Most Expensive US

[acesrt]

Can anyone name a sedan that is
1. US Make
2. Non Luxury Branded (Lincoln/Caddy)
3. as costly as the Chrysler/Dodge SRT8



I can't think of one.
Sure most of us here see the value, but to the rest of the car buying public the SRT8 is priced in the stratosphere.
Kinda like the Taurus SHO ten years ago...
A 30 thousand dollar taurus ?!?!

There simply was not a pre-existing market for this product, and Chrysler did a piss poor job of trying to create one.

They've got dealers who will do just about anything to get their last SRT off the floorplan, and then decline future SRT allocation.

Creates a great opp. for buyers today, but sucks for the guy who paid over 50k a year and a half ago and who can barely get 30k back today

I'm not complaining, I knew what I was getting into, and still plan on keeping the car 7+ years
BUT
The failure of this product is just another contribution to the SRT division's ultimate demise

Perhaps if SRT is axed current SRTs will hold their value a bit better
or even increase.....

[AlexDestructive]

why would they axe the SRT's?

that would just be a mistake and a half.
SRT and the HEMI are one of the biggest selling points for these cars aside from the styling.

[Northern Rider]

The SRT8 was designated limited production from the get-go. They have produced and sold what they said they would.

It appeals only to gearheads and there is no need to spend big advertising bucks on this product. We owners do their marketing for them every day at stop lights around the world.

Some dealers took too many or were just the kind of dealership that gearheads would never buy from. That is their problem.

I have heard no indication that the 300CSRT8's or the Charger SRT8's will be discontinued. There is some speculation that the Maggie may not survive into 2009 but that is yet to be seen. And - we all know the Challenger will be rolling out late this winter. Again - a gearhead's car.

Rumors of the SRT8 death may be a bit premature, don't you think?

[MR 225]

Try living in Australia mate!

The 5.7L's were about $70,000 when they first came out. You won't get much change from $80,000 for an SRT8!

[Northern Rider]

Originally Posted by UCantLoseOn22s

The SRT8 is not going to be sold anymore?

The SRT8 IS STILL being sold!!!!

I guess this is how rumors start . . .

[The300]

I paid just on $79"000 AUD for a black SRT Wagon with sunroof and premium grill in Aussie land, mind you ,there is nothing like beating the likes of GM and Ford down here..... i love it, long live the HEmi

[RMC_SS_LDO]

To answer your original question,

1. Buick Lucerne CXS
2. Pontiac Bonneville GXP (discontinued in 2005)
3. Mercury Marauder (also discontinued)
4. Pontiac G8 (not yet released; basically a smaller Bonneville replacement)

Both GMs above (nbr 1 and 2) are/were actually more expensive than the SRT-8 when equipped about the same IIRC, but the Northstar V8 is no match for the 300 (C even) and both are/were FWD.

Ford does not have an answer in the same market/class except the now discontinued Mercury Marauder which is not really in the same class IMHO.

So right now, your options really are the Lucerne and the up-coming G8. In the near future, bank on a re-designed RWD Zeta based Impala that I'd bet money on giveing the SRTs a solid run within the 2nd model year (2011 I'd guess).

The SRT-8 was and remains the best performance value in the market- PERIOD. The only nit I would have to pick with the program would be the lack of advertising. The problem in when spending ad dollars, the folks these cars would apeal to generally know about them without ads. GM has done a descent job of positioning the Caddy "V" series but you do not see them advertised either.

VERY specific advertising that conveys a sense of exclusivity with the SRT line (not just the SRT-8) would serve Chrysler well by getting folks into the showrooms and would help to get some if the more "hokey" ads out of folks minds. The "HEMI" ads from a few years ago, while entertaining, tended to project a bit of a mullet-wearing redneck image simply because they were over-done. The new ads seem a step in the right direction, but IMHO they need to bring the HEMI back into the picture touting the economy seen with MDS. Add to that an exclusive, performance taylored group of ads (SRT Line) would help to get floor traffic!

[acesrt]

I forgot about
Marauder (they were looking to imitate an 94-96 impala here)
and
Bonn GXP (cadillac powertrain and perhaps platform too?) with a pontiac badge
although I don't believe they were near 41k .....

The fact they are not made anymore furthers my point
(high $, non luxury branded, failed products)

The G8's base prices are high 20's to low 30's, and even if fully equipped they probly won't top even the SRT8's base price of $41385.

Good point about the Buick, Fully optioned it does top out @ 43
A comparably equipped SRT would be right there or a bit over.

I won't argue about the value the SRT offers, hell I bought one myself

There simply was no market for this car.
After the inital hype, things flattened out and took a dive from there
I don't remember if the Crossfire SRT6 was a big deal at the start, but that one died quickly too, .
Earlier this year a dealer told me he could still get NEW 2005 crossfires from DCX. But what dealer would take one.
The Chrysler reps would have to offer a dealer extra allocation of desireable units if they are willing to take a Crossfire.

I would bet that the SRT division by itself is a money loser,
I am defining money loser as
Amount IN - Amount OUT is > $0
and not accounting for residual benifits


Yes, when DCX had some enthusiasts running the show who could justify the $ loss with residual benefits (increased floor traffic), then we were fine.

But we all know thats not how private equity works.
It is all about ROIC ..... they want to show good numbers so they can maximize their return when they sell Chrysler in 4 or 5 years.


I do hope SRT remains 5 years from now, but If I had to bet I would bet against it .

Originally Posted by RMC_SS_LDO

To answer your original question,

1. Buick Lucerne CXS
2. Pontiac Bonneville GXP (discontinued in 2005)
3. Mercury Marauder (also discontinued)
4. Pontiac G8 (not yet released; basically a smaller Bonneville replacement)

Both GMs above (nbr 1 and 2) are/were actually more expensive than the SRT-8 when equipped about the same IIRC, but the Northstar V8 is no match for the 300 (C even) and both are/were FWD.

Ford does not have an answer in the same market/class except the now discontinued Mercury Marauder which is not really in the same class IMHO.

So right now, your options really are the Lucerne and the up-coming G8. In the near future, bank on a re-designed RWD Zeta based Impala that I'd bet money on giveing the SRTs a solid run within the 2nd model year (2011 I'd guess).

The SRT-8 was and remains the best performance value in the market- PERIOD. The only nit I would have to pick with the program would be the lack of advertising. The problem in when spending ad dollars, the folks these cars would apeal to generally know about them without ads. GM has done a descent job of positioning the Caddy "V" series but you do not see them advertised either.

VERY specific advertising that conveys a sense of exclusivity with the SRT line (not just the SRT-8) would serve Chrysler well by getting folks into the showrooms and would help to get some if the more "hokey" ads out of folks minds. The "HEMI" ads from a few years ago, while entertaining, tended to project a bit of a mullet-wearing redneck image simply because they were over-done. The new ads seem a step in the right direction, but IMHO they need to bring the HEMI back into the picture touting the economy seen with MDS. Add to that an exclusive, performance taylored group of ads (SRT Line) would help to get floor traffic!

[RMC_SS_LDO]

The great thing about the SRT line is that is costs nearly nothing in capitol to produce since it is on an existing platform. Add the limited numbers and the halo effect, then is actually makes good sence to produce. Ford does similar with the SVT lines and the special edition Mustangs. As for the Crossfire, even the non-SRT versions languished not because it was a bad car, it was just too small of a market to start with. It was the answer to a question nobody was asking (kinda like the Aspen now).

The biggest issue I think Chrysler has with the SRT line today is that they seemed to over-produce them a bit and then not advertise them. It is easy to arm-chair quarterback this, but the numbers should have been lower across the SRT line to improve the halo effect and keep the sales numbers strong in relation to the total numbers produced. When something is desireable and in short supply, it's a no-brainer, but finding 2 SRT8s on the lot in the little town that I live in makes no sence- the market will not support it! At the same time I could drive 45 minutes south (to Jacksonville FL) to a large CJD store and they had 20 SRT8 300s on the lot (yea, that's twenty)! That's overkill and dilutes the whole reason for a program like SRT.

Now you add the "SRT Design Group" (300's SRTDG) trim level and the intended effect of the SRT program becomes further diluted. I'm not bashing the SRTDG equiupment or vehicles (it is an excellent package) but it does not rate the SRT moniker. Different issue.... I digress

I will admit that I thoght twice about the SRT since it did not have MDS and the GG tax was stairing me in the face on the window sticker, just like most other folks would. Unlike most, I actually researched the actual MPG and how it compared to the rest of the offerings and realized it was really a non-issue (unless you are REALLY mashing the skinny pedal ). But then again, I'm a performance enthusiast that sought out the SRT vice really cross-shopping the 300C with the SRT8.

The SRT line makes good buisness for the MoCo and will continue to in the forseeable future from a full-line marketing standpoint. I would just expect to see the total number produced reduced and tweaked from the lessons learned since 2005 to balance across the platforms. If they are smart, they will play on the potentially exclusive nature of the program (cut total numbers and eliminate imposters) and see increased sales across the board.

[DanRealtor]

Originally Posted by acesrt

Can anyone name a sedan that is
1. US Make
2. Non Luxury Branded (Lincoln/Caddy)
3. as costly as the Chrysler/Dodge SRT8



I can't think of one.
Sure most of us here see the value, but to the rest of the car buying public the SRT8 is priced in the stratosphere.
Kinda like the Taurus SHO ten years ago...
A 30 thousand dollar taurus ?!?!

There simply was not a pre-existing market for this product, and Chrysler did a piss poor job of trying to create one.

They've got dealers who will do just about anything to get their last SRT off the floorplan, and then decline future SRT allocation.

Creates a great opp. for buyers today, but sucks for the guy who paid over 50k a year and a half ago and who can barely get 30k back today

I'm not complaining, I knew what I was getting into, and still plan on keeping the car 7+ years
BUT
The failure of this product is just another contribution to the SRT division's ultimate demise

Perhaps if SRT is axed current SRTs will hold their value a bit better
or even increase.....

What can YOU name that has the style, comfort, appeal, power, quickness, agility, stopping power AND top speed of an SRT-8 that costs less than $20,000 more than an SRT-8?

There has always been and always will be a demand for Horse Power, Speed and Brute Force! Not as big a demand as for cars that get great gas mileage, but there will always be a demand.

Go Fast Junkies (myself included) will always be in the market for a street legal race car. It was the same with the Impala's and the other cars mentioned. Sure, if gas was five cents a gallon there would be a much larger demand, but it does exist.

The entire SRT lineup has put Dodge & Chrysler on the map, and not just for minivans anymore.

With some bolt on mods, I routinely spank MUCH more expensive cars on a daily basis, and love every minute of it!!!