Possible car swap. Thoughts

OK..;.. Wife and I have a beautiful 2012 Challenger SXT Sport Plus with 17K garaged miles. We bought it new, and wife adores it.



However, I've been getting the vintage Corvette itch lately. We used to own a 1986 Vette years back, but wife would hardly drive it because it was a manual. She hated those stops on hills!

We are not fans of the later model Vettes for a variety of reasons.

She's always had a love for the "fender hip" era Vettes, and couldn't care less about horsepower. I'd like to see her get an automatic Vette that she wouldn't be afraid to drive.

I'm taking a hard look at the C3's. I know its a horsepower drawback, but just something about that era Vette. And I don't want to spring big bucks for an nice condition C2.

So, there is a 1979 Vette listed locally. 34K garaged miles, original owner. Completely stock. It looks like a creme puff, but we are going to check it out tomorrow. L48 engine with most of the options available at the time.



They want 19K, which is close to what I figure our Challenger is worth, give or take a couple thousand.

While we could definitely afford both, garage space is the problem. We only have a two car garage, and she likes to have her Honda daily driver in there. So, its either keep the Challenger, or sell it and get the Vette (if it meets our approval).

Another thought to enter into the equation: I would think the Challenger will continue to diminish in value with time, but the Vette would likely at least hold it's own. Or drop less drastically.

I know its a personal decision, but I'd appreciate thoughts...;

it's your $$$ do whatever pleases you.

in my opinion your challenger is a better car in every way over that corvette.
the only difference is in 10 years in the future the corvette should be worth more than the challenger.

it will probably be easier but possibly more expensive to buy parts for the corvette than the challenger.
the corvette will be easier to work on and maintain. the only complicated part is the carb on the car. finding experienced people to keep this in top shape is getting harder every day.
the electronics might be difficult and more expensive to repair if it breaks on the challenger as time marches on..

insurance cost will probably be close to each other with comparable insurance coverage.

gas mileage difference would be irrelevant between the 2 cars.

as i said it's your $$$ do whatever makes you and more important the wife goddess happy.
keep in mind as you age getting in and out of the corvette will be much harder than the challenger.

Funny you should mention that. Wifey brings up the same issue.

I’m 67, no spring chicken... 6’1” 235 pounds too.

My counter is that it would be driven quite seldom.

Seat test tomorrow!

Wife adores the Challenger.....keep the Challenger.

You have the Corvette itch she loves the Challenger. Why even bother to ask?

I have a C3 vette (1972) that I've owned for 45 years. Updated to 383/Tremec TKO600.
Fairly simple cars but tight to work on. If you consider buying, check for rust on the frame particularly the frame upkicks by the rear wheels,
windshield frame rot (pull the kick panels and look for rust accumulating at the body mounts). The rear axle bearings need to be done correctly, not easy.
We're both the same age. I also have a '17 Grand Sport. I find myself driving the '17 more and more and the '72 less because of the creature comforts of the '17.
That Challenger looks pretty nice, V6? If you can only have one car, maybe look at a hemi version of the Challenger. Power and creature comforts together.

I have not seen used challengers bringing in the money most owners who've garaged them and driven them sparingly think they are worth.

I was car shopping in 2014, a dodge dealer had a '12 charger rt max, and a '13 challenger rt side by side. Both black cars with red guts. Both auto. Both under 15k miles. The options on both were nearly identical. They were asking 30k for the charger, and 22k for the challenger.

I dont think you're going to get near 19k for your challenger.

My mother had an 80 corvette. Car looked great and handled like it was on rails. It was a major pain in the bum to work on at times.

I agree with the other posts, if your wife loves it, why tempt fate? Find an rt or srt with the same options and color and go that route. You won't regret it!

I had a friend also looking to get an early Vette car, but didn't want to deal with 'old school' tech. I convinced him to find a clean car and do a late model LS swap in it. This was, he and his wife can drive it, have a overdrive trans, lots of power, better gas mileage and since the model he got was a 75' it's exempt from smog inspection in the state. He bought the Vette non-running for $4500 and it's pretty clean. Looking for a low mileage LS wrecker for he swap. Some private shops around here can do the swap for around $2500 and you supply the parts. This way your wife keep her car and you get to have a fun ride. The trade would have sounded ok, but a 40+ year old car is going to need attention, no matter how nice it is. So to me, the swap is not worth making the little lady unhappy.

Thanks for all the great info guys! They are all worth considering.

Heck, I'm just a routine "car" guy.... jumping thoughts from one hour to the next!

Latest thoughts: Still gonna look at the 79 Vette tomorrow. May as well follow it through, but the age, difficulty of maintenance, and ease of entry/exit are making me strongly reconsider.

Newest update: Now have a appointment at a car plaza for Monday: 2017 SRT Hellcat, one owner, 15K miles, auto, no moon roof, Yellow Jacket with black hood/roof stripes. Nav, and most options. We do not want a manual.

It is NOT a widebody. How much would that influence any of you? I'm not thinking necessarily a bad thing for us. With our two car garage, the wide swinging door of the SXT sitting next to another car. Well, ya gotta watch that! Even though the garage is somewhat oversized.

They're asking 59K. I mentioned that's not much off a brand new one. And they gave me the "Well, its the end of the month. Our managers want to deal" speech...

Blue Book and KBB are showing my SXT at about $12 - 14K trade, $15 - 18K private sell.

For the record, the SXT had multiple, but slight hail dings about six years ago. It was a commercial, paint free repair (around $2K).... and there are zero signs of it. Wouldn't know it, but it probably shows on Carfax.

On another note, I was at my local Dodge dealer the other day. No Hellcats, one Scat pack auto (new, 2020).

Marked down from 49K to 40K. I could have chewed on that. It was a wide body.

BUT, it was that puke dark green color. Could have chewed, but not swallowed....

I know a guy who sold his 1970 Superbee a few years ago to look for an early Vette. he drove several - model years ranging from mid 60s to early 70s models. NONE he felt would be good on his back for much longer of a ride lasting maybe more then half hour drives. He ended up buying a clean 1970 Roadrunner 383 4 sd with air.


Although I think 19k might be a touch high on the Challenger. I dont think its much. So IMO start there and maybe consider offers


Wife is starting to think its getting close to changing daily drivers for her 2016 Chrysler 200S
She is thinking maybe Chrysler 300/ Charger or Challenger. And a V6 auto car is preferred , Sunroof is MANDATORY for her. So if I was more serious right now we would be talking about via pm right now.

She is also interested in looking at either a BMW or maybe even Mercedes but they would be one with the folding hardtop convertibles . they seemed to be similar priced to a Challenger of similar miles and age and the top goes down.

Vette.

Well, down goes the Yellow Hell Cat.

Carfax shows significant prior front damage from prior accident.

Who'da thought?

Search conntinues

My opinion is the 79 Vette is overpriced a bunch. I've seen early 70's roadsters for that or less recently. I would keep shopping, upgrade to a better Challenger or a Scatpack Charger. My son had a 2016 and it was an amazing car with tons of power. Corvette prices from the 70's have fallen flat and I think will stay that way for a long time.

Those Corvettes are weird to drive. The front end feels way out there so it takes some getting used to. I also felt like I was sitting down in a hole as well.

"While we could definitely afford both"............. Find a place to keep the Corvette ? ? ?

I agree that the price of the C3 seems high. I had a all original '77 about 5 or 8 years ago and I bought and sold it for less than 10K. The L48 was under-powered but the car handled well. Getting into a C3 is not hard, gravity is your friend, getting out was more difficult. I had a 170 pound Great Dane at the time and thought it would be fun to put him in the passenger seat and drive around with his head sticking out of the t-top but there was not enough room between the seat back and dashboard to get him in there.

That yellow 'cat sure does look nice. You might want to go look at it anyway and get a test ride. Maybe the damage was mainly cosmetic? Might get a good deal on it if it drives well. You can always have it checked out by someone else too, if you are leery of the prior damage. One ride in those and you will forget all about that smog corvette.

You can get nice vettes that era with more miles for a lot better price then that. That's what' I'd get to solve the chevy itch and as a bonus you can drive it without worrying about increasing the mileage on it and then sell it for the same price when you miss the Challenger and want something that handles and drives better again.

That year of Corvette is tough to sell once you get tired of it. A friend of mine had a '77 bought it for $6000.00. Had the seats reupholstered, new carpet, aligned the window glass, I think he changed the carb and intake. If I remember correctly, he sold it for $6500.00

As said before, check the frame on that Vette for rot. Another vote for it being waaaaaaaayyyyyyyy overpriced.

I rebuilt a '79 in 1987 for a buddy of mine and it already had a lot of rust in the chassis.

Not sure how hard that era Vette is to get into and out of, but I know some of the later models are just a PITA. We have a 2004 BMW 330Ci convertible with sport suspension. It sits pretty low and we rarely take it anywhere due to how hard it is for my wife to get and out of. I love the way it drives and likely won't sell it any time soon, but the thought has crossed my mind. I may be in the market soon for a generic late model high mpg car due to a new job. When I get my second garage built I will have plenty of room, BUT...

Anyway, consider the entry/exit as you age. It's not gonna get easier...There's a reason we take the Durango everywhere...

Isn't a Hellcat like C2 money? Apples and oranges comparison between what you have and any vette. Keep the SXT and go for a C2!

Seems high $ for a rubber-bumper C3 Corvette. Assuming all is good regarding rust and such, one more thing to consider is C3s tend to roast your feet. Sounds trivial but it's not. When I restored mine I heavily insulated the transmission tunnel and diverted an air conditioning duct to blow into the footwell. The C3s can be attractive but they really are not great cars.

My buddy agrees. He paid quite a bit for one and found out quick it was no fun to drive. He got rid of it very quick.

But you are in northern Illinois where the state takes it as a challenge to see how much salt it takes to rust your vehicle in the least amount of time.

As mentioned in a previous post. The Challenger would be a better bet than the Corvette.
I would sell the 2012 Challenger and take that money and move up to a newer one with the hemi; R/T, Scat Pak. Both you and your wife will love the performance of the Hemi over the v6.
Parts availability for the Challenger is endless, the Vette harder.
You and your wife will probably be asking yourselves why we didn't do this sooner. Just to add, if you went with the Vette, its hard to get good money for that era Vette when it's time to sell.
Good luck on your decision.

Insanely BAD deal. Price is double what it should be.

Go drive that thing and then see how excited you/she is about it. Make sure to get in and out many times. Swap drivers, see how you like it.
Prehistoric turd in all aspects compared to the white challenger.

C 3's are a sure fire way to lose a lot of money especially from 75 up. We car them Jekyll & Hyde cars. A lot are bought around $6,000 needing a few things fixed and after spending $6 k to fix everything they're resold for $6 k. Market is poor and if you lift the body off it's the same as a 63 with none of the horsepower. Rusted out frames are common. Here is my 65 I restored.

Great advise all! Looked at the 79 Vette yesterday, it is definitely a "no go." I could list all the reasons, but no point. Its not gonna happen.

On the plus side, after doing a ton of online work over the weekend. It "looks" like we are going to close a deal on a brand new 2020 Scat Pack. White, automatic, no stripes. Wide body, adjustable suspension, plus package, sunroof, leather, larges screen Nav, yada yada.

Just waiting to see if our local dealer can OK a inventory swap with another one. I didn't ask him who the other dealer is....guess that would be an improper thing to do (potentially going behind his back?

He did find me a highly optioned new Hellcat Redeye of the white/black interior. But it was priced at $76,755 AFTER incentives. Too much coin for me...

We'll see what happens.

Interesting thing, after a LONG talk with wifey, she still says she will NOT get rid of our "Vanishing Point" (as we call it) SXT Plus for any upgrade of any different color.

She's says any other color, and she's keeping the SXT and I'm building a new garage addition.

Good call. I have no love for an SXT Challenger, but it's light years ahead of that Vette in every single way.

After lots of looking, etc... Finally closing the deal on a new Scat today. 4 miles, White with black cloth interior. Automatic, moon roof, 24G package.

I know its not the most heavily optioned out there, but this will get driven so very little, and I know I saved around 10K over higher optioned ones we were considering. One of those was a wide body with a number of options, but the black interior had red seat and door panel inserts. Big turn off for us.

Paid 38K out the door. OK deal, or no?

They offered 14K for our SXT Plus trade in (see original post), but agreed I'd be much better selling it myself. They said I might get 19K, I'm thinking 18K.

Now, as to extended warranty.... I see that Dodge online offers a 8 year, 60K for $1325.

My questions is, is there any reason to buy that now? It seems if I wait until right before the manufacturer warranty runs out (3 year, 36K), then I wouldn't be doubling up on coverage for the first three years. Thoughts?

That was a good decision you made. $38,000 out the door for the Scat Pak; that was a good buy , priced right. You could go either way on the extended warranty. If you wait a few years the extended warranty will probably cost more.
Also, will it still be a 8 year, 60k warranty a few years from or will it turn into a smaller number of years and less mileage. We don't don't know what the future holds. Probably better to bite the bullet and get it now while it's a available instead of
waiting a few years and seeing that it's not what it was and kicking yourself in the rear saying to yourself, "I should have got it when I had the chance."

Sounds like a good decision.

FOr the warranty you should find out the details.. usually the extended warranty already includes the time on the factory one so buy it now or buy it later it's going to be ending at the same time. But sometimes they come with perks like free oil changes and loaners or pay for rental if the car breaks when you're on a trip etc... that you don't get with the normal warranty.

Nice car.

And its true, OEM extended warranties start date is the date the car is/was put in service.
NOT the date you buy it

I owned a 69 Convert and have to say it was the most uncomfortable car I've ever owned. 5'10 and ~ 195 lbs, So no I'm not oversized. And I'll agree with the others WAY OVER PRICED!!!

I was following this thread. I think you made a great choice. That is a really good looking machine. Congratulations! If that is a Mopar warranty at that price I would think it would be a no brainer. I would get it. I might try them on and offer a little less just for fun but that seems pretty reasonable to me.

Dave

Well, things changed once again.

Cancelled the 2020 Scat with 24G as the sole option.

Ordered a FULLY optioned 2020 Scat at about 20k more. What the heck, “going for it!”

This is definitely set in motion.

Downside is it has to be trucked in from just over 300 miles away.

It’s been a long search of twists and turns.

Now just gotta wait! Probably be a week or so before arriving.

You're paying 58k for a Scat Pak???

This is true... research it.

But make sure you add EVERY option available.

If you see one significantly less, I’d love to see. This one was MSRP’d at 62k, before Dodge incintives.

To be more precise, this was 55.5K plus $600 for 350 miles delivery.

Full options brand new Hellcats are MSRP’d in the 80’s. I even saw a few low 90’s.

Also saw stripped ones around upper 50’s.

Some of those high options are expensive!

I saw a low option wide body Challenger Scat around here for 40k.

Dark puke green. No thanks...

Sorry. Got confused. I thought you paid $38,000 out the door a 2020 Scatpak? But now paying $58,000? What happened to the original $38,000 Scatpak Challenger you were going to get? Why was that deal cancelled?

Any interest in one that needs a little work ?

Understandable! Just a slight miscommunication between us.

We cancelled the local 38k non wide body at the final hours. We decided we wanted more than the 24g sole package.

Found the high optioned wide body in nearby state.

True, I said 38k on the initial, and said 20k plus on the new, and now chosen/finalized highly optioned alternative,

Me bad, I was generalizing!

It came to a couple thousand less than 20k added, all things considered.