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I have been into mopars from the time I started driving back in 1977.
Back then, these were just used cars and could be picked up real cheap
I have had in the past (3) 69 RT Chargers, (2) 69 340 Darts a 71 Duster
340, 71 Demon 340 and a 70 Challenger RT convertable (factory 440-4
4-speed, 3.54 Dana) that I unfortunately parked around a telephone
pole back in '83. (I still have the dash plate and fender tag which
I will NEVER SELL!!).
One day back in '85 my brother bought a 71RT body, no rust, for 175.00.
I helped him put the car together over the years and it has been a nice
driver for him ever since. I started trying to get him to sell it to me
over the years, but he would not do it. Even though it would sit some-
times for years, he refused to sell. Which started my search for one
of my own.
After countless wanted ads on various websites and daily checks on
Ebay I was getting a bit discouraged at the lack of '71's around
for sale. My only requirement was that it HAD to be a FACTORY 4-speed
car.
In Dec.'02, while checking Ebay, I spotted a ad for a '72 "U" code,
4-speed SE in upstate NY. I saw other cars in the background of the
photo and stated that while the SE was nice, I was in the market for
a 71RT. Lo and behold, I got a response that he in fact also had a
71RT and it was for sale! At the time the asking price was $16K.
After countless e-mails over a month, and no longer getting any
responses, I thought that it had been sold locally or the owner
had had a change of heart. Months went by and last June I decide
to e-mail him one last time. I got a response that yes he still
had it and yes it was for sale, this time asking price was $12.5K!
Needless to say, I got my hands on a trailer, got directions and
headed up to look at it before he changed his mind!!!! What I got
was a matching drivetrain 440-4, 4-speed, 3:54 Dana car that had
been traded in on a new Durango! This car was sitting at Maple City
Dodge in Hornel, NY only 4-1/2 short hours away from me in NJ.
So 31 years after being sold "new", I managed to buy my Charger as
a "used car" from a Dodge dealer and have paper work that states
it! He even knocked $500.00 off it.
It is currently a "driver" and had been hotrodded a bit over the
years. I am in the process of collecting the missing stock parts
and sometime in the future will restore it. I take my son to the
local car shows and swap meets with it and he gets a real kick
out of it. For now, I just want to enjoy the thrill of driving a
big-block, 4 speed car again.
Something that the mini-van just don't give ya!!!!!!
Rich Mager
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