Dodge

To be completely up front, this one is a non-running project car. But it's an intriguing one.

It's a make and model we don't see often here -- a 1984 Dodge Rampage 2.2T.

"What's this," you ask. "A Dodge Dart? How is that an interesting choice for used car of the day?"

My rebuttal is that I don't see a 2013 Dodge Dart with a manual transmission in the forums very often, whereas my other choices for today are all models I use often.

The Dodge Charger EV promises strong performance numbers, and it’s one of the only electric models on sale with a shouty fake exhaust system. It might also become one of the earlier vehicles available with a solid-state battery system, as Dodge's parent company, Stellantis, recently said it could begin testing solid-state battery-equipped Charger EVs on public roads as soon as 2026.

Sureties in this life include death, taxes, and a seemingly infinite number of so-called special editions from the house of Stellantis.

It seems Dodge might bring back the Stealth name and slap it on a SUV to replace the Durango.

Everyone bellyaching about wanting a return of the Mitsubishi 3000GT or Dodge Stealth may get what they want, but not how they want it. Recent reports suggest that the Stealth nameplate could return, though it won’t be on a sleek sports coupe. Dodge is reportedly planning to revive the Stealth as an SUV replacement for the Durango in 2027, dashing hopes of a more exciting vehicle.

The United Automobile Workers(UAW) is presently beefing with Stellantis leadership and has yet to let up. On Monday, the union filed federal unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board over claims that the automaker has refused to provide information regarding product commitments outlined in the 2023 collective bargaining agreement. The UAW is concerned that Stellantis will attempt to move Dodge Durango production out of the United States — which it says would also be a violation of the aforementioned union agreement.

Do you think electric muscle cars are cool? Like rowdy fake exhaust sounds? If so, you’ll be excited to learn that Dodge has opened the order books for its upcoming Charger Daytona R/T. Early adopters will get a “VIP Experience” and exclusive benefits for being part of the automaker’s “First Call” program.

Automakers often want to wring every last penny of profit out of existing vehicles before discontinuing them, and Dodge is one of the best at the practice. It rolled out several “final-edition” versions of the Charger and Challenger before cutting the cord, and now, we’re seeing a similar approach with the Durango. It debuted several special versions of the SUV for its last year in 2025, but we’ve also recently learned that the once one-year-only Durango Hellcat will remain on sale with a significant discount.

Today I have a 2024 Dodge Durango Alchemi (we're not going to follow Dodge's capitalization on this one, we typically don't follow the OEMs' style, though there are exceptions) parked in my garage.

It's one of only 1,000 that will be/have been built.

Dodge continues to stretch the Hemi.

The Dodge Durango entered its third generation more than a decade ago, but the automaker has kept it (mostly) current with new tech and a slew of powertrain options. Continuing that tradition, Dodge is giving the SUV a pair of special edition models for its 20th anniversary that include a new SRT Hellcat Silver Bullet variant and R/T 20th Anniversary trim.

Today's UCOTD is bound to upset those who still don't quite understand this feature. I promise I am not doing that intentionally -- I am not that mean (usually). No, I really do believe that the right person could take this project 1989 Dodge Dakota Sport Convertible and make it a fun project truck.

If they have the time, patience, and money.

Electric vehicles don't make exhaust noise. Some EVs will be performance cars. Performance cars with ICE powertrains often make very cool sounds.

For some, the lack of those sounds will be a problem

Electric vehicles don’t make much noise. So little, in fact, that automakers are required to install a system that projects sound at low speeds to alert pedestrians and other drivers to their presence. Dodge is dipping its toe into the EV pool with the upcoming Charger Daytona, and we finally got to hear its fabled Fratzonic Exhaust system, now in its third iteration after the car’s debut a couple of years ago.

When news broke that Dodge would be electrifying the Charger as part of its redesign, the assumption was that the resulting product would cost more than the outgoing model. This is especially true considering the now-discontinued LX/LD platform was comparatively affordable due to having been around so long. However, leaked documents are suggesting that the new Charger will cost substantially more money than the old one.

UPDATE: Stellantis reached out post publication to clarify pricing. Please see below.

Remember the Dodge Journey? Pepperidge Farm, I mean, the NHTSA remembers. It recently upgraded its investigation into the much-maligned crossover to an engineering analysis. The evaluation is ongoing due to concerns that its door locks and windows could become inoperative.

Though not yet a recall, the action impacts almost one million Journeys built between 2009 and 2020. The defect could cause a malfunction of the power windows and door locks, preventing passengers from exiting if there’s an emergency.

Last year, we saw as early second-generation Dodge Grand Caravan in a Colorado junkyard in this series. Discarded examples of the first-generation Chrysler minivans have been much more difficult to find, but I ran across this '87 Caravan in Colorado Springs last week.

Once in a while we see a story about a young person with a muscle-car terrorizing local residents in a major city. Today, we have another -- this one involves a 20-year-old who appears wealthy, a Dodge Challenger Hellcat, and social media. The usual ingredients.

Tim Kuniskis, Dodge and Ram’s CEO, is leaving the house that Hellcat built. His tenure at Stellantis and its previous iterations spans 32 years, with his stint at the helms of Dodge starting in 2021 and Ram in 2023.

Today we offer up a 2015 Dodge Challenger R/T for your perusal.

Despite the rafts of headlines, the world isn’t entirely stuffed with EVs and wheezy compact crossovers. The lunatics at Dodge have just opened order banks for its 2024 Dodge Durango SRT 392 – the so-called AlcHEMI.

There are so many well-documented accounts of people doing dumb things in high-powered cars that it’s become satisfying to see some of them suffering the legal consequences of their actions. That’s exactly what happened to a Seattle-area Dodge Charger Hellcat SRT driver, who was recently charged with reckless driving and banned from driving the car.

Today we're going back to the "doesn't run but could be restored" well with this 1991 Dodge Ramcharger.

With the 2024 Dodge Charger having finally been previewed, driving enthusiasts have been arguing about whether the all-new model is an improvement from the original or a grotesque misstep. While it looks similar to its predecessor, Stellantis opted to abandon V8 powertrains for a turbocharged I6 or 400-volt electric architecture. The car has also fully embraced all-wheel drive at the expense of rear-drive variants. Considering the above, it should be no shocker that the brand likewise snubbed manual transmissions — with Dodge having just confirmed the decision.

Today's Dodge Charger launch is going to drive a lot of conversations.

Including this question of the day.

Muscle cars are going electric.

Well, maybe not across the board. The internal-combustion engine Mustang seems safe, at least in the short term. That said, there will be at least one muscle-car EV on the market soon: The 2024 Dodge Charger.

When Dodge previewed its Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust for the all-electric Charger Daytona SRT concept (pictured), enthusiasts were divided. Some thought the idea of a faux exhaust system, designed to help EVs mimic the howl of a V8, was a cringe-worthy gimmick. But others felt it broke new ground in terms of vehicular sound design and would ensure electric cars could retain some of the magic of combustion vehicles. Regardless of which camp you happen to staked your tent, parent company Stellantis has continued on with the premise and has likewise patented a system that creates fake engine vibrations to further the illusion of combustion-derived propulsion.

Tall hats at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have indicated they have wrapped an investigation into the gear selector design found in some Durango SUVs and Ram pickup trucks.

Automakers love putting out teasers, using us media dopes to build anticipation.

With Stellantis opting to supplant the HEMI V8 with the Hurricane inline six-cylinder engine, there was a gnashing of teeth from Mopar fans who viewed the change as unpleasantly European. The manufacturer is well aware of this and has been fielding special editions of V8-powered models to profit as much as possible off the larger displacement engines before they’re discontinued.

It’s now the Dodge Durango’s turn, with Stellantis announcing “last call” editions of the V8-equipped SUV.

News broke earlier this week that Stellantis would pull out of auto shows, including the upcoming Chicago Auto Show, for the foreseeable future.

Today we feature a nine-year-old muscle car. Perhaps it's in honor of how the Dodge Charger going away, or just a coincidence, but today we bring you a 2014 Dodge Charger R/T AWD Sport.

We've slowly been saying goodbye to the Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300, and Dodge Challenger -- now we can officially wave goodbye to the platform, including the Hemi.

Sometimes the lower-trim version of a particular model seems like the better choice. Such is the case, at least to this reviewer’s eye, with the 2023 Dodge Hornet GT.

The branches of the Chrysler K-Car Family Tree are far too numerous to describe here, since so many different K-derived cars and minivans were built from the 1981 through 1995 model years for the North American market. One of the rarest types is the 1985-1989 Dodge Lancer, and I've found an example in a Silicon Valley self-service wrecking yard.

The annual SEMA show in Las Vegas is rapidly approaching, meaning car companies will surely be dangling umpteen teaser images of what they’ve in store for this soirée in the desert. Stellantis is usually good for an outrageous reveal or three, and they’ve started off this year with an electrified bang.

Today's UCOTD is an oldie -- and it could be a goodie, if you can fix it. It's a 2003 Dodge Neon SRT-4 that needs some TLC.

Today's UCOTD isn't a car -- it's truck. Or really, an SUV from the days when SUVs were big and boxy. Say hello to this 1989 Dodge Ramcharger.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a stop-drive notice for plug-in versions of the Dodge Hornet and Alfa Romeo Tonale. Vehicles are alleged to pose a fire risk due to improperly installed battery connections. Stellantis and the NHTSA have warned that this could result in a fire hazard even when the vehicle is parked. 

We’ve been hearing a lot about Hyundai and Kia car thefts, as some older models lack electronic immobilizers, but as it turns out, they’re nowhere near the most frequently stolen cars in America. The Insurance Insititute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) division recently released its list of the most stolen vehicles from model years 2020-2022, and the top models wear Dodge badges.

Dodge is discontinuing the Charger and Challenger after the 2023 model year, but the automaker isn’t doing away with muscle cars altogether. Though a Dodge spokesperson confirmed that internal combustion would not be a part of the next Charger lineup in a 2022 conversation with Motor1, a new report from  Mopar Insiders claims that the next-gen car will get the Hurricane inline-six alongside the electric Charger Daytona.

For a few years after the end of World War II, Detroit's automakers sold mildly facelifted prewar designs while they made the switch back to peacetime production. Chrysler managed the feat for the 1949 model year; we admired a Plymouth Special Deluxe sedan from that year in a Colorado car graveyard last summer, and today we're going to take a look at an example of one of the last of the stopgap postwar Chrysler products: this '48 Dodge in a yard just south of Denver.

The Challenger Demon 170 is Dodge’s final sendoff for the cars, and with just 3,300 units planned for the car’s last hurrah, it will be one of the most exclusive models in the expansive series. The lucky few to get their hands on the car include celebrities and automotive royalty like Jay Leno, but there are plenty of “everyday” buyers, too. To help make the experience even more special for buyers, Dodge offers a series of “after-delivery” products exclusively for the car.

Earlier this week, Matt wrote about Dodge's take on how American muscle will evolve as cars become more electrified.

With the brunt of the automotive industry vowing to electrify their lineups and government regulators keen on restricting emissions, many have wondered how the change will impact American brands. While Tesla has managed to solidify the United States as the dominant purveyor of all-electric vehicles, American performance has long been synonymous with exceptionally large motors boasting the kind of oomph foreign manufacturers might consider excessive at a price point that seems downright reasonable.

The concern here is that the changing landscape is about to close the door on American muscle cars for a second time. However, Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis is trying to assure the world that this won’t be the case. He’s telling anyone willing to listen that its forthcoming products will continue to deliver the kind of performance Mopar fans are accustomed to.

Dodge has been quite loud with its proclamations that this year’s “Last Call” Challenger and Charger models would really be the final round, but it appears that’s not entirely the case. Users on the Hellcat owner’s forum discovered that Dodge handed out as many as 25 ultra-exclusive Demon 170 Jailbreak models with exclusive colors to celebrities and select customers.

If there’s one thing at which Stellantis excels, besides stuffing the largest engine they can find into most of their models, it’s the creation of endless special editions to create a bit of buzz. This time, the subjects need no further promotion – but they’re getting it anyway.

It’s no secret that the Dodge Challenger and Charger as we know them are going away, but learning that production is ending at the end of July really brings the point home. So, if you’re on the hunt for a new Dodge muscle car, you’ve only got ten days left to act. 

Today's used car of the day is barely used. A Michigan-based seller has simply decided it's already time to move on to the next thing -- this seller claims not to be a flipper.

Today's UCOTD is a 1978 Dodge Ram Charger that runs, has some rust, needs to be restored, and will set you back $7,000.

We haven't featured too many Dodge Challengers -- if we've featured any at all -- in this slot. So, today, we've got a nice 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T for you.

Today's UCOTD is clearly a project car -- but it runs.

This 1988 Dodge Daytona Shelby Z needs a lot of work, which is why the price is low, but it's not up on blocks.

After a long period of hiring and widespread labor shortages, some companies are looking to cut back on staff to prepare for uncertain economic times ahead. Earlier this month, we learned that thousands of GM employees took the company’s offer for a buyout, which helped it avoid mass layoffs. Now it’s Stellantis’ turn, as the automaker is offering money to lure around 3,500 hourly workers out of their jobs.

Today's UCOTD is a hot-rod wagon for a reasonable price.

We haven't featured Dodge Vipers in the space often, for a variety of reasons, but it's always cool when one comes up for sale.

This 2005 Dodge Viper is Race Yellow and it's on its second owner.

Today's video of the week is an easy one.

If you missed the livestream of Dodge's Last Call, or want to see it again, here you go.

You may have already seen the first ad for the 2023 Dodge Hornet – it’s a spoof of disaster-movie trailers and it includes a man standing in a city, arms wide open, shouting “let me feel your sting!”

I felt the Hornet’s sting during a day of driving through North Carolina. And I didn’t even need an EpiPen.

You may have noticed one of the pictures I added to Mr. Guy's Dodge Challenger 170 story after the car's unveiling was of the vehicle being airlifted onto the Las Vegas Motor Speedway dragstrip via helicopter.

You'd have seen the whole production if you watched the Roadkill livestream.