Dealers Putting Premium Pricing On “Last Call” Commemorative Models!

Let’s face it, the automotive industry is in a weird state at the moment. After dealing with a shortage of semiconductors and other supply chain shortages for the past two years, there has been low dealer inventory for most models, rising interest rates, and then you have inflation. In other words, it may be one of the most difficult times ever to get the vehicle you want.

But if you are a Dodge fan, this looks to be your last chance to get your hands on a HEMI-powered muscle car for the foreseeable future as the brand looks to embrace electrification for its performance vehicles moving forward.

To help commemorate the end of the current HEMI V8 era, Dodge has introduced a lineup of “Last Call” limited edition models. So far, the Auburn Hills automaker has released 6 of 7 limited edition models aimed at sending the current Charger and Challenger off into the sunset. 

Instead of allowing customers to go to their local dealer and letting the customer to owner one of the limited edition models, Dodge is allocating the cars to its best-selling dealers. Potential customers are in charge of using the automaker’s new “Horsepower Locator” tool on Dodge.com, to find dealers that have one of these limited edition models allocated to them and purchase it through that dealer only. In fact, all models of Charger and Challenger models have been allocated to dealers, no matter if it is an entry-level V6 or a supercharged HEMI model.

Over the past week and a half, several people have reached out to us saying that they have contacted dealers about purchasing their allocation of these “last call” commemorative models. And it seems that most people have said the same thing. Dealers are requesting anywhere from $5,000 to $40,000 over MSRP, based on the model.

Many of those people have simply given up on those commemorative models.

Several people, we have talked to say they are not willing to pay that amount of increase for nothing more than a “sticker” package on a standard model. A few potential customers we talked to, said they were going to see about ordering a 2023 SRT HELLCAT or HELLCAT Redeye Jailbreak car and customize their order to coincide with commemorative cars and see if they are any cheaper. 

One person who contacted us, said their dealer in Michigan, told them they were adding $40,000 to their “Black Ghost” allocation. The customer said he could pretty much build the car using the Jailbreak program, pay $10,000 over MSRP for that allocation, save $30,000 and use $1,200 for a local vinyl shop to replicate the gator print vinyl on the roof and still have money in his pocket.

For example, Mopar sells most of the things that you can’t get through the Jailbreak program like hood pins, white Scat Pack stripe, and fender-mounted Challenger script badges, you would need to replicate the Black Ghost.

Others have said the same thing about the Scat Pack-based models as well.

Factory Reproductions produces most of the wheel offerings in various sizes offered on the Challenger and Charger in several finishes. Some have stated they could replicate the Shakedown and Swinger models pretty easily. The only car that would prove to be difficult to replicate would be the Super Bee model. Both variants have equipment from the Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320, like Adaptive Suspension with Drag Mode.

We saw an ad on Cars.com for one dealer in New York state wanting double the MSRP for one of their Super Bee Widebody allocations, with the car being listed at $127,000. FOR A SCAT PACK!

Nevertheless, it sounds like there are a lot of people who are upset at dealers and won’t spend the extra thousands of dollars on something that can be easily replicated elsewhere in the lineup. It is cheaper to purchase a “last call” model with all of the equipment at MSRP, but since not many dealers aren’t these vehicles at MSRP you will have to pay a little more for a HELLCAT Redeye Jailbreak model to make it have all the necessary equipment to match a King Daytona or Black Ghost model. 

It will be interesting to see as the year goes on.