i agree, the challenger because i prefer the look...

 

How about mod friendly? GTO would be easier to mod, due to a larger aftermarket, right? And what about handling and ride. Do you think they are close? I've never been in either.

 

The GTO is currently WAAAAYYY more mod friendly. The Challenger (or any of the Charger/300 variants) does not have much of an aftermerket (yet that could change). There are not many mods for these cars, things like stalls, intakes, cams etc just are not on the market yet at least in any quantity. The GTO because it is LSx based has an absoulte $hit ton of mod options out there. This all could change but history repeats itself the Mopar guys will not have as much aftermarket as the Ford/GM guys. Keep in mind though that the LS1 cars were low/13 cars when new, the aftermarket took about 2-3 years before it caught on and it took guys 3-4 years before they figured out what the best combos were.

 

ive been in and driven GTOs, ive been in a challenger, but it was the concept, and it wasnt moving. based on that, its hard to say.

ive spent a TON of time in lower line 300s and chargers, and the mid level 300 was nice on a 500 mile drive. it was the walter p chrysler edition..which included fog lights, leather interior crap, navigation, sirius. it was the nicest rental car that ive ever had. in the base model charger, after 500 miles, im uncomfortable..where as the SAME ride in my stratus RT is more comfortable. i rent very regularly, and i try to get a different car each time for comparisons sake.

the srt8 seats that ive been in was on an autocross course...i was in the drivers seat for about 5 minutes, much of that spent romping through turns...which ive not done in a GTO. at this point, i dont think that the advantage in interior comfort of the GTO could be that great compared to the challenger, so that wouldnt sway me. as for being mod friendly...ive seen very few GTOs that impress me. i understand that the LSX engine series in a great lineup, but the "hemi" as it is has done a good job of making power, all behind and auto trans....and there has been less time for R&D for the hemi stuff. either way, the GTO is probably the more easily modded vehicle, but if i was going to consider a GM product right now, I would work towards the extra money for a C6.

 

That's pretty much what I figured. Thanks for the info.

If GM had made the GTO look even remotely like an old GTO, they would have hit the ball out of the ball park. A retro looking car with 400 bhp that runs bottom 13's/high 12's would have been a stunning success. I'd probably own one. I am not brand loyal (having owned Ford, GM and Subaru in the past 4 years). However, I do tend to place more emphasis on looks than a lot of other people. I just don't care for the look of the GTO at all. I prefer the slower car that looks better to me. If the GTO *looked* like a GTO, it would take me all of 2 seconds to choose it over the new Mustang.

I pulled up to a guy in an '06 GTO at a light. I was in the Z. He complimented my car and I did the same to his (I'm never rude to someone about their ride). Light went green and he punched it. I blew by him and we got caught at the next light togther. I asked what year it was ('06) and if he had any mods. He said just a K&N drop in. Again, I told him he had a nice car. He said it was his "4 seater Corvette". I smiled and the light went green. He gassed it again and I just let him go.

To me, the new Challenger is what the GTO *should* have been. But the GTO would have been even better because of the huge aftermarket. I still can't figure out what GM was thinking. They had the ball teed up and ready to be whacked. Instead, the missed the mark (in this writer's own, humble opinion).

 

I've only sat in a SRT-8 in the showroom, messed around with all the compartments, etc. I've owned a GTO. On a comfort comparison between the two car's seats, I would call it an even match. Both cars have awesome seats. The GTO, Imo, has the Mopar whooped pretty bad on the rest of the interior. The Dodge fitment and choice of materials is bottom of the barrel. I'm not bashing the SRT-8, but most SRT-8/Mopar owners will agree that other than the SRT-8 seating, the interior is cheap. As far as modding goes, the GTO has the support that it needs to out-do the SRT-8s. The only thing that is slowing the LS2 GTOs down is the suspension. The car simply overpowers the 245 tires sitting on IRS. It has nothing to do with the car being " porky". It has the all the power it needs to overcome the weight. All it takes is a set of decent DRs and some drag bags to put the LS2 well into the 12s. I've seen plenty of GTOs in the low 10s with a little spray or F/I. If Mopar would get their shat together and back their patrons up in the aftermarket, it would be a win-win for both Mopar and the Cars. I would love to see what a R/T Charger would do with a good tune, LTs, a 3800 stall, and some tires.

 

mods for the SRT-8s are $$$$$$$. there are a few stroker kits out. one takes it to the 392 and the other to the 7.0l 426. but like i said $$$$$$$. GS motorsports has a nice supercharger set up and there are a few turbo set-ups but again $$$$$$. there are head and cams out but you really have to look for them.at the present time there is not alot of info on how well they perform or will you grenade you engine. so, i guessthat right now the mods for the SRT-8s are just so expensive that not alot of people are buying them.aDiablo Sport or even better a CMR tune will really wake upa SRT-8 and are roughly the same price as the one for the mustang.as far as comparing the challenger to the charger the link below should help out.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...cs+page-4.html

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...e+page-11.html

 

I read that too. But then I read that the wheelbase is 9" longer AND 9" wider track than the Mustang. That's the real source of the weight - it's a huge car.

 

I've heard of the hemis getting something like 75 hp from a full exhaust and a cam. If they are modded right they can throw down somedecent #s for being lightly modded

 

does anyone read my posts?

just in case anyone does...i thought that id comment, based on ****** comment.

the stuff for the srt8s is expensive because in most cases, the owners are clueless white collar, middle aged guys who might own a hammer, and maybe a socket set, but they couldnt pick a freeze plug from a glow plug. since amanda and i have been thinking about getting a 300c srt8 as our next car, we have paid attention to items at the nationals and such, and the prices of things are RIDICULOUS. im not trying to speak poorly of our srt owners here, but ive openly expressed my disgust with the lx sedan crowd in the past, and the consumers in a market set the price....the lx owners have set the price high, and most of those prices include labor charges. it might help if a HUGE portion of that group wasnt convinced that a low 13 second car is blistering fast...but compared to a jeep or a minivan, it is..when an entire market pays 40,000-ish for a car, the mods are certainly going to cost more. im sure that when the LS1 cars first came out, the mods were expensive for that, but as the prices of the cars drop, people with less disposable income buy them, and aftermarket companies recognize this and offer lower dollar mods...

the new "hemi" does perform well, and ive seen pretty good performance from both trucks and cars with the new 5.7 and 6.1 (Cars only). we had a guy from DF who had gears, headers, exhaust, some head work, and a cam, and he ran in the mid 13s with a RCSB ram. again, mid 13s isnt all that fast, but thats pretty damn quick for an NA truck, IMO.

in the end, the mod that the challenger will need the most is a diet...i think that its still a badass looking car.