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Can't Sell Hellcats?

28K views 97 replies 60 participants last post by  FormerBirdy 
#1 ·
I was at my Dodge dealer on Sat. doing a deal on a new Ram, & they had a white Hellcat on the floor that I was checking out. The sales manager who I was working with said last year they couldn't get enough Hellcats - they all went for $10,000 over sticker. He said Dodge dialed production way up, & now they can't sell them - the excitement is gone.
 
#81 ·
Jazz blue is sweet.
I drove the Hellcat in auto and manual.
As awesome as the auto is, there is only one way to drive this car in my opinion. Thats a manual.... way way more fun.
I pick up my B5 Hellcat this week, a slightly used 2015 , couple thousand miles.
Jazz blue and silver were my runner ups.
 
#3 ·
The 'must have" folks have them now and some have moved on to the next obsession. It's an enthusiast vehicle for an enthusiast with the disposable income to afford it.

They are still selling in the Sunbelt.
 
#74 ·
Our IS&T VP just said that yesterday. He said he tried to buy one but was not paying 10k over MSRP. He ended up buying a B5 Scat instead.
 
#6 ·
I am with blueiron... the gotta have folks got theirs. The pent up demand is now been satisfied.

I don't believe the idea of people aren't looking because they think markups still exist... if they want one they will continue to look.
 
#12 ·
Nope - M-59 Dodge in Highland. I'll bet they are selling Hellcats now for sticker or even a little less. Sales manager is Steve. He just wants to move cars...
 
#10 ·
Usually people with money aren't stupid with it due to putting a value on it.
Then there are people who have some down payment money and good credit and will sign themselves into a DEEP hole and make 84 payments or use home equity to buy it and pay forever.
Cars do something in some guys minds and make them make some very poor decisions.
Want to bet people are flipping their 2015 to a 2016 because they now can have a sun roof?
 
#13 ·
I've little doubt Hellcats can be sold at MSRP in most areas, but the day of dealers fleecing customers $10,000 over are waning as supply saturates the market. Not everyone that can afford a Hellcat will necessarily choose one to be their car of choice. At $70,000 there are plenty of other choices out there. While they may not have 707 HP, not everyone looks at that factor alone. If Dodge keeps raising the base price every year, that's not going to help either.
 
#14 ·
The sad truth is there are a lot of people who have money who are stupid. Often, these are the people who didn't have to earn the money themselves. Or people who have 'learned' to 'leverage' their credit to the max and are living high on the hog until the day comes they can't even make their minimums. Like my friend who buys a new Chevy truck every 6 - 9 months.

Another local guy...nice as can be .... family owned a big retail store and grew up 'well off'. He has his trust fund...and ALWAYS has to be the first to have whatever is new. When the H2 Hummers came out, he practically begged (and insisted) the dealer let him have the first one. He paid a hefty price over MSRP. Within 2 months he hated it, noting it only got 6MPG.

There are also plenty of families in the area who happen to own lots of land handed down from generations past. Each year or so they sell off a bit more to support their lifestyle. I gather they are planning to send some of the younger members to college so they can learn how to produce more land to replace the stuff that's been sold off.

If you want a 'national' example, just Google the 'Ethan Couch' family.......
 
#16 ·
I think it's the combination of price and this being an election year. Sales are always slow during election years.

Plus, as others have said, the early adopters already have it. Now you're going to have to cater to those that can "just" budget the car in but only if they can get it at or under MSRP.
 
#17 ·
No wonder

Below is a few Hellcats near central VA. I think I know the problem. If the dealers lose their attitudes, they'll sell.


Detailed Pricing

$70,275 MSRP - 17% markup over screw you MSRP
$82,275

Detailed Pricing

$70,275 MSRP - 14% markup over screw you MSRP
$80,180

Detailed Pricing - 14% markup over screw you MSRP

$70,180 MSRP
$80,180
 
#18 ·
I got on a list to buy one at MSRP last spring and my number will be coming-up in time to get a GoMango HC this summer.
Even if my local dealer starts selling for MSRP this summer, I still won't buy one from them.
Going to drive to Idaho where they've always sold for MSRP & make it a summer road trip rather than buy from the local stealership that added screw-you ADM.
They can choke on 'em now!
 
#19 ·
Ford dealers are doing the mark-up thing with the new Shelby GT-350 now. My son-in-law works at a local Ford dealer....they just got in a Shelby,
sticker price $58000 and have it listed for $88000.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Just to add:


I went on a list last year for a Hellcat, agreed to msrp- no more, and was number 8 - told it would be at least a year...
2 months later got a call that it was being built(because it was m6) autos postponed for some reason - just pure luck


The hellcat IS perfection in the challenger model and I HIGHLY recommend trading in and/or getting a loan to obtain one!
UNBELIEVABLE difference from the 392 I had.


Do not pay above MSRP, it can be found:)


I mainly post over on the HC forum which is why my sig isn't updated.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Greedy dealerships want to make their money but now have to pay for the greed because people may have smarten up and don't want to pay the extra cash. I follow a few Hellcats on Ebay and those sure haven't gone anywhere in a very long time. If I had the money (until I win the lotto for $675 million on Saturday), sure I will pay you Blue Book on a used or sticker on a new one but TA HELL WICH YA on the extra money that you want to rape me on.
 
#24 ·
Greedy dealerships want to make their money but now have to pay for the greed because people may have smarten up and don't want to pay the extra cash.


Respectfully I disagree with the "greedy" statement.


Dealerships own all the risk, and have to pay folks irrespective of a vehicle selling or not.


I chose not to pay over MSRP simply to park a hellcat in my garage; doesn't mean I don't want one, doesn't mean I wouldn't have bought one had they been within a price range I was willing to pay. Others are willing to pay for the privilege of ownership and that is what has been driving the current prices. Should the surplus suddenly outpace the dealerships ability to sell them do you honestly think FCA will be sending them a check to cover the losses?
 
#26 ·
When they were not available one would just need more money than sense to pay over MSRP. Now they are available on the floor for MSRP so one would have to be an idiot to pay over MSRP or at least any more than MSRP + shipping.

My "small city" dealer has a fully optioned A8 setting on the floor right now for MSRP and they have sold all theirs at MSRP as far as I know.
 
#27 ·
A lot of guys paid well over MSRP for their Hellcats.....more power to them. But some didn't...I could of had one back in January '15 from the same dealer I bought my SRT 392 from....but he was asking 10K over sticker, but since I was a repeat customer he was willing to give me a "special" price of only 5K over!!

Needless to say, I didn't feel so "special" and turned the offer down and walked out. A week later I got a call from the same dealer...now they said they'd like to sell me the car and meet me halfway....they'd take 2,500 over MSRP....I still told them NO.

I ended up paying sticker for mine at another dealer, but I had to order it and wait. And I'll admit this is the first time I've paid that much for any car.

My general rule was to offer 10-15% lower than sticker for all my past cars. It became obvious that offer would NEVER be accepted last year pretty quickly.
 
#29 ·
Here in the Washington DC metro area, I think the prices are starting to drop because of what people said before: 1) all those that "had" to have one already do, and 2) those fence sitters and others are turned off by the FCA price increase over the 2015 price. Some dealers in the area are dropping the market adjustment fees and competition it starting to set in Other dealers are keeping their adjustment fees at about $5-6K. I would have bought one in 2015 when I bought my SRT, but there were none available and they weren't taking orders. Having traded in a 2011 SRT for the 2015, I was happy with that and I still am. Problem for me is, my dealer has had a Hellcat sitting on their lot since October. My salesperson tried to get me to bite on it when I was in getting my oil changed. They wanted 20K over MSRP because that is what people were paying for them in this area. I laughed and said thanks but no thanks. Alas, now it is January and still sitting there. My dealer sent me a txt yesterday telling me they are selling it for MSRP, no adjustment. I'm tempted, but I would lose my ass on the 2015, which only has just over 6K miles on it and is not my daily driver. And, I really love the 2015 over my 2011, which I also loved.
 
#31 ·
The problem is you'll get slammed on your trade. I looked at trading mine that I just bought in June for 50k. I was offered high 30's for my car that was a few months old. So figure in taxes that I just paid and taxes on the HC and you're looking at a hefty price tag for that supercharger.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#34 ·
Sorry if I am a little off topic here but the dealer I just bought my Challenger from has a 2013 "new" Viper on his showroom floor. He is obviously anxious to sell it because he is knocking off 54k from list price. I think it listed for 130k and he is now asking 79k or approx. in that area.
 
#40 · (Edited)
My local dealer has a 2015 Hellcat with a manual. Ten grand over MSRP.

What another poster said about dealerships taking the risk is true. They have to buy the cars from FCA; they're not just selling agents. However, I also know that dealers typically have three discounts that they don't tell you about when it comes to their invoice:

1. The manufacturer has a hold-back amount on what the dealer paid. That amount gets rebated to the dealer as soon as they sell the car. It varies from dealer to dealer but, at mine, it was $995 (that's the "destination charge" on the sticker). In other words, if the dealer paid FCA $40k for the car and shows you an invoice with $40k, it's not entirely accurate. When the dealer sells the car to you, FCA will give them back $995. So the dealer's true invoice price is $39,005. As an example, if you buy the car at "only $1,000 over invoice", the dealer is really making almost $2,000 over the true invoice. On you.

2. Month-end bonus. If a dealer meets its monthly quota, FCA will give them X dollars for each car sold that month. Subtract that $X from the invoice, too.

3. Year-end bonus. If a dealer meets its yearly quota, FCA will give them another Y dollars for each car sold that year. Subtract that $Y from the invoice as well.

Sooo. . .when a dealer shows you their invoice, remember that their true price to buy the car from FCA (assuming they hit their monthly and yearly quotas) is:

Invoice - $995 - $X (monthly bonus) - $Y (yearly bonus) = True cost to the dealer

Yes, the dealer takes the risk. But they also don't disclose all of the information to you when you're negotiating, so I can't say I feel bad for them for taking that risk. I don't mind them making a profit, but I do mind them not being open about the terms. The reason I know this is because I bought my car from a relatively new salesman and I was able to get this information out of him.

Keep the above in mind for your next purchase. What makes it tricky for negotiating is that you never know: 1) what those bonus amounts are; and 2) whether the dealer will get them because even they won't know until year-end. At the very least, never agree to pay more than the dealer's invoice MINUS the "destination charge". They can eat that and profit on their sales bonuses.
 
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