The Dodge Challenger was the last entry to join the “pony car” scene. By 1970, Ford and GM owned the majority of market share, but Dodge managed to peddle 165,000 Challengers in the car’s five-year run. This 1972 edition was restored more than 20 years ago and is in good overall condition, though there are a few flaws. Located in Augusta, Georgia, this Mopar is attractively priced at $18,000 here on craigslist. Another racy tip from Tony Primo.
After 1970, sales of the Challenger and its corporate cousin, the Plymouth Barracuda, went into free fall after all the truly potent engines were discontinued. 1971 was the last time you could get a 383, 440, or the 426 Hemi V8 in the youthful Challenger. The top performer by 1972 was the 340 small block that was feeling some pressure itself due to detuning for lower emissions. Most Challengers that year were sold with the more pedestrian 318.
This 1972 Challenger has 84,000 miles, having been “refurbished” in 2002. Its Bright Blue Metallic paint was reapplied and looks good in the pics. However, we’re told there is some bubbling near the right-rear wheel well, and the contrasting white vinyl top is showing wear (original?). R/T badging was added for looks, but the Rallye had replaced it when all the big engines went away. We don’t know if the interior is newer, but one of the door panels is cracked.
The 318 V8 was rebuilt in ’02 and was modified a bit, so it should be far peppier than when it was new. That motor is paired with a column-shifted TorqueFlite automatic transmission that may also be original. Oversized wheels and tires were added three years ago, and you’ll have a newer Kenwood stereo to better enjoy a cruise. Some of the car’s paperwork from 1972 survives and will come with the sale. Does $18,000 sound like a bargain price for a 53-year-old Challenger?
Am in shock…a reasonably priced Mopar :O prolly gone in 60 seconds…Blue is not among my favourite colours but i must say this shade looks good here,and as a weirdo who usually prefers the “not as popular years” the 72′ is my favourite Challenger before the rubber bumper mutations got out of hand :P
I like the car and the price too, even though I’m not sure that carburetor is big enough (sarc)
A sub-$20,000 Mopar that has paint and moves under its own power?
One might almost be tempted to tap the scam button.
I asked for pics of leaf spring mount areas~~ Nothin ~~
Those were far-better-looking Challengers than the flying bricks the current Challengers are, even if they supposedly pay homage to the original. The first Challengers and second generation Chargers were the best looking of Mopar pony cars, IMHO.
My thoughts exactly! These cars looked great new and still look great. Something is off with the new Challengers. I think they sit too high and the big wheels don’t work for me. Could be a nice looking car but they dropped the ball in the design department.
Definitely worth a look, it seems reasonably priced, if not cheap compared to some of the rusty E-body hulks featured in this site. It has some modifications not everyone will like, but those will be easy and inexpensive to reverse. It’s within a 2 hour drive to several million people, it shouldn’t last long.
Steve R
Definitely a sharp looking car for $18,000. It’s a base model Challenger (JH) not an Rallye (JS) and the reworked 318 may actually be putting out more power than the stock 340 of that year which was about 240 hp if I’m not mistaken. For the money it looks really good actually! Interesting to see the column shift. Some people prefer cars without a console. Brings back memories of our old Chrysler station wagon.
They are claiming R/T yet that dash gauges are not an R/T . I’m saying from owning a 1970 Challenger R/T that had the full package = ralleye gauges, slapstick auto, posi Tran rear……gotta question this one
Fuel filter is backwards.
I know nowadays a Mopar like this is considered cheap at 18K but back in the 80’s you could have picked this up for around 3K or 4K.
Three to 4k for a real R/T or Cuda. The people that bought ahead of the curb either through luck or foresight did really well for themselves. At that time that would have been too much money for the cars me and my friends wanted, in an away it was a good thing, it taught us to adapt. Even after 40 years of price increases we still don’t have problems finding a desirable car at a reasonable price. There are 50 years of desirable cars produced since the height of the Muscle Car era, many are near or at the bottom of the depreciation curve, anyone that can’t find something isn’t trying very hard.
Steve R
I think that’s really open for debate. To say, even after 40 years of price increases we still don’t have problems finding a desirable car at a reasonable price, I wouldn’t fully agree with, but I guess it would depend on what’s “desirable” to a certain individual. Back in 1990 I bought a beautiful 69′ Charger R/T for probably 1/10th of what that car would be selling for today. Desirable for sure. Easy to find, possibly, but at a reasonable price? Unless you’re Daddy Warbucks, I don’t think so.
That’s the point, you move with the market. Early Mustangs become expensive you start looking at Fox body Mustangs, when they become expensive you start looking at even newer models. Maybe you move on to a truck, or something else that wouldn’t have been considered. In the mid-80’s you’d only look at solid lifter Z28’s or SS Chevelles, maybe a big block 68-70 Nova SS, by the late-80’s you’d start considering any 73 and newer Camaro or pre-72 2dr Chevelle, by the early-90’s it was any 60’s and pre-73 2dr Chevy. There has always been a progression in what’s considered, based on economics. I loved it when you could find a real muscle cars that were a bit rough around the edges for $1,000 or less, that almost always required a new clutch. But those days have been over for decades. It’s either adapt and find the most interesting car that fits your budget, pay up or go without.
Steve R
Well, not everyone wants to necessarily move with the market. If someone just wants and loves the 60’s or early 70’s Mustangs and has no interest in any after that then they’re not going to move to a fox body or later model. Some people aren’t into trucks at all, like myself, so I wouldn’t even consider that segment. My point is that it’s just a shame that today some people, unless they’re high rollers, are ever going to be able to afford to get a car that they really want because the market prices have gotten so insane in certain areas.Yes, adapt to a market that is out of reach for a lot of people due to the insanity of what collector car prices have done over the last few decades. I wouldn’t want a 75′ Charger no matter how much cheaper it was compared to the 69′ I had, but I guess I better just move with the market and get that 75′ no matter how undesirable it is to me. NOT!
Performance cars from the 1969’s and early-1979’s have always been in demand, while the supply has continually diminished since their last day of production. Over the last 50+ years there should be no surprise the prices have gone nowhere but up. Unfortunately means not everyone that wants one will be able to afford one, it’s just the way it is. Those that are willing to look for alternatives they can live with and enjoy at prices that fit their budget, generally don’t regret their decisions. While those that were unwilling to compromise generally go without, I’m not so sure that’s much of a win.
Steve R