ORDERED: Here Is Why I Ordered The 2023 Chrysler 300C Over A Dodge Charger!

Back in September, I was at the unveiling of the 2023 Chrysler 300C Limited Edition in Downtown Detroit at the Detroit Auto Show. Just before the event started, Chrysler.com was updated to start taking reservations for the new limited edition 6.4-liter (392 cubic inch) HEMI V8-powered sports sedan.

At the time, I had already made up my mind (and also got permission from the wife), that when Dodge would open its order banks for 2023, I would order one of the final year Dodge Charger Scat Pack models. It had only been a couple of weeks since the Dodge Speed Weeks event at M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Michigan, and after seeing that two of my favorite colors were returning (Sublime and Destroyer Gray) were returning, I knew this would be the last chance to order my favorite car exactly how I wanted it.

As I sat there before the unveiling of the 300C, I started looking at the $55,000 price tag and the equipment that came with it. Just as the official countdown clock for the event kicked off, I quickly scrolled through my phone and priced out a comparable 2022 Dodge Charger Scat Pack. To my surprise, the Charger would end up costing over $66,000 and that was for the 2022 model. So ultimately, the 300C Limited Edition seemed too good to be true.

Now I have always had a special connection to the current Charger, as I have owned them in the past. But as I pondered about the 300, I realized that it seems that everyone has a Challenger or Charger Scat Pack around Metro Detroit and I wanted something that would stand out compared to everything else on Woodward. So I immediately pulled the trigger and reserved a 300C just before the unveiling went live.

The reservation process was simple. All I had to do was pick a color and choose what dealer I was going to do business with. 

Although I wasn’t truly happy with any of the three color choices offer on the 300C (I would have loved to see more of a Red (TorRed), White, and Blue (IndiGo or Frostbite) options to match the 300C’s heritage-inspired logo, or even Granite or Ceramic Gray), but I ended up settling on Bright White.

The very next day, the dealer I picked (St. Clair Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram in St. Clair, Michigan), called me asking me about my reservation. I informed them that the Chrysler concierge had not contacted me yet, and they told me to let them know when I got the call.

Chrysler stated during the unveiling, a concierge would contact the reservation holders within 48 hours. However, it took about four days for the concierge to contact me. I ended up getting the phone call at about 9:00 p.m. with the concierge asking me if I wanted to move forward with the order and confirming my color and dealer choices. He then immediately sent me a link to my personal e-mail on how to send my $300 deposit via PayPal and secure my reservation.

Within a couple of days, my dealer contacted me with a vehicle identification number (VIN) and a vehicle order number (VON). The VON allowed me to go to the Chrysler tracking site and enter my information, which in turn allows me to watch the process of my order.

Now it is just a waiting game. The first batch of 2023 Chrysler 300C Limited Editions is scheduled to begin production at the Brampton Assembly Plant in the suburbs of Toronto in February. So I figure it will be at least March or early April before my car is delivered. Which is good, because I really don’t want to take the car home in the Michigan winter.

Since I placed my order, I discovered a Facebook group specifically for those who have confirmed orders for the car. As of the writing of this article, there are about 90 members in the group and it has been quite interesting hearing from the others on what colors and where the cars will be heading once they are built.

So far I have been impressed by the whole experience. Although the allocation of 2,200 units (2,000 for the U.S., and 200 for Canada) sold out in 12 hours after its debut, Chrysler took more reservations and created a waiting list. Instead of seeing the extra demand for the cars and just building more (similar to what Dodge did with the 2021 Durango SRT HELLCAT), Chrysler has stuck to its guns and refuses to produce any more 300Cs. 

The reservation waiting list was created simply to make sure that if someone backed out of an order, Chrysler could fill the allocation. Last week, Chrysler announced that its reservation list wasn’t taking any more names. This tells me, there is enough demand, and the automaker has enough customers lined up to take canceled orders. 

Dealers are only allowed an allocation for one of the cars if a customer reserved one through Chrysler and has gone through the ordering process. The customer has until D1 status (scheduled production with parts available) to cancel their order. At that time, the allocation will go elsewhere and the dealer will not receive the vehicle.

A simple process and a much better option for the customer, compared to the new Dodge ‘Horsepower Locator’ where you have to find the vehicle you want and negotiate with a dealer. Which could easily push an adjusted market price increase on the car.

Knowing that there will be only 2,000 units produced for the U.S., helps to validate my decision for purchasing the Chrysler over a Dodge. In fact, Dodge produced 2,027 Charger SRT HELLCAT Redeyes in 2021. So your chances of seeing one of the 797 horsepower muscle sedans are about the same as seeing one of the Chryslers.

And while the 300C Limited Edition may seem a bit lackluster compared to the Charger honing in on more of the classic sleeper look, the only thing that I have been wondering about is what to do when I get the car home. Do I keep the 300C Limited Edition pretty much stock and embrace the 300C for what it is or do I convert it into an export Chrysler 300 SRT? But that conservation is for a different time.

Overall, for the price, I think the last true HEMI-powered Chrysler is probably the greatest combination of value and power in 2023. It truly harkens back to the Chrysler brand’s formula of ‘blue collar luxury’!

2023 Chrysler 300C Limited Edition Image Gallery:

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