Guest Blogger: 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T
Friday, July 2nd, 2010
This post was written by Rev. Marcus, better known to you as Revmarc. Here's what he has to say about his 2009 Challenger R/T 6-speed. — Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
After reading about the transmission issues on the Camaro and the clutch issue on the Challenger, I thought I would offer my report on 19 months and 23,000 miles of 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T ownership.
I took delivery of my 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T on October 2, 2008. I had ordered the car at the beginning of June, and had waited anxiously for months for its arrival. As a husband and father of a growing family (three kids), I had to find a performance car that would seat five–no more Camaros and Mustangs for me. When I confirmed that the Challenger was going to be a five-passenger, I was sold. That, and the fact that I had always loved the looks of the original 1970-74 cars, and the new one nailed it. The fact that it was bigger than the Mustang (and coming Camaro) was exactly why I bought it.
I ordered it with the 6-speed, leather (mostly so my wife would have heated seats), Sound Group with the steering wheel controls and EVIC, no sunroof, no nav, and the 20-inch wheels. I immediately fell in love with the car. It was much larger than the Mustangs and Camaros I had previously owned, yet was far more powerful and fun to drive. Go figure. It reminded me of the 1994 Impala SS we had–massive, but fast and fun.
More after the jump…
I did a few appearance and performance modifications: American Racing wheels with Goodyear Eagle GTs in 265/35/22, Mopar coilover suspension, flat black "T/A"-style stripes, Mopar Go-Wing spoiler and T/A hood (long before the current appearance packages were available), Mopar cold air intake, Magnaflow exhaust, and a Diablosport Predator tuner.
I have done plenty of burnouts (a few are on YouTube), I have run it at our local 1/8 mile track, and have even run it at Road Atlanta (more fun than I could have imagined, especially with professional driver Randy Pobst giving me "lessons").
With 23,000 miles now on the clock, I have never had one mechanical or functional issue with the car (I had to have the grill replaced under warranty due to warped plastic, but that's it). The clutch is still perfect, the transmission doesn't grind, the rear doesn't whine, no switches have broken off.
I purchased a car with a performance group called a "Trak Pak", and I have driven it as intended. I have always maintained the car as it should be–synthetic oil changes every 3,000 (overkill, but that suits me), all the work done by a mechanic I trust at the dealership where I bought the car who treats it like it's his own. At 23,000 miles , I can consistently run 0-60 5.20-5.22 every time (4.9 with 1 foot of rollout, as you guys point out) and my best 1/8 mile is 9.1 @ 81 mph (coilovers and 22s are not good for traction at the dragstrip, but great at Road Atlanta).
Are there faster cars? Of course. I did not buy the modern Challenger because it would be the fastest. I bought it because it was not a pony car, but a muscle car. In all fairness, the new Challenger is more on the scale of what the Charger was back in the late '60s-early '70s as compared to the Mustang and Camaro. It's more like the Regal Grand National of the '80s being compared to a 5.0 Mustang or IROC-Z. But that suits me just fine. I can do smoky burnouts with my wife and three kids in the car. I've attached a couple of pics, too, so you can see what I've done.
Thanks for a great Web site that is always informative and fun without being insulting. That's rare for an automotive blog these days. Keep up the great work.
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Rev. Marcus.
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