Dodge is trying to do something difficult right now. It’s trying to establish a new era of electric muscle right as multiple manufacturers are cooling their enthusiasm for EVs. Meanwhile, its dealers are still trying to shift a whole bunch of old Dodge Chargers that are getting increasingly long in the tooth. It’s an awkward situation which you can likely take advantage of. Don’t worry, I won’t tell your mother.
The stats from CarEdge tell a sorry tale. Just 989 Dodge Chargers have been sold in the last 45 days, while 6,857 remain on sale. That adds up to around 312 days of supply—basically, there are enough Dodge Chargers sitting around to last well into 2026. Some of these are even 2023 models which should have been gone long ago.
This means dealers are sick of these cars languishing on the lots, and you can get yourself a nice Dodge Charger on the cheap. V6, V8, it doesn’t matter—there are deals to be had for old ponies right across the land!
Let’s start with the cheapest of the lot—the Charger SXTs. Buy one of these, and you’ll get yourself a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 under the hood. They’ve got a fussy oil filter housing, but they make decent power. They’re good for 300 horsepower, and the EPA says your V6 Charger will allegedly hit 30 mpg on the highway.
Head over to LAX Dodge in California, and you can get yourself a Charger SXT in white for just $24,900. That’s a full $11,425 off MSRP—no surprise given it’s been on sale since October 2023. It’s the most anonymous-looking car you can find, so much so that it almost draws more attention. Meanwhile, if you prefer orange, you can hit up Autonation Dodge in Houston. They’ve got one listed for $24,995—over $13,000 off the $38,010 MSRP. You’ll find similar deals in Virginia and Louisiana, too.
V6 muscle, is there such a thing? If so, it can be had for under $30,000, all day.
“But Lewinberg!” you cry. “I lust for the cylinders, eight!” That’s no problem, for you’re very much in luck. You’ll want to consider the Dodge Charger R/T, which comes with the 5.7-liter Hemi V8. Good for 370 horsepower, it’ll give you an exhaust note that you think commands respect from other motorists.
You can get a Charger R/T awful cheap if you head down to City Dodge in Wisconsin. They’ll hook you up for $35,990—that’s $14,550 under sticker. Again, no surprise given this 2023 model has been hanging around for 469 days now. Over at Northland Dodge in Michigan, they’ve had one for 608 days, so they’ll slash a full $16,015 off the MSRP. You’ll find compelling but lesser deals in California and Florida too.
If your lusts are for ever greater horsepower, consider the Scat Pack. 6.4-liters of Hemi fury will net you 485 horsepower, more than enough to let you smoke the tires obnoxiously at will.
There are a handful of deals on these, but they’re thinner on the ground. Bergey’s Dodge in Pennsylvania will do you a silver one for $60,890, over $8,000 under sticker. It looks like it’s still got the pink splitter guard, too, which contrasts nicely with the grey paint. Kunes Dodge in Illinois has one, too, and they’re wiping over $11,000 off the original MSRP of $73,470. You can score some cheap examples in Maryland and Wisconsin, too.
The cheapest I found, though, was over at Auto Gallery in Georgia. You’re paying $49,995 for 485 horsepower. Good deal? You be the judge.
Just don’t get your hopes up at finding a bargain-basement Hellcat out there. The most desirable Chargers were all snapped up long ago, and the halo models still hold their value. Particularly now, given they represent the end of an era.
Ultimately, we’re at a transitional moment in the history of the Dodge Charger. The seventh-generation model lasted 12 long years, officially dying out for the 2023 model year. And yet, you can still find them for sale all over the country—with prices dropping off harder the older they get. Dodge still has the cheapest muscle car on sale, but for how much longer, it remains to be seen.
Image credits: Cars.com via screenshot, Dodge
Ditto the Chrysler 300; saw anew 2023 300 with the V6 for about 25k at a dealer last month.
Digging through Charger listings, the huge elephant in the room is that the EV Charger is nearly $20k off in some places!
Want a Scat Pack EV? Here’s one with $15k off sticker. Insanity!
The V6 makes 300HP?
The V8 only makes 70 more?
The Scat (I still can’t with that name) pack is how much!?
There is a huge difference in torque, which is what gets this big fella moving.
I’d be all over a V8 at if it were available at V6 prices.
Give it 6 months
Has there ever been a car more redneck and ghetto than the Charger? I think not.
I think someone forgot about the 80’s Camaro
I believe that particular model is called the Camero
I lost all interest at that sentence.
The Hellcat is a competent hood crawler, hooning machine, and street takeover God. Where else can some ghetto-dwelling thug with a 350 credit score get an “affordable”, poorly-built, woefully unbalanced, batshit insane vehicle capable of 200 mph that flew straight out from the depths of the abyss down-under, with which to outrun and even troll the cops with?
And no mention of the Demon either…
Hellcats are almost $20k off! Still a $75k vehicle though…
I don’t care how few miles, or how few previous owners they’ve had, at 2 years old, they’re effectively used cars, even if all they’ve been doing is sitting on a dealer lot
Honestly I think they’re even worse at that point. Used cars have at least been driven around and broken in. Sitting around for years on end is terrible for ICE engines and I can’t imagine that a freaking Dodge dealership is making sure to start them up and run them periodically.
I would treat them as low mileage used cars. The only difference is that they still have full warranties. What’s worse is that we all know that cars sitting for years without being run can be worse than some usage. At what point are these considered “ran when parked”?
Resale value is dropping while the car is sitting waiting for sale, same as if you bought it straight off the transporter and parked it in your garage.
Hold up. You consider a 4 door v6 a “Muscle Car”? Really? Is it because it is RWD? So, now muscle car just means RWD v6? Or is it a muscle care because it can’t handle well? Or because it goes to the gym 5 days a week and drinks protein shakes?
To be fair, it is at least a V6 that produces more net hp than most V8 muscle cars of the ’60s ans ’70s.
But, then, so does the Camry, not really an achievement in the 2020s
You got me, I chuckled audibly.
That being said, I’d unironically consider a V6 AWD GT Charger. At that point you just have a really fun, fully loaded, 300hp, all-weather DD for around the price of a loaded Honda Civic.
Here’s one with $10k off sticker
Agreed. The V6 Charger and 300 were my favorite cars to find on the rental car lot for a long time. Big and comfy, decent power and mileage. Thought about buying one as a DD a few times. The last one I got as a rental in 2024 really was showing how dated this platform has gotten though.
Yes but I want a Challenger.
They really are great looking cars. I still get a little hit of serotonin every time I see one in a bright color and they came when I was in high school. I’ll just never get sick of them. A brand new bright green one with the leather interior and a 6 speed popped up for $35,000 freedom bucks near me a few months ago and I was mighty tempted.
I really like them in that F8 Green, it can look pretty different depending on lighting conditions, but it’s more of an emerald type color
I just rented one over a long weekend, and thought it wanted to kill me. I couldn’t see out of it, the lowly V6 spun the tires on wet pavement all the time, and the brake pedal was an immobile thing that suggested maybe slowing down if it felt like it.
It was a rental and yet you are somehow not surprised.
Don’t be gentle, it’s a rental
Also had the same rental spec and felt the same way as NewBalance. In addition, it was a pain in the ass to park due to visibility and size and the automatic climate control seemed to do whatever the hell it felt like doing regardless of the actual temperature in the car. I have a hard time believing that the retail spec cars would be any different. Really turned me off ever wanting to buy one.
On the other hand, my brother-in-law let me drive the manual Hellcat* he had for a while. It was so awesome I could probably overlook those shortcomings and live with the fact that my left leg would be twice the size of my right from working that clutch all the time.
*I think it was a Hellcat, but I’ve been told the Hellcat never came with a manual, so it may have been something else. It was still pretty badass.
Driven hard and put away wet. I rented one in 2019 but it was brand new. It was fantastic.
Hero!
My 70-year-old father is shopping for a V8 manual Challenger to relive the glory days, and I can’t wait to visit him this year.
Good for him.
I’ve toyed with the idea of getting an RT for years. It seems like the perfect amount of power and gives you that wonderful V8 soundtrack. You can enjoy them on the street without risking your license and they don’t draw anywhere near as much attention as the big dog models.
That being said, this still seems too expensive. These cars are absurdly overpriced at sticker and even with these discounts I don’t think you’re getting THAT much car for your buck unless you only care about the V8…because that’s the only interesting thing about these. Underneath they’re 25 year old luxury barges.
The base interiors are rough too. What you’d get in something fun at a similar price point (GTI, CTR, you decide!) is usually going to be nicer, and by the time you kit an RT out like you’d actually want one (handling package, upgraded interior, etc). they’re well into the 40s after discounts…not to mention dealerships order these in the worst specs imaginable.
At least in my area almost all RTs have pretty much every appearance option available but none of the actual performance upgrades. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to want the Brembo brakes when you’re driving around a 4000+ pound land yacht.
These are also ridiculously easy to steal and a desirable target for thieves, so if you live in an urban area like me you’re really rolling the dice…and that doesn’t even take the type of image you’re going to be presenting into account either. Anyway I think these are cool but they’ve never quite added up for me. I’m optimistic that the new 5 door one with AWD and the straight 6 might connect the missing dots for me though!
I’m in a similar mindset, I might go for the 3 door though. I’m curious about the EV reliability though. Those might be sweet 2nd cars to pick up used if you got a place to charge them.
On paper I find the Hurricane 6 to be pretty compelling, and people that have driven it in the trucks have raved about how smooth and potent it is. It’s definitely been having some teething issues and naturally it will never be as trouble free as a big under stressed V8, but I’m optimistic that by the time I’d be looking at getting a new car it’ll be better sorted.
Slash I only drive 6-8,000 miles a year so the turbo longevity concerns don’t bother me as much. I’ll be interested to see what kind of fuel economy the Chargers get. I’m not expecting anything special but if they wind up in the mid 20s combined it’ll be a big win. Maybe they’ll even add their mild hybrid system? A man can dream….
Call the dealership holding onto a 2023 R/T and offer $28,000 for it. That’s more reasonable for a car they can’t sell after 600 days on the lot. You will get a ton for bluster about they don’t make these anymore, waiting for the right buyer, the usual dealership bullshit. As day 700 on the lot rolls past send a happy 2nd birthday card to the dealership and reiterate that your offer stands.
The V6 versions of these remind me of the 4-cly ’82 Camaro my neighbor bought new. Folks in the neighborhood came around to take a look since it was a brand new design, and then there was a lot of awkward silence when they realized it had the same engine as my parent’s Citation.
I’ve had the v6 version as a rental a few times, and they aren’t terrible cars. With the V8 I can see how they would be anachronistically entertaining. For me, the base platform is just too bulky and numb to be much fun most of the time.
Those Scat packs are still way overpriced.
When the Hellcats came out in 2015 you could pick one up for 60K and when Scats came out they were around 40K…Fuck inflation.
Yeah, as much as I hate to admit it those Scat packs are pretty neat. I had no idea they were going for $60k, though, I thought they were more like $45k.
I think Covid did a number on ‘muscle car’ pricing. I bought my 2018 Camaro SS 1LE brand new for $40k. Sold it in 2021 for $42k.. It seemed like you couldn’t find one on a lot for under $50k when they were still being produced, and they’re still holding their value on the used market.
The widebody is a decent upgrade in terms of suspension, brakes, and looks. IIRC, it was originally like a $5,500 option when it first was available for 2020MY. So, the cheapest you could get a WB Scat was like $46k in 2020 I think. I was interested in them, but it was right when pricing went insane in 2022 & 2023 when Dodge announced they were the last V8 Chargers and dealers got ridiculous. Dealers obviously knew what they had because ones that stickered for like $51-$56k they placed them behind velvet ropes and were asking like $61k-$66k. I guess they forgot to take those ropes down, because at least two of my local dealers have the exact car I wanted that they wouldn’t let me test drive and insisted I was being crazy by not wanting to pay over sticker. Jokes on them, they are now listed for under MSRP.
I get it’s not the best car ever, but I still think they are really really cool. They drive really well so long as you don’t want some autocross go cart. But the price for them only works in the low $50s and under.
I think if you buy the plain white six, other drivers will get out of your way because they’ll assume you’re law enforcement.
First thing I’d do is swap the alloys for steelies and chrome center caps
I owned a Camaro back when NC State Troopers bought a fleet of pursuit Camaros.
People will think you’re a cop for sure. However, IME they don’t get out of your way, they just go 5 mph below the speed limit and refuse to move over.
WOW, at those prices, I might be able to look past the age of the platform.
$24k is Chevy Trax price range.
The fact that they still have 2023 models indicates that these dealers were greedy assholes with excessively high ADM fees
And at US$25K, that’s still too high for a basic V6 one that is 2 years old. I recall pre-pandemic that there were basic V6 Chargers selling for CAD$25K here in Canada… and those ones weren’t two fucking years old.
If they want US$25K for a fucking 2023 model, then it has to have the V8. For those basic V6 examples that are 2 years old, they need to chop at least another $5000 off the price before I would consider it to be a good deal.
or that Chrysler stuffed all their dealers with inventory while raising the prices and removing incentives.
Still overpriced IMO. Plus around where I’d live I’d have to deal with the stink that is being a Challenger owner who purchased it at 36% apr from a buy here pay here lot.
If I bought one, wouldn’t that also scream ‘cheapest muscle car owner’?
No. It means you got a good deal and the auto companies have been overcharging for this and every other vehicle. Besides, it’s not like the price you paid will be painted on the car for everyone to see.
It wasn’t *that* long ago that this was approximately the sticker price of the Scat Pack. $70K still codes to me as new Hellcat money, even if it hasn’t been for awhile.
A reasonably equipped RT is a mid to high 30s car for me and a 392 is a mid to high 40s car for me. I know inflation is a thing and whatnot but for some reason I just can’t get past the sticker prices from 10 years ago. That’s the range these make sense in for me.
I remember when I bought my SS in 2016 that Scat Packs were available for around the same money as even the discounted Chevy price (~$40K).
Considering they are much the same car now as then, I can’t see how $70K makes sense.
It doesn’t.
I love how these dealers raise the price just to lower it back down again a month or two later. What the heck are they thinking?
They’re trying to spur demand artificially.
If someone is eyeballing it at the low price, when they jack it up that person will think they missed out on a deal. Then the next time they cut it the window shopper becomes a serious buyer.
It’s a similar tactic that Amazon uses by listing the “savings” on products. Reality is that the sale price is the regular price but they inflate and slash the number to make you think you’re getting a deal.