The Dodge Challenger Message Board

I would like to open a very important topic : where and how to get money to buy a muscle car please do not write ideas like : go to work

Only serious ideas ;) !!

I got mine by selling my dirt bike as a down payment then mom co-signed on a loan. It was $1750 way back in 1975.

Stop eating.

Cancel TV & internet service.

Divorce the cat / dog so you do not have to feed it or pay vet bills.

Well this is a list of things I have done to not only buy my Challenger but also to keep it over the years.

First of all the really big tip is live in the USA. It will cost you half as much to buy and maintain a car. However I live in the UK so that makes it a little tougher....

Save as much as possible by cutting out everything else. Even after 20 years I still spend as little as possible on other things. Forget about much of a social life outside of the car hobby.

Find a woman that does not mind taking second place in your life. It will ruin most of the relationships you have.

Get money any way you can. Even if you have to break the law to do it. Then borrow the rest you need. Also get as many credit cards as possible and be prepaired to be fighting to pay them off for the rest of your life.

In my case that was still not enough so eventually I sold a 40% share in my car to someone so they could share the bills and the cash injection got my car finished. In return this person took the car for their own use for 2 months a year.

That kind of worked for a few years but then I started to find it was causing problems. So as soon as i could afford yet another loan I bought her share back.

Current status. I now own three times as much on my house as I did when I bought it. However the credit cards are mostly paid off and I even have a small amount of disposable income for the first time in my life.

Good luck.

i just told the bank i wanted to buy a toy & they said how much would you like which kinda blew me away since 12 months before they wouldnt loan me money to buy a machine to improve my income dont see the logic in that but hey ive got my toy & a few years latter was able to get that bobcat to now im trying to get money for a truck
cheers ian

I can see some fine ideas here cmon people write how did you get money to buy yours give some more

dave-r wrote:Well this is a list of things I have done to not only buy my Challenger but also to keep it over the years.

First of all the really big tip is live in the USA. It will cost you half as much to buy and maintain a car. However I live in the UK so that makes it a little tougher....

Save as much as possible by cutting out everything else. Even after 20 years I still spend as little as possible on other things. Forget about much of a social life outside of the car hobby.

Find a woman that does not mind taking second place in your life. It will ruin most of the relationships you have.

Get money any way you can. Even if you have to break the law to do it. Then borrow the rest you need. Also get as many credit cards as possible and be prepaired to be fighting to pay them off for the rest of your life.

In my case that was still not enough so eventually I sold a 40% share in my car to someone so they could share the bills and the cash injection got my car finished. In return this person took the car for their own use for 2 months a year.

That kind of worked for a few years but then I started to find it was causing problems. So as soon as i could afford yet another loan I bought her share back.

Current status. I now own three times as much on my house as I did when I bought it. However the credit cards are mostly paid off and I even have a small amount of disposable income for the first time in my life.

Good luck.

wow dave that is some dedication, and some great advice , especially on the wife/woman area so true

, one other thing i might add is maybe not set your sites to high maybe buy something cheap to get the feel of things,

and then move on from there. like i wanted a muscle car but got started with a malibu , instead of a chevelle, or i had a duster before a challenger,

start cheap , dont lose interest as this hobby is a life long hobby, you can take breakes but stay with your goal and make your dream come true,

i do know this for me atleast i have learned how do alot of work my self , so i end up investing way more time than money, dont be afraid to get your hands dirty and good luck

I think finding cheap cars is the answer. Lot of legwork and phoning around and veiwing piles of shit that should never be allowed to see the light of day again, until eventually you find some buried treasure. I found my Challenger in a chicken farm less than 10 miles from my home and paid £800 for it 22 years ago.By doing all the work that I possibly can I've got it to a reasonable condition for about £4K. That means making your own stuff, swapping parts, selling and buying on Ebay etc. Ain't that half the fun though? At least we all appreciate what we've got and acheived

I should have added to make sure your wife has a good income and is not interested in having kids. They really suck up the car funds.

But as many dogs as you want is okay

Adrian Worman wrote:But as many dogs as you want is okay

Oh hell yeah.

I sold adult videos part time and made quite a bit of cash. If I had to do it over I would do that and diversify,,I would buy a Food & Tobacco "Roach Coach" hit the industrial and construction sites,,, hire a young pretty little thing and her friends and sit back and enjoy the profits. Dogs are always necessary-- snot nosed rug rats arent. ( Dave R. woulda been a great customer!! )

Muscle cars can be tough on a marriage. My first wife left me went I blew the engine and decided to paint the car while it was down. Well it probably was the last straw for that relationship anyways.

Challenger 1
Ex-wife 0

I am on my second marrage and been engaged to two others.

Not all at the same time though.

yea when me and the wife met she used to hang around , and i finally told her you may have to take a back seat to my car(pardon the pun), and after 20 years she is still with me

( i did have to get some dogs like 3 ,but she is happy, i mean lisa)

I have done a lot of buying and selling on ebay. Sometimes it takes spending money to make money. For about 5 years was an avid concert shirt collector anything from Kiss to Metallica to Slayer buying shirts cheap on ebay in the cold weather months and relisting them during concert season (Summer) It is amazing how you can pick up a shirt for under $30 and relist and make a $100 profit.

I have also done alot of thrift shopping and buying stuff at Goodwills, Savation Army's and second hand store and reselling it on ebay.

This helped fund my 71 Challenger.

Next best thing is to sell stuff, anything you have laying around that is collecting dust. If you have a car you don't drive or is expensive sell it buy another car for half the price. Same thing with a motorcycle.

Advertise on craigstlist.com it's (Free)

Cut out any expenses: eating out, going to bars, phone line, cable, vacations, Internet, etc... Money will add up, doesn't hurt to work overtime, that is if you are not on salary and your business of employment allows you.

I love all your advice but... My future wife do not like dogs I have to have children instead than anyway I have always dreamed about refurbishing my muscle car on my own, I like to have my hands dirty, but I dont know if i can buy something instead of my favorites... Challenger or Chevelle... mmm...

BragA wrote:I love all your advice but... My future wife do not like dogs I have to have children instead than anyway I have always dreamed about refurbishing my muscle car on my own, I like to have my hands dirty, but I dont know if i can buy something instead of my favorites... Challenger or Chevelle... mmm...

its not to say it cant be done ,whilst having kids,but it will take longer.

does your wife enjoy cars at all? and will she be behind you with a car project? 2 important questions you should ponder

I am lucky because she knows I love muscle cars and she fully accept it, last month she even bought me a Classic Cars Encyclopedia and a collection of 'Hot Wheels' Muscle cars I think she s gonna love our future big block

Did you say Chevelle as an option? My mate found a 72 Chevelle Malibu with a 6 cylinder and an auto box, cost him no more than £1500 and ran it for a few months as is. Soon as funds came about he fitted some Torq Thrusts, then a 350 crate motor followed by some Flowmasters and a bit of trim.Result: one nice not too shiny muscle that he's not afraid to use and he reckons owes him less than £3500 all in

A 350 crate motor is going to cost you more than £3500 on its own.

Buy a car that's:-

A- A bit rough.
B- A complete turd.

The initial outlay will be less, and it will cost you (a lot) more to get it how you want it, but you can spread the cost over as many years as you like.

Don't get talking to Dave or Duncan Watts about racing. Fatal to your bank balance.

First of all, I have to buy house with a garage to keep it somewhere and to do some work with it.. btw. I d love to have LS6 engine in my Chevelle

BragA wrote:First of all, I have to buy house with a garage to keep it somewhere and to do some work with it.. btw. I d love to have LS6 engine in my Chevelle

hey those shibbys are plentiful, that is why mopars are worth alot more, simply due to the fact there are much less of them

my buddie seth just put an lt1 motor in is buick wagon and he loves it HE DID IT FOR CHEAP TOO!

drewcrane wrote:my buddie seth just put an LS motor in is buick wagon and he loves it HE DID IT FOR CHEAP TOO!

Hey I've been in that car!

Good man is Seth. Say Hi from me to him.

BragA wrote:First of all, I have to buy house with a garage to keep it somewhere and to do some work with it..

I have only had a garage in the last 5 years or something. So that is 15 years my Challenger stood outside and my Charger stood outside for 7 years before that.
In fact when I had the Charger and later the Challenger I was living in a third floor council flat. I used to park in a lay-by at the back and run a mains extension down from my kitchen window to use power tools on my cars.

Having a garage is a luxury.

Dave R wrote :"A 350 crate motor is going to cost you more than £3500 on its own."
Actually it was £1400 from John Woolfe Racing, Bedford. I think its called a "Goodwrench" and its probably a recore but its certainly cheap
They've still got one in the showroom if any one needs one
Almost makes you wanna buy a Chevy does'nt it? Maybe not

dave-r wrote:

drewcrane wrote:my buddie seth just put an LS motor in is buick wagon and he loves it HE DID IT FOR CHEAP TOO!

Hey I've been in that car!

Good man is Seth. Say Hi from me to him.

will do hes a good man,with no woman,just cars ,cars, cars

Adrian Worman wrote:Dave R wrote :"A 350 crate motor is going to cost you more than £3500 on its own."
Actually it was £1400 from John Woolfe Racing, Bedford. I think its called a "Goodwrench" and its probably a recore but its certainly cheap
They've still got one in the showroom if any one needs one
Almost makes you wanna buy a Chevy does'nt it? Maybe not

We are obviously into the wrong brand of cars here.

dave-r wrote:

Adrian Worman wrote:Dave R wrote :"A 350 crate motor is going to cost you more than £3500 on its own."
Actually it was £1400 from John Woolfe Racing, Bedford. I think its called a "Goodwrench" and its probably a recore but its certainly cheap
They've still got one in the showroom if any one needs one
Almost makes you wanna buy a Chevy does'nt it? Maybe not

We are obviously into the wrong brand of cars here.

INDEED