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Am I crazy trading in a Challenger Scat Pack for a Wrangler?

pantheman75

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To make a long story short I was between getting a Wrangler and Challenger early this year. I ultimately went with the Challenger. My wife and I unexpectedly switched jobs recently and now we find ourselves living in the VERY hilly / damp / slick Pacific Northwest. In a nutshell, my Challenger is all over the place at times when the roads are damp, and it's been stuck on two hills it simply can't go up... the RWD and massive torque is awesome but is causing issues. I've been looking at various wheel / tire setups recently to help my situation, but ended up poking around looking at 4WD Wranglers again. I've got a reasonably good trade worked out by since I'm the son of an FCA worker and get employee pricing, and the Wrangler is pretty much the exact setup I want. I just think it's a perfect vehicle for all the outdoor splendor and challenges the terrain presents around here. Am I crazy to trade in my Challenger? I realize that this is a pretty biased crowd, but I'm curious about any "balanced" feedback I can get. Thanks for your time and help!
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Fire Burns

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I rate a new Wranger slightly less crazy than a newish lift-kitted and intentionally de-tuned Challenger rolling on 33's...

But that's just me...
 

Captain Obvious

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There is a dealer in Idaho that will sell you a Wrangler at 8% below invoice, FYI. Way better than employee pricing, I think.

My wife daily drove a Camaro SS with a set of snow tires in Iowa for the last three years. It's all about the tires on the slick stuff. I drove a BRZ with snow tires for a couple years as well, no problems at all. That said, the wrangler with the KO2s would be the better winter vehicle, but it'll certainly feel like a brick on a roller skate after driving the challenger!
 

werewolf4805

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I traded in my '18 Scat Pack Charger for my JLUR and have not regretted once. I did have a JKU before though so I always have loved Jeeps and knew what I was getting into with buying another one. I did the trade because of moving from North Carolina shores to Pennsylvania with the weather and road conditions. Being able to remove the top and doors, going off-roading, and the feeling of safety in inclement weather have all out weighted missing the horsepower. Final thing to consider is the Jeep will be cheaper to insure, at least in my case, and I am getting better fuel mileage in my 2.0L than the 6.4L was getting. Let me know if you have any questions.
 
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pantheman75

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My wife daily drove a Camaro SS with a set of snow tires in Iowa for the last three years. It's all about the tires on the slick stuff.
I drove a Mustang like that in Wisconsin for years with no problems. Snow isn't the problem out here... it's crazy hills and slick roads.
 

BrntWS6

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I kept my muscle car but it has been paid off for some time now. I would rather drive my jeep than the trans am though. So no not crazy to me at all.
 

JB4818

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I agree with sdynak. I just got a Challenger Scat Pack and have a Jeep. My wife and I switch vehicles, so we both get to drive them. She loves the Jeep, but hates it on the highway (commutes 45 minutes on the highway).

What did you drive in the Wisconsin winters? Do you still have summer tires on the Scat Pack? I drove my 5.7L Charger with snow tires when I lived in Illinois during winter. It was a big improvement over "all" season tires. However, that probably wont help you when it is warm and wet since snow tires are designed for under 45 degrees.

I thought about getting rid of my car to get a boring "SUV" my wife would be comfortable driving on the highway and take the Jeep full time, but just couldn't get rid of a RWD V8 car.

Best of luck.
 

Roky

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To make a long story short I was between getting a Wrangler and Challenger early this year. I ultimately went with the Challenger. My wife and I unexpectedly switched jobs recently and now we find ourselves living in the VERY hilly / damp / slick Pacific Northwest. In a nutshell, my Challenger is all over the place at times when the roads are damp, and it's been stuck on two hills it simply can't go up... the RWD and massive torque is awesome but is causing issues. I've been looking at various wheel / tire setups recently to help my situation, but ended up poking around looking at 4WD Wranglers again. I've got a reasonably good trade worked out by since I'm the son of an FCA worker and get employee pricing, and the Wrangler is pretty much the exact setup I want. I just think it's a perfect vehicle for all the outdoor splendor and challenges the terrain presents around here. Am I crazy to trade in my Challenger? I realize that this is a pretty biased crowd, but I'm curious about any "balanced" feedback I can get. Thanks for your time and help!
Obviously you like fast muscle cars based on your choice in vehicles. As long as you’re ok with a major decrease in horsepower then I think you’ll enjoy the switch. As long as you take full advantage of all that comes with owning a Jeep.....:)
 

AGGIEPILOT

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Keep them both! I just picked up my JL for daily driving, my ACR Viper kept its spot in the garage.
 

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UKCATS

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I traded a Jeep for my Scat Pack, then traded it for another Jeep. I miss my Challenger, but I have to have my own Jeep. If feasible, keep both.
 

JeepSmash

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Obviously you like fast muscle cars based on your choice in vehicles. As long as you’re ok with a major decrease in horsepower then I think you’ll enjoy the switch. As long as you take full advantage of all that comes with owning a Jeep.....:)

That’s the key right there. My last three cars were all 400+ HP “muscle cars”. This is my first Jeep and although I greatly miss all that torque The Jeep is fun in a totally different way. Even driving around town is fun but in a I’m not in rush sort of way. The real treat is taking it off road. You can drive to work all week and then go enjoy some off roading.

tons of horsepower is awesome but you can actually use the Jeeps potential whereas muscle cars need a track to really shine (at least safely). Plus. Parking is easier, you don’t have to go sideways over speed bumps/driveways, and if you hit any road debris the entire front of your car doesn’t get demolished.

so no. Not crazy.
 

Jeeper Fever

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No.

You have likely burned out more than one set of tires in your Scat Pack car, and you can hardly use that thing on a public road anyway.

Time for a new toy.
 
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VNT

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Winter car, summer car, problem solved. Would refuse to eat the depreciation. Get some better tires for the Challenger.
 

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Traded it...........water pump fail at 20K, as well as many other disappointments in quality and not being able to do a burnout without modifications to eliminate wheel hop. I'm happy going back to my 3rd Jeep and the front end won't explode if I hit a porcupine.

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