Tales From the Block: 2016 Dodge Charger Hellcat
Once a brand-new vehicle rolls out of the factory, it’s bound to live a life of twists and turns. The average vehicle sees multiple owners, states, and maybe even wrecks during its lifetime. For many, the auction block is an inevitable layover.
“Tales from Block” highlights one of the many steps pre-owned vehicles go through in our country. Once the first owner sells or trades-in their ride, it can either be sold at the lot, sent to auction, or even scrapped if its a really crappy one. Cars expensive and cheap are typically sent to the auction block in hopes of attracting solid buyers. We keep the auction house’s, buyer’s and seller’s names secret for privacy reasons.
I ran into this lovely 2016 Dodge Charger Hellcat in gorgeous B5 Blue last week as it was being prepped for photographs. The vehicle came from a dealer that clearly knew they had a gem on their hands. With only 3,653 miles on the odometer, and looking as sharp as it did the day it rolled-off the assembly line, the owning dealer knew Hellcat demand was high, and chose to blast it to an auction block with national viewership, instead of letting it sit at their lot.
What’s even crazier is that seven out of ten Hellcats brought to auction have previous accident and damage reports. This one was pristine, so it made it even more valuable. After being analyzed, the car sat for a few days awaiting for auction day and its time to shine.
Auction day came and everyone from small-time car lot owners to big time dealership general managers hovered around the Hellcat like it was a freaking unicorn. With 707 horsepower, 4-doors, and the ability to outrun just about any car in the world, it’s a very, very desirable ride. Unfortunately, that auction day the Charger wasn’t desired by many. There were a few bids, but all of them too low to consider.
All of the sudden, before the close of business day, a last-minute bid came in at $58,300 bucks. I knew the owner wanted $65k for it, so I thought he may wiggle a bit. A counter offer was made for $62,000 bucks, but the buyer wasn’t interested.
Just like that, a gorgeous Hellcat missed its chance to find a new home, and it’ll have to hang out another week or two at the auction. With Dodge having an enormous waiting list for these bad boys, it’s a fact that this one will sell well, but it needs to find the right buyer.
UPDATE on 11/11/16: The Hellcat is still here and has gone through the block every week. It recently received an offer for $56,500, but owner countered at $59,500. Buyer declined. It looks like it may be tougher to sell after all.