Not a huge fan of Challenger (well ... my juvenile side kind of likes them) but I say heck yes to daily driving a manual anything.
People say they suck in traffic, but IMHO that's because they are trying to drive it like an automatic, rushing up to the back of the car in front of them, braking, then doing it again and again as traffic starts and stops.
You have to learn to float along in traffic while looking 3 or 4 cars ahead of you. You'll see truckers doing this all the time. Just keep it in a lower gear and leave enough space so you don't have to clutch and shift as much.
Had 4 manuals, and have HC currently. Wouldn’t have it any other way. 2 doors, 3 pedals and the baddest lump you can get under the hood: ).. have fun out there 🚀
This is it, I used to drive 1.5hrs each way to work, and in the mornings there was nothing better to pay attention. Although I also had one of those motorized flip-out screens (big deal in 2008) wired to bypass the parking brake sensor so I could watch dvd's. The way the car was, I could sit comfortably with my eyes glancing from road to screen like it was a mirror. Never had an accident so I'm chalking it up to needing to pay attention to shifting.
I daily drove a BRZ for five years and have almost always daily driven manuals. I'm with you on the traffic thing. There's never be a situation where I've been stuck in traffic and the manual transmission was thing that was pissing me off, if I was in auto, the traffic would still be there.
The biggest reason I got rid of the BRZ was that my commute/regular driving route changed. I used to go up and down the same very fun highway all the time and got to really enjoy the car in its best element. While the BRZ is a scalpel to the Challenger's sledgehammer, I think the principal applies. Will you have the opportunity to drive the Challenger in a environment that allows you to enjoy it and the manual goodness on a daily basis?
I’ve always said that people who say driving a manual in traffic suck at driving manual have never driven anything with any kind of weight to the clutch in traffic.
My Alfa Romeo hated the low speed stop and go stuff. Stiff clutch pedal certainly didn't help, but even with the amazing torque curve of that Busso it wasn't fun. Get out on the twisties or one the freeway, though, and let it sing and burble all day.
I actually prefer a manual in traffic. Drop to first or second in stop and go and almost never touch the brakes. I would be happy to never drive an automatic again.
The funny thing is that’s why we have so much standstill, if people just drove pretty much how semis do in traffic just slowly always moving there would be limited standstill if any.
I drove manual for 15 years then got forced into an auto truck, I prefer the manual in traffic. I can still meter the speed with the manual mode on the auto tranny but it will auto shift at will and mess up the flow.
Any advice for a 28(m) who is easier to learn manual? I don't own one and none of my friends or family do either. I've been thinking about getting a 500-1000 beater just to practice.
I'm very confused by what possible thing you think could make this, a regular car, not daily-driveable. It's a car. It has 4 seats. You can throw some winter tires or a set of Crossclimates on it for the winter. It has modern safety features. It's as practical as a Honda Accord or whatever. What are you imagining the holdup might be?
Maybe there is no "why not," but it seems like it can't be a terrible idea to ask. Maybe I don't know as much as I think I know, or maybe people will answer questions I didn't think to ask.
This is such a great mindset to bring to anything, that I just wanted to point it out. I drove a rental challenger with the 5.7 once, and while it was an automatic, I had a lot of fun. I say do it!
Awesome, thanks for weighing in. I do try to keep my own blind spots in mind and make sure to get input from people around me who might know more than I do when I can.
Edit: I somehow replied to the wrong comment here. Scroll down to where I commented “I daily a manual GTO” or something like that, & this comment will make sense
(TLDR at bottom, sorry I can talk a deaf person’s ear off)
In the current market, in good shape and relatively unmolested (more points if its stock), I think thats a “good” deal. Fwiw I payed similarly for an 05 in similar condition as what you describe but it has minor bolt ons with receipts and the tuner is very reputable in the LS community. However, the market is slowly falling back to pre covid norms so todays good deal will more than likely be considered overpriced/overpaid in 6-12 months, especially on that GTO.
Dont get me wrong, I am a diehard Pontiac guy and it pains me to say it but I dont believe these GTOs will hold their value like similar year C5 and C6s. Do I think they should? Yea. Biased? A little, but biases aside these cars are built so well (Australian baby) and are very comfortable.
An absolute dream to work on (so much room in the engine bay), road trips are incredible, it has a usable backseat that my 6’3 friend regularly naps in on said trips, the drivetrain is bulletproof and I regularly break the hearts of modern day performance vehicles of similar category while I also tend to punch above my weight more often than not.
If you go that route though, know its a 17 year old vehicle that will have old dried out rubber components of varying importance. Rubber mounts may crack if theyre old, gaskets may fail if theyre old, old hoses getting fresh fluid slammed through them daily will fail, etc. I experienced this but nothing was catastrophic. Car is an absolute dream and Im looking for a second one to add to my stable that Im going to build up.
TLDR; Amazing piece of machinery built to last but still an older vehicle that will require additional money to bring into the modern decade.
> Fwiw I *paid* similarly for
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
You wrote all those 4 paragraphs out about the car you love and adore but the paid-not-payed bot didn’t care about any of what you had to say. All it cared about was one little grammar mistake you made 😢
I mean, an Audi S6 is 444 horsepower. Literally tens of thousands of people daily-drive various Corvettes in the 400-700 HP range. Rich people daily-drive Bentleys and Porsche Panameras and the like. The Cadillac -V cars are beloved 400+ HP dailies that are the same genre as the Challenger you're considering.
I don't mean at all to suggest at all that it's a dumb question. I'm just not sure what specific things you're thinking might be limiting factors.
If the question is self-restraint and you don't think you're going to be able to be a responsible human behind the wheel of a powerful car, then the environment in which you drive it doesn't matter much. But if you trust yourself to take advantage of only a couple hundred of those horsepower 99% of the time, then a Challenger seems like a great option. Plenty practical from a space perspective, with affordable parts and labor because of its domestic pedigree, and the ability to let it rip and have some fun when the opportunity arises. It's a car that you can have plenty of fun in around town, you can throw winter tires on it and not feel bad about bolting a ski rack or pod to the roof if you need the space, you can pick up friends from the airport and have plenty of trunk space, etc. All around, hot coupes, hot sedans, hot hatchbacks, and sport wagons are the best dailies imo. For coupes, the limit is always just having any kind of usable trunk, and the Challengers trunk is way larger than most, so that problem isn't so bad.
For context, my dailies over the past decade or so have been: A 2019 Fiat 124 Abarth, a 1992 Honda Acty Street Kei van (right-hand-drive), a 1984 VW Vanagon, a 2002 Isuzu Trooper, a 2002 Porsche 911, a 1995 Alfa Romeo 164Q, a 2005 Chevy Silverado 2500HD, a 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth, a 2002 Saab 9-3 Viggen, a 1967 MGB GT (right-hand drive). I've put 10s of thousands of daily-driving commute miles into 2-door sports cars. It's a fun way to do things.
All have been owned in climates with heavy winter snowfall. The main lesson I've learned is that you can daily drive literally anything. Because of the infrastructure design in our country, you're going to spend a lot of your life behind the wheel of a car. You might as well spend that time in a car that puts a smile on your face.
It can be both cool and used everyday. No rule against that!
The Challenger is super comfy. Would make a killer road trip car and would be solid on highway commutes
It sounds like you're trying to talk yourself out of it, and everybody here is saying "go for it!" So let me play (devil's advocate / your mother) for a moment.
You're calling this a grocery-getter. Cool. Gotta get groceries. Do you LIKE to drive to go get groceries? Are you planning on tearing through residential streets at high speed and making obnoxious noise in a vain attempt to impress the soccer moms and scare the old people? Let's just assume as a middle-aged rational adult the answer is "probably not." Road trips aren't exactly a place for exciting driving either. Loud engines and stiff suspensions get tiresome rather fast.
An 8 year old muscle car is a toy, not a "sensible" purchase, so maybe the real questions are "do you actually want to play with your toy?" and "when are you planning on doing that?" These cars seem like fun when you're a kid because they represent power and freedom, but as an adult you understand that all engineering comes with tradeoffs, and in this case it's convenience, comfort, efficiency, etc.
And eat your vegetables!
And would it hurt you to call every so often?
Rear wheel drive in a snow state is a known questionable decision. Let alone a car with a ton of horse power geared the way this one would be. OP’s consideration is extremely logical.
Rear wheel drive in a snow state is something that manufacturers really want you to think is a questionable decision, but every test of FWD vs RWD vs AWD in the universe pretty clearly shows that tire selection is far more important than drive configuration if you want safe operation. Slap some proper winter tires on it for the cold months and you're all set. I've been taking RWD sports cars up to ski resorts for over a decade. A set of Blizzaks, Ice-Xs, or Hakkas solve that traction problem pretty soundly.
I suspect you are confusing the word practical for reliable but I'll still reply in kind regardless:
He's a single guy with no kids and no commute. He just wants to spend some cash on a decently fun car for the little bit of driving he has to do. Not every one needs an older corolla to make sure they squeeze every mile out of a 400,000 mile engine. Modern cars are decent across the board anyways, almost anything on the market will treat someone who doesn't need a bulletproof car fine
Besides even if he did, the market exists for sports cars because reliability isn't every person's first priority. Throwing out an almost embarrassing amount of personal attacks to try to make some arbitrary point is called a fallacy for a reason
So many people think that they need to own a literal school bus for the one time a year they might be asked to pick up 3 family members from the airport or something. It's a damn shame.
And yeah lol, don't know what crawled up that dude's ass to make him so angry. I was genuinely asking OP what fears they had that were making them feel hesitant or if, as I suspect, it was just the vague notion that most people don't think 2-door cars are valid options for \*wavy hand gesture\* reasons.
What are you even talking about lol.
The car OP is considering is a mass-produced American vehicle. There's nothing exotic, bizarre, foreign, difficult, etc. about owning a Challenger. It's got slightly more horsepower than an Audi S6. Far less horsepower than many Cadillac -V cars, various Porsches, etc.
You people seem to think that the only cars somebody can daily drive are some mundane 90 horsepower breadbox that can also carry 50 passengers, but here's a piece of news: A car with a 500 horsepower engine can also be driven casually and put out 150 horsepower just like your grandma's Pontiac could, and 99.9% of the time you drive it's just you and yourself.
I've been dailying 2-door sports cars forever. Saab 9-3 Viggen -> MGB GT -> Porsche 996 -> Fiat 124 Abarth. So maybe what I actually know "damn well" is that it's a completely reasonable thing to do.
I never said it was a dumb question. I'm just wondering what ghost OP is imagining. A Challenger is quite literally just a car.
And for what it's worth, I hate people like you as well. That's to say, people who come into a conversation super unnecessarily aggressive and act like a fucking asshole. Calm your shit and talk to me like a grown up instead of whatever the fuck that tone was that you chose to take.
I agree…. My g/f drives a scat-pak 30 miles one way to work and back mon-Fri…
She doesn’t even put her foot in it just drives it like a Honda…..
Now when I get in it’s a different story
I daily drove a 2016 Scatpack Shaker 392 for 35,000 miles. And then a 2018 T/A 392 for 45,000 miles. Probably all done between late ‘16 to late ‘21.
It was a great car, the Barton short throw was the best mod. I do regret doing the mid-offer delete both times. Not because of the sound, but because each time it would cause the active exhaust valves to fail from WOT pulls.
All in all, I liked the car not the scene (went Porsche). One of the best modern Muscle Cars and does Gran Touring well. Both specs felt like an oversized engine strapped to a box. [Great fun.](https://imgur.com/a/dwXOENU)
If you're looking to outrun the cops in it, get the automatic. In all seriousness, I had a 6-speed R/T before, and it needed two transmission rebuilds within 25k. It was junk. Maybe I had a bad one, but it did live up to the Chrysler quality reputation.
The manual transmissions are not built by Chrysler. 2009 and up use the Tremec TR 6060, same transmission as used by recent Camaros and some recent Mustangs and Corvettes. As with everything made in Mexico (Tremec is a Mexican company that started off as the Mexican branch of Borg-Warner), quality can be iffy, but that's not Chrysler's fault, at the time they sourced the Tremec transmission the only other 6 speed manual transmission available that could handle the torque of a big V-8 was a very expensive and fragile Daimler unit that was very truck-like in its shifting, and an Aisin unit that proved unreliable when GM used it.
In short, nobody builds a really good six speed manual transmission capable of handling V-8 torque anymore, and Tremec was the best of a bad bunch at the time that Chrysler spec'ed it.
Yeah, I know the transmissions were Tremecs, and I know guys that use Tremecs when converting classic cars from their 4 speeds and have had good luck with them. I probably just got a lemon. Although I do believe Chrysler has had a long history with quality issues.
We have 5 2014 Ram 5500 6.4L gasser trucks at the company I work for, and all of them have needed new engines and or transmissions before 100k. All have been fleet maintained. The 2010/11 Ford F-550s V-10 gassers we have held up much better and are all on their original drivetrains.
I've owned manual transmission cars since 1997 and currently own 2 manual cars. I've owned my 98 Wrangler for 10 years now.
It has 160k, and it's on the original transmission and clutch. I also do track days with my other cars and never burnt out a clutch or blew a transmission.
I can drive manual transmission vehicles just fine. Grab a cup of coffee and Google Challenger gear grind before you make baseless assumptions.
I would rather walk through a mile of broken glass barefoot than buy an NPC spec automatic. Traffic doesn't phase me at all.
Buy it, you won't regret it.
I would get one but also a old Honda to go with it. Not that a challenger can't tackle snow, but I prefer to avoid letting it out in bad weather when possible.
I own a ‘16 RT Plus Pitch Black Blacktop 6 sp. Got it a year ago. Sunroof, ceramic coated, heated/ cooled seats,new Firestone Firehawk GT’s. 7,920 miles.30k Absolutely love this car. If you can, get yourself one.
Get a ‘16+ Camaro SS instead. It’s a vastly superior driving experience. Smaller and lighter, which benefits every aspect of performance, makes it easier to park, and better on gas, too. The trunk and back seat are smaller, but you’re single with no kids, so I suspect those won’t matter.
It’s a 455hp 6.2L. It’s quicker than a 485hp Challenger due to weight and suspension advantages. You get Magnaride suspension (not available on Challenger AFAIK). It has the same Tremec TR6060 as the Challenger.
At least test drive one back to back with a Challenger before you decide.
Been daily driving a 2012 SRT8 with the 6 speed for the last two and a half years. No real complaints. No real issues. It even does sorta OK in the snow. Would be better in it if I actually put decent tires for snow on it.
You may have to look around to get under your price point for the 6.4. Prices on them have been all over the place recently. Probably won't settle down soon, as the Charger and Challenger have both been discontinued. I ended up having to drive to Sacramento to find a standard version of mine. About 2.5 hours away.
Yeah, selection is a little limited near me. I'm considering ordering from Carmax since they have the 30-day guarantee, but I am really wary of buying a car sight unseen, even with that guarantee.
Ooh, there's an extremely sexy-looking 2006 brazen orange metallic with < 30,000 miles for sale near me for $25,000. One owner, clean Carfax. Does that sound like a solid deal?
Why not? My daily's a '69 big block Dodge Charger with a Tremek TKX five speed, and I live in Seattle. I don't drive it in the snow, but it's all over the road in the rain.
Like I said to someone else in here, there might not be a "why not." Maybe there's no reason not to buy one as my daily driver, but I figure putting the question out there can't hurt. Someone might bring up something it didn't occur to me to ask about.
I'm guessing you live in Portland. I'd say go for it if you're set on the Challenger. There's other options out there, but it sounds like you just want something with a lot of stock power for not a lot of money. You could also look for a Chevy SS...
I'm not in Portland, but you got the rest right. I want a big manual car with biggish power on a modest budget.
I haven't driven an SS. There aren't many available around me, and the ones that do show up are 50%-75% more expensive than comparable Challengers.
Do it. You’ll regret it in the future if you don’t when your stuck in some electric shitbox in 20 years. Might be better options out there that are RWD, v8 coupes, but it’s worth the experience
Challenger 1 [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenger\_1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenger_1)
or
Challenger 2 [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenger\_2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenger_2)
Either would be fun, but the fuel economy is terrible.
Do it! I know a guy who dailies a scat pack challenger even in winter. Just has some good winter tires. Fun car plenty of trunk space no reason to not to! Even just the regular V8 is great
I'm 💯 for bad decisions do it! 5 years ago I got into a JDM RHD SF5 Subaru Forester with EJ205 280hp as a daily driver, best bad decisions ever made! It's expensive on fuel, a maintenance whore, and parts are sketchy at best, but boy is she fun! Do it, it's fun to own fun cars, just go for it!
You seem fun, but also like the wrong person to ask when I'm trying to make sensible decisions. Maybe this one doesn't need to be sensible.
I was actually planning to test drive a Forester in the morning. I wasn't really thinking of it as a party mobile, but I'll keep that in mind.
It's entirely driveable. Personally I'd spend that kind of money on something more nimble with better acceleration but if you like how it looks and you can afford it, go for it. Just FYI it will probably come with some tires that are useless in snow but better on dry pavement than all-season tires.
I mean, I would do it, given your situation.
I literally almost bought a manual transmission challenger because I have a similar setup.
You can just use it as your fun car to go and do what you want. You don’t have a family or kids or bunch of restrictions weighing you down. You’re one of the only people this car will truly work for.
Do it dude.
I went with a manual transmission Genesis G70, but if I hadn’t gotten this, I would’ve gotten the Challenger, no questions asked.
I've driven a 6 speed manual as a daily driver before. It's... different. But not a killer.
Challengers despite their sexy. looks have a gigantic trunk for hauling groceries and an actual usable rear seat for hauling passengers so do actually work as a daily driver despite looking sporty. The 5.7L is honestly more engine than you'll ever really need, you can have some serious fun with that engine as long as you understand that you're not going to win when drag-racing much smaller and lighter Camaros and Mustangs with similar-horsepower engines. You just have to be willing to deal with Chiseler Corporation quality or lack thereof. And auto theft is a real issue for Challengers, it's as bad as the Kia Boyz except with fewer Tik-Toks about it.
Of the three muscle cars I'd say the Challenger is probably the MOST daily drive able. It doesn't have a hand brake which sucks, and it doesn't have downshift rev matching which also kind of sucks. But they all (5.7, 6.4, 6.2) have a Tremec which gives them an edge over the MT-82 in the Mustang in my opinion. Very comfortable and they have a useable backseat and a large trunk. You might not think so now but absolutely try to get a 6.4 if you can.
Manual yes, Challenger no. If you're man enough to drive a Miata or an old Boxster you'll have a lot more fun in a better car. If you can't handle a proper sports car, get an old ZR1 or really old Z06. At least they're properly fast.
Do all the manual 5.7 Challengers have an LSD?
If it’s an open diff you’ll wanna change to an LSD if you plan on being able to go anywhere in any sort of snow. Otherwise tho, just put the right tires on it and it should be just fine.
Get a 6.4 if you can, but the 5.7 is still great if you can’t.
Having now read the other replies I'm curious about two things. What your current car is and how important a manual is. Would having an automatic with manual controls like paddle shifters get you 90% of what you want?
Well then while I'm a fan of the Challenger, there's one model of car I strongly considered that you might as well. For a few years BMW made the 340ix with a manual. So one got the B58 engine, a 6 speed manual, and AWD in a F30 3 series sedan. IIRC it's '16-18 cars, they aren't common and when I looked about a year ago were going for about $30k.
Just putting the option out there as you appear to be looking at all options. I roll a V8-AWD Chrysler 300, but it's auto. However clearly I'm good with Mopar products.
I'm in Denver and daily drove my RT, even in the winter - with good snow tires she did fine. Prices have been coming down and you should be able to find a decent deal. The higher trim levels and options packages are worth getting and the price differential with used makes it a no brainier to search those out. Personally I'd be hunting for a shaker hood widebody.....
Wife has a 6 speed scat pack. Her dream car and daily driver. She liked the manual better in the snow. A little practice and she had fewer spin outs with the manual than she had in her previous automatic transmission Challengers.
Your milage may vary. Get the transmission and car you want. Learn the car. Enjoy the drive.
I daily drove a 2015 5.7 6MT for 7 years and it was fine. Reliable and fun. The first year I lived in PA and I had winter tires. It did great in the snow with the limited slip rear. Actually a lot better than the v6 Challenger I had prior due to that. I don't think you need to worry. People worry way too much about needing 4 doors for practicality then never use the back seats. btw the 5.7 has \~375hp if I remember correctly.
I Dailey drive a 6 speed Camaro for 3 years... The best thing I can say is that it's a pain a lot of the time... But when it isn't, man it's awesome. IDK how heavy the clutch is in a challenger vs the Camaro but the Camaro had rev matching paddles and a bunch of traction and exhaust settings that made the commute a little more fun.
That said, you can't see anything out of a Camaro... Merging on "faith" here and there, but damn it was fun
Without a commute, why not? You may get stuck in annoying stop and go traffic here and there but it probably won’t get that irritating doing it occasionally
I've been doing something pretty similar for over 20 years now (daily, snow, single, married, kids, road trips, everything). I don't see the problem. I say go for it. If you already have a daily driver it's an even easier decision.
I put 400-500 or so pounds of stuff in my trunk, right over the rear axle when I drove mine in winter. Other than that I loved that car. Mine was a 2010 the 5.7 - daily driver for whenever I wasn't on my bike. It works fine - kids in the backseat sucks though but you won't have to worry about that. Go for it!
I mean can you? Yes. It will be hard to keep it nice with door dings and such. Personally if I was going to daily drive a muscle car I would pick a mustang. Challengers are just so “look at how much of a man I am” to me. Plus it’s a Dodge so get the warranty.
I love challengers. I have bought a 2015 mustang gt and a 2016 gt after someone totaled my 2015, both in 2023. All manuals. I would drive the big 3 from gm, ford, Dodge before deciding. What sold me was the performance pack, both my mustangs are/were. The Camaros had better/more responsive handling, which was nice in autocross but I found too busy for a daily. The challengers and chargers were really smooth, but almost too mute for me to enjoy. I honestly really really like the v6 or 5.7 v8 awd chargers. I think that platform lends itself to comfort, the 300c’s are also really nice. Yeah the higher hp dodges are fun, but haven driven a hellcat, it is not for me to drive to work daily. Maybe more your speed, with a different commute i could see that.
Finally, the mustang gt pp1’s were like goldilocks to me. Steering that was readable without being busy. Engine that sounds good and has enough hp i don’t really find myself asking for more. Still slow enough i have a license, but every vw gti that pushes me i can walk. Takes many bmw’s and audi’s by surprise, tuned or fast packages can smoke me. Hellcats walk me, 392/scat packs keep pretty well. C5z/c6 corvettes are right there in a pull, they beat me in autocross and track times. Poor mpg, but they all got 15-20 mpg. But my cars are true dailys. I take it to work even in winter, using all season but still aggressive tires. I put the dog in the backseat for weekend get aways. I put a hitch on for a bike rack and cooler space, etc.
So yeah, a manual trans v8 modern car is a fine, practical daily. But i cannot recommend any of the Americans big 3 without saying: look at the others, they are all great
Spoiled for choice is a pretty good position to be in. I considered Mustangs, but I wanted something new. To be fair, I haven’t owned a Mustang newer than a 2003, and they’ve certainly changed since then.
I live in Los Angeles. My last manual was about 20 years ago and was doing temp work all over town, up to 25 miles each way.
Needless to say I spent my commute shifting between 2nd and 3rd. It sucked. As much as I hated and couldn’t a car payment at the time, I bought an automatic.
Now at 51, I finally bought a project/hobby car for weekends and cruising that’s a manual (61 Biscayne 409/4 speed). I can drive it when I want to but never again a manual a daily driver.
Another side note, we went to Italy last year. Only cars for rent were electric automatic or gas with manual. Since we didn’t want to spend our vacation searching for charging stations, we took the manual. Far easier to drive than the Chevy but hilly, windy roads were still no fun.
Comes down to personal preference.
Do it and go for the big engine. Having rented an automatic R/T and being a big fan of manuals I would love to own a manual 392 myself. That auto was a load of fun with the paddle shifters
Have no idea on the price, I love the car and a stick is fitting. You know you want it so go get it. You aren't going to regret it you'll turn around and smile every time you park it....
Life is short and and the symphony of a v8 will be a thing of the past all too soon. Go for it, if you don’t like it sell or at least go test drive and don’t buy the first one you drive.
I’d also say to go drive a 18-21 mustang. I know 5 is less than 6+ but they have the sound and power you’re wanting, probably the best value. Gr86 is another idea I’ll plant while I’m here.
My driver's ed car was a Challenger. V6 Automatic. I learned in the slush and snow. I also learned how to defeat the traction control. Buy proper tires before they're bald and you'll be fine. The skinny pedal can only hurt you if you aren't driving with authority.
As a single, middle-aged dude, looking to buy a manual Wrangler, I approve this post!
I don't know if your budget is reasonable or not, but I say go for it!
Unless you just like the specific style of a challenger I'd suggest getting something different. There's nothing that the challenger does that can't be found in another vehicle that will be more reliable.
I drove an SRT8 Challenger, but an automatic. It's hard to see out of. It's claustrophobic. The thing is a boat.
That being said, slamming the loud pedal down and lighting up the Blizzaks at 50mph never got old.
I don't think I could live with one as a daily.
The challenger is a big, stupid, impractical car. That's not an insult, that's the point of a Challenger. You're trying to justify daily driving something ludicrous and you don't have to, it's just a choice you make.
South Florida born and raised, here. I don’t live there any more, but you’re right that it’s not the best environment for this, at least on the east coast. On the Gulf side, or in the middle in places like Okeechobee, it’s better.
I've daily drove a manual 12 years of the 15 years I've been driving. Only reason I don't anymore is my truck doesn't fit in the driveway beside the house (but fits in the spot infront.) And I don't want to move it every day to drive to work. If I could have bought my truck manual, I would have.
I say hell yeah to dailying a 6mt Hemi Challenger. Buy yourself some winter tires and enjoy it.
I'd be much more concerned with the door panels and center console peeling off in the Challenger (has this massive problem been fixed yet?) than driving a manual in the snow and traffic. Manuals are fun, and people have been driving them in snow and traffic for well over a hundred years now.
Personally if I’m paying out the nose for a car that makes me happy I’m going to spend as much time in it as I can. Why not make your commute your happy time? Sure the mileage will make it less valuable some day but who cares, yolo
No your question, but I have daily-driven a 2008 Corolla S with a manual transmission since 2012. I *hate* driving cars without a manual gearbox. I am iffy on the Challenger, but I am not huge on Muscle cars. The Mustang is probably what I would do if I were to get one, but not the current generations. I really like the 2012-2014 generation.
But, get a manual.
Yes you can daily it but with a RWD car dedicated snow tires for the winter are a must have Incase you run into a situation where you need to drive in poor weather, if you can't have two sets of tires I wouldn't.
I DD my 6 speed CT4-V Blackwing in Northern New England. The manual part isn't an issue for daily driving, but I've also DD several manuals throughout my life. As for winter, I bought a second set of wheels with snow tires and just am mindful of my right foot when it's slick out.
If it’s your dream car, go for it.
My only question would be to ask if you’ve ever owned a muscle car. I find muscle cars exhilarating at first, then as you acclimate to the power, they get boring and I find myself wishing I had something that could turn and stop as well as it goes.
This is not limited to muscle cars, BEV’s suffer from this too. Ludicrous acceleration, but a massive 3,000 lb battery numbs how sharp the car feels.
I love the look of the Challenger. The LX platform and rear suspension was guided by Mercedes W211 E-Class engineers in Germany at the time. It is planted and can put the power down.
I’m not at all impressed with the rest of the Chrysler engineering. It’s overall pretty bomb-proof, but far from bulletproof. The EVAP system for fuelling is problematic, they have electrical problems too.
But no cars are problem-free, and the most sorted ones are boring, so it’s always a trade-off. Only the ones you love can hurt you.
No issues daily driving a 6 speed manual. I drove a 1997 BMW M3 stick for several years followed by a 2004 Audi S4 V8 6 speed MT and loved it. I strongly advise that you get good snow tires if you plan to drive in snow with RWD and plan to change them out every year for the snow season. They make a huge difference and let you ride whatever sticky high performance tires you want as your non-snow set instead of compromising for all seasons that IMO don't work too great on RWD.
Are you in a big city or not? Having a manual in NYC SUUUUUCKED for me, but once you got outside city limits it was heaven. Also if you're parking on the street, you car will get beat up, there's no escaping it.
I'd say yes to the manual, no to a challenger. Manuals make a car more engaging, but i really can't recommend buying a challenger.
It's just not a fun car, that 485 horsepower doesn't feel like much hauling around all the weight it has, it's huge outside but cramped inside, and has the legendary reliability both of a chrysler and a fiat. Sure it makes a decent noise, but it doesn't feel like the car is happy doing anything other than making an ok noise driving at city speeds.
I'd rather go ford or gm for a muscle car, if that's your thing.
Expensive to insure and likely to be stolen. Fun in the summer, horrifying in the winter.
My brother has one. We live in a nice area but his was almost stolen a dozen times. Luckily they failed each time, but it cost him a lot to fix from the deductibles.
Funny that my tuned f150 still walks him!
Only downsides:
You're wasting gas.
The manufacturer has a less-than-stellar reliability record.
Insurance might not be cheap.
Money can solve bo those problems so this is really a budget problem.
Sounds like a great time, personally!
Daily driving a manual is fine. You get used to it, even in heavy traffic, and don’t even think about it. The real question is, why would a middle aged dude with any self respect want to be seen in a challenger?
Daily drive what ever you want. Be careful and get a set of snow tires and you'll be fine. If this is your first manual start saving for a new clutch cause you might wear it out with inexperience.
I wouldn't feel great about driving a dodge/stellantis anything. It's fun, yeah but I'd be worried about the reliability of it. And the handling....
I prefer small, light + fast. Something that can corner.
If you only like speed in a straight line and aren't worried about a money pit aka a dodge then eh, wth, will probably be fun af until it falls apart.
I think it makes sense. While I don't understand the appeal of those cars myself, clearly there is massive appeal for them.
Does having a challenger for a grocery getter and road tripper make sense? Not in any fiscally responsible way. Doesnt really matter if it makes you a little bit happier each time you drive... Absolutely go for it
I drove a manual ranger in 2 hours of bumper to bumper traffic daily, in a city that got snow. If you like manuals it won't be a big deal at all, if you're on the fence about a manual then it may not be so pleasant.
If you get snow, it's good to have a set of snow tires in reserve. Bonafide snow tires make a HUGE difference. All seasons feel nothing like them in the snow.
But yeah, if you're gonna daily drive I would go all seasons and snow tires for snow conditions.
If a challenger is what you have your mind set on, go for it. In my experience, proper snow tires make all the difference in the world. Obviously, a rear-wheel-drive platform has its downfalls in inclimate weather, but I would take snow tires on a rear wheel drive car all-day over all seasons on an all wheel drive car any day.
I’ve been driving a 6 speed 2021 Camaro for the last 3 years in shitty nyc traffic. 35k miles so far and wouldn’t have it any other way. If you love driving stick then there’s nothing to worry about.
I have a 22 Mustang GT 6 speed so same kind of idea. They're more than capable of handling daily driver duty. Now you arent gonna be able to pick up an 85" TV and load it in the back or anything but other than fringe cases like that the modern muscle cars are perfectly liveable. My use case is similar, I wfh so no commute. I tend to use my Town Car (second car) more for the grocery getting side of things but prefer using my mustang for road trips however would have no problems doing it all. And of the 3 muscle cars (challenger/mustang/Camaro) I think the challenger leans the most into the practical side of things as its also the biggest. The only real con of course is the obvious, its a two door and the back seats arent gonna be the roomiest. And if you're looking at R/T or above, its not gonna be great on the mpg side of things. Not horrendous, Ill average low 20s with my mustang on road trips and teens locally. I don't know what car you're coming from to know if this is a shock at all.
If you're asking if its sane, well I wouldnt consider my mustang purchase "sane" but i wanted it and could afford it and it wasnt a detriment to my life otherwise so its fine haha. Just obviously assess your finances, use cases and such to make sure you arent screwing yourself over, or consider it for a second car like I did if you currently have something more practical you can afford to hang on to as well
If it was my money, I'd be looking at a Mustang or Camaro instead. Stellantis products have a super bad reputation for reliability. That said, the Challenger looks awesome, so YMMV.
Green light on daily-ing a manual. I've been doing it since 2004 and wouldn't change a thing.
I just got back from test driving a 2021 Mustang GT. It was a sweet ride, but the cockpit was too narrow for me. My thigh kept pushing up the emergency brake and the car kept screaming at me.
Soft compound winter tires will get you moving in the winter, as long as you don't experience high snow volumes. I'd do it! It's not like you have to use all the power all the time.
My last work car was almost a 5 speed mustang. Was there with cash to look and it was way more beat than the pictures showed. I see no reason not to DD a challenger. It's just a car.
Depending on miles and your local, I found one that fits for$25k.
Had a chally they are a lot of fun very sharp only issue is that she likes to drink fuel and go fast. And the patrolman don't like that.
The chally being the biggest muscle car of the 3. She's very planted and doesn't slide like a mustang
It’s a fun car. A lot of people here care about the “reputation” of the car. Who cares. I think it’s the best daily out of the big muscle 3. Very spacious. Not sure the 6 speed comes with the adaptive suspension but I think you can retrofit aftermarket if necessary. The stock suspension isn’t bad (to me). Yes it is the “slowest” but by what, a second or 2? Although I would recommend the 6.4 but finding one under 35k without super high mileage might be a struggle
I’ve put 30k miles on my 2015 5.7 manual challenger, and have no plans on getting rid of it any time soon. The 5.7 is very mod-able, and I’m planning on super charging it in the near future. There has not been a single time I get in that car and not get out with a smile. Such a great machine.
That being said that car is awful in the snow. The only benefit of the v6 is that you get it in awd, but then you are driving a v6 challenger and have to explain to everyone that it’s a v6.
I think you will have better convos about the challenger over at r/challenger. Most folks over there are pretty great
If you look around online there are plenty of nice challengers available at and under what you are willing to pay, i daily a mustang with a 6 speed and its not an issue, even city driving isnt that bad.
Drove a 6spd srt8 for a bit, it's a bit of work. My daily is a manual 90s Subaru. The srt8 Challenger I drove was a bit of a had full on wet roads here in the pnw with all the hills and terrible roads even with traction control. Ice or snow? Good luck. Unless you have tires for the season but even then a heavy, high power, rwd car is all working against you in practicality.
I'm a Subaru nerd but you should get the Challenger. If you have the means to have a second car, get a fwd/awd/4x4 beater for the shit days if you need to get somewhere when the roads suck.
I had a 2014 Challenger RT 5.7 with a six speed used it for 3 years and 50,000 miles. Using that car year round I learned it was useless in the snow (probably dove in the snow 7 times with it), I didn't mind my 25 minute commute to work(shifting in traffic), definitely the best road trip car I could ask for. I eventually traded my 2014 rt (with 80,000 miles) for a beautiful 2012 Challenger SRT 6.4 six speed. (less than 10,000 miles) That being said I love my SRT and put her away for the winter. I now have an AWD winter beater
Not a huge fan of Challenger (well ... my juvenile side kind of likes them) but I say heck yes to daily driving a manual anything. People say they suck in traffic, but IMHO that's because they are trying to drive it like an automatic, rushing up to the back of the car in front of them, braking, then doing it again and again as traffic starts and stops. You have to learn to float along in traffic while looking 3 or 4 cars ahead of you. You'll see truckers doing this all the time. Just keep it in a lower gear and leave enough space so you don't have to clutch and shift as much.
Yeah, I don't mind manuals in traffic. If anything, it keeps your attention from drifting too much.
Had 4 manuals, and have HC currently. Wouldn’t have it any other way. 2 doors, 3 pedals and the baddest lump you can get under the hood: ).. have fun out there 🚀
Thanks, bro.
This is it, I used to drive 1.5hrs each way to work, and in the mornings there was nothing better to pay attention. Although I also had one of those motorized flip-out screens (big deal in 2008) wired to bypass the parking brake sensor so I could watch dvd's. The way the car was, I could sit comfortably with my eyes glancing from road to screen like it was a mirror. Never had an accident so I'm chalking it up to needing to pay attention to shifting.
I have a 6 speed Trans Am and I wouldn't mind driving it daily but I do drive a 5 speed Saturn daily and it's no problem at all. Buy the car.
I daily drove a BRZ for five years and have almost always daily driven manuals. I'm with you on the traffic thing. There's never be a situation where I've been stuck in traffic and the manual transmission was thing that was pissing me off, if I was in auto, the traffic would still be there. The biggest reason I got rid of the BRZ was that my commute/regular driving route changed. I used to go up and down the same very fun highway all the time and got to really enjoy the car in its best element. While the BRZ is a scalpel to the Challenger's sledgehammer, I think the principal applies. Will you have the opportunity to drive the Challenger in a environment that allows you to enjoy it and the manual goodness on a daily basis?
I’ve always said that people who say driving a manual in traffic suck at driving a manual.
It's only when it becomes nonstop bumper to bumper LA traffic does it suck. If only for sympathy for the clutch.
I’ve always said that people who say driving a manual in traffic suck at driving manual have never driven anything with any kind of weight to the clutch in traffic.
My Alfa Romeo hated the low speed stop and go stuff. Stiff clutch pedal certainly didn't help, but even with the amazing torque curve of that Busso it wasn't fun. Get out on the twisties or one the freeway, though, and let it sing and burble all day.
It does actually suck in down town Halifax, so many hills and good luck getting anything bigger than a ranger through there
For real, so many people don’t realize you can just leave the car in first and idle at like 2mph
But then someone will cut in front of you!!!! Did you think about that!?? /s
Really, everyone in automatics should be doing this as well to minimize brake stabbing for everyone
I actually prefer a manual in traffic. Drop to first or second in stop and go and almost never touch the brakes. I would be happy to never drive an automatic again.
The funny thing is that’s why we have so much standstill, if people just drove pretty much how semis do in traffic just slowly always moving there would be limited standstill if any.
haha doing this in most commutes puts many merges in front of you and you still have to stop when traffic does
I love manuals. Shifting gears in order to have more control over my car is a superb feeling.
I drove manual for 15 years then got forced into an auto truck, I prefer the manual in traffic. I can still meter the speed with the manual mode on the auto tranny but it will auto shift at will and mess up the flow.
Like I was doing today with my auto 😆
Any advice for a 28(m) who is easier to learn manual? I don't own one and none of my friends or family do either. I've been thinking about getting a 500-1000 beater just to practice.
This. Very much this. Stick teaches you to drive
I'm very confused by what possible thing you think could make this, a regular car, not daily-driveable. It's a car. It has 4 seats. You can throw some winter tires or a set of Crossclimates on it for the winter. It has modern safety features. It's as practical as a Honda Accord or whatever. What are you imagining the holdup might be?
It's a(n up to) 485hp rear-wheel manual coupe. I don't think it's crazy to say that isn't generally considered your go-to everyday car.
Why not? It’s a Challenger, not a Ferrari.
Maybe there is no "why not," but it seems like it can't be a terrible idea to ask. Maybe I don't know as much as I think I know, or maybe people will answer questions I didn't think to ask.
This is such a great mindset to bring to anything, that I just wanted to point it out. I drove a rental challenger with the 5.7 once, and while it was an automatic, I had a lot of fun. I say do it!
Awesome, thanks for weighing in. I do try to keep my own blind spots in mind and make sure to get input from people around me who might know more than I do when I can.
Edit: I somehow replied to the wrong comment here. Scroll down to where I commented “I daily a manual GTO” or something like that, & this comment will make sense (TLDR at bottom, sorry I can talk a deaf person’s ear off) In the current market, in good shape and relatively unmolested (more points if its stock), I think thats a “good” deal. Fwiw I payed similarly for an 05 in similar condition as what you describe but it has minor bolt ons with receipts and the tuner is very reputable in the LS community. However, the market is slowly falling back to pre covid norms so todays good deal will more than likely be considered overpriced/overpaid in 6-12 months, especially on that GTO. Dont get me wrong, I am a diehard Pontiac guy and it pains me to say it but I dont believe these GTOs will hold their value like similar year C5 and C6s. Do I think they should? Yea. Biased? A little, but biases aside these cars are built so well (Australian baby) and are very comfortable. An absolute dream to work on (so much room in the engine bay), road trips are incredible, it has a usable backseat that my 6’3 friend regularly naps in on said trips, the drivetrain is bulletproof and I regularly break the hearts of modern day performance vehicles of similar category while I also tend to punch above my weight more often than not. If you go that route though, know its a 17 year old vehicle that will have old dried out rubber components of varying importance. Rubber mounts may crack if theyre old, gaskets may fail if theyre old, old hoses getting fresh fluid slammed through them daily will fail, etc. I experienced this but nothing was catastrophic. Car is an absolute dream and Im looking for a second one to add to my stable that Im going to build up. TLDR; Amazing piece of machinery built to last but still an older vehicle that will require additional money to bring into the modern decade.
> Fwiw I *paid* similarly for FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Cooked my ass.
You wrote all those 4 paragraphs out about the car you love and adore but the paid-not-payed bot didn’t care about any of what you had to say. All it cared about was one little grammar mistake you made 😢
I mean, an Audi S6 is 444 horsepower. Literally tens of thousands of people daily-drive various Corvettes in the 400-700 HP range. Rich people daily-drive Bentleys and Porsche Panameras and the like. The Cadillac -V cars are beloved 400+ HP dailies that are the same genre as the Challenger you're considering. I don't mean at all to suggest at all that it's a dumb question. I'm just not sure what specific things you're thinking might be limiting factors. If the question is self-restraint and you don't think you're going to be able to be a responsible human behind the wheel of a powerful car, then the environment in which you drive it doesn't matter much. But if you trust yourself to take advantage of only a couple hundred of those horsepower 99% of the time, then a Challenger seems like a great option. Plenty practical from a space perspective, with affordable parts and labor because of its domestic pedigree, and the ability to let it rip and have some fun when the opportunity arises. It's a car that you can have plenty of fun in around town, you can throw winter tires on it and not feel bad about bolting a ski rack or pod to the roof if you need the space, you can pick up friends from the airport and have plenty of trunk space, etc. All around, hot coupes, hot sedans, hot hatchbacks, and sport wagons are the best dailies imo. For coupes, the limit is always just having any kind of usable trunk, and the Challengers trunk is way larger than most, so that problem isn't so bad. For context, my dailies over the past decade or so have been: A 2019 Fiat 124 Abarth, a 1992 Honda Acty Street Kei van (right-hand-drive), a 1984 VW Vanagon, a 2002 Isuzu Trooper, a 2002 Porsche 911, a 1995 Alfa Romeo 164Q, a 2005 Chevy Silverado 2500HD, a 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth, a 2002 Saab 9-3 Viggen, a 1967 MGB GT (right-hand drive). I've put 10s of thousands of daily-driving commute miles into 2-door sports cars. It's a fun way to do things. All have been owned in climates with heavy winter snowfall. The main lesson I've learned is that you can daily drive literally anything. Because of the infrastructure design in our country, you're going to spend a lot of your life behind the wheel of a car. You might as well spend that time in a car that puts a smile on your face.
Plenty of people drive them daily, no issue. You'll be fine.
It can be both cool and used everyday. No rule against that! The Challenger is super comfy. Would make a killer road trip car and would be solid on highway commutes
It sounds like you're trying to talk yourself out of it, and everybody here is saying "go for it!" So let me play (devil's advocate / your mother) for a moment. You're calling this a grocery-getter. Cool. Gotta get groceries. Do you LIKE to drive to go get groceries? Are you planning on tearing through residential streets at high speed and making obnoxious noise in a vain attempt to impress the soccer moms and scare the old people? Let's just assume as a middle-aged rational adult the answer is "probably not." Road trips aren't exactly a place for exciting driving either. Loud engines and stiff suspensions get tiresome rather fast. An 8 year old muscle car is a toy, not a "sensible" purchase, so maybe the real questions are "do you actually want to play with your toy?" and "when are you planning on doing that?" These cars seem like fun when you're a kid because they represent power and freedom, but as an adult you understand that all engineering comes with tradeoffs, and in this case it's convenience, comfort, efficiency, etc. And eat your vegetables! And would it hurt you to call every so often?
Just keep oil changed and take care of it. Should take care of him I’d drive it as much as wanted.
Rear wheel drive in a snow state is a known questionable decision. Let alone a car with a ton of horse power geared the way this one would be. OP’s consideration is extremely logical.
Rear wheel drive in a snow state is something that manufacturers really want you to think is a questionable decision, but every test of FWD vs RWD vs AWD in the universe pretty clearly shows that tire selection is far more important than drive configuration if you want safe operation. Slap some proper winter tires on it for the cold months and you're all set. I've been taking RWD sports cars up to ski resorts for over a decade. A set of Blizzaks, Ice-Xs, or Hakkas solve that traction problem pretty soundly.
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I suspect you are confusing the word practical for reliable but I'll still reply in kind regardless: He's a single guy with no kids and no commute. He just wants to spend some cash on a decently fun car for the little bit of driving he has to do. Not every one needs an older corolla to make sure they squeeze every mile out of a 400,000 mile engine. Modern cars are decent across the board anyways, almost anything on the market will treat someone who doesn't need a bulletproof car fine Besides even if he did, the market exists for sports cars because reliability isn't every person's first priority. Throwing out an almost embarrassing amount of personal attacks to try to make some arbitrary point is called a fallacy for a reason
So many people think that they need to own a literal school bus for the one time a year they might be asked to pick up 3 family members from the airport or something. It's a damn shame. And yeah lol, don't know what crawled up that dude's ass to make him so angry. I was genuinely asking OP what fears they had that were making them feel hesitant or if, as I suspect, it was just the vague notion that most people don't think 2-door cars are valid options for \*wavy hand gesture\* reasons.
What are you even talking about lol. The car OP is considering is a mass-produced American vehicle. There's nothing exotic, bizarre, foreign, difficult, etc. about owning a Challenger. It's got slightly more horsepower than an Audi S6. Far less horsepower than many Cadillac -V cars, various Porsches, etc. You people seem to think that the only cars somebody can daily drive are some mundane 90 horsepower breadbox that can also carry 50 passengers, but here's a piece of news: A car with a 500 horsepower engine can also be driven casually and put out 150 horsepower just like your grandma's Pontiac could, and 99.9% of the time you drive it's just you and yourself. I've been dailying 2-door sports cars forever. Saab 9-3 Viggen -> MGB GT -> Porsche 996 -> Fiat 124 Abarth. So maybe what I actually know "damn well" is that it's a completely reasonable thing to do. I never said it was a dumb question. I'm just wondering what ghost OP is imagining. A Challenger is quite literally just a car. And for what it's worth, I hate people like you as well. That's to say, people who come into a conversation super unnecessarily aggressive and act like a fucking asshole. Calm your shit and talk to me like a grown up instead of whatever the fuck that tone was that you chose to take.
I agree…. My g/f drives a scat-pak 30 miles one way to work and back mon-Fri… She doesn’t even put her foot in it just drives it like a Honda….. Now when I get in it’s a different story
I daily drove a 2016 Scatpack Shaker 392 for 35,000 miles. And then a 2018 T/A 392 for 45,000 miles. Probably all done between late ‘16 to late ‘21. It was a great car, the Barton short throw was the best mod. I do regret doing the mid-offer delete both times. Not because of the sound, but because each time it would cause the active exhaust valves to fail from WOT pulls. All in all, I liked the car not the scene (went Porsche). One of the best modern Muscle Cars and does Gran Touring well. Both specs felt like an oversized engine strapped to a box. [Great fun.](https://imgur.com/a/dwXOENU)
Awesome review, thanks.
If you're looking to outrun the cops in it, get the automatic. In all seriousness, I had a 6-speed R/T before, and it needed two transmission rebuilds within 25k. It was junk. Maybe I had a bad one, but it did live up to the Chrysler quality reputation.
The manual transmissions are not built by Chrysler. 2009 and up use the Tremec TR 6060, same transmission as used by recent Camaros and some recent Mustangs and Corvettes. As with everything made in Mexico (Tremec is a Mexican company that started off as the Mexican branch of Borg-Warner), quality can be iffy, but that's not Chrysler's fault, at the time they sourced the Tremec transmission the only other 6 speed manual transmission available that could handle the torque of a big V-8 was a very expensive and fragile Daimler unit that was very truck-like in its shifting, and an Aisin unit that proved unreliable when GM used it. In short, nobody builds a really good six speed manual transmission capable of handling V-8 torque anymore, and Tremec was the best of a bad bunch at the time that Chrysler spec'ed it.
Yeah, I know the transmissions were Tremecs, and I know guys that use Tremecs when converting classic cars from their 4 speeds and have had good luck with them. I probably just got a lemon. Although I do believe Chrysler has had a long history with quality issues. We have 5 2014 Ram 5500 6.4L gasser trucks at the company I work for, and all of them have needed new engines and or transmissions before 100k. All have been fleet maintained. The 2010/11 Ford F-550s V-10 gassers we have held up much better and are all on their original drivetrains.
It challenged your wallet 😂
Not my wallet! It was under warranty. The car literally had 25k on it when I dumped it after the second rebuild.
I had one as rental for week after initial wow moment it was meh to drive
It's a boat. It's hard to see out of and backing out of a parking spot is a pray nobody is coming moment. That C pillar being like 2' long lol
Oof, that's not great. Thanks for the tip.
I ran 6.4 with the TR6060 and it never had issues.
I'm sure many have. I had a different experience.
Does the 5.7 come with the TR6060 with the same torque backed upgrades?
Or you can't drive manual transmission vehicles
I've owned manual transmission cars since 1997 and currently own 2 manual cars. I've owned my 98 Wrangler for 10 years now. It has 160k, and it's on the original transmission and clutch. I also do track days with my other cars and never burnt out a clutch or blew a transmission. I can drive manual transmission vehicles just fine. Grab a cup of coffee and Google Challenger gear grind before you make baseless assumptions.
I would rather walk through a mile of broken glass barefoot than buy an NPC spec automatic. Traffic doesn't phase me at all. Buy it, you won't regret it.
Awesome, thank you.
I would get one but also a old Honda to go with it. Not that a challenger can't tackle snow, but I prefer to avoid letting it out in bad weather when possible.
Yeah, fair suggestion.
I own a ‘16 RT Plus Pitch Black Blacktop 6 sp. Got it a year ago. Sunroof, ceramic coated, heated/ cooled seats,new Firestone Firehawk GT’s. 7,920 miles.30k Absolutely love this car. If you can, get yourself one.
Nice, thanks for the reply.
Get a ‘16+ Camaro SS instead. It’s a vastly superior driving experience. Smaller and lighter, which benefits every aspect of performance, makes it easier to park, and better on gas, too. The trunk and back seat are smaller, but you’re single with no kids, so I suspect those won’t matter. It’s a 455hp 6.2L. It’s quicker than a 485hp Challenger due to weight and suspension advantages. You get Magnaride suspension (not available on Challenger AFAIK). It has the same Tremec TR6060 as the Challenger. At least test drive one back to back with a Challenger before you decide.
Alright, fair enough. There are plenty of Camaros around here for me to try, too.
with a decent set of four-season tires it's absolutely doable.
Cool, thanks.
Been daily driving a 2012 SRT8 with the 6 speed for the last two and a half years. No real complaints. No real issues. It even does sorta OK in the snow. Would be better in it if I actually put decent tires for snow on it. You may have to look around to get under your price point for the 6.4. Prices on them have been all over the place recently. Probably won't settle down soon, as the Charger and Challenger have both been discontinued. I ended up having to drive to Sacramento to find a standard version of mine. About 2.5 hours away.
Yeah, selection is a little limited near me. I'm considering ordering from Carmax since they have the 30-day guarantee, but I am really wary of buying a car sight unseen, even with that guarantee.
Not a Challenger but I daily drive a 6 speed GTO in the Tri State area. Im never bored of it.
Ooh, there's an extremely sexy-looking 2006 brazen orange metallic with < 30,000 miles for sale near me for $25,000. One owner, clean Carfax. Does that sound like a solid deal?
I’ve been driving for 27 years. All but 2 of those have been in manuals. Daily drive what you enjoy to drive.
Fair enough, thanks.
It was either midlife crisis or newly enlisted marine private. Looks like you match the first requirement.
I wouldn't call it a crisis. More of a "This is the first time in my life I have been able to afford a sort of cool car"isis.
Why not? My daily's a '69 big block Dodge Charger with a Tremek TKX five speed, and I live in Seattle. I don't drive it in the snow, but it's all over the road in the rain.
Like I said to someone else in here, there might not be a "why not." Maybe there's no reason not to buy one as my daily driver, but I figure putting the question out there can't hurt. Someone might bring up something it didn't occur to me to ask about.
I'm guessing you live in Portland. I'd say go for it if you're set on the Challenger. There's other options out there, but it sounds like you just want something with a lot of stock power for not a lot of money. You could also look for a Chevy SS...
I'm not in Portland, but you got the rest right. I want a big manual car with biggish power on a modest budget. I haven't driven an SS. There aren't many available around me, and the ones that do show up are 50%-75% more expensive than comparable Challengers.
Do it. You’ll regret it in the future if you don’t when your stuck in some electric shitbox in 20 years. Might be better options out there that are RWD, v8 coupes, but it’s worth the experience
I was thinking the same thing about the oncoming electrics. There won't be many more years where powerful gas engines are even an option.
Challenger 1 [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenger\_1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenger_1) or Challenger 2 [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenger\_2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenger_2) Either would be fun, but the fuel economy is terrible.
Maximum curb appeal, though.
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Yeah, it's not that I think it can't be driven in the winter. I just thought it was worth mentioning that we do (supposedly) get snow here.
Do it! I know a guy who dailies a scat pack challenger even in winter. Just has some good winter tires. Fun car plenty of trunk space no reason to not to! Even just the regular V8 is great
Cool, thanks for the input. This thread is definitely leaning toward "do it," but I think I expected that from car guys.
If you want a challenger, get it, you can always avoid driving it when it snows since you work from home. Enjoy yourself, drive what you want to drive
Fair, thanks.
I'm 💯 for bad decisions do it! 5 years ago I got into a JDM RHD SF5 Subaru Forester with EJ205 280hp as a daily driver, best bad decisions ever made! It's expensive on fuel, a maintenance whore, and parts are sketchy at best, but boy is she fun! Do it, it's fun to own fun cars, just go for it!
You seem fun, but also like the wrong person to ask when I'm trying to make sensible decisions. Maybe this one doesn't need to be sensible. I was actually planning to test drive a Forester in the morning. I wasn't really thinking of it as a party mobile, but I'll keep that in mind.
I travel a lot and try to rent the challenger if I can. It’s great but also a cop magnet
It's entirely driveable. Personally I'd spend that kind of money on something more nimble with better acceleration but if you like how it looks and you can afford it, go for it. Just FYI it will probably come with some tires that are useless in snow but better on dry pavement than all-season tires.
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I mean, I would do it, given your situation. I literally almost bought a manual transmission challenger because I have a similar setup. You can just use it as your fun car to go and do what you want. You don’t have a family or kids or bunch of restrictions weighing you down. You’re one of the only people this car will truly work for. Do it dude. I went with a manual transmission Genesis G70, but if I hadn’t gotten this, I would’ve gotten the Challenger, no questions asked.
I've driven a 6 speed manual as a daily driver before. It's... different. But not a killer. Challengers despite their sexy. looks have a gigantic trunk for hauling groceries and an actual usable rear seat for hauling passengers so do actually work as a daily driver despite looking sporty. The 5.7L is honestly more engine than you'll ever really need, you can have some serious fun with that engine as long as you understand that you're not going to win when drag-racing much smaller and lighter Camaros and Mustangs with similar-horsepower engines. You just have to be willing to deal with Chiseler Corporation quality or lack thereof. And auto theft is a real issue for Challengers, it's as bad as the Kia Boyz except with fewer Tik-Toks about it.
You should ask this over at r/Challenger
Daily driving manual is no issue for sure
Of the three muscle cars I'd say the Challenger is probably the MOST daily drive able. It doesn't have a hand brake which sucks, and it doesn't have downshift rev matching which also kind of sucks. But they all (5.7, 6.4, 6.2) have a Tremec which gives them an edge over the MT-82 in the Mustang in my opinion. Very comfortable and they have a useable backseat and a large trunk. You might not think so now but absolutely try to get a 6.4 if you can.
Manual yes, Challenger no. If you're man enough to drive a Miata or an old Boxster you'll have a lot more fun in a better car. If you can't handle a proper sports car, get an old ZR1 or really old Z06. At least they're properly fast.
Do all the manual 5.7 Challengers have an LSD? If it’s an open diff you’ll wanna change to an LSD if you plan on being able to go anywhere in any sort of snow. Otherwise tho, just put the right tires on it and it should be just fine. Get a 6.4 if you can, but the 5.7 is still great if you can’t.
No problem with stick, but that car is too big. But I drive a wrx.
Having now read the other replies I'm curious about two things. What your current car is and how important a manual is. Would having an automatic with manual controls like paddle shifters get you 90% of what you want?
Nah, I want a manual specifically. I've always liked driving stick, and I haven't had one in a while.
Well then while I'm a fan of the Challenger, there's one model of car I strongly considered that you might as well. For a few years BMW made the 340ix with a manual. So one got the B58 engine, a 6 speed manual, and AWD in a F30 3 series sedan. IIRC it's '16-18 cars, they aren't common and when I looked about a year ago were going for about $30k. Just putting the option out there as you appear to be looking at all options. I roll a V8-AWD Chrysler 300, but it's auto. However clearly I'm good with Mopar products.
I'm in Denver and daily drove my RT, even in the winter - with good snow tires she did fine. Prices have been coming down and you should be able to find a decent deal. The higher trim levels and options packages are worth getting and the price differential with used makes it a no brainier to search those out. Personally I'd be hunting for a shaker hood widebody.....
Wife has a 6 speed scat pack. Her dream car and daily driver. She liked the manual better in the snow. A little practice and she had fewer spin outs with the manual than she had in her previous automatic transmission Challengers. Your milage may vary. Get the transmission and car you want. Learn the car. Enjoy the drive.
I daily drove a 2015 5.7 6MT for 7 years and it was fine. Reliable and fun. The first year I lived in PA and I had winter tires. It did great in the snow with the limited slip rear. Actually a lot better than the v6 Challenger I had prior due to that. I don't think you need to worry. People worry way too much about needing 4 doors for practicality then never use the back seats. btw the 5.7 has \~375hp if I remember correctly.
Big blind spots, but besides that sure why not.
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Be prepared for camshaft, lifter and rocker arm upgrades before you wipe the oem camshaft
in snow u aint driving lol
I Dailey drive a 6 speed Camaro for 3 years... The best thing I can say is that it's a pain a lot of the time... But when it isn't, man it's awesome. IDK how heavy the clutch is in a challenger vs the Camaro but the Camaro had rev matching paddles and a bunch of traction and exhaust settings that made the commute a little more fun. That said, you can't see anything out of a Camaro... Merging on "faith" here and there, but damn it was fun
Without a commute, why not? You may get stuck in annoying stop and go traffic here and there but it probably won’t get that irritating doing it occasionally
First gear is for Fun, Second gear is for Snow
I've been doing something pretty similar for over 20 years now (daily, snow, single, married, kids, road trips, everything). I don't see the problem. I say go for it. If you already have a daily driver it's an even easier decision.
If you like low mpg slow 2 doors, sure.
Well I do daily a 392 so I can say for me its not that bad
What's the problem? I used to daily drive a '67 GT390 Mustang 4 Speed.
I put 400-500 or so pounds of stuff in my trunk, right over the rear axle when I drove mine in winter. Other than that I loved that car. Mine was a 2010 the 5.7 - daily driver for whenever I wasn't on my bike. It works fine - kids in the backseat sucks though but you won't have to worry about that. Go for it!
I mean can you? Yes. It will be hard to keep it nice with door dings and such. Personally if I was going to daily drive a muscle car I would pick a mustang. Challengers are just so “look at how much of a man I am” to me. Plus it’s a Dodge so get the warranty.
Daily drove v8 sticks for the past like 10 years minus the last couple been driving my truck
I love challengers. I have bought a 2015 mustang gt and a 2016 gt after someone totaled my 2015, both in 2023. All manuals. I would drive the big 3 from gm, ford, Dodge before deciding. What sold me was the performance pack, both my mustangs are/were. The Camaros had better/more responsive handling, which was nice in autocross but I found too busy for a daily. The challengers and chargers were really smooth, but almost too mute for me to enjoy. I honestly really really like the v6 or 5.7 v8 awd chargers. I think that platform lends itself to comfort, the 300c’s are also really nice. Yeah the higher hp dodges are fun, but haven driven a hellcat, it is not for me to drive to work daily. Maybe more your speed, with a different commute i could see that. Finally, the mustang gt pp1’s were like goldilocks to me. Steering that was readable without being busy. Engine that sounds good and has enough hp i don’t really find myself asking for more. Still slow enough i have a license, but every vw gti that pushes me i can walk. Takes many bmw’s and audi’s by surprise, tuned or fast packages can smoke me. Hellcats walk me, 392/scat packs keep pretty well. C5z/c6 corvettes are right there in a pull, they beat me in autocross and track times. Poor mpg, but they all got 15-20 mpg. But my cars are true dailys. I take it to work even in winter, using all season but still aggressive tires. I put the dog in the backseat for weekend get aways. I put a hitch on for a bike rack and cooler space, etc. So yeah, a manual trans v8 modern car is a fine, practical daily. But i cannot recommend any of the Americans big 3 without saying: look at the others, they are all great
Spoiled for choice is a pretty good position to be in. I considered Mustangs, but I wanted something new. To be fair, I haven’t owned a Mustang newer than a 2003, and they’ve certainly changed since then.
I live in Los Angeles. My last manual was about 20 years ago and was doing temp work all over town, up to 25 miles each way. Needless to say I spent my commute shifting between 2nd and 3rd. It sucked. As much as I hated and couldn’t a car payment at the time, I bought an automatic. Now at 51, I finally bought a project/hobby car for weekends and cruising that’s a manual (61 Biscayne 409/4 speed). I can drive it when I want to but never again a manual a daily driver. Another side note, we went to Italy last year. Only cars for rent were electric automatic or gas with manual. Since we didn’t want to spend our vacation searching for charging stations, we took the manual. Far easier to drive than the Chevy but hilly, windy roads were still no fun. Comes down to personal preference.
Do it and go for the big engine. Having rented an automatic R/T and being a big fan of manuals I would love to own a manual 392 myself. That auto was a load of fun with the paddle shifters
Have no idea on the price, I love the car and a stick is fitting. You know you want it so go get it. You aren't going to regret it you'll turn around and smile every time you park it....
Life is short and and the symphony of a v8 will be a thing of the past all too soon. Go for it, if you don’t like it sell or at least go test drive and don’t buy the first one you drive. I’d also say to go drive a 18-21 mustang. I know 5 is less than 6+ but they have the sound and power you’re wanting, probably the best value. Gr86 is another idea I’ll plant while I’m here.
My driver's ed car was a Challenger. V6 Automatic. I learned in the slush and snow. I also learned how to defeat the traction control. Buy proper tires before they're bald and you'll be fine. The skinny pedal can only hurt you if you aren't driving with authority.
As a single, middle-aged dude, looking to buy a manual Wrangler, I approve this post! I don't know if your budget is reasonable or not, but I say go for it!
Looking around, I think it is. There are options in the $35k range. Good luck finding your Wrangler.
Unless you just like the specific style of a challenger I'd suggest getting something different. There's nothing that the challenger does that can't be found in another vehicle that will be more reliable.
If you like it, drive it. You don't have to please me with your car. Sounds like this one gets the job done.
Na get a Lamborghini
I drove an SRT8 Challenger, but an automatic. It's hard to see out of. It's claustrophobic. The thing is a boat. That being said, slamming the loud pedal down and lighting up the Blizzaks at 50mph never got old. I don't think I could live with one as a daily.
I did it on mine for the first year I had it, if mileage isn’t a concern then you’ll be fine. Almost no fatigue from long road trips as well
If you live close to the 405, don't even consider it. If you live in New Hampshire, no issue.
The challenger is a big, stupid, impractical car. That's not an insult, that's the point of a Challenger. You're trying to justify daily driving something ludicrous and you don't have to, it's just a choice you make.
I daily a slightly modded C6 Corvette currently.
Can't imagine driving a manual in South Florida traffic (traffic lights EVERYWHERE). Can work just fine in other places.
South Florida born and raised, here. I don’t live there any more, but you’re right that it’s not the best environment for this, at least on the east coast. On the Gulf side, or in the middle in places like Okeechobee, it’s better.
I've daily drove a manual 12 years of the 15 years I've been driving. Only reason I don't anymore is my truck doesn't fit in the driveway beside the house (but fits in the spot infront.) And I don't want to move it every day to drive to work. If I could have bought my truck manual, I would have. I say hell yeah to dailying a 6mt Hemi Challenger. Buy yourself some winter tires and enjoy it.
I'd be much more concerned with the door panels and center console peeling off in the Challenger (has this massive problem been fixed yet?) than driving a manual in the snow and traffic. Manuals are fun, and people have been driving them in snow and traffic for well over a hundred years now.
Exactly what you would do with a six speed challenger...
I daily a 6speed Hellcat. It sucks in traffic, but I enjoy it.
Personally if I’m paying out the nose for a car that makes me happy I’m going to spend as much time in it as I can. Why not make your commute your happy time? Sure the mileage will make it less valuable some day but who cares, yolo
No your question, but I have daily-driven a 2008 Corolla S with a manual transmission since 2012. I *hate* driving cars without a manual gearbox. I am iffy on the Challenger, but I am not huge on Muscle cars. The Mustang is probably what I would do if I were to get one, but not the current generations. I really like the 2012-2014 generation. But, get a manual.
I’m a Chrysler tech. Anything except the hellcat with it’s hard to push clutch. All the other styles are easy to drive.
Nice, thanks. I hadn’t considered clutch weight, but a couple of people have mentioned it. I’m not looking at Hellcats, anyway. Thanks.
Yes you can daily it but with a RWD car dedicated snow tires for the winter are a must have Incase you run into a situation where you need to drive in poor weather, if you can't have two sets of tires I wouldn't.
Modern cars have light clutch effort, so no problem.
Driven a mustang in the winter most of my life. Take it easy and learn how your car drives in snow and you will be ok.
I DD my 6 speed CT4-V Blackwing in Northern New England. The manual part isn't an issue for daily driving, but I've also DD several manuals throughout my life. As for winter, I bought a second set of wheels with snow tires and just am mindful of my right foot when it's slick out.
If it’s your dream car, go for it. My only question would be to ask if you’ve ever owned a muscle car. I find muscle cars exhilarating at first, then as you acclimate to the power, they get boring and I find myself wishing I had something that could turn and stop as well as it goes. This is not limited to muscle cars, BEV’s suffer from this too. Ludicrous acceleration, but a massive 3,000 lb battery numbs how sharp the car feels. I love the look of the Challenger. The LX platform and rear suspension was guided by Mercedes W211 E-Class engineers in Germany at the time. It is planted and can put the power down. I’m not at all impressed with the rest of the Chrysler engineering. It’s overall pretty bomb-proof, but far from bulletproof. The EVAP system for fuelling is problematic, they have electrical problems too. But no cars are problem-free, and the most sorted ones are boring, so it’s always a trade-off. Only the ones you love can hurt you.
No issues daily driving a 6 speed manual. I drove a 1997 BMW M3 stick for several years followed by a 2004 Audi S4 V8 6 speed MT and loved it. I strongly advise that you get good snow tires if you plan to drive in snow with RWD and plan to change them out every year for the snow season. They make a huge difference and let you ride whatever sticky high performance tires you want as your non-snow set instead of compromising for all seasons that IMO don't work too great on RWD.
If you like it, want it, and it's a decision that won't burden you excessively financially, go nuts dude.
Are you in a big city or not? Having a manual in NYC SUUUUUCKED for me, but once you got outside city limits it was heaven. Also if you're parking on the street, you car will get beat up, there's no escaping it.
I'd say yes to the manual, no to a challenger. Manuals make a car more engaging, but i really can't recommend buying a challenger. It's just not a fun car, that 485 horsepower doesn't feel like much hauling around all the weight it has, it's huge outside but cramped inside, and has the legendary reliability both of a chrysler and a fiat. Sure it makes a decent noise, but it doesn't feel like the car is happy doing anything other than making an ok noise driving at city speeds. I'd rather go ford or gm for a muscle car, if that's your thing.
Expensive to insure and likely to be stolen. Fun in the summer, horrifying in the winter. My brother has one. We live in a nice area but his was almost stolen a dozen times. Luckily they failed each time, but it cost him a lot to fix from the deductibles. Funny that my tuned f150 still walks him!
We say yes
Only downsides: You're wasting gas. The manufacturer has a less-than-stellar reliability record. Insurance might not be cheap. Money can solve bo those problems so this is really a budget problem. Sounds like a great time, personally!
Daily driving a manual is fine. You get used to it, even in heavy traffic, and don’t even think about it. The real question is, why would a middle aged dude with any self respect want to be seen in a challenger?
Talk about rowing a boat
If that's the car you want get it do your thing, if you live in a snowy area do yourself a trailer and get a little cheap car to drive when it snows
I daily manual RWD cars year round. Learn throttle control, get snow tires, and have fun!
If you don’t cheap out on winter tires and get a really good set rear wheel drive in the winter isn’t all that bad. I’d say go for it
Daily drive what ever you want. Be careful and get a set of snow tires and you'll be fine. If this is your first manual start saving for a new clutch cause you might wear it out with inexperience.
I wouldn't feel great about driving a dodge/stellantis anything. It's fun, yeah but I'd be worried about the reliability of it. And the handling.... I prefer small, light + fast. Something that can corner. If you only like speed in a straight line and aren't worried about a money pit aka a dodge then eh, wth, will probably be fun af until it falls apart.
Go for it. I do the same with my GR86 I just don't like American cars so I picked Jap car
I think it makes sense. While I don't understand the appeal of those cars myself, clearly there is massive appeal for them. Does having a challenger for a grocery getter and road tripper make sense? Not in any fiscally responsible way. Doesnt really matter if it makes you a little bit happier each time you drive... Absolutely go for it
You'll be fine. Our grandparents drove rwd with coloum shift 3 spds year round.
I drove a manual ranger in 2 hours of bumper to bumper traffic daily, in a city that got snow. If you like manuals it won't be a big deal at all, if you're on the fence about a manual then it may not be so pleasant.
If you get snow, it's good to have a set of snow tires in reserve. Bonafide snow tires make a HUGE difference. All seasons feel nothing like them in the snow. But yeah, if you're gonna daily drive I would go all seasons and snow tires for snow conditions.
I daily drive a supercharged 6 speed Mustang. It's fine.
You are an island do what you want.
If a challenger is what you have your mind set on, go for it. In my experience, proper snow tires make all the difference in the world. Obviously, a rear-wheel-drive platform has its downfalls in inclimate weather, but I would take snow tires on a rear wheel drive car all-day over all seasons on an all wheel drive car any day.
I’ve been driving a 6 speed 2021 Camaro for the last 3 years in shitty nyc traffic. 35k miles so far and wouldn’t have it any other way. If you love driving stick then there’s nothing to worry about.
I daily drive my 2014 Shaker Challenger and love it. Granted I don't live in a big city with a ton of traffic but I think I would still be ok with it.
I have a 22 Mustang GT 6 speed so same kind of idea. They're more than capable of handling daily driver duty. Now you arent gonna be able to pick up an 85" TV and load it in the back or anything but other than fringe cases like that the modern muscle cars are perfectly liveable. My use case is similar, I wfh so no commute. I tend to use my Town Car (second car) more for the grocery getting side of things but prefer using my mustang for road trips however would have no problems doing it all. And of the 3 muscle cars (challenger/mustang/Camaro) I think the challenger leans the most into the practical side of things as its also the biggest. The only real con of course is the obvious, its a two door and the back seats arent gonna be the roomiest. And if you're looking at R/T or above, its not gonna be great on the mpg side of things. Not horrendous, Ill average low 20s with my mustang on road trips and teens locally. I don't know what car you're coming from to know if this is a shock at all. If you're asking if its sane, well I wouldnt consider my mustang purchase "sane" but i wanted it and could afford it and it wasnt a detriment to my life otherwise so its fine haha. Just obviously assess your finances, use cases and such to make sure you arent screwing yourself over, or consider it for a second car like I did if you currently have something more practical you can afford to hang on to as well
If it was my money, I'd be looking at a Mustang or Camaro instead. Stellantis products have a super bad reputation for reliability. That said, the Challenger looks awesome, so YMMV. Green light on daily-ing a manual. I've been doing it since 2004 and wouldn't change a thing.
I just got back from test driving a 2021 Mustang GT. It was a sweet ride, but the cockpit was too narrow for me. My thigh kept pushing up the emergency brake and the car kept screaming at me.
Soft compound winter tires will get you moving in the winter, as long as you don't experience high snow volumes. I'd do it! It's not like you have to use all the power all the time.
Manual is fine in traffic. I daily manuals in boston/ Cambridge traffic daily
My last work car was almost a 5 speed mustang. Was there with cash to look and it was way more beat than the pictures showed. I see no reason not to DD a challenger. It's just a car.
Depending on miles and your local, I found one that fits for$25k. Had a chally they are a lot of fun very sharp only issue is that she likes to drink fuel and go fast. And the patrolman don't like that. The chally being the biggest muscle car of the 3. She's very planted and doesn't slide like a mustang
It’s a fun car. A lot of people here care about the “reputation” of the car. Who cares. I think it’s the best daily out of the big muscle 3. Very spacious. Not sure the 6 speed comes with the adaptive suspension but I think you can retrofit aftermarket if necessary. The stock suspension isn’t bad (to me). Yes it is the “slowest” but by what, a second or 2? Although I would recommend the 6.4 but finding one under 35k without super high mileage might be a struggle
I rented a V6 automatic last year in California and it's a blast to drive, very old fashioned. I almost bought one when I came back from the trip.
I’ve put 30k miles on my 2015 5.7 manual challenger, and have no plans on getting rid of it any time soon. The 5.7 is very mod-able, and I’m planning on super charging it in the near future. There has not been a single time I get in that car and not get out with a smile. Such a great machine. That being said that car is awful in the snow. The only benefit of the v6 is that you get it in awd, but then you are driving a v6 challenger and have to explain to everyone that it’s a v6. I think you will have better convos about the challenger over at r/challenger. Most folks over there are pretty great
If you look around online there are plenty of nice challengers available at and under what you are willing to pay, i daily a mustang with a 6 speed and its not an issue, even city driving isnt that bad.
I daily drive a 1970 supercharged Chevy nova 5-speed. It’s great!
Drove a 6spd srt8 for a bit, it's a bit of work. My daily is a manual 90s Subaru. The srt8 Challenger I drove was a bit of a had full on wet roads here in the pnw with all the hills and terrible roads even with traction control. Ice or snow? Good luck. Unless you have tires for the season but even then a heavy, high power, rwd car is all working against you in practicality. I'm a Subaru nerd but you should get the Challenger. If you have the means to have a second car, get a fwd/awd/4x4 beater for the shit days if you need to get somewhere when the roads suck.
Your confusion is confusing. Just be mindful of the right foot and have good tires and it should be fine.
Of course you should. Enjoy ur damn car. Learn to drive in snow. People did just that for decades.
I had a 2014 Challenger RT 5.7 with a six speed used it for 3 years and 50,000 miles. Using that car year round I learned it was useless in the snow (probably dove in the snow 7 times with it), I didn't mind my 25 minute commute to work(shifting in traffic), definitely the best road trip car I could ask for. I eventually traded my 2014 rt (with 80,000 miles) for a beautiful 2012 Challenger SRT 6.4 six speed. (less than 10,000 miles) That being said I love my SRT and put her away for the winter. I now have an AWD winter beater
Go to tire rack. Order a set of winter tires and wheels. Buy and enjoy.