Saturday, September 27, 2008 - 02:40 pm, by: Cameron Wylde(Azazel)
Oh wise forum...
Im going to the states for a couple of months next year. I plan on buying a car, driving it around and then shipping it back to Perth, Australia. Its a big dream of mine to do the good ol' american roadtrip - but of course - i need a car.
There are three cars that i have loved since i was little (and all three would make it into my dream 5 car garage). I know im the only one can can make the crucial decision but please - some imput/advise/experiences or whatever you have to say.
Anyway, down to the contenders...
68/9 Dodge Charger
Very very famous and identifiable car. Loved it since i can remember. Probably the one leading in my heart.
71 - 74 Dodge Charger
Not something that i have loved forever. But thats not a bad thing. Its REALLY grown on me in the last 5 years. Love the styling - its so ugly its beautiful.
Im also very partial to the 70/71 model. But its too similiar to the 69 i dont know!
Corvette Stingray
Probably the prettiest car of the bunch. Will take any year. But i dont like the convertibles. Awesome curves, classic two seater - you can see why it lasted so long the style is just... out of this world. Can really see myself getting into one of these.
So guys please. Help me decide. Im not interested in fuel prices or alternative american muscle. These are my dream cars and i figure this is my chance to own one and write my own story in it. Actually... I CANT WAIT!
Its also worth noting, i want it to be a daily driver as well.
Saturday, September 27, 2008 - 05:05 pm, by: Rod Iseppi(Rod)
i hate you i hate you i hate you.... nah ive always wanted to do exactly what your doing, i got the 86 chevy c10 pick up so its my american car for now...
i wouldnt get the stingray - theres plenty of them here already. the 71 - 74 is just too ugly to be good looking. i would go the charger, its rare over here, yet looks soo nice and flowing lines, hidden headlights, and they look hot with a nice set of billet wheels. just watch for rust in any of these cars (exept the vette being fiberglass but theres a whole heap of other problems too). are you giong to look for a restored car or one thats driveable and get it restored here?
i would also be looking at other B and E body mopars.... 68-70 plymouth roadrunners/gtx`s, 70-74 dodge challengers, 70-74 plymouth `cuda s
Saturday, September 27, 2008 - 07:25 pm, by: David Vaughan(Davidv)
I have no idea of the particular traps in purchasing either car. I expect that Miles will be a good source for that information.
My view considers that you will be driving the car in Australia for some time, so I wondered which in reality was the more advanced car?
Nothing at all to do with aesthetics or image, the Stingray is IMHO a vastly superior piece of engineering design, and wins the engineering competition by a country mile plus the rest of the continent.
Sunday, September 28, 2008 - 01:31 pm, by: Steven Anderson(Cusscuss)
be very careful about which year corvette you get, in that wiki link posted you can see how they dropped power massively post 70/71 to meet emissions regulations.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 07:33 pm, by: Cameron Wylde(Azazel)
Thanks heaps for the imput guys. Much appreciated!
I know what you are saying Rod about the 71-74 charger - i love it for what it is. But its just too damn ugly and i really couldnt see myself driving one.
So its between the early charger and the stingray. Although yeah ,the headlights totally don't fit the curves of the stingray. And as Callum pointed out the older one has a much nicer bum. But im still tiltering towards the charger. Just by a few % and i dont know why.
Ill have to look at both cars over there and get whats best at the time (obviously use car sites to keep an eye out as well).
Hoplefully the states goes further into recession and some more of these assets go on the market. Selfish i know.
Thanks again. Steered me right of that 74' what i think ultimately is a good thing.its just not in the same class as the others
Rod Iseppi DieHard wa uzz31 v8 limited, 86 chev silverado
Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 08:12 pm, by: Rod Iseppi(Rod)
hope you find a good one cameron. and you cant beat the long toughness of the charger... and when you do get it over here im coming over and i wanna drive ... hehe
Thursday, October 02, 2008 - 07:26 am, by: Kate Green(Mischief)
I totally agree with Rod and Adrain, the early charger is damn tough and a little different. Personally not a fan of the early vettes and I think every person in Oz can recognise a vette (ok maybe an overstatement but you know what I mean). My comments are appearance based but my step grandfather had the good old charger and I loved cruising with him when I was a kid.
Thursday, October 02, 2008 - 08:06 am, by: Miles Baker(Milesb)
Ah, didnt see this thread!
Where are you landing? How much time and money have you got? These are my first words of wisdom:
If you expect to get off the plane and find a nice muscle car at a reasonable price within a week you are lining yourself up for disappointment. Possibly even a month. More money will alleviate this problem. I have wandered around over there for weeks and never found anything worth buying.. and I have car-people family there giving me leads and letting me stay and travel for free.
I have had much experience with Corvettes. There are lots of traps for young players, and they are getting very difficult to find a nice one. Mopars I have had less experience with because they are harder to find in decent shape. You will definitely need to know exactly what to look for before you go. You have picked two very popular models. The competition will be intense to say the least. Yes their economy is crashing, but our dollar is too. Also as their cars fetch lower prices, guess what the people with the decent ones do? They just put them in the garage and wait.
These are *now* classic cars there. For the last 20+ years, they were NOT classic cars, and were treated as such. Go look how they treat a car from the 1990s right now to get some idea of what you are dealing with. These are cars that have had to survive being treated as old sh!tboxes for a good 20 years in order to make it in front of you. Picture buying an XC Falcon here. Reckon it has been garaged all its life?
I say this because I have gone over there seeking the same type of road trip holiday, and it has turned out not how I planned. Also, you need to investigate how you will transfer the car to your name and how you will get insurance.
I recently sold my 73 Vette and the number of people I had ring me and waste 15 minutes of my life telling me how they would just "go get their own from the states cheaper" was crazy. It is possible to find something nice at a decent price, but go into it with your eyes open. It is not usually easy.
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he is the Muscle Car Guru round here 
Nice!! But without the poxy modern wheels
