A 2010 Dodge Challenger SRT8 in Hemi-Orange.I haven't thought about it, but based on the last few vehicles I've owned, I became a 'Mopar Man'. Not counting motorcycles, my driving life started out with a 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass. I had that car for years and close to 200k miles before giving it to a good friend. I had another 72 Cutlass that was given to me, as well as a 1968 Buick Skylark GS that was also donated to me. The other Cutlass was junked, and I in turn gave the Skylark to another friend. In 1986, while I was still driving my original Cutlass, I purchased a new Ford Thunderbird with the 5.0L V8. I remember my dad telling me I bought an "old man's car". :) I forgot exactly when I finally gave the Cutlass to my bud, but the TBird lasted me until I purchased a new Dodge Dakota pickup truck in 1995. Another 5.0L V8 and 4WD. Traded the TBird in. The 4WD turned out to be a good choice as the winter of 95-96 on Long Island was a record breaker! Driving the little pickup around in the snow when others were getting stuck was a blast. I still miss that truck.
Roll back to 1991 when I adopted Jessi, a lab samoyed mix. She loved going for rides, even to the veterinarian. When I had the TBird that wasn't a problem. However the Dakota was a standard cab. Jessi did not enjoy riding in the passenger seat of the pickup truck all that much. So in the fall of 1999 I ordered the Dodge Durango. I half jokingly told everyone that I bought it for Jessi. The front seats were mine, everything behind them belonged to her! ;) Hell, even when I traded the truck in last week there was dog hair all over the place. To that I should add that Jessi has been gone since May of 2008. The Durango was a reliable old friend through the years. Not much maintenance, a trip down to FL to visit the parents once, and drove it out here to the west coast when I moved in 2000.
All good things seem to come to an end. After the fiasco with Putnam CJD, the engine light reappearing didn't exactly give me the warm and fuzzies. A mechanic friend told me that the engine code and transmission behaviour likely meant I would need a new tranny. Things began to seem like the downhill path to monthly repairs that cost as much as a car payment. So, it was time. I've been thinking of two of the "retro" looking muscle cars of late. The Challenger and the Mustang. I rented a Mustang when I visited my daughter and her mom for a week back in March. It was good, but some of the ergonomics in the interior bothered me. Keeping my bad left leg in mind and wanting the 6-speed manual transmission in the SRT8, I went to look, sit, and test drive. The first good sign was I could sit comfortably while driving. Next, the visibility wasn't as bad as one may think (I've been used to great visibility out of the Durango and Dakota for 15 years). Feeling the power during the test drive hooked me and I knew that I would not be driving my once trusty old friend home that day. It was bittersweet as I emptied the small amount of personal belongings from the Durango into a plastic bag to carry over to where my new car awaited. Not only my new car, but my third new Dodge in a row. Somewhere after the GMs and Ford I seem to have become a Mopar Man.
