Ugh....Hot Rod or Not?

[sledge]

Let me preface this....first world problems.

As many of you know I enjoy hot rods, well really just about every type of vehicle. I currently have a 21 GMC Sierra AT4 w/ 6.2L crew cab truck. If you aren't aware it's got a small lift from the factory, 4WD, mud tires, loaded to the gills, etc. IMO, their best looking truck. And I am a happy owner.

However, I've had the itch to get another Challenger and last night while doing a build & price I saw Dodge is supposed to discontinue them after 23.

So if I am to pull the trigger, now would be a good time, assuming I want a new one that hasn't been abused. For the record, it's totally different if I buy it untouched and abuse it myself, LOL. Also they brought back one of the original high impact colors that I love, sublime green.

I've been back & forth on a Demon or Hellcat version for a few years. I just don't like the price and dealer markups. This year, Dodge brought back the RT Scat Pack with 1320 package. This is interesting to me. Price is about 1/2 of a Demon, but has Demon rear axle shafts, headlight air intake (inside one with light ring around it), drag radials, drag suspension, trans brake and associated tuning from the factory to help pull out an 11 second car in the 1320 (quarter mile). That's pretty impressive running naturally aspirated on the 6.4L 392 which is still putting out nearly 500 HP and 500 torque. In short, she will haul the mail.

About half a year ago, I bought wife a hot little SUV with turbo charger. We both love it and it ain't going no where. The AT4 is the logical vehicle to send packing. I'm just having a hard time giving it the boot despite wanting to add this Scat Pack 1320. And honestly I feel a bit guilty as well. However, this year has been rough and with all the stuff my wife has gone through I'm leaning towards "why not, life is short". Yet it doesn't seem logical to me and the timing caught me off guard. This is probably a year or so earlier than I wanted, which is accelerated by them discontinuing production.

What say you?

 

[Rfisher]

AT4’s - as of 4 months ago- still surprisingly are much in demand, and generated much interest in resell/trade in value.

It was the right move for us to unload it now rather than later. I’m not sure how demand/hype for those can continue for much longer.

YMMV

 

[lala646]

Hot Rod!! Life is short. If this will bring you joy, and your finances are in order, why not? It won't have the same functionality of a truck, but you have the SUV that will be able to cover most truck-type needs. And remember, there will always be more trucks down the road if you change your mind some day. There will not be more of these.

 

[VRBeauty]

My two cents worth - consider buying it if you’ll actually drive it. If you’re buying it mainly to own it, and it’ll sit in a garage most of the time… maybe not. Unless you have the spare garage space and the spare cash.

 

[tyty333]

@sledge I dont think you made it clear if you plan on trading your truck in or keeping it and owning both vehicles. I did
not see anything about trading in so I assume you will have both.

That info may change some people's opinion/advice.

 

[Ann]

Let me preface this....first world problems.

As many of you know I enjoy hot rods, well really just about every type of vehicle. I currently have a 21 GMC Sierra AT4 w/ 6.2L crew cab truck. If you aren't aware it's got a small lift from the factory, 4WD, mud tires, loaded to the gills, etc. IMO, their best looking truck. And I am a happy owner.

However, I've had the itch to get another Challenger and last night while doing a build & price I saw Dodge is supposed to discontinue them after 23.

So if I am to pull the trigger, now would be a good time, assuming I want a new one that hasn't been abused. For the record, it's totally different if I buy it untouched and abuse it myself, LOL. Also they brought back one of the original high impact colors that I love, sublime green.

I've been back & forth on a Demon or Hellcat version for a few years. I just don't like the price and dealer markups. This year, Dodge brought back the RT Scat Pack with 1320 package. This is interesting to me. Price is about 1/2 of a Demon, but has Demon rear axle shafts, headlight air intake (inside one with light ring around it), drag radials, drag suspension, trans brake and associated tuning from the factory to help pull out an 11 second car in the 1320 (quarter mile). That's pretty impressive running naturally aspirated on the 6.4L 392 which is still putting out nearly 500 HP and 500 torque. In short, she will haul the mail.

About half a year ago, I bought wife a hot little SUV with turbo charger. We both love it and it ain't going no where. The AT4 is the logical vehicle to send packing. I'm just having a hard time giving it the boot despite wanting to add this Scat Pack 1320. And honestly I feel a bit guilty as well. However, this year has been rough and with all the stuff my wife has gone through I'm leaning towards "why not, life is short". Yet it doesn't seem logical to me and the timing caught me off guard. This is probably a year or so earlier than I wanted, which is accelerated by them discontinuing production.

What say you?

Ohh, you are going to have fun. We have a Red 2019 Hellcat Redeye that was a special order. I just told my husband, we need to buy another one and just hang on to it. Our Hellcat is not a daily driver and it is pampered

 

[Slickk]

Ya know @sledge we are car enthusiasts. We have a couple of ‘fun’ cars on the lift in the garage. So obviously my answer would be to do it! If you can comfortably afford to and it will bring you joy, why not? And it’s going to be discontinued!!
We thoroughly enjoy running around town on a nice day in the fun car; makes running errands feel like we’re on vacation.

 

[Mrsz1ppy]

These type of cars are on the endangered species list. I’d go for the joy.

 

[MissGotRocks]

I would go for it since the car will be discontinued. I know you love the truck but you would be able to get another one down the road. My husband and son are car buffs so I am very familiar with the pull of wanting and justifying purchases - lol! Don't feel guilty either - these are just material possessions and in ten years it won't matter what you bought or sold today - know what I mean?

 

[DAF]

Go for the joy! I'd keep the truck if you can, you would miss its hauling capabilities, whether it be in the bed or towing. Trucks are utilitarian, too, so they hold their value better than cars do.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Absolutely buy it!

 

[junebug17]

Another vote to go for it!

 

[LilAlex]

I can't get past the terrible visibility in these (and I'm not small) -- I could never have fun driving something I can't really see out of. Great brakes and great sightlines = fun for me -- instead of white-knuckle what-am-I-not-seeing driving? And in these EV times, I would not buy an ICE for straight-line acceleration, only for actual fun driving. What's the point of a heavy, thirsty beast? Then again, there are no (boring) straight roads where I live -- it's all hills and curves (and bikes and deer and....)

Have my eye on a Golf R for my optimal mix of fun, practicality (seats 4; kids can borrow it), and fuel economy -- albeit at the expense of a crummy touchscreen interface.

For context my daily driver now is an old small sedan with 425 torque (unchipped!) and great handling and it's been a blast every day for the decade-plus I've owned it.

But I know nothing about diamonds so take this all with a grain of salt...

 

[sledge]

I wanted to take a quick moment to say thank for all the responses and input. I really do appreciate it.

To answer a few questions. I do plan on unloading the AT4. My finances are in order and I don’t need the cash to move forward with the Challenger. However, I have played that game before — nice expensive vehicle collecting dust in the garage and depreciating without any real use. It’s just not the way I want to use cash reserves. If it was a true 60/70’s classic and less reliable as a daily driver or the wife’s SUV wasn’t in the picture for utility purposes I would likely have a different opinion.

Also I would plan on daily driving when reasonable. We get all 4 seasons here including snow so the wife’s SUV will be get a little extra love in those times. Despite being turbo charged it’s AWD and actually does well in all weather types as I can change suspension and drive modes on it.

I’ve got access to trucks for short term haul/tow needs if push came to shove. However, several years back I sold the RV and boat. The RV was too limiting in the way we prefer to explore and travel and I prefer to find a lake and dock the boat locally vs pulling it all the time. So unless we decide to do something drastically different I *think* I’ve got the every once in awhile stuff reasonably covered.

I was talking with an old Mopar buddy that stayed active in the scene. He has a Hellcat Redeye that is modified, pushing 1,000+ HP and upper 8’s in the quarter. He’s an engineer, smart, methodical and well balanced in his thought processes. He’s enjoyed his so much he was suggesting a barely used Hellcat for similar dollars as the Scat Pack.

Configured the way I want, a new Scat Pack 1320 is around $60k. I found two sublime green Hellcats, one around $69k and the other around $72k. The latter was more hard loaded and had about 1,100 miles on it. The cheaper one had 8,900 miles on it. If I could get either to move closer to $60k I’d only be giving up age of vehicle. Both were 2019’s. But therein comes another consideration. A new Hellcat is around $80-85k without dealer markup premiums. So while dollar-wise I get more bang for the buck I’m not sure it’s as sweet of a buy as 4 years of age will depreciate differently. Of course the biggest unknown variable is how each will depreciate with no more production.

 

[sledge]

@LilAlex you raise some good and interesting points.

I did own a M6 5.7 Hemi RT for several years. When I sold it my thought process was to come back to a Hellcat after all the new wore off and I could “steal” me one as that would likely be cheaper than supercharging and forging the RT and likely not hitting the same performance and with lack of advanced suspension and Brembo brakes. Plus, while fun to drive the M6 isn’t nearly as consistent and hard to beat on shift time as the A8.

Well, we know how that worked out, lol.

My point is that while I do recall having some limited visibility with the rear pillars I don’t recall them being horrible. Some vehicles I’ve drove that I distinctly remember being atrocious (from a visibility standpoint) was the Camaro SS of the same generation. Also the “new” and discontinued FJ Cruisers. Maybe I need to schedule a test drive to see if my memory is playing tricks on me.

I might add that while I like going to the track and running the quarter I also enjoy the hilly and curvy roads that are nearly everywhere around here. Zero argument the Challengers are packing junk in their trunk and won’t handle as tightly as a Mustang or Golf R. But part of loving this car is also loving that it’s a little loose and will slide the ass end around a bit. That can be unnerving and doesn’t produce the best times but it’s fun in a different way. Haha and in comparison to my AT4 truck it’s like a rocket ship on rails. Today on the way home I was squealing tires as I hit a corner too hard and with too much speed.

With these newer variants of the Challenger they also have active dampening suspension modes (default on Hellcat, optional on Scat Packs) that allows you to adjust the suspension modes for different driving types. On the 1320 that is one of the features that helps it do better than a regular Scat Pack. It has suspension designed to help it hook on the track and plant that power to the wheels so you get a quicker launch when you are in drag mode. However, I haven’t owned or lived with this new suspension option so I can’t speak to how well it helps offset some of that “slop” in the corners you are talking about. My gut says it’s better than the older RT I had but not as good as some lighter cars designed specifically for it.

As far as ICE or EV, that’s probably a bad topic as I will likely offend someone. I will leave it at I’m not all in on EV at this point in time. At some point I think it will be more feasible and I get the push but it’s not driving my decision in the least.

Here’s a fun fact….the Scat Pack or Hellcat would be an improvement to gas mileage over the AT4. I consistently get 12-15mpg with it. Best ever was 24 but I think that was all downhill with that wind at my back because I’ve never done that good since. Some of this is the vehicle, road type mostly traveled (2 lane hilly and curvy) and a lot to do with my lead foot. When a Prius is nearby, I like to joke with my wife that the AT4 is on the hunt for its next meal.

Pic of my “old” Challenger:

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Let me preface this....first world problems.

As many of you know I enjoy hot rods, well really just about every type of vehicle. I currently have a 21 GMC Sierra AT4 w/ 6.2L crew cab truck. If you aren't aware it's got a small lift from the factory, 4WD, mud tires, loaded to the gills, etc. IMO, their best looking truck. And I am a happy owner.

However, I've had the itch to get another Challenger and last night while doing a build & price I saw Dodge is supposed to discontinue them after 23.

So if I am to pull the trigger, now would be a good time, assuming I want a new one that hasn't been abused. For the record, it's totally different if I buy it untouched and abuse it myself, LOL. Also they brought back one of the original high impact colors that I love, sublime green.

I've been back & forth on a Demon or Hellcat version for a few years. I just don't like the price and dealer markups. This year, Dodge brought back the RT Scat Pack with 1320 package. This is interesting to me. Price is about 1/2 of a Demon, but has Demon rear axle shafts, headlight air intake (inside one with light ring around it), drag radials, drag suspension, trans brake and associated tuning from the factory to help pull out an 11 second car in the 1320 (quarter mile). That's pretty impressive running naturally aspirated on the 6.4L 392 which is still putting out nearly 500 HP and 500 torque. In short, she will haul the mail.

About half a year ago, I bought wife a hot little SUV with turbo charger. We both love it and it ain't going no where. The AT4 is the logical vehicle to send packing. I'm just having a hard time giving it the boot despite wanting to add this Scat Pack 1320. And honestly I feel a bit guilty as well. However, this year has been rough and with all the stuff my wife has gone through I'm leaning towards "why not, life is short". Yet it doesn't seem logical to me and the timing caught me off guard. This is probably a year or so earlier than I wanted, which is accelerated by them discontinuing production.

What say you?

 

[sledge]

@Rfisher do you mind sharing what kind of offer you got on your AT4? If you prefer to talk % ratio to window sticker that is fine so you don’t have to divulge dollars. Also GMC has AT4’s on multiple lines - Sierra, Acadia, Yukon, etc. Was yours similar to my Sierra? I’m sure the ratios are slightly different for each line. And did you sell to a private party or trade/sell to a dealership?

I need to do some additional research but I’m seeing close to 90% of window sticker, which seems crazy good to me. So good it has me debating rather I’m getting a false read.

Also that is based on a private sale. Using Carvana, Vroom or similar for a quick sell would be about 80-85%. And I’m not opposed to that as I realize it can be a headache to sell a vehicle most will need to finance. So my personal assessment of a good value includes the time I have to invest to make it happen.

 

[Rfisher]

Yes a Sierra AT4.

From what I remember - what you are saying isn’t a false read, it’s the current -but-for-how-long supply vs demand.
Dealer trade in wasn’t too far behind a quick sell, either. Legit - not padded creative accounting numbers to make it seem something it’s not.

 

[kenny]

Not.

Climate change.

 

[LilAlex]

As far as ICE or EV, that’s probably a bad topic as I will likely offend someone. I will leave it at I’m not all in on EV at this point in time. At some point I think it will be more feasible and I get the push but it’s not driving my decision in the least.

Same! Spouse drives a cheap non-Tesla EV but they're not for me (so far). I just meant that for straight-line acceleration with zero drama, they're hard to beat. The only car that's ever destroyed me off the line was a Tesla X P100D in what was clearly Ludicrous Mode. (It was also one of the very few Teslas I have seen driven in other than Prius Mode -- so there was also the element of surprise )

I have not cross-shopped any muscle cars so I can't really say much of value about them.

I'm not sure I'd even want any more launch than I've already got -- the use case is pretty narrow. Plus, I'm a little too prone to "drive angry," as Carl Spackler would say...

The conversation does remind me a little of Netflix's Fastest Car. Some hard-luck dude spends every spare minute and dollar modding an eyesore sleeper and (eventually, and usually) bests a smug caricature in a McLaren -- in the quarter (IIRC). And there are tears of joy and triumph like it's been a five-hour Wimbledon final. What they don't show is that with even the tiniest hint of real-world in that challenge -- like a lap or even a subtle bend -- the straight-line rockets would get destroyed. I know what you're looking at handles way better than any of those so it's not a great analogy.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Absolutely get what you want!!!! I love cars of all sorts!!

I don't know how low the car you are considering is--but my DH is arthritic (for a young guy) and my coupe is low and I don't care for the push-me pull you scenario when he gets in and out. Maybe that is not a concern for you.

cheers--Sharon

 

[lambskin]

Everybody has their passion. Jewelry, fine wines, houses, travel, cars, etc. Follow your passion.

 

[Slickk]

@sledge

 

[Mreader]

I don’t have much advice but just a story. My mom loved muscle cars and big V8 American cars. She also had a 69 Charger. My husband and I drove Hondas. We always tried to talk her into getting one for the good gas mileage and reliability and also to sell the Charger bc it was a money pit. When she passed, I inherited her almost brand new Charger and the 69. I got addicted to the power of the V8!!! Now when I drive my Honda (didn’t sell that either) it feels so dink! Vroom vroom! I feel bad for giving my mom a hard time lol. And my husband will not let me sell the 69 (which she had redone a couple of years before her passing). Pics below.

So if you think you’ll regret it if you don’t buy it - do it!