Not Feeling So Grounded Anymore

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
03/11/2018 at 21:51 • Filed to: None

After trading in a Fusion that needed maintenance, they gave me a Camry that also needed maintenance. I didn’t even make it to Houston from Baton Rouge before the alert light came on. They said it probably wanted an oil change, but the car was also making odd noises on the passenger side. It sounded like either a bad tire or a bad bearing. Either way, they couldn’t find a replacement, so they told me to keep driving it.

After returning to Baton Rouge, I finally found a branch that had something decent on the lot.

There it sits. A 2018 Challenger with 1,500 miles on the clock. This week is going to be fun!

On a side note, I’ve never seen a Hellcat on the road, but on the way to Houston today, I saw both a Charger and a Challenger with the Hellcat treatment. I didn’t get pictures, but the Dodge configurator came to the rescue. First, the Challenger:

And here’s one on the lot:

And the Charger:

And in the dealership:

Funny thing - both of them still had the chin spoiler protectors just like in the dealer photos above.

Impressions so far? I found it somewhat awkward to load my luggage because of the high sill in the trunk. The interior is very quiet and comfortable. Visibility is ok, but not nearly as open as in my WRX. It’s deceptively fast on the freeway. I found myself going way faster than I should have been, probably because of the isolation from the world around me. It was like being in my own little bubble. A very fast moving bubble.

I did have to dodge some debris on the freeway at speed and the car felt very composed with the high-speed maneuver. It didn’t feel as nimble or composed as my WRX, but I’d love to drive them back-to-back at the track. Ah, well. I’ll just have to see how I feel about it after driving it for a week. We shall see how well it dailies.

DISCUSSION (18)

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > TheRealBicycleBuck
03/11/2018 at 21:55

I’m pretty sure I saw a Grand Cherokee Trackhawk yesterday. I mistook it for an SRT8 at first but then I noticed the bright yellow calipers.

fintail > TheRealBicycleBuck
03/11/2018 at 21:59

Which rental fleet? Maybe National?

TheRealBicycleBuck > fintail
03/11/2018 at 22:09

My contract is through Enterprise, but this was an a combined Enterprise/National lot. I discovered the airport branch has the best selection.

fintail > TheRealBicycleBuck
03/11/2018 at 22:12

The green signs clued me in. And yeah, airports are almost always better.

AestheticsInMotion > TheRealBicycleBuck
03/11/2018 at 22:13

A lot of the buyers apparently don’t realize that the yellow splitter tape is for protection prior to the car being sold. There are a few over here that even months later still have it on

TheRealBicycleBuck > AestheticsInMotion
03/11/2018 at 22:24

I admit that I had to look it up. Some people are leaving them on either because they want the added protection from scrapes or they like the look. Over on the Scat Pack forum, they are talking about how to make some of their own. I wish my WRX had some chin protection. Mine has a small scrape from a steep driveway.

arl > TheRealBicycleBuck
03/11/2018 at 22:24

Yea for muscle cars! Enjoy!

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > TheRealBicycleBuck
03/11/2018 at 22:52

Well that’s rotten luck. I would take a charger/challenger any day for a rental even in V6 trim. It’s a bit more entertaining that the usual Nissan Altima/Hyundai Elantra that usually prowls the lots of National rental car.

shop-teacher > TheRealBicycleBuck
03/11/2018 at 22:53

That’s a heckuva upgrade!

TheRealBicycleBuck > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
03/11/2018 at 22:58

Our company specs mid-size cars. We do enough business with them that we often get decent upgrades. Given the junk I’ve been driving for weeks, it’s nice that they finally made up for it with something fun to drive!

AestheticsInMotion > TheRealBicycleBuck
03/12/2018 at 01:17

I hear ya. My lip spoiler is all sorts of banged up, but... I can get an OEM replacement for under $50 so I don’t sweat it. I’d be scared to see the price on a modern car’s...

TheRealBicycleBuck > AestheticsInMotion
03/12/2018 at 06:13

The lip on my WRX is part of the front bumper cover. It’s fairly expensive to get a new one and have it painted to match.

BigBlock440 > TheRealBicycleBuck
03/12/2018 at 07:53

I didn’t even make it to Houston from Baton Rouge before the alert light came on. They said it probably wanted an oil change, but the car was also making odd noises on the passenger side. It sounded like either a bad tire or a bad bearing.

And yet, Toyota doesn’t get the “POS rental car” stigma.

Long-Voyager > BigBlock440
03/12/2018 at 07:56

But perceived reliability!

Long-Voyager > TheRealBicycleBuck
03/12/2018 at 07:57

People love to rip on the Challenger, but they are a great place to spend time and have fun in the process.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Long-Voyager
03/12/2018 at 09:57

This morning’s commute was interesting. It seems strange, but the Challenger feels like a big small car. There’s a lot more hood out front than I’m used to, but the back end is relatively short. It also feels wide and tall from the inside, but fairly short when standing next to it. It felt so much larger than all the Civics and Camrys on the road around me. Visibility out of the car was not bad, but there’s a lot of car between me and the outside. My WRX just seems to disappear from my vision. The Challenger is more obtrusive. It’s like driving a rolling cave. I can see out, but there’s a lot of black interior pieces that block my view.

Long-Voyager > TheRealBicycleBuck
03/12/2018 at 10:01

The Challenger is light years better to see out of than the Camaro or the Mustang.

I feel like any modern vehicle is too obtrusive into my view, it’s part of the reason all my vehicles are older.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Long-Voyager
03/12/2018 at 10:51

I haven’t driven a modern Mustang or Camaro, so I don’t have a good point of reference. I suppose my WRX is an older design, but I think the more recent model has the same proportions. The Camry I had was easy to see out of, the Fusion a little worse. Neither was as bad as the Challenger. But the Challenger isn’t as bad as my mother-in-law’s G-35 coupe (aka 370Z).