[DeTomaso] NPC-New Dodge Challenger

[Christopher Kimball]

I have a 2006 Dodge Magnum SRT-8 and love it.  I've  had it up to 140 and ran out of road way before the car ran out of power, but it felt great at that speed and it handles fantastically.

I figure if I take really good care of it, maybe in 30 years it will be a collector car and I'll be able to recoup 10-20% of what I've put into it over the years (if I even choose to sell it).  

Having said that, however, I must tell you cars are generally terrible investments if all you care about is the pure dollar value.  In fact, if you bought a really cool car in 1960 for $2000 and sold it today for $32,000 without ever paying a dime for maintenance, repairs, insurance, gas, or anything else, your investment return would be a whopping 6% per year.  If you bought a Shelby Cobra in 1966 for $6000 and sold it today for $100,000, again without putting a dime into it, your return would be about 7%.  Add the cost of upkeep and the results look even worse.  Despite the fact the Stock Market is basically back where it was ten years ago, over a 30 to 40 year time horizon, it's done hugely better than 7% per year!

No, as far as I'm concerned a person should buy a car because he or she loves to look at it, drive it and enjoy it--not for the purpose of sticking it in a dark warehouse somewhere hoping to make a killing in 20 years.

My CPA wife told me she wanted a running tab of the total cost of my Pantera, including the purchase price, so beginning from when I bought it in December of '06 I have kept track of every dime spent, from oil changes to screws to tires to paint to the new engine.  The total cost is now over $61,000.  Do I think I could get close to that if I wanted to sell it?  Of course not.  But you know what?  I don't care!  I love to drive it, work on it, improve it, and I truly enjoy the fellowship I experience by being involved with the Pantera Owner's Club.  Those are dividends that don't show up on a balance sheet, but they're every bit as real and, just maybe, even more important than what I might get at Barrett-Jackson in 20 years.

Sincerely,

Chris
#3846



> From: matt at nwpantera.com
> To: detomaso at realbig.com
> Date: Sun, 23 Aug 2009 13:24:20 -0700
> Subject: [DeTomaso] NPC-New Dodge Challenger
> 
> Gearheads,
> I was thinking about a new car that might have investment potential and be fun to drive. I've been looking at the 2009 Challenger series offered in 3 different flavors.
> The SE has the V-6, the R/T has the 375 hp 5.7L and the SRT8 has the 425hp 6.1L. They are rumored to be offering a 6.3L with 500hp in 2010.
> With Fiat buying Chrysler I have heard rumors about these models possibly being dropped after 2010.
> I like the styling of the Challenger over the new Camaro SS and the Mustangs just don't do it for me.
> Does anybody have any driving time behind the wheel of one of these things or offer opinions in general?
> Thanks,
> Matt
> 3584
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