A '70 Challenger or '69 Charger have been my dream cars since the early '80s. In HS around '88 a Challenger R/t was about $4500. That was a fortune at the time considering I bought my '73 Firebird for $800.
Over the years I watched prices skyrocket. Sometime in the mid '90s I got to the point where I could not even bear to look at a Challenger or a Charger. So for 15 years I would not even look at a picture. It was too painful. My priorities were building my skills, shop, and business. Living like a starving artist while investing everything I had back into it pretty much put my plans of owning an old Mopar off indefinitely.
Fast forward to last year when my car came to me like it was fate. As a direct result of my business, and at the exact moment it was possible. Now recovering from it over the last year has not been easy as I continue to build my business, but I have no regrets. It's been tough at times when I have had to spend the time and money I did not have, and it has really pushed me beyond my mechanical abilities. To be honest it's been a sturggle and I have flirted with the idea of giving up on more than one occasion. One look at the car erases any and all doubts. Man it's just a thing of beauty, and the reaction it gets is nothing short of amazing. Driving it is like being in a parade.
