Dodge Challenger - Long Road Trip Reliability
Discussion
Hi,
I am very much considering driving back from Abu Dhabi to Ireland in May. I have my eye on a Dodge Challenger, more than the likely the V6 but not ruling out the V8 and again I am easy between the manual and auto boxes. Basically the most reliable will be the preference as I don't want a break down along the almost 8000km drive over 2 weeks (ish) especially on the Iran or Turkey sections.
As far it goes for year model, I will be maxing out at 2015 but willing to go older if they are easier to maintain on such a journey or just less hassle / more reliable.
I am also not set on a Challenger however I would prefer something not directly available at home and a bit ridiculous.
Many thanks in advance.
I am very much considering driving back from Abu Dhabi to Ireland in May. I have my eye on a Dodge Challenger, more than the likely the V6 but not ruling out the V8 and again I am easy between the manual and auto boxes. Basically the most reliable will be the preference as I don't want a break down along the almost 8000km drive over 2 weeks (ish) especially on the Iran or Turkey sections.
As far it goes for year model, I will be maxing out at 2015 but willing to go older if they are easier to maintain on such a journey or just less hassle / more reliable.
I am also not set on a Challenger however I would prefer something not directly available at home and a bit ridiculous.
Many thanks in advance.
Hi i have done this long haul couple of times make sure you have new tires and a good spare and bottle jack and a spare belt and bulbs engine oil and transmission and brake fluid etc most american cars are very reliable you dont need to worry about Auto or Manual transmission .Good luck with the trip it will be Epic
zubair said:
Hi i have done this long haul couple of times make sure you have new tires and a good spare and bottle jack and a spare belt and bulbs engine oil and transmission and brake fluid etc most american cars are very reliable you dont need to worry about Auto or Manual transmission .Good luck with the trip it will be Epic
All of the above are already on the list to take with me, It was more any potential major issues that people experienced with the cars and would be able to advise on....but in this case, no news is good news! Thank you for taking the time to reply and the luck will surely be put to good use. SRT Hellcat said:
be prepared as zubair says. Back in 2015 quite a lot of guys stateside made countrywide trips collecting their Hellcats from long distance dealers. I do not ever remember one breaking down. Enjoy and be safe
This makes sense that a cross country US trip would be comparable to this journey and these cars should be able to do that easily. It relieves a pit of pressure in that regard. Thank You. LuS1fer said:
How much are 2015 Charger Hellcats? A bit more under the radar and less in your face, despite being the most powerful sedan in the world.
2015 Hellcat - €50k 2015 V6 Challenger - €11-15k
2015 V8 Challenger - €14-20k
I am thinking of importing the car to Ireland, driving for a bit then selling it on or driving it back to UAE in September.
Being 100% honest, it is more of the asethic of the car I prefer and for a first time trip like this for me, a V6 300bhp is more than enough.
If all goes well, I would love to do this trip at the end of of each working season, getting more adventurous as the time goes by.
Camaro said:
Wasn't there an issue with the 5.7 Hemi eating their timing chains or something? Not sure if that is still relevant to the 2015 models, but it was something to do with 5.7 V8 model.
I will investigate this further but again, I don't think the Hemi will be the first option but if the right car comes up it might just be. Thanks.A couple of additional points to consider:
The timing chain issue on 5.7L Eagle engine was not widespread, far more frequent in cold-climate cars and not much of an issue since 2015.
These are heavy (4000lbs+) cars the 3.5L Pentastar equipped cars are quite under-powered. OK for 2 weeks vacation in the US, but not a great car to travel transcontinental and they depreciate in a quite scary way. Not sure what used values are like in Ireland - in the US they are piss-poor.
These cars don't come with a spare wheel OEM - not even a space-saver donut. The trunk is big enough to accommodate a full size wheel/tire.
OEM all-season tires are awful.
6.1 and 6.4L Apache engine needs good quality premium gas but is otherwise bullet-proof. If the car originates in middle east it should have a cooler thermostat, but that is worth checking.
The timing chain issue on 5.7L Eagle engine was not widespread, far more frequent in cold-climate cars and not much of an issue since 2015.
These are heavy (4000lbs+) cars the 3.5L Pentastar equipped cars are quite under-powered. OK for 2 weeks vacation in the US, but not a great car to travel transcontinental and they depreciate in a quite scary way. Not sure what used values are like in Ireland - in the US they are piss-poor.
These cars don't come with a spare wheel OEM - not even a space-saver donut. The trunk is big enough to accommodate a full size wheel/tire.
OEM all-season tires are awful.
6.1 and 6.4L Apache engine needs good quality premium gas but is otherwise bullet-proof. If the car originates in middle east it should have a cooler thermostat, but that is worth checking.
ChallengerIRL said:
I will look into this too but I can't imagine it would be a big problem for a desert car. Thanks.
The corrosion issue is because Dodge injected the rocker panels in the Challenger with foam for some stupid reason. They tend to rot out just ahead of the rear wheels, usually when out of warranty strangely enough. I'm not sure if this issue affects the Charger, but I suspect it does. I had an original Challenger years ago, and if I was going to sell my Monaro( a big if ) I was considering a new shape Challenger, but I really couldn't be bothered trying sorting out a rust issue on a realativly new car.
The Monaro had next to no rust protection when new, however Holden didn't inject any foam in the box sections, so it's easy to rust proof them. I've had my car for over 10 years and there has been very little rust found.
What ever you drive rust is the one thing you need to keep an eye on.
LuS1fer said:
No but he may have to sell it, down the line and buyers will usually already know what we're telling him now.
Yes indeed, that was my intention. As with all information on here you can take it into consideration.......or not.Edited by mfp4073 on Saturday 30th December 22:18
I would guess the engine choice would make the most difference come resale time
best would be a V8 auto in a nice bright colour ... as for reliability I would do a full service and
buy a spare belt full size spare wheel , tyre foam oil and coolant bulb kit decent jack and a few hand tools , good luck it sounds like a great adventure...
best would be a V8 auto in a nice bright colour ... as for reliability I would do a full service and
buy a spare belt full size spare wheel , tyre foam oil and coolant bulb kit decent jack and a few hand tools , good luck it sounds like a great adventure...
Matt Harper said:
A couple of additional points to consider:
The timing chain issue on 5.7L Eagle engine was not widespread, far more frequent in cold-climate cars and not much of an issue since 2015.
These are heavy (4000lbs+) cars the 3.5L Pentastar equipped cars are quite under-powered. OK for 2 weeks vacation in the US, but not a great car to travel transcontinental and they depreciate in a quite scary way. Not sure what used values are like in Ireland - in the US they are piss-poor.
These cars don't come with a spare wheel OEM - not even a space-saver donut. The trunk is big enough to accommodate a full size wheel/tire.
OEM all-season tires are awful.
6.1 and 6.4L Apache engine needs good quality premium gas but is otherwise bullet-proof. If the car originates in middle east it should have a cooler thermostat, but that is worth checking.
It certainly looks like, after import duties are paid that I can at least break even on the car but I would not expect a quick sale. Thanks for the info engine types, spare wheel and thermo, I will look into all these more. The timing chain issue on 5.7L Eagle engine was not widespread, far more frequent in cold-climate cars and not much of an issue since 2015.
These are heavy (4000lbs+) cars the 3.5L Pentastar equipped cars are quite under-powered. OK for 2 weeks vacation in the US, but not a great car to travel transcontinental and they depreciate in a quite scary way. Not sure what used values are like in Ireland - in the US they are piss-poor.
These cars don't come with a spare wheel OEM - not even a space-saver donut. The trunk is big enough to accommodate a full size wheel/tire.
OEM all-season tires are awful.
6.1 and 6.4L Apache engine needs good quality premium gas but is otherwise bullet-proof. If the car originates in middle east it should have a cooler thermostat, but that is worth checking.
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