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The Hellcat Craze is coming to the end....

18K views 99 replies 62 participants last post by  Blackbeast 
#1 · (Edited)
I'd have to say the Hellcat heyday has seen its day and is slowly coming to its end. Just way to many Hellcats sitting on dealer lots and the huge discounts are beginning. And FCA is starting to show signs of losing the dominance on all it's brands sales. And not here saying the Hellcat is not a incredible awesome car cause she is. But have to believe all the true Mopar nuts have sucked up the initial buying frenzy. And now most purchasers are just sitting on the sidelines for the huge discounts and the current owners dumping their Hellcat. I always felt the mass production statement from the SRT division was a mistake. They should have kept it at limited numbers each year. And some may think that's a bad idea but just look at the over produced Hellcats which are now depreciating all of our Hellcats. And for me personally I purchased mine for the fun factor and not as an investment. But if anything I'd like to think I am not a dime a dozen car owner. Cause who here wants everyone owning a Hellcat.? Not me for sure so I hope FCA slows the production down of the Hellcats for 2017. And rolls her to an end by 2018.

Not here posting to be critical of Mopar cause I am all Mopar and ain't parting with mine.
Drove my Eco Diesel Ram 1500 with my bikes to Florida and was truly amazed on how well she pulled.
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#4 ·
It is a Dodge! not an exotic sports car. A lot of guys are complaining about the price coming down so much. They are also the ones that gave $10k to $20K over MSRP so that they could have the first of them.They surely didn't think Dodge was going to spend the cost to develop the car just to sell 500 of them! It's a Dodge, there will always be lots of them on the road. lol
 
#6 ·
I couldn't disagree more. True I got an insane deal from someone who dumped theirs. However I constantly get the Thumbs up when I pull up next to people at a stop light and have yet to see another Hellcat on the Road.

If you are speaking of a monetary value, sure maybe that's so. But the value of the Hellcat goes much deeper than than that for me, and this is by far one of the best freaking investments I have ever made in my life. Probably will add another 10 years to my life expectancy! :D
 
#9 ·
Depreciation is only a consideration if you buy a new car knowing you will sell it two to three years down the road. I have no plans to sell so no depreciation to worry about. There are two Challenger Hellcats local to me. I'm guessing maybe 30 total in the UK
 
#10 ·
The only "craze" there Ever was came from Mopar and other Muscle car enthusiasts who wanted one of the most powerful muscle cars on the planet and were willing to spend $65K+ to get it.

The Hellcat is definitely a "niche" product that most people do Not even know exists or would ever be willing to spend the $$$ to get one.

As for prices, it is very simple: the law of supply and demand.
 
#21 ·
Me too, Enfield here. Ive only ever seen two and one was Sublime. Maybe you, lol.
 
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#13 ·
Not here posting on my disappointment of value of the Hellcat. And I am extremely over the top happy with mine. The posting is about FCA offering too many the Hellcat purchase. And the point is: The Hellcats are just to damn nice a product to have this happening. No other car manufacture is doing this so there is no reason FCA needs to follow the Corvette, Camaro, Mustang market share. And what I mean is the average car not the "niche" car. Corvette Z06, Camaro ZL1, Mustang GT 350R are not a mass market car. Yet FCA will produce as many Hellcats as possible. And yeah I know the rural areas in the country will not be dominate Hellcats, Z06's, Camaro ZL1's, Mustang GT 350R's. But in more populated areas like the Washington DC area I see Hellcats all the time. And 2 years ago I did not. And if you look around the dealer network in my area, dealers have up to 8 Hellcats collecting dust on their lots. And yeah the Hellcat ain't losing the excitement it's losing the Mopar die hards who have bought the market share. And now who is the next round of purchasers? More die hard Mopar purchasers (sales have slowed) or the I got a deal on a Hellcat so I bought one? I ain't the car expert here just evaluating what has been ongoing now longer than shorter. And everyone's take helps the discussion.
Holidays are upon us and for me personally should anyone here not have purchased their own Hellcat now is the time. And for those here who already have one 'tis the season to add another one LOL.

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#14 · (Edited)
As someone who spent the better part of the 1980's and 1990's searching for good replacement body parts (and bodies for that matter) for the old muscle cars, as well as all the other parts, I am beyond happy that there is a glut of Hellcats. I suspect that the auto recycling industry has learned its lesson about indiscriminately crushing desirable cars that still have most of their parts in good usable condition. Back in the mid `70's they'd crush a Road Runner in an instant if the needed repair exceeded the non-existant resale values at the time.
If you bought a Hellcat for an investment, you've already lost. Might as well take it out, beat on it just a little, and have a blast for your money instead of worrying about depreciation. These are the good old days and there may never be another time like this current horsepower war that's festering in the US...
 
#15 ·
I have to wonder if the glaze over the posting is kinda like the new age world. Like when your talking to someone and they are texting or reading their smart phone and they didn't hear what you said LOL. The POSTING is not about me buying it as an INVESTMENT......ETC. Id be known as the worst investor of the world if all my toys were investments LOL.

Yeah more great investments: I invest in FUN
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#16 ·
You could have ordered a Hemi in a lot of Mopars back in the day...the reality was there was a huge price increase relative to the cars base price so most folks didn't check the box. The most rare cars that are worth silly money are the superbirds and charger daytonas that sat often for over a year before selling at a give away price as a new car. They were limited production. I see plenty of base Challengers out there-the Charger is a fleet car for crying out loud. Occasionally I see an R/T or an SRT. NCIS has a black SRT 392 on the show and it looks amazing with the hyper silver wheels! These cars are about style for the $ 1st, we are so lucky they decided to make the Hellcat so those that want and can afford it can check the box. I for one waited out the craziness and got a decent deal back in May on a used one with less than 1000 miles. There is no way I would have bought one for $20k over ever-not logical and out of my budget. I would hate to be a Ford fan boy right now and have to pay up for the GT350 because they decided to limit production. It is a very nice car but at the end of the day it's a Mustang. So again, our Challengers of all trim levels are style for the $ and performance for the $ 1st. The average guy can personalize an SXT and it will look incredible, be reliable, and be as fast or faster than most cars on the road while getting good mileage-heck I average nearly 17 with my Cat. My 1972 firebird gets about half that and barely cracks the 13's at the strip-we are very spoiled today-bottom line. If you are in that tax bracket and want exclusivity buy an exotic-then watch it depreciate by the cost of a hellcat in the 1st year...lol.
 
#18 ·
My 1972 firebird gets about half that and barely cracks the 13's at the strip-we are very spoiled today-bottom line..
Yep, these are the good old days, and on a performance per buck scale the Hellcats are a bargain like few others.
 
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#17 ·
OP I wasn't referring to you specifically. There are a LOT of people that bought these cars to put away and try to store for however long it takes for them to become more valuable. When they make tens of thousands of them, none are going to be the future Hemi Cuda because they simply aren't rare. The fact that so many people are storing them means there will still be plenty years from now. No to mention that rust isn't such an issue with modern cars, and the improved reliability offered by CAD engineering and CNC manufacturing will combine to keep a higher percentage of these on the road years down the line compared to the old cars, especially the maintenance needy and blow up prone (no rev limiters back then) Hemi's. JMHO of course...
 
#22 ·
There's always a "craze" when anything worthy is brought to market. It's a normal part of the buying cycle. For the Hellcat, there's a finite amount of people that drool over factory 707 horsepower AND can afford it. Looking at all the people that grin when I pull up, I think there's a lot of future buyers out there, they're just waiting for us to pay off the depreciation.....LOL

I like the fact that there are a lot coming off the line. Yeah, it makes it less rare but it does help ensure parts availability and pricing parity. We need both for long term ownership and reasonable life cycle costing.

My biggest fear is they make so few that buying a simple brake rotor becomes a nightmare......
 
#77 ·
For the Hellcat, there's a finite amount of people that drool over factory 707 horsepower AND can afford it.
This guy gets it.

I want one so bad it's not funny, I've even considered trading my truck(s) but then snap back to reality of living in Wyoming. No truck isn't possible for me.

So I'll sit on the sidelines and wait for the right deal on a used one. I just can't swing a new one right now.....
 
#23 ·
Horsepower is like drugs its inelastic and always in demand. It may drop to a more affordable level but then stabilize and maintain itself there for a long time. If you purchased up above 70k ...well you paid to play first. If you purchased like us recent buyers, mid to low 50's, we may lose 10k ,like in any car purchase overtime, but it will then stabilize and hold its value at the target markets affordable level...I would say mid to upper 40's.

These stats are hard to beat ...even if someone does 800 HP the Hellcat is already a legend!!
-Most powerful car ever produced in America.
-Only five other production cars in the world deliver more horsepower, and all of them are manufactured in other countries. Not to mention that their price stickers would bring tears to your eyes.
 
#24 ·
I finally saw another Charger Hellcat on the road, just a few days ago. These are extremely expensive cars given you can buy a lesser model of the same car for half! Guys whom are willing to pay for that kind of upgrade aren't over abundant!
 
#25 ·
I'd have to say the Hellcat heyday has seen its day and is slowly coming to its end. Just way to many Hellcats sitting on dealer lots and the huge discounts are beginning. And FCA is starting to show signs of losing the dominance on all it's brands sales. And not here saying the Hellcat is not a incredible awesome car cause she is. But have to believe all the true Mopar nuts have sucked up the initial buying frenzy. And now most purchasers are just sitting on the sidelines for the huge discounts and the current owners dumping their Hellcat. I always felt the mass production statement from the SRT division was a mistake. They should have kept it at limited numbers each year. And some may think that's a bad idea but just look at the over produced Hellcats which are now depreciating all of our Hellcats. And for me personally I purchased mine for the fun factor and not as an investment. But if anything I'd like to think I am not a dime a dozen car owner. Cause who here wants everyone owning a Hellcat.? Not me for sure so I hope FCA slows the production down of the Hellcats for 2017. And rolls her to an end by 2018.

Not here posting to be critical of Mopar cause I am all Mopar and ain't parting with mine.
Drove my Eco Diesel Ram 1500 with my bikes to Florida and was truly amazed on how well she pulled.
View attachment 108753

Well said and I agree 100%. I did not buy mine for investment, I bought it to have a blast in. I see tons of Challengers in my area but only 4 or 5 Hellcats so far. Still seems to be a rare sighting but that will change I am sure. I do wish FCA would have limited production to keep it somewhat rare and special. Mine is still special no matter how many the produce.

This is my Challenger, there are many like it, but this one is mine. :D
 
#28 ·
Drove my Eco Diesel Ram 1500 with my bikes to Florida and was truly amazed on how well she pulled.
View attachment 108753 [/QUOTE]

Off topic only because of your truck picture. How do you feel about your eco diesel. I've always had 200/3500 Cummins powered dodges/Rams and wouldn't own anything else. While the dealer was installing my new rear they gave me a brand new eco diesel to drive for the afternoon. I really liked the truck. I told them I almost put a hitch on it and pulled a trailer just to tow with it. I did tell them if I was to get one it would the exact double of yours, a limited in that color.
 
#30 ·
There are a lot of people willing to spend 70K+ on cars out here. How do I know this? Because every second car out here is a BMW, Benz or Tesla. But I still rarely see other Hellcats. And I still get many thumbs up, even got one from a mustang guy the other day. Unicorn? Maybe a little bit. And this is going on 2 years old this Dec 18th. If these cars are really losing value, I bet by the 10th anniversary they will be worth quite a bit. Time will tell. :cool:
 
#32 ·
Drove my Eco Diesel Ram 1500 with my bikes to Florida and was truly amazed on how well she pulled.
View attachment 108753
Off topic only because of your truck picture. How do you feel about your eco diesel. I've always had 200/3500 Cummins powered dodges/Rams and wouldn't own anything else. While the dealer was installing my new rear they gave me a brand new eco diesel to drive for the afternoon. I really liked the truck. I told them I almost put a hitch on it and pulled a trailer just to tow with it. I did tell them if I was to get one it would the exact double of yours, a limited in that color.[/QUOTE]

I am Ram truck guy for the past 20 plus years and I have owned everyone of them. And I have to say the Eco Diesel always surprises me. I have two Jeep Grand Cherokees with the Eco Diesel and between the two of them i have 70K on them. My wife drives those for the most part. I was pretty confident on getting the Ram with it since my Grand Cherokees have been flawless. If you go over to the Ram 1500 Eco Diesel forum some of the owners may scare you off from buying one. For me I have the 2500 6.4 gas Mega Cab and the 3500 Cummings Diesel High Output. I am fortunate to have options on heavy duty towing. I would not and you technically cannot pull more than I believe 6400 pounds the way mine is optioned. My trailer and two Harley's weighed in roughly 5000lbs. And I was amazed on how she towed. I drove Rt. 95 from Norhern VA to Tampa Fl and was amazed she could do 80-90 all day. The fuel mileage goes down considerably at those speeds. No trailer and normal driving I get 25-26 MPG all day. Long highway trip if you are not towing and keep off the throttle she gets 30 plus. Towing for me was 11-12 mpg. But could easlily get 15-16 if I laid off the throttle. I love the air ride suspension which lets you lower to the ground when parked or raise her to max for off road up to 45 mph. Hope this helps.
Here's my Harley's stuffed in the trailer and gear.
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