As we reported late last year, there was some speculation about sales of the 2015 Challenger SRT Hellcat. With some dealers charging as much as $15,000 just to pre-order a Hellcat, we all knew that buying a Hellcat for the MSRP was not going to happen. However, Dodge brand CEO Tim Kuniskis announced that there will be conditions on selling the Hellcat.

Allocations were created because there was the assumption that dealers were going to mark up the price of the Hellcat, and if dealers marked them up so high that the cars were going to sit on the lot for an extended period, that dealership wouldn’t be getting any more. “You sell a lot of Darts for me, Journeys for me, Durangos for me, I’m going to give you the rights to this one, too, because this is a halo of the brand,” Kuniskis said about the allocations.

But now that the halo car is being sold all over the country, FCA is taking a closer look at some dealer practices, and actually warning potential Hellcat Charger and Challenger owners of the unscrupulous practices by some of their Dodge dealers.

While FCA is thrilled about the excitement that has been generated by the Hellcat, it seems that many dealers are jumping on the bandwagon to sell the car with complete disregard as to whether they can actually get the car or not. People have been placing orders for the Hellcat and there isn’t a timeline as to when they might be getting it, because even the dealer may not know.

From the FCA North America blog, In The Mirror:
Specifically, this handful of dealers appears to have accepted large numbers of SRT Hellcat orders without regard to available supply and without advising their customers that orders may not be filled, if at all, for many months or longer.

What does this mean for the consumer? It means that you should shop around, and do some research. FCA recognizes that not all dealers are taking advantage of the hype, and many are well aware of the allocations and scheduling process. FCA is recommending that potential buyers take precautions and make sure the dealership is an authorized Dodge dealer, and to find out how many pending Hellcats are on order.

Another point that FCA is making is for consumers to find out if a deposit is required, and if that deposit is refundable. For those who feel that they may have placed an order for a Hellcat without any idea of when or if their order is going to be fulfilled, FCA suggests contacting the dealer to discuss options. To find a list of authorized Dodge dealers, consumers can visit the Dodge brand website or call (855) 778-8326.

Demand for the Hellcat is very high and the dealer allocation formula can be a new car customer’s worst nightmare. FCA is on your side and they want owners to be able to acquire their Hellcat, but at the same time they aren’t very happy about the unscrupulous practices from dealers taking advantage of customers and leaving them very unhappy. Does this smell a little bit like the housing bubble that happened a few years back and left a lot of consumers unhappy? As long as there is hype, you can almost count on someone trying to profit from it, and this time it’s a few shady Dodge dealerships.