Charger Forums banner

do I buy a challenger or charger?

7K views 21 replies 20 participants last post by  Playhard 
#1 ·
do i buy a charger or challenger any opinions folks i know say challenger because the charger has 4 doors not 2.
 
#3 ·
I can't say much about the Challengers other than they look bad ass. I own a Charger, 2009, and love it. I drives like a luxury sedan, but has a beast under the hood. There's enough room in the backseat for 2 full grown adults without having to move the front seats up to make room. Sometimes I wish it only had 2 doors like the originals, but other times, it's nice to have 4, not having to lean forward to pull the seat up so others can get in the backseat (what a pain). I have 2 teenagers, and when they have me drive them and their friends around, it's real nice when they can just open their own doors. I love my Charger, and don't know that I'd trade it for a Challenger, but I might be willing to own both :beerchug:
 
#4 ·
if you have a family with young kids, car seats in the chally are a bit of a PITA....that's why I bought the charger, plus I liked the interior of the 2011 charger much better than the 2011 chally...

the only thing the chally had going for it for me was the availability of a manual tranny.
 
#5 ·
Depends on what kind of car you want and what kind of car you want to be seen in.

Are you buying the car to drive or to be the family truckster?

Either car can do both, but if your buying a car for the car, then family truckster options should be low on the priority list.

People don't buy muscle cars for gas mileage and ease of child seat attachments.

If you want a true muscel car experience, by the Challenger (V-8).

If you want to be seen driving the family truckster, by the sedan...
 
#6 ·
If you want to be seen driving the family truckster, by the sedan...
I don't consider the Charger to be a "family truckster". A 4 door Accord/Camry is, a Chevy Malibu or Ford Taurus/500 is. I have no kids and don't regularly drive 3 or 4 people around, but I chose the Charger. I think the Challenger, although menacing looking, looks chunky also. If I had the funds, I would love an SRT or Hellcat Challenger as a second car. Test drive both and make a good decision.
 
#7 ·
Are you buying the car to drive or to be the family truckster?
Either car can do both, but if your buying a car for the car, then family truckster options should be low on the priority list.
So the Charger is now a "family truckster"?? Hmm! Well I do believe I read that the "family Hellcat truckster" could reach a 204mph top end while the so-called "true muscle car" Hellcat could only eke out 199mph.

Want a slow car? Buy the Challenger V-8. :D
 
#9 ·
Up though 2014, the choice was easy for me because of the interiors. The 11 up Charger interior blows away the Challenger, which still looks like a 2006 charger inside.
BUT for 2015 the Challenger is updated inside and now I am not sure which I would pick.
 
#10 · (Edited)
I am 6'4" tall, weight 300+ lbs, and wear size 16 EEEEE shoes.

The first time I sat in a Charger I found I had to move the seat forward and pull the steering wheel closer to sit comfortably. The interior is worlds apart from the Challenger(pre 2015's), plus I can get in / out with ease--the Charger was a no brainer for me!
 
#11 ·
I'm with you here. I'm tall as well, 6'8", not so big, but very long legs. I fit in this car very comfortably. The charger and challenger are probably the only cars I would really even consider based on fit, style, and my love of mopars. But I chose the charger because I will have a family in the future and this will be more family friendly with four doors.
 
#13 ·
Today I took my 2009 Charger RT in to get it's 30K tuneup done. The dealership hooked me up with a free rental. Lucky me got a Challenger. It was a 2014, not sure if it was an SE or SXT, had a 3.6L. I was really surprised at how much power the V6 has. But anyway, the Challenger although didn't have nearly half of the options my car has, was really nice to drive. The ride was a bit harder than mine, but it's really cool to drive and handled great. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I have 2 teenagers, and they had a hell of a time getting in and out of the back seats. With my seat where I need it to drive (I'm 6'0" and like the wheel to be almost at arm's length), it left about 5-6 inches of space between my seat and the back seat. So if BlueThunder, or anyone else is trying to decide between the 2, I say if you're single or married with no kids, go with the Chally. If you have kids or often ride with 3 or more people, get the Charger. No one will want to ride in the back seat of the Chally very often. If I didn't have the kids, I would definitely be looking to get Chally after driving it.
 
#14 ·
I'd say if you don't need the room, get the Challenger. I'd get a Charger but that's b/c my dog LOVES sticking his head out of the window and he's not sitting up front (I often have a passenger). Plus the Challenger looks a little smaller and isn't as long. The Charger as bad ass as it is......looks huge at times.
 
#15 · (Edited)
I have both so I don't have to choose other that which one I drive, lucky me. The Challenger is true retro style muscle car, the Charger is a practical car, if it's a SXT, (get the SXT Plus). If it's a R/T or SRT it becomes more of a muscle car to me at least. Get which ever one appeals to you the most, my 2014 Shaker Challenger is my favorite of all of them, (get a Shaker). I won't start the 4 door car vs. 2 door car argument, not on this forum ! They are all great, reliable vehicles.

 
#16 ·
I owned a 2011 Challenger Rallye SE which I traded in on my 2014 Charger. If you want the glow of people always making remarks on your vehicle the Challenger is the car for you. But you also have a small back window and will always have trouble backing up with a backup camera. But with the Charger you get a real back seat with a real window and lots more options at a lower price, including AWD. So this past winter I didn't have to leave my car at home.
 
#17 ·
I wanted both but I chose the Charger because my Charger beat the Challenger in tech (pre 2015) and I have a little one so I didn't want to deal with a 2 door lol. I love the way both looks but to me my Charger looks more aggressive and mean but in my opinion you can't go wrong with either one!
 
#22 ·
Congrats on your decision and new whip. Pictures?????
 
#21 · (Edited)
I will have to drive the '15 in V8 form.

My g/f has a '14 Charger SE she bought new and it has 9K miles on it. She paid about $24K for it with discounts. I have been driving it a lot as every time we go out with her car, she likes me to drive. :)

I like the car in some ways:

It's got good steering feel.
Comfortable highway cruiser.
Power is pretty good when you step on it.
I like the stock stereo.
Roomy.
A lot of car for the money.

What's not so great:
It feels too big most of the time....in parking lots, it's like a boat.
It really doesn't like to hustle. Quick manuevers...getting in and out of traffic. It will do it but it's just too bulky and not fun for this.
The 5spd transmission while decent is still kind of sluggish to me.
The cloth seat comfort is ok but not great.
While the V6 is adequate, it still feels underpowered to me a bit.

I drive a '14 Jetta 1.8t. And I can say without a doubt I prefer driving it to the SE charger. Charger has more rear leg room than the Jetta but not tons more. Other than that the Jetta runs circles around her '14 SE. It's just way more athletic and just as comfortable with superior seats. On paper it says the Charger is faster 0-60 but we've raced before and she can't beat me. That of course could be the driver but the Charger feels no faster to me.

Now a Charger R/T road and track or SP would be a different story of course :) But I still enjoy driving her SE.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top