Just bought a 2014 Challenger SXT. Ask me anything.

"Old-Busted-Hotness" (old-busted-hotness)
07/15/2014 at 18:12 • Filed to: None

"Only" 305 HP because it's a V6. Automatic because I'm old. The most basic base model still has more toys than I've ever been exposed to. There's even a 0-60 clock.

One damn sweet ride. Questions? Ask 'em.

DISCUSSION (61)

Nibbles > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 18:14

Any particular reason for not waiting for the 2015?

jkm7680 > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 18:14

Nice car! Any thoughts about new wheels?

Camry-Into-Canyon > Nibbles
07/15/2014 at 18:17

I'm guessing the double-down.

AM3R > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 18:18

new wheels and some suspension mods to improve handling + ride and it would be perfect! How massive are the rear seats and trunk? I've always wanted a challenger v6 6mt but if I want 3 pedals I'll have to step up to an RT V8.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 18:18

Congrats. What's the last thing you ate?

Also, how old is old these days?

Baber K. Khan > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 18:18

My brother has a V6 Charger and the V6 is great.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 18:19

How's it drive and handle? Does it feel light or heavy? or like a dog? How's the power of the V6?

Old-Busted-Hotness > Nibbles
07/15/2014 at 18:20

I like the look of the '14 and got a damn good deal. The salesman even said the deal stinks on their end. Plus I just turned 50 and you're supposed to be impulsive and stupid when your birthday ends in zero.

Tim (Fractal Footwork) > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 18:21

Definitely the coolest car America still makes. There's an assumption on how it handles, but what's it really like in the bends?

Fistacufs > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 18:21

Does it feel as big on the inside as it does on the outside?

Old-Busted-Hotness > Camry-Into-Canyon
07/15/2014 at 18:22

2000 cash back plus what I was able to haggle. Ended up at 4500 off MSRP plus actual KBB value on the trade-in.

Old-Busted-Hotness > AM3R
07/15/2014 at 18:24

No new wheels except for winter. Here in Cleveland the roads are like running King of the Hammers.

No complaints about the ride and handling. It feels a lot like my Crown Vic (box Panther) firmed up a bit.

Old-Busted-Hotness > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
07/15/2014 at 18:25

Two cheeseburgers (pepper jack) made on the Weber.

50 felt old til I drove thing home. That seems to knock a few years off.

Old-Busted-Hotness > jkm7680
07/15/2014 at 18:26

The wheel budget is going for winter shoes.

Old-Busted-Hotness > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
07/15/2014 at 18:30

Well, it's made in Canada, but yeah.

This one's only got 58 miles on it, but that includes a few off-ramps. You can definitely tell it's a heavy car, but it's nicely damped. It doesn't wallow thru the turns like you'd expect. The steering is "electro-hydraulic" which I'm assuming means a traditional pump driven by an electric motor, so the feel is pretty good. It's more of a Harley Sportster than a sportbike, though.

AM3R > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 18:31

I understand, it's a lot like that in VA. In the winter it was almost unbearable driving on runflat tires. That killed the ride quality of my car.

Arben72 > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 18:32

Nice ride, they're great highway cruisers. I drove one a couple of years ago with a v8 that had a couple of mods and the only thing I hated about it was the steering had an inch of play before it would start turning. Did they fix that in the newer ones?

Oh ya, and how does it hoon?

Old-Busted-Hotness > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
07/15/2014 at 18:33

Feels heavy, because it is. But not wallowing around heavy. You feel confident driving it, like it'll do what you want. Overall feel is like my old Crown Vic (box Panther) but firmer. I'll know more when I put more miles on it.

The V6 is amazing. I'm sure it doesn't have the grunt of the Hemi, but it'll get up and go, especially once it's rolling. 60-80 takes no time at all.

Camry-Into-Canyon > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 18:34

Nice!

Old-Busted-Hotness > Fistacufs
07/15/2014 at 18:35

As long as you're up front. The back seat is a bit of a joke. But the door panels have a hollow where you rest your arm so there's a lot of elbow room. There's enough seat travel so I can't reach the pedals, and I'm pretty normal size.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 18:37

Okay. How's the steering feel so far?

Old-Busted-Hotness > AM3R
07/15/2014 at 18:39

I hear ya. I'm not a fan of run-flats either. This one comes with a donut spare and Michelin Pilot Sports.

George McNally > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 18:41

Nice car. If we all our honest with ourselves......305 horsepowers is enough most of the time. Sure, the Hemi is nice, but I bet the insurance, maintenance and running costs are a lot less with the 6.

Old-Busted-Hotness > Arben72
07/15/2014 at 18:41

They must have, because the steering feels just fine.

Gonna let the engine break in a little before hoonage. Stay tuned.

1337HPMustang > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 18:41

did you research the car before buying? Specifically the dodge forums?

Old-Busted-Hotness > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
07/15/2014 at 18:43

A bit more effort than I'm used to, but tight and responsive.

Old-Busted-Hotness > George McNally
07/15/2014 at 18:45

That's what I thought, too. Growing up in the malaise years, I thought I'd never own a 300 HP car.

We can't all be Don Garlits.

Also, insurance is $200 more per year than the '05 Camry, for full coverage.

Old-Busted-Hotness > 1337HPMustang
07/15/2014 at 18:47

I researched price, options, KBB on the trade-in. I figure if there are any problems with it, Dodge will take care of them for the first 3 years.

AM3R > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 18:50

I'm going tomorrow to throw some continental extremecontact DWS on. I've heard a lot of good things.

Pilot sports are great tires, a friend has them on his mustang and the grip is really nice.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 18:50

Nice. How's the interior like? Roomy? Is there decent space in the back?

Nibbles > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 18:53

Sound reasoning! Also damn I guess I have to wait another 8 years before I can be impulsive again :(

Old-Busted-Hotness > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
07/15/2014 at 18:56

I suppose you could put actual humans back there but it wouldn't be easy. The driver's seat powers forward so slowly you're tempted to give up and take another car. The right side has a slider (non-powered) so you can get in thru that side, but you're moving seatbelts and the seat back out of the way. I wouldn't try it unless I weighed 90 pounds or less. There's child-seat anchor points, but putting a kid back there would be an ordeal. The best thing I can say about the back seat is that it folds down.

Up front it's a different story. Lots of elbow room, head room, leg room. The seats are sporty but not racing buckets. They do a reasonable job of holding you in place but are obviously tuned for comfort. And they are damned comfy.

The dashboard is huge, like a GM Dustbuster van, because of the windshield rake. You could play badminton on it.

Old-Busted-Hotness > Nibbles
07/15/2014 at 18:59

Trust me, it's worth the wait.

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 19:01

Burnouts? Also how does it feel after you hold the TCS off button for 10 seconds?

Old-Busted-Hotness > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
07/15/2014 at 19:07

I'm gonna wait til it's broken in to hoon it. Haven't tried turning off the TCS yet, but the button's right there tempting me.

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 19:11

Do it. But I wouldn't hit it because then you must hoon it.

Old-Busted-Hotness > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 19:28

I'm going to amend that ride and handling comment. The more I think about it, the more it reminds me of a W124. The windows even do the Mercedes fandango when you open the door.

Old-Busted-Hotness > AM3R
07/15/2014 at 19:30

Amending the ride and handling. The more I think about it, the more it reminds me of a W124.

JGrabowMSt > George McNally
07/15/2014 at 19:33

Not necessarily, in regards to insurance. I'm 23, have a 2005 Magnum RT. Insurance doesn't care what's under the hood, granted, it is used.

I don't think the HEMI vs V6 makes much of a difference at all in terms of insurance. The 5.7 HEMI had V6 are "close enough" in power, that they get very similar gas mileage, it could be argued that the HEMI will do better on longer runs because of the MDS system (specific to automatics).

Honestly, I'd say that the gas mileage out of the HEMI isn't too bad, even with the older 5spd, instead of some of the newer 7/8 speed autos. The V6 is always a V6, so you get the gas mileage of a heavy V6.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love one, but when I bought my Magnum, a lot of people said that the HEMI would be the better choice if I could find it. Can't say I disagree now that I have it. The newer transmissions change the car a lot.

All that aside, color me jelly, because I love the Challengers.

AM3R > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 19:34

interesting, I guess that would make it a good DD.

JGrabowMSt > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 19:36

You need to get in touch with Hot Rod Magazine and let Mike Finnegan know that orange is not the only color they came in.

I'm really liking it. I guess you couldn't talk them into throwing in a couple extra cylinders with that really good deal?

Are those hood scoops functional? That's really my only beef with a lot of the new hoods.

Old-Busted-Hotness > JGrabowMSt
07/15/2014 at 19:41

Ha. I just watched that episode this morning.

The hood scoops are non-functional. But the OG Challenger and Cuda had non-functional scoops, too.

Unfortunately, extra cylinders aren't free. The V8 models are another $20,000. I'm not bad when it comes to negotiating, but I'm not THAT good.

Old-Busted-Hotness > AM3R
07/15/2014 at 19:42

As long as you don't have to parallel park. Visibility out the back is about minus zero.

AM3R > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 19:44

yeah what's up with muscle cars and rear visibility?? Does your car have a backup camera?

Wurrwulf > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 19:44

My 82 year old grandfather just picked up a new v6 Camaro. These cars definitely knocks a few years off. He didn't give a shit about break-in. He just wanted to tell me stories of how quickly it got to 100!

Old-Busted-Hotness > JGrabowMSt
07/15/2014 at 19:45

This one has a 5-speed auto, so shifts are detectable. I'm okay with that. I can't see the need for 8 gears.

Old-Busted-Hotness > AM3R
07/15/2014 at 19:48

No camera. I'll just have to get used to it.

I had a thought but it didn't pan out. It looked like the rear headrests would come off, but they don't. Losing those would improve things a lot. As unlikely as it is that someone's going to sit back there that's tall enough to need them, I'd like to see them gone.

JGrabowMSt > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 19:49

Have you driven it at night? I'm curious about how the headlights project on the road. My Magnum has what I would call marginal headlights. They light up the road. The hi-beams are bright as all hell though, definitely make up for it.

I *almost* did a challenger front end swap, but it would have been a couple thousand more in bodywork that I wasn't up for.

Finally, any plans for it, or just run it into the ground stock? I'm not really going crazy on my 5.7 because it's just under 145k, but I've been bitten by the bug of velocity stacks for the intake. Would be too expensive right now to do more engine work than that, but I'm happy with the stock power. 380-390ish is more than enough for me right now, considering I hardly ever get to actually put it down.

Old-Busted-Hotness > Wurrwulf
07/15/2014 at 19:50

When I'm 82 I probably won't give a shit about durability either.

JGrabowMSt > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 19:50

Does it thunk going into drive from a stop? I changed my fluid to NAPA synthetic ATF+4, and I literally don't feel a thing. Oddly surprising, but really nice.

Old-Busted-Hotness > JGrabowMSt
07/15/2014 at 19:54

I try not to drive at night if I can help it. My night vision is starting to go.

The fluted reflectors/clear lenses are similar to what's in my Ranger, and I can't complain about them. In other words I don't know but they're probably at least okay.

Old-Busted-Hotness > JGrabowMSt
07/15/2014 at 19:57

The only sound I hear is the shifter going dugga-dugga-dugga as it goes down thru the serpentine gate. Once it's in gear everything's good.

JGrabowMSt > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 20:02

Ah, yeah. I was a little worried about my trans at first, because it would really thump into gear. What a difference new fluid makes.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 21:26

Nice! Not too many things better than having a car you love driving.

And now I'm hungry...

Jayhawk Jake > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
07/15/2014 at 21:38

Why not Stingray?

mr2gud2u > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 22:07

I know the LX chassis takes a beating on here for its handling, bit I have seen SRTs post similar times to C5, and 6s at the autocross track. I've also seem a ZR1 get spanked by a stock sounding Sentra. So of course driving skill has a lot to do with it.

Old-Busted-Hotness > Jayhawk Jake
07/15/2014 at 22:35

Because there's no base-model Stingray that costs $26,000.

Old-Busted-Hotness > mr2gud2u
07/15/2014 at 22:44

Well here's the thing: it's a big car. Anyone who expects a 3,800 pound cruiser to handle like a Caterham needs to go back and study physics.

CAN you make it into an autocross demon? Probably. You could make a Town Car or a milk truck into an autocross demon if you really want to. Stiffen up the springs, give it some more tire, play with the damping, yeah it'll handle. But then it will ride like a farm wagon. 30 years ago I wouldn't mind (or I'd put up with it). Today, no. It's a very comfortable car and I don't want to sacrifice that.

If you take it as a comfy cruiser that happens to haul ass, rather than as a track-day weapon, it's fine and dandy.

Jayhawk Jake > Old-Busted-Hotness
07/15/2014 at 23:35

I meant 'coolest car America makes', not that you should have bought one. I like the challenger, but I don't think it's the coolest car America makes.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Old-Busted-Hotness
01/21/2019 at 23:20

Do you still have the Challenger? You still enjoying it?

Old-Busted-Hotness > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
01/22/2019 at 05:12

Still got it, still love it. Just got back from a Cleveland-Denver-Cleveland road trip. Huge trunk, nice ride, good seats and it will cruise all day at 100 mph drama free. 27 mpg average. What’s not to like?