Matt S.

1. Did we communicate with you clearly? Absolutely. There were no communications issues ever with this project. Email, web blog, and phone were used extensively and despite the distance and being unable to visit there was never any question about where things stood, how things looked, or what was needed or required from anyone.

2. Did the quality of our work meet your expectations?

The quality is excellent in all aspects. I was referred by a friend with another Dodge SRT-8 and having seen his car and hearing his praise, I never had any doubt that the quality would be anything other than top-notch. I have no doubt that I too will be referring work to Precision Restorations.

3. Did we complete the work within the agreed budget?

A proposed budget was submitted just based on phone conversations and emailed photos. The final budget was quickly prepared once the car was in the shop and was agreed to at the beginning. The only changes to the budget were from my end as I thought of more things I wanted done to the vehicle while it was away and in capable hands. The original budget for the original work (flame paint job and suspension installation) never changed once agreed to.

Please provide a brief story regarding your restoration project and your experience with Precision Restorations.

I knew when Dodge announced the rebirth of the Challenger in 2006 that I would eventually end up with one. I already had a 2007 Charger SRT-8 that I completely love. The Challenger was the next logical step. After finally getting my hands on a Hemi Orange 2008 First Edition, I thought that I would be set. However, I quickly came to realize that Dodge, for all its wisdom in reviving classic looks, had failed to give me the mean, modern Mopar muscle car I truly craved. Sure, it was mean, modern, and Mopar, just not as much so as I had really wanted. Hemi Orange, while a very eye-catching color, was just not enough. I needed more “pop”, more “flair”, more “panache” on my vehicle. After all, this was my first purely pleasure car that was bought guiltily with no intention of driving it daily. Prior to the Challenger, every vehicle of mine had to be practical, functional, and economical. All that went out the window with the 425-hp orange slab.

There comes a time when, once you’ve decided that a bright orange car ISN’T enough, that you question your sanity. My wife didn’t understand the desire for flames. My friends said I was crazy for putting money into and significantly changing what was already a collector’s car, even more so for doing it during a down-turn in the economy. Regardless, I knew what I wanted and called up my friend Bill Hazen here in Lexington and asked where he had had his car work done on his Charger SRT-8. Enthusiastically, he told me of Precision Restorations and moments later I had their web site on my computer screen.

My first contact with Mike Marino at Precision was very positive and we discussed the car and options for the look I was wanting. Mike was very excited to get to work on a new Challenger and show off that the skillset at Precision applied not only to classic cars, but also to new muscle.

Within a week or so, I was satisfied that Precision was my final choice for doing the work I wanted (and that my wife wasn’t going to check me into an asylum). I drove the Challenger the 350 miles to St. Louis and met everyone face to face at Precision. The workmanship and professionalism are evident in every employee, in the building, and in the cars they have in various states of work littering the workshop. You can’t walk more than a few feet in any direction without tripping over a museum-quality car that would make Barrett-Jackson auctioneers drool.

Mike, Jon and Dan each took plenty of time explaining the cans and the can’ts of the look I was seeking (as it turns out, blue flames on an orange car were not as feasible as I had hoped, a point I was glad to learn at that stage rather than down the line), and within an hour we had a final budget, a clear work roadmap, and a schedule that we were all comfortable with. I left the shop for my trip back with visions of my dream Challenger dancing in my head.

The regular weekly updates from Jon, both by phone and by the web blog, complete with pictures, kept me up to date and confident of all the work being done. I was mailed a test panel with the exact paint style that would be on my car, which only fueled my excitement at the project. My expectations grew with each update, and by the time the project was completed, the car was exactly what I had hoped and dreamed of.

Today, the Challenger lives in my garage where it patiently waits for me to show it off around town or at the drag strip during test-and-tunes. I am very pleased and very grateful to Precision Restorations for the quality, attention, and care they showed my car while they turned it into my dream.

Matthew S.

Lexington Kentucky

2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8