Dealer Allegedly Crashes Owner’s Rare Hellcat, Then Tries To Sell Him Another At Sticker

Handing over a high-performance car for service takes a certain amount of faith in whoever ends up holding the keys. One muscle car owner says that faith cost him the car. His rare 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Jailbreak Last Call Edition was totaled after a technician allegedly took it out for a test drive.

The owner of the wrecked Hellcat is Robert H., who shared his story on Facebook, as Autoevolution spotted. On July 3, he dropped the Challenger at Matt Bowers Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram on Airline for routine maintenance. Six hours in the waiting room later, he says he was told an “unqualified lube tech” had essentially wrecked his prized possession.

Six Hours In The Waiting Room, One Trailer Ride Home

When Robert finally saw the car again, it was strapped to a trailer with a heavily damaged front end. The bumper, splitter, grille, and headlights had come off, the fenders were deformed, and the hood no longer lined up. Mud on the wheels and across the Sublime Green paint suggests the car left the pavement and may have been stuck in a ditch before someone pulled it out. The front and side airbags are deployed.

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According to the owner, the dealership’s general manager defended the test drive that led to the accident as necessary. To make matters worse, he says he was told to return his loaner within seven days of receiving the insurance payout.

Sticker Price As A Consolation Prize

Robert claims the dealership then proposed selling him a replacement Hellcat at sticker price, presented as a favor since it meant skipping the usual $25,000 markup. The problem is that the money he received from their insurance was not enough to cover the down payment on the car.

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Rather than take on the debt, Robert says he bought something cheaper and started putting money aside for a house instead. He also claims that the dealership management never handed over the police report he asked for.

After the story picked up steam on social media, Robert says he was contacted by “someone very high up in the company.” That representative is reportedly trying to get him “more money if possible” and looking into a deal on a suitable replacement.

Despite his bad experience, the Challenger owner isn’t calling for anyone’s head over it. “This is not meant to bash a particular dealership rather than to show that this kind of thing can actually happen to anyone,” he wrote on Facebook. “The important thing is that this be used as a learning experience for dealerships everywhere to look into your policies on test drives and who you allow to do them.”

Sources: Facebook, Autoevolution