2008 Dodge Challenger

[Abstract]

Anyone else lusting after this car like I am...

Seriously one of the best retro designs ever stamped out of American sheet metal. The design is maybe the best translation of an old design into a modern automobile. For 40K, this thing is a great deal when you take into account performance.

I LOVE the outside, and I hate the inside.

The interior design doesn't match the exterior (which is excellent). Sorry, no go. Did they get 2 design teams with completely different mentalities to design this car? One team was obviously better at this "retro" thing than the other.

 

[Rapmastac1]

This car is freakin' sweet! I love the design.

I'm not biased on the cars I like (would buy), I just have always seemed to have problems with any japanese car from the 80s and 90s (that is what my family always had). The build quality of most cars nowadays is rather good and it is a moot point to say A makes more reliable cars than B. You just need to focus on the market you are in. Most cars now are designed for the "buy a car now and sell it in two to five years and get a new car" niche.

As for me... well I like big old American muscle. They just don't build them like they used to, if they didn't rust, they ran forever. Heck, my '67 Caddy DeVille is still running strong. Although not a muscle car, that 429 V8 making 450 HP will get you anywhere in that 20 foot monster of a gorgeous car! But I doubt you could take it far with the measly 11mpg that it averages (averaged).

 

[huntnboy04]

... it is American. and nowadays, people expect to buy a car have nothing go wrong with it for at least 100,000 miles. American cars have the rep that they won't make it that far. that's why Toyota is doing so good in sales right now.

Chrysler now offers a lifetime powertrain warranty, but since this is a sports car, and not the family mini-van, I don't think a lifetime warranty will be offered, just like it is not for the Viper, for obvious reasons.

I like the looks of the car, I liked the first concept I seen at the north american intl. auto show, it was less curvy, I think. I lost the pictures from the car show but I can see a difference. But personally if I was going to, and only had 40K to drop I would buy some classic Detroit muscle. Like a '72 Chevelle SS with the 454 under the hood.

 

[Plymouthbreezer]

Chrysler now offers a lifetime powertrain warranty, but since this is a sports car, and not the family mini-van, I don't think a lifetime warranty will be offered, just like it is not for the Viper, for obvious reasons.

I like the looks of the car, I liked the first concept I seen at the north american intl. auto show, it was less curvy, I think. I lost the pictures from the car show but I can see a difference. But personally if I was going to, and only had 40K to drop I would buy some classic Detroit muscle. Like a '72 Chevelle SS with the 454 under the hood.

There's about zero change from production to concept - only in the grill, lights and interior.

 

[huntnboy04]

There's about zero change from production to concept - only in the grill, lights and interior.

I've been googling the original concept and yeah it is the same on the outside, I wasn't for sure, I guess it looks a little different in person, it's been a little over two years since i've seen it.

It is sexy, but more money than I'll make for years...

 

[Plymouthbreezer]

I've been googling the original concept and yeah it is the same on the outside, I wasn't for sure, I guess it looks a little different in person, it's been a little over two years since i've seen it.

It is sexy, but more money than I'll make for years...

Yeah, I too have seen it in person (the concept that is), and I was highly impressed with almost every aspect of its design.

 

[GoCubsGo]

I want the Camaro actually, but this'll due.

 

[iAthena]

Very pretty to look at. I wish they'd do more retro versions of popular cars like the '70 Monte Carlo or the '65 Riviera.

Too bad most of us couldn't justify having a retro gas guzzler in our garage right now. This would have been a great hit about five years ago.

 

[thegoldenmackid]

I LOVE the outside, and I hate the inside.

The interior design doesn't match the exterior (which is excellent). Sorry, no go. Did they get 2 design teams with completely different mentalities to design this car? One team was obviously better at this "retro" thing than the other.

the car is honestly not that bad...its racing theme seats...I don't see a problem with that...

 

[blitzkrieg79]

I don't know what is the late obsession of American car manufacturers releasing modern versions of retro cars but I would pick the new Camaro over the Challenger... and would pick Evo X over both of them anyway... Those cars are brick houses, so what if it has a 425HP engine if it weights like almost 4000lbs... 0-60 times will be worse than Japanese rocket pocket counterparts plus they don't offer the sophisticated AWD systems that actually make powerful cars usable on twisty roads.

US auto makers are making the exact same mistake as they did in 1970s with the oil crisis, while most European/Asian car companies focus on efficient dynamics, US is releasing over 400HP/over 3500lbs "muscle" cars. Those cars are for a niche market anyway, they will sell decent during the first two years of release and then will be discontinued as sales will decline to minimum. The sports car market is too cramped these days and not enough demand for it will make it shrink even more. When all said and done, people want a versatile/fairly fuel efficient car.

If US car makers want to regain it's lead in auto industry they better stop making those modern retro designs and develop something unique that will turn the entire car industry upside down.

 

[Plymouthbreezer]

...I don't know what is the late obsession of American car manufacturers releasing modern versions of retro cars but I would pick the new Camaro over the Challenger... and would pick Evo X over both of them anyway... Those cars are brick houses, so what if it has a 425HP engine if it weights like almost 4000lbs... 0-60 times will be worse than Japanese rocket pocket counterparts plus they don't offer the sophisticated AWD systems that actually make powerful cars usable on twisty roads...

To answer your question:

Some of us Americans love our massive cars (not SUVs, I hate SUVs) and like them with gusto. I would, along with plenty of others, pick a big solid "brick" over a smaller Evo type car...

 

[leekohler]

Love this car. I absolutely love it. If I didn't live in the city, it would be mine. As it is- owning a car here is simply not practical.

 

[Abstract]

the car is honestly not that bad...its racing theme seats...I don't see a problem with that...

Don't get me wrong. I love the car. I especially love the outside. However, they weren't as meticulous with regards to the interior as they were with the exterior, and it shows. It really doesn't look retro at all. That interior could have been the interior of all those other failed retro designs that were never as good.

But yes, still a very nice car with nice specs.

 

[Sesshi]

Nice looking neo-musclecar, no doubt.

But I think it smacks of desperate retro. There's no imagination behind it. If I can put it into a design analogy it's like a posterize and autotrace of the original in terms of the approach.

 

[blitzkrieg79]

To answer your question:

Some of us Americans love our massive cars (not SUVs, I hate SUVs) and like them with gusto. I would, along with plenty of others, pick a big solid "brick" over a smaller Evo type car...

Whats your definition of plenty? It's a waste of money on GM and Chrysler part and considering their current state of financial affairs they would be better off designing an attractive car for general public and not some dying niche market. They will sell quite a few Challengers/Camaros in its initial run but after 2 years they will be available on dealer lots with huge incentives as no one will want the gas guzzling, one dimensional so called "muscle" cars. I work in the auto industry and I can tell you right now that even the current base Corvette with LS3 engine (which many would agree is basically the best and most well known American sports car) current MSRP is around $47,000 when you go to your local dealer you can get that car for less than $40,000 with all the incentives and hassling down. It's not a good sign in my opinion.

 

[tersono]

Anyone else lusting after this car like I am...

Seriously one of the best retro designs ever stamped out of American sheet metal. The design is maybe the best translation of an old design into a modern automobile. For 40K, this thing is a great deal when you take into account performance.

Oh hell yes - and I'm not even from the US. Gorgeous hunk of machinery =]

 

[3nm]

hate to sound like a GM fan, but the 5th gen camaro concept just looks sleeker. while the challenger looks good, it's like a reincarnation of an expired vehicle (hello front overhang ). the camaro; otoh, has a modern look with retro theme. also, iirc the challenger's length is close to 200" (like a magnum), which makes it more like a landyacht than a midsize sports coupe.

hopefully GM sticks to the concept, but i'm not keeping my hopes too high after seeing this pic:

 

[quagmire]

Besides the headlights( they're not the production headlights), it looks like the concept. Though I hope the fake air scoop is just a pre-production item and will actually look it is real at least when it hits production.

 

[JDR]

I was at the Chicago Auto Show yesterday. They had quite a few of them there:



The parking lights/fog light combination looks pretty sweet.

 

[3nm]

Besides the headlights( they're not the production headlights), it looks like the concept. Though I hope the fake air scoop is just a pre-production item and will actually look it is real at least when it hits production.

maybe it's the paint and bad lighting, the side profile of the concept just looks much sleeker. also, i really hope that they'll keep the mirrors from the concept and ditch the roof antenna.

 

[FrankBlack]

According to the official website the MSRP is $40,095.

I'm tempted to say that I'll take mine in white, simply because I've seen the movie "Vanishing Point" so many times.

I hope these sell well, but let's not forget that GM brought back the GTO a few years ago, and it was a flop, despite a slick marketing campaign.

blitzkrieg79 has a valid point. This is a niche market car, for a select few buyers. How many buyers in their 20's have this kind of money to spend on a car?

 

[quagmire]

maybe it's the paint and bad lighting, the side profile of the concept just looks much sleeker. also, i really hope that they'll keep the mirrors from the concept and ditch the roof antenna.

The antenna won't go anywhere. How else is the Camaro going to have Onstar? Bigger mirrors and a higher roofline were all expected changes. Sure the low roof line looks cool, but a human does need to get in comfortably and be able to have some decent visibility.

 

[3nm]

I hope these sell well, but let's not forget that GM brought back the GTO a few years ago, and it was a flop, despite a slick marketing campaign.

i've always thought the GTO was a flop because GM didn't do much marketing. the few that knew the car were driven away by greedy stealerships and various engineering problems. otoh, the goat faithfuls got turned off by its pseudo-american roots.

edit:

The antenna won't go anywhere. How else is the Camaro going to have Onstar?

a.) make onstar optional, as it should be
b.) hide it somewhere, i.e. between the c-pillar and rear windshield

Bigger mirrors and a higher roofline were all expected changes.

reasons my hopes ain't too high.

 

[Zwhaler]

Someone's going to shoot me for saying this, but I think it's fugly. So is the new Mustang and the new Camaro. These modern retro designs never look good.

I kinda agree. The Challenger looks worse than it does good, as does the Camero. But I actually like the Mustang design quite a bit. I like it far more than the ones that were around the year 2k.

 

[Plymouthbreezer]

I hope these sell well, but let's not forget that GM brought back the GTO a few years ago, and it was a flop, despite a slick marketing campaign.

blitzkrieg79 has a valid point. This is a niche market car, for a select few buyers. How many buyers in their 20's have this kind of money to spend on a car?

You forget that that GTO was a boring design, based on an already aged Australian Holden; while an overall decent vehicle, it lacked the hutzpah to back up the nameplate.

Any car priced at $40,000 will not be marketed at twenty-something yearolds. I have to think Dodge is pitching this car to Baby Boomers and affluent middle aged to older car guys, of which there are plenty. Think of all those Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep guys who would love a car like a Vette, but can't swing for a Viper - now at least they have an accessible, everyday performance car in reach.