With a one-year production run of just 3,300 cars, the 840-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Demon was always going to be a hot ticket. Dodge famously instituted a bunch of restrictions to prevent dealerships from marking the price up, but unfortunately no such safeguards exist on the used car market. And things have gotten bad—any interest in paying $500,000 for a “used” Dodge Demon?
Used Demon prices have been steadily rising since the car first reached dealer lots last November with a starting MSRP of $85,000—we were indignant about one popping up for $180,000 on Cars.com in December, how cute—and over six months later, a new batch of sellers have appeared asking half a million dollars for their drag-strip dynamos.
Listed on sites like eBay and Autotrader, these cars are “used” in name only, as they all have less than 100 miles on the clock; some are even in the single digits. Instead, they’ve all been bought by professional flippers who bank on quickly re-selling highly-sought cars at a profit on the explosive secondary market and usually never drive them. It’s worth pointing out that most of these individuals want less than $200,000 for a Demon, but an optimistic few are reaching for the stars.
This 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon in Plum Crazy Pearl with just 2 miles on the clock comes with all the goodies, including the optional 18-speaker sound system, rear seats, and the Demon Crate. Its 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V8 is capable of rocketing the car from 0 to 60 mph in 2.3 seconds on its way to a 9.65-second quarter-mile. Oh, and it does wheelies, too. How does an even $500,000 sound?
Too much, you say? Then maybe this TorRed Demon with 85 miles and just two mysterious pictures of the actual car hidden by its Demon-branded cover will do the trick. The owner has it listed for $550,000 on Autotrader, but the eBay post allows bidding to begin at the low price of $420,000 with reserve. What a steal.
Just for the record, you can buy almost any other car on the face of the planet for that price. We love the Demon. But if going bat-crazy is your cup of tea, how about a Mercedes-Benz G550 4×4²? Why not two, since they start at just over $200,000? Or what about a $275,000 Lamborghini Huracan Performante, one of the fastest cars ever round the Nurburgring? Or the new Rolls-Royce Cullinan, which can be had for a mere $325,000?
These might look like scams at first, but with honestly-written ads like this one still asking for upwards of $275,000, it seems more like people are testing how hot they can stoke the flames of the market. Greedy? Unquestionably. But bad business? The car’s limited production run is currently winding down, so it’s possible we’ve only seen the beginning of Demon fever.