The refreshed Dodge Challenger is a big hit, sales are up and  suddenly Hellcat is a household word. Dodge’s pony car was so good right out of the box in 2008, we’re not surprised it’s on track for a potential ten year model run. The Hellcat really wowed auto fans around the world and one look at eBay and the prices sellers are asking for the supercharged Mopar are eye opening to say the least.

Conventional wisdom says “retro” cars are difficult to update and keep current. Dodge has disproven that theory by simply making what was good, better. The interior was old school LX, the rear taillights were bland and overall the car was due for an updating. New interior, telematics, front and rear end treatments and big horsepower fixed all that and now those quibbles are but a distance memory. Buyers agree and in January 2015, the Challenger was nipping at the Camaro’s heels in sales. In fact, Challenger sales are up 86% compared to January 2014.

What hasn’t changed is the price tag. SRT models easily top out over $50K, but with the 392 V-8 now available in an R/T, a lower priced big kahuna model is within reach of a whole new set of buyers.

Bringing up the rear, the base model with the 3.6 V-6 is a nice daily driver and looks just as cool as any other model. Just tick the option box for the 20 inch wheels though as this car looks rental car drab with base rims.

Finally, the Hellcat Challenger is hamstrung by the availability of parts for the supercharged 6.2 Liter, 707 hp V-8 and production has been constrained. As a result, folks on eBay are asking upwards of $30K over sticker for the hellacious Hellcat.

Our take? Wait a bit till some of the crazy buzz wears off and place you order then. Or buy a Scat Pack R/T or SRT8 and when 485 hp from the stock 392 V-8 gets boring add a supercharger later.