1970 Dodge Challenger: Great Pony Car
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.
| • Overall Satisfaction: | 5/5 |
| • Performance: | 5/5 |
| • Reliability: | 5/5 |
| • Comfort: | 4/5 |
| • Quality and Craftsmanship: | 3/5 |
Had a 70 Convert for many years. Try to find one that has not been modified much, and you will be happier. Mine was a 340 with the four speed, very rare but a perfect balance. Today you would buy a car like this to cruise, but if you ever drive it hard it can take it.
First the bad points, yes there are some. In the Convertables check for any rust at the base of the top well. This is important, because the water can sit at the point where the rear subframe joins the pan, and weaken the chassis. Also the brakes. Many of these 70s came from the factory with non power drum brakes. Even mine which could top 140, had manual drums all around. If you get one like this, set the front brakes asside, they may be needed someday as origional equipment parts, and get the brakes from the next year Challenger, or Cuda. By then I think they all had discs up front.
Most 70s didn't have a rear sway bar, these are worth the time. After market bars are easy to find, at around $150, and will take you a couple hours in the driveway to install.
Now the good stuff. Any Challenger from slant six to HEMI is a head turner any time you take it out. Be prepaired to spend time talking cars to the guys, and Challenger are probably the best chick magnet this side of a Viper.
On a back road, there's nothing like a Challenger. The V/8 winding down a straight, then throwing the car into a turn, and having it go right where you point it, is a great feeling, not to be missed.
A lot of Challengers have been used in movies and TV, they don't have a bad angle.
The other good thing is that under the skin, it's really just a Dodge. That is to say, very reliable, and when the time comes that something does break, parts are a wrecking yard, or parts store away.
One last comment on shopping for a Challenger. Don't bother buying a collectors car to drive to work, if your looking for a nice car, but will be driving it. Think about saving a bunch of cash up front, even to the point of getting a non runner, and build just what you want.
The quckest way to a 360 crate motor powered car with A/C and modern seats and tunes, may be to build it yourself.
Review ID: 10000000004908307

Thank you for voting. If your vote meets our
guidelines, it will be posted within 24 hours.
You cannot vote on the helpfulness of a review you wrote.
Your request cannot be processed at this time. Please try again later.