why didn't we buy em when they were new....

[GoodysGotaCuda]

Same here.

Whats kinda funny is the 318 block in the cuda was cast 9/17/71....my bday is 9/17/87 

[cudahob]

A 4 year old can't reach the peddles. 

[RUSTY Cuda]

I was there, but by the time I could buy one all that was left was the 360(74) For the time the cars were pretty crappy, but they all were, My 66 goat leaked like a siv, drilled holes in the floor pans to let the water out, but I must say the cuda never leaked, only failure was a locked up started (early on)& near the end of my ownership an axel came out(while driving home with my then pregnant wife in the car) use of a scredriver to hold the choke open in the cold weather (if you missed the first try it always flooded out) only mechical thing my wife ever did, pull the cleaner & stick in the screwdriver! .
but she drove it the first 4 years we were married, I was relagated to the work van(well during the week) fairly reliable car.
What amazes me is the cheepo's that bought these cars, base was low 3's at the time, mine came in at 4500, with a lot of option's.
Guess it was my life savings at the time(& then some) but foot pump washers, am radios, come on!    Rich

[71bigblock]

My car is a 1971, I was born in '86.  My car is almost twice as old as me!   
Its so sad to see that I am the only one in my generation that I know in our whole town, probably in the county that has a muscle car, other kids just dont care 

My dad's cousin said it best, gas was "expensive" and so was insurance for kids who just got their lisence, or just graduated from high school.   

[Super Blue 72]

I paid $160 more than the original owner of my car back in '71.  About the same I guess.

[1970hemicuda]

I bought a '72 340 Duster new, when I was 17.  $3000 was all the moolah I had saved up after 3 years of summer jobs, so money was my reason for: 1) buying mopar in the first place (couldn't touch a mustang or camaro for $3K) and 2) not moving up the ladder to a 'cuda or challenger.  A couple of my friends had rich daddys who bought them a 340 'cuda and a 340 challenger at the same time.  I remember muscle cars being known as "kids cars" ... once you were 25 - 30 years old you weren't buying them.  Since a lot of dads were buying the cars, they were OK spending the money to put their kid in a new car, but weren't gonna go the extra hundreds of bucks to buy him a rocket ship and "wrap himself around a telephone pole".  Grew up in San Francisco ... hanging around cars ... street racing on Friday and Saturday nights (Brotherhood Way and The Great Highway for those of you who were there~) and never saw a Hemicar, a GT500, Yenko Camaro or Bobcat GTO.  I imagine it was the extra money - remember, a decent wage for the working man back then was $10,000 / year gross.  The money for a hemi option was a few weeks wages, and for you younger guys, you didn't finance your cars back then with monthly payments ~

[blueberry]

.

[Rare_T_A]

I 1970 I was in my first year of high school. Comming from a very small town in South Dakota I was working for a farmer for .75 per hour and working from 7Am to 7Pm in the summer months. At these wages there was no HEMI in my reach. My first car was a handmedown from my brother when he went into the Navy. My first real car was a 65 Cuda in '69. A couple of years later I had a '69 Road Runner and then in the mid '70's got into 4X4's for many years and forgot about cars. The RR was an unmolested complete stock car that I sold for $125.00 and watched it drive away after I got my first 4X4. Now you cannot but the rally wheel center caps for that price!!

[Katfish]

I think history will repeat, the Challenger is late to market and is a bigger car (aren't these supposed to be sports cars) when compared to the Mustang.

Not to mention it will cost more, add all these things together and you have the recipe for 2nd or 3rd place in sales.

[1970RTSE]

I was not quite 3 years old when the T/As came out, so that is my excuse.

One of the zone reps I talked to from back then said the E-bodies sucked. They leaked, rattled and vibrated like crazy when brand new. He remembers seeing power steering pumps seize on cars as they exited the assembly line. That might have had something to do with poor sales....

Some things you either love or hate, not many loved these cars back in the day. Man, has THAT changed.  

[1970RTSE]

I was not quite 3 years old when the T/As came out, so that is my excuse.

One of the zone reps I talked to from back then said the E-bodies sucked. They leaked, rattled and vibrated like crazy when brand new. He remembers seeing power steering pumps seize on cars as they exited the assembly line. That might have had something to do with poor sales....

Some things you either love or hate, not many loved these cars back in the day. Man, has THAT changed.  

I have a good friend who was in the market for a new car in 70.  He checked out the Mustang, Cuda/Challenger and the new 70 1/2 Z-28.  He remembers test driving the Mustang, and it seemed like a slug, and the Mopar car (Challenger) rattled and shook his fillings out. He also said that when he returned the Challenger to the dealership, the headlight bezel fell off the car. He settled on a Z (which he still has).  The car is a survivor with 70k miles.  Compared to my brother-in-laws 71 340 Cuda (his Z is a 360hp/350CI, 4 speed w/RS Option) which has been freshend up but is mostly original, I think the small block Z better car.  Not as fast as a big block car, but faster than the 340, and steers and stops better than any old mopar I drove.  I think the quality control issues were a major detriment to the mopars in the late 60s and early 70s.  The exclusivity is what makes them hot today, and the quality of restoration sure beats the quality of the original assembly making them more fun to drive and more reliable than back in the day.

[whitesatinmopar]

Beleive me I tried. In 1970 I had a wife (first wife) and two boys, and I brought home for a test drive a 71 Chally big block. Well, it was way too small as far as she was concerned. Her dad was a ferd man and she wanted a Galixie 500. I said no d@mn way, so we comprimised and I bought a 71 Plymouth Sport Fury with the 383 hp engine. A big car, but it was a Mopar not some junk Ferd. So the Chally's and Chargers were not "family" cars and that is why I had to wait so long to start buying the Mopars I wanted back then. So there were more things than just $$$$$$$$ that enters into the car of "choice". 

[Got JOB]

Fresh out of high school in '71 and bought a '71 challenger with 318. I wanted more motor just couldn't afford the extra insurance premium that went along with it.

[ChallengerGary]

I was not quite 3 years old when the T/As came out, so that is my excuse.

One of the zone reps I talked to from back then said the E-bodies sucked. They leaked, rattled and vibrated like crazy when brand new. He remembers seeing power steering pumps seize on cars as they exited the assembly line. That might have had something to do with poor sales....

Some things you either love or hate, not many loved these cars back in the day. Man, has THAT changed.  

Born on Date - 6/16/67 could not go down to the dealer and buy one myself but my parents DID own a 1970 Challenger 318 SE - B3 Blue with white interior - hence MY DISEASE!!!!  My name is Gary and I am a Challengeraholic

[hemi68charger]

Man, this thread will date people

For me personally, I was only 5 years old in '69..........

Troy