going to track the thing, and I like the car's looks and size better than the Mustang and Camaro. I'm not sure whether I'd get a manual or automatic car just yet; they both have strengths and weaknesses. While it's not the most financially sound decision, especially due to the poor fuel economy, the possibility of daily driving a true modern muscle car that's comfortable and looks like it should be on a poster on 7 year old me's bedroom wall is awesome. If I can get 22-23mpg during my highway commute in the thing, I think that would be fine.
What I do know:
-There are like 10 different Challenger trim levels with a metric crap ton of sub-packages, making things confusing
-R/T Plus has basically all the options I'd want, I think
-Manual R/T Plus cars get the Super Track Pack
-Automatic cars have the new 8-speed and get better fuel economy, but I think they have cylinder deactivation and other trickery to achieve that
-Maintenance schedule calls for 7 qts of dino oil every 3500mi, but I'm wondering if I can stretch to 5K using synthetic (I drive a lot, so this would be more convenient)
-16 spark plugs (!!!) every 100k
-They make ones with shaker hoods again, which is really cool
-Can't find a proper winter wheel and tire package for the life of me, which is necessary
Does anyone have any more insight on these behemoths? Any new info that's popped up in the past couple years that I should be aware of?
A few things, the eight speed helps with fuel economy and can take a 200HP spray of gas. Tested, passed. 
Yes 16 spark plugs, they are easy to replace.
Oil changes depend on the engine, some are still dinio juice but most are syst and over 7k miles if you want to push it.
Hope this helps.
Paul
Dumb question, are the manual rt cars the 5.7 or the 6.1? I'm kinda bent on a 392 scar pack car but I have no idea if I can get it in manual.
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