RE: Interesting piece from carlustblog.com
 

One thing I should note, Joe, is that I bought my 70 in 1974 and drove it regularly till it was totaled in 2001. Hence, my memories of the original model aren't entirely from "back in the day" in the 1970s.

While I had the 70, I also owned at one time or another a 1977 Maverick, 1985 Thunderbird, 1986 Thunderbird, 1994 Thunderbird and 2000 Mustang. Of all those cars, the ONLY one I preferred driving over the relatively primitive mechanics of the 70 Challenger was the 94 Thunderbird.

Technologically, is the current Challenger a better car than the 70? By any standard you could use, it definitely is. But the point of the guy's piece was whether the current car has the gravitas or coolness factor of the original. In my opinion, while today's car is a good representation of the original, it is not as cool as the 1970 model. Yeah, probably a lot of that is because of government safety regulations. That's unfortunate.

Quite frankly, had the price of the original Challengers not exploded to the obscene levels they've reached in the past five or six year, I had fully intended to buy another 70 (due to circumstances at home, I couldn't make the expenditure till this year). Had I been able to get a 1970 model in excellent condition for $26,000 (which you could have EASILY done in most of the country till about 2002 or 2003, and which is about the absolute limit I personally would ever spend on ANY car), I would have. Since I couldn't, I bought the next best thing for the money: the 09.

RE: Interesting piece from carlustblog.com
 

I guess the coolness factor really comes down to a matter of personal option and taste. No modern muscle car will ever be as cool as it is driving a 35+ year old restored muscle car. However, I guess were the discussion enters a grey area is when it comes to "living" with a muscle car. The original 70s Challenger is a very cool and sharp looking car, but it is more of a weekend fun car, not a daily got to get there type of car. The new Challenger is a modern interpretation of the original and was never intended to be a copy of the 70 (some may well view the "retro muscle" car the same as painting a mini shirt on the Mona Lisa). Be that as it may, I have to say I now like the overall design of the new Challenger better than the original, and I never thought I would ever say that when the new Challenger first came out. And, due to the limited offerings of modern "retro" muscle, the Challenger may well be even cooler than it ever was...again personal option.
I too was looking at buying another 70 Challenger (wanted an RT/SE) before I purchased my 08, but couldn't see paying over $50,000 for a nice example. Way more than the new Challenger with all the bells and whistles, and I couldn't really drive it out of fear that something might happen to it. And, restoring a early E-body...forget about it....would cost about the same or more to do it right. And, then you have a car that you can't drive because it's more of an investment......Sad, but times have changed and many of these old muscle cars will never see the light of day....More of an investment for today's owners than a fun car.......very sad..

RE: Interesting piece from carlustblog.com
 

I agree with the above. I, too, was in the market for a '70 R/T. Had to be a 440 with a 4-speed. Did not even care if it was a clone/tribute car. Still, to get a nice example would have exceeded the price of my '09 R/T, and I would not have neen able to use the car in the same manner as the new one. I would have been afraid to take the kids out in a '70 for fear they would scuff the seat backs. The list of negatives far outweighed the positives. I am so glad I made the decision to buy the '09. From an investment standpoint, only time will tell, but I believe the '70 would have won out. That's not why I bought the car though. I wanted a fun car with a seriously high cool factor.

RE: Interesting piece from carlustblog.com
 

I think they are like having children. You love them both but each, differently. The name's the same, the "heritage sytling cues" are similar, but the cars are different.

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