Once pricing for the Dodge Challenger broke last week, we knew it was simply a matter of time before the free market milking began. The first example comes courtesy of eBay, where a dealer from Atlanta, Texas has started an auction for the amount of cash you're willing to pay over the MSRP of the first Challenger SRT-8 they receive. They're nice enough to let you choose what options you'd like (there aren't many) and the bidding starts at $10,000, with a Buy It Now price of $18,990. So the question now is: how much is exclusivity worth to you?
Thanks for the tip Peter.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
rndmnme @ Dec 4th 2007 8:07PM
It's a cool car, but it's not THAT cool.
The only reason I would pay 20 grand over MSRP would be to vacuum seal it in plastic and toss it in storage for 30 years and hope it fetches a few million.
But that completely defeats the purpose of buying a car like that so why both?
Smithers @ Dec 5th 2007 12:51AM
I think I would rather take that 50 grand (!) and go drop it on a project car, an unmolested Charger, you know, with a 4 speed manual.
Seriously though, you could get a lot of American heritage 70's muscle car in pretty decent shape for that kind of dough.
Mike I @ Dec 5th 2007 11:27PM
Or you could invest that $50,000 and make it into $200,000. Then you could buy a Lambo or even better, invest it more and have some real money and put your kids through college or donate it.
White Goodman @ Dec 6th 2007 11:52AM
This is absurd. No modern car will appreciate like cars from the pre-1970 era. Why? Because back then no one bought cars as an investment and they simply drove the snot out of them. Thus the supply of good condition examples is quite low and the demand very high, causing each example to be worth a significant amount of money. When you have hundreds of people buy a brand new Ford GT or Challenger or GT500 as a pure "investment" and 1000s more take great care of their cars, I just can't see how people in the future would be willing to pay exorbitant amounts when the market will have so many good examples from which to choose.
I think you need to be going in the direction of 500 TOTAL PRODUCTION RUN or less (a la Buick GNX or Enzo) to see any significant return.
HotRodzNKustoms @ Dec 4th 2007 8:12PM
No car is worth more than MSRP. I hate it when dealers gouge like this. They should lose their allotment for doing so.
Poopy Head @ Dec 5th 2007 5:08AM
It's called a Free Market economy. If you don't like it, move to China. If a car is in short supply (only 1,000), and maybe 1,000,000 are interested (larger demand), the 1,000 people that pay the most are the people that get the product.
I learned basic supply and demand principles back in elementary school. The rest of you belly-aching crybabies need to simply shut up. This car is not a NEED. People voluntarily pay the price that the market will handle. There are many other choices available. This is why its called Manufacturers SUGGESTED Retail Price.
So if Dodge made the MSRP $80,000 and all of them sold, that would be fair? Give me a break, stop whining on here and finish your pizza delivery route in your Hyundai Excel.
You obviously don't know enough about human behavior.
cowboy bob @ Dec 5th 2007 7:03AM
Me too. When Harley Davidson dealers did the same thing a few years ago, I paid attention to who they were. Not because I wanted a Harley, but because I wanted to make a mental note of who the low life cheating scum were that would skin you if they could. "Poopy head"- nice handle. I see it fits.
Joe @ Dec 5th 2007 9:56AM
No, it doesn't fit. You don't have to buy this car. You don't have to buy a new iPhone. However, if you want it, and they've got it, you're going to pay what they want for it. I mean, they're not gouging, they've got people who are willing to pay a premium to be first. It's the name of the game. If you're not willing to do it, there might be 100 people behind you who are willing to do it, so quit your bellyaching, read an economics book written by anyone OTHER than Noam Chomsky, and learn what a free market society is like. Don't like it? I hear Sweden has free healthcare...wait, that's supported via taxes. Wait, Canada? Nope, taxes...Britai...wait...
Damn, it looks like you're SOL.
TechySpecy @ Dec 5th 2007 11:49AM
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet
-William Shakespeare
So cowboy bob, you're making fun of a name? Are you in grade school? Seriously, I picked the name Poopy Head to see what kind of idiots would make comments on something that irrelevant. Congratulations, we have another winner!
Zerk @ Dec 4th 2007 8:12PM
Exclusivity??? Chrysler is making 1,000's of Challengers, not just ONE.
Level @ Dec 4th 2007 8:25PM
samething happen with the mustang when it first came out....now look at them lol.....This is a sick car none the less...
Richard @ Dec 4th 2007 8:32PM
Yeah! But by the time it is on the market it has been seen for soooooo long it has already gone way past it's shelf life. I mean it starts as a re-do anyway...so anyone who is 40+ has already had it for ten years - albeit in our youth. Like the 'stang it's been there, done that...decades ago!
If you want to re-do cars that still light a fire how about:
1. A Charger Daytona
2. A Renault R5 Turbo
3. A 2CV
jim @ Dec 4th 2007 8:34PM
Wait until the I gotta have people pay the extra money for one, then when the newest wears off walk into a dealer and buy one at MSRP or below. People are crazy paying anything over MSRP, I don't want anything that bad. I want a New Camaro but I'll wait until all the people willing to pay over MSRP buy theirs first.
Tim Catron @ Dec 4th 2007 8:41PM
I personally have been in LOVE with this car car since I first laid eyes on it. Granted in needs some mods like a small spoiler and ground effects, nothing ricey, more like a 89 GTA would have. ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL CAR! (sorry for yelling, I just Love the car!)
-http://www.bid2race.com
-ps- way to go Dodge! :)
British_Rover @ Dec 4th 2007 9:04PM
About a year or ago I had a woman who wanted to trade out of a Chrysler 300 SRT-8 and into a Range Rover. They paid something like 10,000 over sticker for the SRT-8 cause they are morons and were I think 15,000 or more underwater in the car.
The same thing will happen with these first Challengers.
boulderhorn @ Dec 5th 2007 9:25AM
I will never understand how people can just roll-over $15,000 in negative equity into a newer, more expensive car. Its just plain stupid. Finish paying off the first car and then get a new vehicle, or total the thing off for insurance money (that's the jersey boy in me talking). I paid almost $8,000 UNDER bluebook value for my car and i still felt bad about the purchase.
SilverFish65 @ Dec 6th 2007 7:20PM
Actually, the dealerships are getting $25K over MSRP. Even more amusing......
Yup, I'm waiting for '09, just as much for the manual tranny as the avoidance of the "because we can" fee..........
Joshua @ Dec 4th 2007 9:22PM
Too big, too heavy, too thirsty, too late.
Paul @ Dec 4th 2007 9:59PM
When the New Beetle came out, dealers were asking $5K over MSRP. Now they can't give them away. Wait a year or two and you'll see this car with rebates galore.
paul34 @ Dec 4th 2007 10:40PM
This is probably the first time Dodge dealers have ever had the experience of people actually lining up, WANTING to go buy a Dodge.
Let them have their fun.