As I was driving past a local Dodge dealer this morning, I caught sight of the Dodge Challenger SRT-8. I know a few of these are already out on the roads, but for the most part this is still a pretty elusive vehicle given its limited production nature.
I have to tell you that I really like this car, the proportions are great, and the stance and road presence certainly suggest a performance car. Sadly I was denied a test drive as this particular Challenger was already sold and awaiting delivery to its new owner.
In talking at another dealer yesterday (not the same dealer as these pictures were taken at), the Challenger they had was sold with a $30,000 mark-up. I asked sarcastically how they slept at night, to which he replied quite well considering the commission made on that mark-up.
Of course limited production and highly sought after vehicles always seem to bring out those who are willing to sell at a substantial premium, the question I would ask is, how much would you be willing to pay over sticker to get an exclusive car?
When I got my M3 a couple of months ago, I paid sticker price for it without a mark-up, and yet I know in other parts of the country $5k-$10k mark-ups were the norm. Does the Challenger justify a large mark-up, and how long do you have to hold onto the car until you can actually see a return on that investment. While I do believe the Challengers sold in 2008 will probably one day be a highly sought after item, would one ever recoup that $30k hit they take on the front end not to mention the immediate drop in value the moment you leave the dealer lot.
I guess the question boils down to this, how much is too much and what car(s) would you be willing to pay a large mark-up on to be one of the first to own?
(a special thanks to Dan Moseley (615-426-2496) at Alexander Dodge for letting get these pic's)