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Old 7th January 2020, 00:14   #16
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Re: Welcome to V8ville: Touring the Californian Coast in a 2019 Dodge Challenger

Dodge's are my favorite too..my TBHP handle

I got to rent all below American beasts in 2017 & 18, most of them were HEMI/V8s and for my weekly drive to work from Dallas to Austin (SH130 near Austin is one of the very few tollways in US where you can legally drive 85mph).

Mustang GT tops it all. I got it at a bargain price in San Jose Airport(100$ for 4 days over a weekend). Had the pleasure of driving it close to 1,000 miles around mountains till Fresno and up north till Sacramento.

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Last edited by aah78 : 7th January 2020 at 19:54. Reason: Pictures inserted in-line.
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Old 7th January 2020, 02:48   #17
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Re: Welcome to V8ville: Touring the Californian Coast in a 2019 Dodge Challenger

Great travelogue and amazing pics.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sdaityari View Post
in California without front plates, I can be fined! In case you are wondering, I did not check the plates of the Black Challenger to confirm if the car conformed to the rules.
I have been flirting with this front license plate rule for years now. typically, cops do not pull you over for a missing front license plate, if everything else is in order. If they do, they issue a "Fix It" ticket (correctable violation). You need to fix it, show it to a cop and have him sign it. This correctable violation is similar to front window tinting violation, or having a big idols on the dash (in the line of sight). They may ask you to fix it, get it inspected and have it dismissed in the court.

My Tesla Model 3 has not had a front license plate for almost 2 years now. I have had tinted windows on other cars, modified license plate holders, loud exhausts on motorcycles etc, all these are correctable violations. There are millions of fishes in the ocean, but the pain is only felt by the fish that is caught. Currently, the front license plate is the only violation I am living with, I have given up on all others.

Last edited by GutsyGibbon : 7th January 2020 at 02:51.
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Old 7th January 2020, 08:40   #18
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Re: Welcome to V8ville: Touring the Californian Coast in a 2019 Dodge Challenger

Very interesting and informative T/L
How much I envy those muscle Cars !!!!
Agree that they come handy when towing a trailer which may be a Camper or a boat, but that does not happen every day.
Then the consolation comes to my mind that .... even they have to drive within speed limits. I drive an old Toyota Corolla or relatively newer Toyota Rav4 of my student daughters in USA while visiting. To me, driving LHS or RHS does not matter as I have spent over 9 years driving in Iraq, Qatar and Bahrain and later 14 years in Dubai besides Off Roading.
Muscle Cars with incredible power available just with a gentle push on the Accelerator, miles and miles of open straight Silk Silk smooth roads, every driver respecting the driving etiquette .... pleasure of all this is taken away with just a small signboard indicating speed limit of 55 MPH or 70 MPH.
Who says driving in USA is easy for someone from India ?
Start driving on a long drive - it is Automatic Transmission so use of your left leg is gone.
Once on Freeway - engage Cruise Control and half the use of Right leg is gone.
Everyone driving on same speed and straight highways mean no frequent brakes required - most of the use of both legs is gone.
Lastly, no one n the road, making mistakes to make you angry means you have no reason to stick your head out and and gurgle out all those fancy Punjabi curses ... what a boring drive.
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Old 7th January 2020, 10:24   #19
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Re: Welcome to V8ville: Touring the Californian Coast in a 2019 Dodge Challenger

That is a dream-inducing vacation that you have had. Moreso with the Challenger R/T around, as a petrolhead you would certainly have got your due. I had recently bought the Charger R/T (5.7L V8 HEMI) and the thought of it waiting in my garage brings a smile every moment I recollect. The brrr-sound of the truck engine is too sweet to ignore

My car - and the middle snap is during one of the rides that we undertake (and that I rarely attend).

Welcome to V8ville: Touring the Californian Coast in a 2019 Dodge Challenger-whatsapp-image-20200107-8.44.10-am.jpeg

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Last edited by aah78 : 7th January 2020 at 19:54. Reason: Pictures inserted in-line.
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Old 7th January 2020, 10:36   #20
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Re: Welcome to V8ville: Touring the Californian Coast in a 2019 Dodge Challenger

Quote:
Originally Posted by sdaityari View Post
I recently drove a Dodge Challenger for 2000 miles across the Californian Coast across two weeks, visiting a variety of offbeat locations. In this post, I would like to share my experiences of planning the whole trip (I absolutely hate travel agents!), focus mostly on the car rental (obviously, duh!) and the places we visited.
Brilliant thread. Enjoyed reading your travelog and I must say it caters to the car nuts, foodies and travel bugs equally.

These good old American muscle cars are few of my favorites and when we visited the USA almost 4 years ago, my son who is 11 now and I used to gawk at these cars driving by. Next time I visit, I will definitely try and get a rental at least for a day or two. Thanks for sharing.
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Old 7th January 2020, 19:50   #21
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Re: Welcome to V8ville: Touring the Californian Coast in a 2019 Dodge Challenger

US is definitely a land of muscle cars and big-engines. Your post reminded me of my 4 month long US trip in 2013 where I had the good fortune of renting the V6 Camaro convertible and the V8 Challenger. In the process became good friends with the Hertz rental person who somehow accommodated these 2 beasts in the office car-rental package itself though it provided only for Corolla/Camry and likes
The V8's turbo-whistle and push at the back on flooring was extremely addictive to say the least and brought out a stupid grin every time. Traveled all over San Jose, SFO and CA-1 with these two brutes.
There was this funny incident with the Challenger. I went to Point Bonita Lighthouse near Golden Gate bridge and a family with 2 kids were there too. Both of them started jumping excitedly on seeing the orange Challenger and their parents asked me if I could make a little vroom-vroom for the boys. Needless to say I happily obliged and the both kids went nuts

Welcome to V8ville: Touring the Californian Coast in a 2019 Dodge Challenger-img_5788.jpeg
True muscle car proportions

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The addictive V8 Hemi

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Convertible Camaro. Open top is a different feeling altogether
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Old 7th January 2020, 22:04   #22
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Re: Welcome to V8ville: Touring the Californian Coast in a 2019 Dodge Challenger

Quote:
Originally Posted by sdaityari View Post
Some Easter Eggs in the Challenger:


It looks like the head of a demon on the headlights. Perhaps, someone from the forum knows what exactly this is.

Attachment 1953432
The head of the demon you mention is the Dodge Ram Logo / Outline
Attached below
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Old 9th January 2020, 11:22   #23
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Re: Welcome to V8ville: Touring the Californian Coast in a 2019 Dodge Challenger

Found this interesting article and thought of your travelogue.

The Ancient Dodge Challenger Now Sells More Than Twice What It Did When It Was New

Quote:
The Dodge Challenger is a muscle car that’s been around in its current form since 2008, and has roots in 1990s Mercedes-Benz architecture. But Dodge sold more than twice the number of Challengers in the U.S. market in 2019 as it did in 2009, when the car still qualified as “new.” That makes the Dodge Challenger a modern marketing marvel, both for its sheer sales numbers and for making us all perpetually forget how old it is.

Fiat Chrysler announced its Q4 and annual sales results on Friday, which listed Challenger sales at 14,298 quarterly and 60,997 annually. That’s roughly where sales were in 2018 as well, but the more important comparisons come when you look toward the beginning of the decade, around the time when the Challenger returned to the market for the 2008 model year.

Back then, when the car was actually “new” to the U.S. market, sales were less than half of what they are now. Here’s how Challenger sales have trended over the years, which can be easily summarized as “up”
And the best looking muscle car IMHO.
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Old 9th January 2020, 12:07   #24
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Re: Welcome to V8ville: Touring the Californian Coast in a 2019 Dodge Challenger

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
And the best looking muscle car IMHO.
And no surprise that (other than the usual Japanese sedans and hoards of Teslas) majority of the cars I saw on the California coast were either a Challenger or the Mustang.

Last edited by vb-saan : 9th January 2020 at 12:20. Reason: typo
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Old 25th January 2020, 13:41   #25
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Re: Welcome to V8ville: Touring the Californian Coast in a 2019 Dodge Challenger

Quote:
Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon View Post
I have been flirting with this front license plate rule for years now. typically, cops do not pull you over for a missing front license plate, if everything else is in order.
Glad to know that I won't have to pay a fine immediately if I ever get caught in the situation.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Amrik Singh View Post
Who says driving in USA is easy for someone from India ?
Start driving on a long drive - it is Automatic Transmission so use of your left leg is gone.
Once on Freeway - engage Cruise Control and half the use of Right leg is gone.
Everyone driving on same speed and straight highways mean no frequent brakes required - most of the use of both legs is gone.
Lastly, no one n the road, making mistakes to make you angry means you have no reason to stick your head out and and gurgle out all those fancy Punjabi curses ... what a boring drive.
One of my cars in India is automatic, so I don't really have issues on long drives. I usually listen to Punjabi music and the left leg finds use in tapping to the beats. I simply don't trust the adaptive cruise control in these cars - it's a mental block perhaps. I like being engaged with the car, even if it's a long straight road.

I curse often, even in the US, but with my window closed. It helps me get the frustration out of my system, without inducing any road rage.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Champion View Post
That is a dream-inducing vacation that you have had. Moreso with the Challenger R/T around, as a petrolhead you would certainly have got your due. I had recently bought the Charger R/T (5.7L V8 HEMI) and the thought of it waiting in my garage brings a smile every moment I recollect.
The car looks absolutely gorgeous. I am one of those people who believe that racing stripes make your car faster!

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Found this interesting article and thought of your travelogue.

The Ancient Dodge Challenger Now Sells More Than Twice What It Did When It Was New

And the best looking muscle car IMHO.
If I had the choice between the three, I would take the Challenger any day. I recently came across this comparison by Edmunds (Spoiler: Mustang edges past the other two easily) and my heart still beats for the Challenger.

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Old 14th March 2020, 13:24   #26
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Re: Welcome to V8ville: Touring the Californian Coast in a 2019 Dodge Challenger

Quote:
Originally Posted by sdaityari View Post

If I had the choice between the three, I would take the Challenger any day. I recently came across this comparison by Edmunds (Spoiler: Mustang edges past the other two easily) and my heart still beats for the Challenger.
You betcha.


Am logging in here after a long time.
Told my 17 year old kid that if he got a full ride tuition to University, would buy him his dream car. He goes and gets the full scholarship, so had to keep my end of the bargain and get him the 2020 Dodge Challenger SXT with AWD (I live in the New England area where we get a lot of snow).

The Triple Nickel colored Base model six cylinder with 305 horses cost me 34K (on road price with all taxes and regn. etc. and preferred to take the 0 down 0% APR option for three years which works out to about 955$ monthly).
Am dreading the thought of the insurance premium hike that it will bring about in the next policy renewal because am already paying an additional 3500 USD for every six months because of the 17 year old being added to my existing policy.


But at the end of it all, he has earned it and the car is truly worth it.

Last edited by vb-saan : 14th March 2020 at 14:07. Reason: YouTube URL removed from the quoted portion
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Old 24th August 2020, 11:02   #27
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Re: Welcome to V8ville: Touring the Californian Coast in a 2019 Dodge Challenger

Update: I recently visited the US as my wife's trip home was cancelled. Unfortunately, Vande Bharat flights were available to only a few US destinations, so I had to complete the last leg of the journey in the form of a 3 hour road trip (after a 15 hour flight, 5 hour layover, and another 2 hour flight during stressful Covid times).

Naturally, I wanted a fun car for the trip so I opted for the Mustang at Hertz (their rates have gone up since they filed for bankruptcy). It was a 2020 convertible model with a 4 cylinder EcoBoost engine with just 5k on the odo.

First impression: it drives much better than a Challenger V8. I should say that I'm not surprised, given that I knew a Challenger was always meant to be a bullish car.

I'll provide details on the flight, the driving experience and subsequent activities during my trip in a separate post. Until then, here are a few snaps of the beauty.
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