My Journey to HC ownership

[Smitty]

That sucks. People like that deserve to be someone’s little bitch in the local penitentiary

 

[MM Alexander]

As I mentioned in the opening post, I'm coming from the Corvette world & theft of the car never crossed my mind. Needless to say, I walked into HC ownership with my eyes wide shut! I had no idea they were that "hot/popular" with the low life ghetto crack/meth scum of America. Shoot, I never even paid much attention to a Dodge ANYTHING. What lead me to a HC ownership was seeing a Challenger WB and I thought "not bad." Couple that with me growing tired of having to fall in/crawl out of low slung Vettes over the years (it was really weird after being in my lifted Sierra on 33's all week) and the HC WB Challenger became a viable option. But ... as an Engineer, I totally dropped the ball by NOT considering all variables (like theft rate) when researching pre-purchase.
I replaced my stolen HC WB with another HC WB - RedEye this time around. I decided to get all the "bells/whistles" this go round (much like my last Z06 and my current Denali).



I've also built/designed a full security and tracking system because the factory offerings for alarm and the Guardian system are worthless. I put a full blown 2 way system (with RS, Shock/Motion/Tilt, Li BU battery - the works) interfaced into the CANBUS with remotes that will control the aftermarket alarm and the factory system. I moved the factory OBD connector to an undisclosed location (to alleviate anyone being able to simply plug in a device to clone a key) I also added a a full fledged GPRS / GSM tracker that sends texts based on shock, movement, door status etc.. It's track-able via the web or through an App. With different commands via text messages, I can request status, location, battery connection state, BU battery percentage. I can also deactivate the fuel pump via text message - for it to kill immediately or when the vehicle comes to speed <7 MPH and a host of other features (many of which become redundant to the alarm system I installed). I use a similar, though older 2G based SIM (that works just fine) on my Harley. It's a very reliable/robust system that only cost me $5 a month for the Simple Mobile 2/3/4G Sim.
So, while I can't necessarily stop the attempted or actual theft of the car. I can just about guarantee that:

• It won't be easy
• It won't be without making me aware of the attempt
• The devices are next to impossible to find/access and equally as difficult to defeat
• If stolen with a Tow Truck "yanker" style ... I'll know exactly where it's headed or has arrived to

I'd never had a vehicle stolen in my life (and I've owned 70 or so) and I don't plan on being a repeat victim.

 

[BULL]

As I mentioned in the opening post, I'm coming from the Corvette world & theft of the car never crossed my mind. Needless to say, I walked into HC ownership with my eyes wide shut! I had no idea they were that "hot/popular" with the low life ghetto crack/meth scum of America. Shoot, I never even paid much attention to a Dodge ANYTHING. What lead me to a HC ownership was seeing a Challenger WB and I thought "not bad." Couple that with me growing tired of having to fall in/crawl out of low slung Vettes over the years (it was really weird after being in my lifted Sierra on 33's all week) and the HC WB Challenger became a viable option. But ... as an Engineer, I totally dropped the ball by NOT considering all variables (like theft rate) when researching pre-purchase.
I replaced my stolen HC WB with another HC WB - RedEye this time around. I decided to get all the "bells/whistles" this go round (much like my last Z06 and my current Denali).

View attachment 40263

I've also built/designed a full security and tracking system because the factory offerings for alarm and the Guardian system are worthless. I put a full blown 2 way system (with RS, Shock/Motion/Tilt, Li BU battery - the works) interfaced into the CANBUS with remotes that will control the aftermarket alarm and the factory system. I moved the factory OBD connector to an undisclosed location (to alleviate anyone being able to simply plug in a device to clone a key) I also added a a full fledged GPRS / GSM tracker that sends texts based on shock, movement, door status etc.. It's track-able via the web or through an App. With different commands via text messages, I can request status, location, battery connection state, BU battery percentage. I can also deactivate the fuel pump via text message - for it to kill immediately or when the vehicle comes to speed <7 MPH and a host of other features (many of which become redundant to the alarm system I installed). I use a similar, though older 2G based SIM (that works just fine) on my Harley. It's a very reliable/robust system that only cost me $5 a month for the Simple Mobile 2/3/4G Sim.
So, while I can't necessarily stop the attempted or actual theft of the car. I can just about guarantee that:

• It won't be easy
• It won't be without making me aware of the attempt
• The devices are next to impossible to find/access and equally as difficult to defeat
• If stolen with a Tow Truck "yanker" style ... I'll know exactly where it's headed or has arrived to

I'd never had a vehicle stolen in my life (and I've owned 70 or so) and I don't plan on being a repeat victim.

GPS jammers?

 

[EricG]

Welcome back! I think you will like the Redeye motor

 

[EricG]

I have the Mopar EVTS system installed on mine, gives me some piece of mind as theft rates here are about as high as anywhere in the country.

 

[MM Alexander]

GPS jammers?

Good Ole VCO is great at blocking Satellite based GPS - I mean GREAT (seeing how the signal is being broadcast from 10s of thousands kilometers away).
However being fully aware of VCO (you can buy them on Ebay for under $10 - and they WORK) my devices use GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) - which is all terrestrial (boosted radio signal from tower to tower).
As long as T-Mobile continues to offer 2G/3G I'm good to go! They were planning to "sundown" both 2G & 3G but since they merged with Verizon that created a backlog of events. Also, when AT&T sundowned their 2 & 4 G towers, it supplied T-mobile with over a hundred thousand new accounts of fleet vehicles that had AT&T 2G for their tracking units. T-Mobile announced that they have suspended the planned sundown of 2/3G - for the next 3 years.

Welcome back! I think you will like the Redeye motor

Ehh ... Not trying to be "that guy" but - Every single one of my Vettes would of taken the paint off both of these HC's. While powerful - they just are not very quick or agile. I do love the interior space (and now that I have one with some options) the creature comforts. But just as I aged out of crotch rockets and moved into Harleys (and I wonder why I waited so long) I'm more than fine with the RedEye. Plus the blower in the Z06 was silent (I had a ECS 2200 on the C6 and it was pretty quiet as well) - the IHI makes all the right noises when prompted.

I have the Mopar EVTS system installed on mine, gives me some piece of mind as theft rates here are about as high as anywhere in the country.

That seems to be more like "Onstar" in function/price. It's pretty basic in my view for what it cost to purchase the module along with the service pricing (from 150 to 500 bucks). My unit cost <$50 with a $60 a year SIM ($5 per month) and offers far more in terms of functionality (like having a back up battery that can power the module for 3 days in stand by mode). Though if the EVTS offers peace of mind for you - it's worth it none the less.

 

[Magnified]

Welp ... That Didn’t Last Long
So after finally getting everything lined out at the dealership concerning warranty. I became the owner of a Challenger HCWB.
My original plan of driving to Houston to visit, before heading home to Amarillo went awry based on weather forecasted for the Houston area.
Not wanting to let the PTO time go to waste nor wanting to return to the office early, I decided to drive to Chicago (born and raised the first 18 years of my life) and visit with family - most importantly my 96 year old Granny.
Pretty uneventful trip - just the way I like a road trip to be. Upon arrival, my older brother (a Cook County Sheriff Deputy) ask “what happened to the Z06?” Followed by “why the fork did you drive that here ⁉️“ As we proceed to discuss things he states, in his 30 year cop - concerned BIG Brother tone - that I needed to be very careful while out in that car.
I tell him “I’ve come up in far more expensive cars and never had an issue” He then tells me about the hooplah the HC has created within all the ghetto low lives and that he just didn’t feel comfortable with me out as things had changed for the worst (in all honesty - Chicago’s SouthSide ain’t NEVER been for the good). I agree to keep my head on a swivel, we go over some other things and he seems okay. Day 1
....

I’m out and about and needed to grab some things and stop by an AutoZone. When I tell you the damn “Natives were restless” at the sight of the car. I have never gotten the accolades/attention from a car in my life - and I’ve owned close to 70 over the years. It made me a bit uncomfortable, to be honest. Day 2
....

My Brother calls me early Friday morning and says “hey take my SUV when/if you go out around the city. It’s rainy out so no need to drive your car and plus the truck needs to be driven as I have been letting it sit for far too long.” No problem I say and he sounds relieved. I grab a few items out the car, leave the car out front and continue on. Day 3
...

The next day it’s still a bit overcast out but is supposedly going to clear up later so I planned to drive the HC later in the evening. Plans got a not awry and I end up gone the entire day in the SUV that my Brother insist I drive. The car is still out front of the house - no big deal.
My Brother does ask “Hey, are you going to put your car in the back?” I tell him it’s difficult egress/regress but maybe I’ll do it later. I don’t, I fall asleep without thinking about it. Day 4
Morning comes and my phone rings - it’s my Aunt and she ask “where’d you park your car?”
I tell her I left it out front. She says “There’s nothing there but broken glass!”
I proceed to get out of bed and walk to the front and look out the windows ...
I’ll be Hot MOTHERFORKIN DAMN - these raggedy, broke, decrepit, waste of flesh feral savages have STOLEN MY BRAND NEW DAMN CAR!
I had the car 4 fuckin’ days! FOUR!
My Brother said be happy they stole instead of trying to CarJack me for it. One of his FireFighter buddies, whom just retired, was murdered for his TrackHawk, middle of the afternoon, at a popcorn shop!
I swear I fuckin’ hate these NICCAS! I’m a Black Man from these streets and so NO ONE can tell me anything about them. No excuses about the white man and that BS! I’m a Degreed Engineer - I had it hard BUT ... it didn’t turn me to a life of excuses and crime! It simply made me want to work HARDER to get the fork away from this sh!t!
I swear I hate broke, scheming/conniving deceitful, NICCAS! FUXK those who disagree!

Damn man, sorry to hear that. Just glad you or yours were not hurt. Insurance should make you whole financially, I hope, and it won't 'fix' it but its better than nothing. The world we live in.

 

[SDREDEYE]

Welcome back and the anti-theft system sounds great! Congrats on the new toy!

 

[72 440 Barracuda]

Before I drove her off the dealership lot - with all of 4 miles on it! View attachment 38873

As I was approaching thmagical 500 mile mark

View attachment 38874

What was left a mere 4 days later

View attachment 38875 View attachment 38876
I swear I hate NICCAS

Sorry - a little late to the thread... I was gonna say congrats on the purchase, but after reading this post, IT SUCKS!!!
Sorry to hear of the theft, sounds like your older brother was right (and thats hard to say coming from younger brother myself) !!!!

 

[72 440 Barracuda]

As I mentioned in the opening post, I'm coming from the Corvette world & theft of the car never crossed my mind. Needless to say, I walked into HC ownership with my eyes wide shut! I had no idea they were that "hot/popular" with the low life ghetto crack/meth scum of America. Shoot, I never even paid much attention to a Dodge ANYTHING. What lead me to a HC ownership was seeing a Challenger WB and I thought "not bad." Couple that with me growing tired of having to fall in/crawl out of low slung Vettes over the years (it was really weird after being in my lifted Sierra on 33's all week) and the HC WB Challenger became a viable option. But ... as an Engineer, I totally dropped the ball by NOT considering all variables (like theft rate) when researching pre-purchase.
I replaced my stolen HC WB with another HC WB - RedEye this time around. I decided to get all the "bells/whistles" this go round (much like my last Z06 and my current Denali).

View attachment 40263

I've also built/designed a full security and tracking system because the factory offerings for alarm and the Guardian system are worthless. I put a full blown 2 way system (with RS, Shock/Motion/Tilt, Li BU battery - the works) interfaced into the CANBUS with remotes that will control the aftermarket alarm and the factory system. I moved the factory OBD connector to an undisclosed location (to alleviate anyone being able to simply plug in a device to clone a key) I also added a a full fledged GPRS / GSM tracker that sends texts based on shock, movement, door status etc.. It's track-able via the web or through an App. With different commands via text messages, I can request status, location, battery connection state, BU battery percentage. I can also deactivate the fuel pump via text message - for it to kill immediately or when the vehicle comes to speed <7 MPH and a host of other features (many of which become redundant to the alarm system I installed). I use a similar, though older 2G based SIM (that works just fine) on my Harley. It's a very reliable/robust system that only cost me $5 a month for the Simple Mobile 2/3/4G Sim.
So, while I can't necessarily stop the attempted or actual theft of the car. I can just about guarantee that:

• It won't be easy
• It won't be without making me aware of the attempt
• The devices are next to impossible to find/access and equally as difficult to defeat
• If stolen with a Tow Truck "yanker" style ... I'll know exactly where it's headed or has arrived to

I'd never had a vehicle stolen in my life (and I've owned 70 or so) and I don't plan on being a repeat victim.

Well, I guess if there is such a thing as a happy ending to a vehicle theft story like yours, I guess this is it!!! Nice "recovery" on the loss!!!

Ohh - and Welcome to the forum, glad to have you aboard!

 

[BULL]

Welp ... That Didn’t Last Long
...
I tell her I left it out front. She says “There’s nothing there but broken glass!”
I proceed to get out of bed and walk to the front and look out the windows ...
I’ll be Hot MOTHERFORKIN DAMN - these raggedy, broke, decrepit, waste of flesh feral savages have STOLEN MY BRAND NEW DAMN CAR!
I had the car 4 fuckin’ days! FOUR!
My Brother said be happy they stole instead of trying to CarJack me for it. One of his FireFighter buddies, whom just retired, was murdered for his TrackHawk, middle of the afternoon, at a popcorn shop!
I swear I fuckin’ hate these NICCAS! I’m a Black Man from these streets and so NO ONE can tell me anything about them. No excuses about the white man and that BS! I’m a Degreed Engineer - I had it hard BUT ... it didn’t turn me to a life of excuses and crime! It simply made me want to work HARDER to get the fork away from this sh!t!
I swear I hate broke, scheming/conniving deceitful, NICCAS! FUXK those who disagree!

Damn sorry to hear this. I would say something stupid like move from where you live, but I know that where a person lives is more complicated than that. And it's not like where I live is immune from car theft. (Well MAYBE right exactly where I live, but that's a stretch).

 

[MM Alexander]

Damn sorry to hear this. I would say something stupid like move from where you live, but I know that where a person lives is more complicated than that.

I live in Amarillo - it was stolen in Chicago (where I was born/raised the first 18 years of life). I was just in town to visit my 96 years young Granny as I haven't lived in Chicago since 1987. I have NO PROBLEM moving/leaving an area, as I've done it several times in my life.
Anyhow, the "New NEW" is at my home safe & secure. The one that was stolen - never made it that far
Something looks different in the garage in comparison to a couple months ago ... I just can't quite seem to be able to put my finger on it though

Hell, I took it on a date to the Drag Strip, already!

BUT... Since the car just turned 93 miles - I only drove out there to take the picture and drive it back home.

And it's not like where I live is immune from car theft. (Well MAYBE right exactly where I live, but that's a stretch).

I'm not worried too much about this car being stolen up here in North Texas - though as I mention in previous post, I designed/built/installed a pretty extensive monitoring/anti-theft/recovery for peace of mind when I'm traveling outside of the area.

 

[Magnified]

I live in Amarillo - it was stolen in Chicago (where I was born/raised the first 18 years of life). I was just in town to visit my 96 years young Granny as I haven't lived in Chicago since 1987. I have NO PROBLEM moving/leaving an area, as I've done it several times in my life.
Anyhow, the "New NEW" is at my home safe & secure. The one that was stolen - never made it that far
Something looks different in the garage in comparison to a couple months ago ... I just can't quite seem to be able to put my finger on it though

Hell, I took it on a date to the Drag Strip, already!

BUT... Since the car just turned 93 miles - I only drove out there to take the picture and drive it back home.



I'm not worried too much about this car being stolen up here in North Texas - though as I mention in previous post, I designed/built/installed a pretty extensive monitoring/anti-theft/recovery for peace of mind when I'm traveling outside of the area.

Your garage was missing that sacrilegious Corvette! Also, that's the roughest starting line of any track I've ever seen

 

[MM Alexander]

Latest Update 2021.04.19

This morning I receive a call from a a 219 Area Code - not familiar I let it go unanswered. Curious, I do a search and notice it's in Indiana, the Hammond area which is 30 miles south of my families location in Chicago. A few seconds later, I get the ding of a voice mail notification. I listen, it's from a Cop at Griffith Police Dept speaking about a Dodge Challenger. I figure "they found the car ... wonder how bad it is..."
I get him on the phone and he tells me that the car is in great condition (minor scratch on the pass side quarter panel). He says the car was recovered after 2 miscreants took it to a local tint shop to have windows tinted more. I tell him, "I never had the windows tinted at all." He says, yeah they must of had it done and wanted it darker. The operator of the establishment felt something was off about "owners" (2 young idiots with a brand new $70K plus car) wanting darker tint on an already darkly tinted car ??? Anyhow, he takes the car in, gets the info they provided (all fake) and then proceeds to call the local authorities. They come in run the plates - which obviously didn't match the vehicle. Run the VIN & comes back registered to me and stolen out of Chicago. They immediately take possession of the car.
I ask "Why did you all NOT let the thieves return to pick up the car - and arrest them?!?" The officer kinda stumbles for words and offers no real explanation. He goes on to tell me how nice of a vehicle it is and so forth.
I have been going back/forth with Allstate over 4 weeks now - as they originally offered $6100 below what I paid! I got that to about $3900 less ($1K of that being deductible) than what I paid - now since the car was recovered, in great condition I'm going for nothing but deductible.
I am so glad I have NOT settled the claim!

 

[firedog62]

Hello World!
It's been a good while since I've been the "new guy" anywhere - but here I am. I've long been into sports/muscle cars and I've owned a plethora of them over the past 30 years. A Fox/SN 5.0 Mustang guy in the late 80's - early 2K's. The past decade and a 1/2 being deep into the LSx/LTx world. The previous 8 years or so, I've owned some form of a Corvette. An overly modified C6 GrandSport (made 918 to the tires), followed by another GS (kept it about 2 months) and finally a C7 Z06 - which I sold just this past Wednesday. I hardly ever drove it (2016 with under 21K on the odometer when sold) and I grew tired of the awkward egress/regress inherit to the low slung design of the car. Also, with the hooplah over the new C8 and the outrageous mark ups dealers are charging (upwards of $25K is the average) for a damn base model Vette, I felt I better take the money and run - while the value of the car was still somewhat respectable - based on the fact that the C8 is so hard to obtain - but that will change.
I had been intrigued/interested in the HC's since they were first introduced. I mean, no matter what brand you may be a "fanboi" of, there's something enticing about over 700 HP - from the factory with a warranty! I'm not much of a brand loyalist (Brands aren't loyal to me - why should I be to them) I just didn't find the Challenger visually appealing enough to warrant more than passing interest. That is until I noticed the wide bodied versions of the HC's. I started to look at reviews, that lead me to look at pricing and before I knew it ... I was deep into the proverbial rabbit hole.
I'm now up late, on my phone scouring the interweb of car sites looking for a low mileage HC WB in the maroon/cranberry color family. There is nothing of note, within 500 miles Amarillo, not at price I was willing to pay. I expand the search to Nationwide one evening and I find what it is I was seeking @ Koon in Virginia, an Octane Red 2020 with just 1400 miles for $62K. I reach out and get a pseudo reply, without much info, the following day. In between response/replies from Koons (the original Internet sales guy was a joke at best ... more on that later). Eventually (after a few emails/calls) I get a salesman interested in trying to sell me the car I inquired about. Saturday afternoon we iron out the particulars, agree to the numbers and they plan to overnight me the papers to sign and send back. Later on that evening, I to delve deeper in the rabbit hole - continuing to gather info/data until late into the night. Perusing various forums and see many a post when searching for Koons and find out they are a major player in the HC game. After reading more post than I care to count, mostly relating to out the door deals. I came to the conclusion that with rebates/offers from FCA, I'd only be out $3200 extra buying a new HC as opposed to the used model I was eyeing. I get in touch with my Sales Advisor early this morning and send him some models I found on Koons site to find out if they were available. If so, get me the best numbers and lets make it happen.
Well, Scott did as I asked and now I'm the owner of a new 2020 Challenger HellCat Wide Body Octane Red. I'm going to fly into Dulles on Wednesday and take a long, winding road trip back to Texas.
Scott sent me a video message Click Me Click Me of which I edited for time and added a bit of content to (images, transitions etc) in order to make it a bit more interesting.
I'm pretty excited, which is abnormal for me as I'm usually the "it's just another car " guy.
Long diatribe but Thanks for reading

I think I bought my 2020 Challenger Octane Red same day as you 24 Feb2021. Scott told me he had to go to airport to pick up a guy from Texas after I leave to get a guy buying the Octane Red 2020 Challenger widebody. our 2 cars were cleaned up and ready to go. So sad yours got stolen.