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I haven't bought a new car since 2006, but will need one within the next two or three months. Dodge Charger is on the list due to it's surprisingly good CR approval ratings. I visited my local Dodge dealer and drove new 2021 V6 & V8's, and liked them both. I liked the quietness of the V6, but the power of the V8 was undeniable.... I just wish the V8 were quieter & more refined.
Surprising to me though were the noticeable number of USED late model Chargers on the lot. Online searching on (Carvana & CarGurus) revealed that late model Chargers were plentiful as well, but not really cheaper than the new.... My market is Southern California.
I'd never expect honesty from a car salesman so I didn't bother to ask, but does anyone in this community have an opinion why Charger-owners are relinquishing their late model Chargers en mass? Poor mileage? An over-representation of lease turn-in's? Repo-man? Honeymoon wore off and people want something different? I get the feeling it's not a hot-selling car, whereas when I went to the Lexus dealer, they had very few new cars on their lot.
And if anyone has experiences with the Charger that they don't mind sharing-- things I should know, or ask about beforehand, I'd like to hear them... Pitfalls to avoid, etc.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I had a 2013 Challenger, same engines and just less practical for a family. I bought it used, and was amazed at how fast they drop their value, same with the Charger which I also considered. For having 305 HP the V6 actually had decent gas mileage, I was getting about 18/25. With both of them heavily advertised as muscle cars with people squealing and burning rubber in the commercials, I think the used value drops a lot. I've also been surprised at how cheap the used Corvettes have been. My take away from that experience was that after truing all 4 Dodge dealers for service/warranty work, every one tried to rip me off with unnecessary work. Also, be aware of the tires, if they out on high performance tires in a wet area like here, you will spin them every time starting off when the light turns green going up a hill. I had to buy new all-season tires though the originals still had plenty of tread. When I traded it in on a new 2017 F150 5.0 I was amazed at how little I got, and they told me both models depreciate 48% after 5 years. With new and used car prices, all bets are off now, hopefully you can hold off until this craziness settles down.
I haven't bought a new car since 2006, but will need one within the next two or three months. Dodge Charger is on the list due to it's surprisingly good CR approval ratings. I visited my local Dodge dealer and drove new 2021 V6 & V8's, and liked them both. I liked the quietness of the V6, but the power of the V8 was undeniable.... I just wish the V8 were quieter & more refined.
Surprising to me though were the noticeable number of USED late model Chargers on the lot. Online searching on (Carvana & CarGurus) revealed that late model Chargers were plentiful as well, but not really cheaper than the new.... My market is Southern California.
I'd never expect honesty from a car salesman so I didn't bother to ask, but does anyone in this community have an opinion why Charger-owners are relinquishing their late model Chargers en mass? Poor mileage? An over-representation of lease turn-in's? Repo-man? Honeymoon wore off and people want something different? I get the feeling it's not a hot-selling car, whereas when I went to the Lexus dealer, they had very few new cars on their lot.
And if anyone has experiences with the Charger that they don't mind sharing-- things I should know, or ask about beforehand, I'd like to hear them... Pitfalls to avoid, etc.
If you can the final model year production for Charger V8 (before it switches to 3.0L I6 turbo as replacement), then it's worth buying it brand-new, regardless of price. Otherwise, a pre-owned certified is still the best-value here. Since Charger is a SEDAN (and we are still in a sedan-recession), trade-in value is never going to be higher than SUVs, Dealers pay lower on trade-ins for Charger sedan (they tell customers all the time that Charger is a sedan as an excuse reason to not pay more) but sells back at premium price with up to $5,000 dealer-markup. Go figure...
Dodge churns these out with almost no change among model years so there's little differentiation and the Charger (and even more so Challenger) aren't the most ergonomic and efficient vehicles so sooner or later someone stops being so enamored with them, but they do well as sort of an impulse buy which I think the slick ones at the dealerships can smell. This accounts for the supply of used vehicles, but that they're going for prices just slightly under new likely has more to do with the general shortage of vehicles due to supply chain issues with producing new vehicles in the pandemic and people panic buying vehicles during the pandemic.
Thanks, everyone--- The 'motorious' article was a bit disappointing, but with progressives basically trying to kill the automobile for the masses, I suppose that shows that they're making progress in doing that. Pretty soon, all we'll have is the LeCar and other pint-sized vehicles.
I generally hang onto cars for a long time...unless it's a lemon. The CR ratings like the Charger, and my wife actually appreciated the interior roominess and that there weren't as many of the fussy touchscreen/touchpad controls as we found in the Lexus & Acura's.
And, yes, I can see these being an impulse buy, and maybe that's driving the large late-model inventory. Drivability is important, and as I get older I appreciate a quiet vehicle with decent visibility and good ergonomics. Those things are subjective and can't really be determined on a brief test drive around the block. I may see if I can rent one for a couple of days.
I had a rental Charger 2 yrs ago, decently loaded, liked the drive and handling. The headlights were dismal, not sure if it was the base trim/rental thing or just needed some TLC.
The electronics were sometimes a bit too much. Particularly, I remember turning the heated steering off was a 4 step process from the radio screen.
I would like to have one as a daily driver.
As a point of reference, my daily driver currently, is a Hyundai Veloster turbo, manual.
My son loves his Chally, I love the milage it gets. The 3.7 is a great engine, but Im not so happy with that what is it, 10 speed trans. Its the same in the Charger. It constantly shifts unless you are going around 50, and to keep it in top gear you need to be going 80, at least around here. That is my ONLY complaint with the drivetrain.
I've had two Chargers. A 2016 Rt and a 2019 Scat Pack which I special ordered.
In Fall of 2020 I sold the 2019 because they were offering high prices (higher now) for them at the dealerships.
I sold because I was about to buy another house and needed the cash in the bank, plus, I planned on ordering a new Widebody Scat Pack after I closed.
I haven't yet because they cancelled the color I wanted (B5).
I'm holding out to see if they bring that color back as they do from time to time.
I don't NEED the car...it's a toy, so I'm holding out for exactly what I want.
I truly LOVED those cars...especially the Scat Pack, which I believe is the best value in the lineup. It has 485hp, which is more than you'll ever really use on the streets, I prefer the naturally aspirated v8s to the supercharged v8s. Plus it's another$20k for another 222hp.
I've had two Chargers. A 2016 Rt and a 2019 Scat Pack which I special ordered.
In Fall of 2020 I sold the 2019 because they were offering high prices (higher now) for the at the dealerships.
I sold because I was about to buy another house and needed the cash in the bank, plus, I planned on ordering a new Widebody Scat Pack after I closed.
I haven't yet because they cancelled the color I wanted (B5).
I'm holding out to see if they bring that color back as they do from time to time.
I don't NEED the car...it's a toy, so I'm holding out for exactly what I want.
I truly LOVED those cars...especially the Scat Pack, which I believe is the best value in the lineup. It has 485hp, which is more than you'll ever really use on the streets, I prefer the naturally aspirated v8s to the supercharged v8s. Plus it's another$20k for another 222hp.
You better hope they produce car you want before 2024 when they go away or at least in gas engine form. Maybe buy one and paint or wrap it the color you want?
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Go figure...
