About a year ago, I read that there were tens of thousands of “Last Call” 2023 Dodge Challengers remaining on dealer lots nationwide, and as I was itching to replace my daily driver, I had a look online. Sure enough, I found the one I was looking for; one state and one Great Lake away was a Sublime SXT with an $8,000 discount, and after putting down a deposit, I drove 13 hours round trip to pick it up that weekend. There are probably a few “new” 2023s out there, but here’s a very lightly used “Swinger” Edition Challenger with an even bigger discount off the sticker. For sale on eBay in Colorado, this Scat Pack Widebody cost $67,310 new, and it can be yours for $53,850 or best offer. If you don’t like the new Chargers, here’s a chance to pick up one of the last of the myriad Special Editions Dodge introduced over the years.
It certainly is more impressive under the hood than my base Challenger’s Pentastar V6. The 6.4-liter Gen III Hemi produced 485 horsepower, enough for a zero-to-sixty time in the low-four-second range. Backing up the big V8 is a ZF eight-speed automatic, which works pretty nicely in my car. The “Swinger” package was basically an appearance package including special stripes, badging, and a Shaker hood scoop. It cost $5,590 on top of the Widebody package’s $5,995 upcharge.
The exterior color is F8 Green, one of Dodge’s throwback colors, with gold “Swinger” stripes. The idea of using the Swinger nameplate on a Challenger is interesting; it was obviously a sporty version of the Dodge Dart back in the late ’60s and early ’70s, but it was never an option on the Challenger. After so many special editions, Dodge might have simply run out of names! Still, the Challenger stuck around so long because it looked right and offered a wide variety of engine, suspension, and tire/wheel options. Apparently, this Swinger is one-of-1000 produced during this final model year, so there’s a little bit of potential collectability built in, if that’s your kind of thing.
The interior will look familiar to anyone who’s had a ride in a Challenger since 2015, and that’s OK. The main difference is a “Swinger” badge in lieu of a “Challenger” badge on the passenger air vent. This one’s interior options include the Plus Package and the Technology Group; all-in-all, it’s a loaded example with an interesting trim package.
One of the reasons I picked up my Challenger was a sense of urgency; I guess I assumed that they’d just keep on making them forever, but now that they’re gone, I think we’ll miss having a car like this around. More modern machines passed it by in terms of overall performance, but good-looking big coupes with plenty of power and personality? They’re a little thin on the ground, but this barely-used Swinger proves that the “last call” is always just a suggestion.
Good taste, Aaron. Looks like a sprinter in their final race in the blocks ready to jump and go!
Brand new 2023 Challenger SRT,s are still “challenging” a $200k price tag, so while this car isn’t an SRT, it looks like a bargain. It certainly has everything I’d want.
Right on Toth. Post a pic of your Mopar sometime. Real nice hwy car I bet. 😎
It’s great…It gets high 20s on the highway, which isn’t too bad.
V6? The V8s will do mid to upper 20’s too.
That is a great color choice! Reminds me of the crash’em cars with the zip stick that you’d pull to get the wheel turning and launch the cars on the flattest piece of driveway you could find to see how fast and far it would go before running out of energy! Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth always did have a some great color choices!
I get 25-30 on the highway in my 2017 Scat Pack Charger. You have to keep your foot out of it and let the MDS kick in. It has 85K trouble free miles on it with no signs of slowing down!
Beautiful Challenger Aaron! Love it! Yes the 3.6 isn’t a much (sometimes overly) worshipped Hemi but they most definitely hold their own quite nicely. I have a 2012 Pursuit Charger with 70k isn’t miles. Unless you’re an absolute speed freak these hold their own just fine and dandy. If you get where you truly feel you need more HP a Ripp will bring you up to approximately 425 RWHP. Still get V6 insurance rates if you don’t snitch on yourself. Lol. Again, Beautiful Challenger. I love my baby AND I actually do need a 4dr or I’d have a Challenger in a hot minute.
What is a 2023 car doing on BF?
It allows those of us who have commented on virtually every BF style car a dozen times to have a different one to make a comment on. “Variety is the spice of life”.
This sure looks like a nice car. But for me they are just too well insulated and sophisticated. Even at triple digit speeds there is no sensation of danger or really anything. You just blow a hole through the air.
A 70 Challenger is a completely different experience. You feel 100 through every part of your being and they are all telling you to SLOW DOWN. Or perhaps that is your screaming wife in the passenger seat as the corner approaches! (She’s right…)
Americans tend to have a different view on speed. Triple digits? OMG, the world will end. Unless you’ve been on the autobahn or autostrada. 100 isn’t anything for these cars and I am ok with that.
Tell me just how a 2024 is anything CLOSE to a barn find?
@JDC
Look at the title…..
Future Find. In 2053 this will be on Barn Finds as a 30 year old classic. And I’ll be a 100 year old classic
Classic reply from a classy lady!!!!!!
Awwww thank you, Marvin
I have to say I am really impressed with the 3.6. I have one in my Ram 1500, which gets low 20’s on the highway and the truck has plenty of go when you need it. I rented a Hemi Challenger for a week in LA, and while it was fun, if I could get a 3.6 with a six-speed I would be all over it. As it is, I just use the truck as a commuter.
I put 160K trouble-free mikes on my ’12 Charger with the 3.6. First year for the 8 speed auto which was very nice.
300HP is plenty for most people.
👍 right on Thanks Aaron. Sharp looking car.
A fair price for what it is. The only potential downside is the color. Some love the F8 green, some don’t. NMCOT, but I think this should go quickly.
Same car on eBay with 6000 miles for only $47,000. eBay item number:396117789429
They need to put a few more of the old Chrysler muscle car names into this cars name, it doesn’t have enough yet. Then add a few more new ones like jail break or something like that. Sarcasm aside, I love these cars. If you had told me in 1970 when I got my drivers license that they would be making 1000 hp street challengers in the future I would have laughed.
Always interesting to see what the BF writers drive. Even if its a new car :)
On a barely related issue, I just cant get my head around what people are paying for cars today. Add to that a picture in my mind of a ’74 Dart Swinger and my head spins! Must be a side effect of being old enough to have lived through so many iterations of car names.
Ha ha, the Challenger is just my daily driver. My real love is stuff from the ’50s and ’60s.
Mother Mopar haunts the halls, The song title explains it.. We built this city on rock n roll..
I really like this car and made an effort to buy one but some dealers wanted ADM or in some cases would not sell someone out of state. I really wanted the sublime Swinger but it was 6 speed only and that would not have made the wife happy.
Does anyone else wonder if Dodge and Mecum didn’t play some games with some values on these Last Call models?? Look at some of the sale prices they sold some for at the same time, with some shopping around you probably could have found one at MSRP. Auctions are auctions and weird results can come from them. I know watching the auction results for awhile had me thinking I better grab one soon while I can still afford it.
It’s not Dodge, it’s the dealers. They are the ones that do ADM, addendums and a whole bunch of unethical stuff. IDK if you read about it, but a service member put money down on a Demon 170 and the salesman sold it out from under him. Understand he was paying 50K about sticker I think. There was such an uproar that the president of dodge got involved and he got a 170 and I think at sticker. I would have had that salesperson fired and barred from working at a dodge dealership. I would also have changed the dealers allotment. Nothing but hornets and any Journeys in the pipeline. There’s no dealer accountability in this country and they like it.
These Swinger models that MSRP was $67,000 have sold at Mecum for $75K, $88K, $110K, $90K and $78K. They were seen on most Mecum Auctions at the same time you could still find one at a dealer with some digging. Some dealers did sell them at MSRP. Was this happening by people who just weren’t doing their homework? Now you see them on auction at WAY under MSRP in most cases. What happened. I do think this car is a good buy at this price but I have seen several now in this price range or less.
The biggest disappointment from the dealer’s perspective was the way Stellantis handled the allocation of these cars. Only 500 “Power Broker” dealers could order the 6.2 and 6.4 liter cars for customers or inventory. Otherwise you got 3.6 and 5.7 cars and your client couldn’t buy the car they wanted through their preferred dealer. When the select stores couldn’t fill all the orders they opened the allocation to the rest of us but it was so late in the year that you’d be reluctant to take on the unit for stock.
MVA is another topic that I won’t get into. Profit is fine but not at the expense of a customer.
This is a nice car that someone will thoroughly enjoy. Aaron, I’m glad you were able to find the one you did. Sublime is a good look. Not bad for a daily.
It’s called “Barn FInds.” Just a reminder. Cars like this, IMO, don’t belong on this site.
@princeofprussia
I find the discussion on this very interesting. I’m learning alot about Dodge, Dodge Dealers, Chargers & Challengers. Lots of knowledgeable people.
As I told JDC, look at the title. FUTURE FIND
Not all 2023s will be future classics but this one probably will be
Maybe you should pony up a couple bucks a month and become a member before criticizing what should or shouldn’t be in BarnFinds?
This brings to mind a question I’ve had for awhile, and I’d like to hear from you all because of your expertise: If your V8 car offers cylinder deactivation, do you turn it off, or keep it on?
From what I’ve heard, the benefit of better gas mileage by turning deactivation on has a downside in that it hurts the longevity of the engine due to differing cylinder wall temps over time. Your thoughts?
I don’t think one can turn it off without a device that plugs into the OBD2 port. I know Chevy LS engines with AFM and probably DFM too had issues with this type of thing. From what I have seen on some Mopar channels, the fix in terms of the lifter/cam issues is a high volume oil pump, either the hellcat pump or a melting high volume. In terms of the cylinders, IDK. Some folks get rid of MDS when doing a cam replacement. Like the LS, it probably depends on how often it is used. I had a 2009 Suburban that had oil burning issues because of AFM and it was just one cylinder. A quart every 1800. Had to replace the spark plug every 7k miles or so on that piston. With Mopar, I don’t know how the problems show up. With AFM, it’s usually by 60k miles.
I owned a “lime” green white convertible top and interior 71…..the one that got away.
Wish I never let it go but stationed in LA county at 19 making E-2 wages something had to give.
Nice article!
Just thought I’d comment on this.
Chrysler/Dodge/Ram are basically extinct. Chrysler is basically gone & Dodge has two models. Only Ram is doing any good.
I’ve been reading since the CEO at Stellantis has left, the new CEO wants to breath life back into Chrysler & Dodge. Originally they were going to electrify the Charger & Challenger. Not sure what the new plans are at Stellantis but I just saw a TV commercial for a 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona. And guess what? Appearently they are ditching the two slanted line logo & going back to what they used in the 60s & 70s. To me kind of a Effil tower with wide legs. Look up a 1964 Dodge.
I just hope Stellantis goes back to Chrysler’s star. I have quite a few of the crystal hood ornaments from the 1980s
I used to think these cars were awesome – and then they became the poster car for urban racing, burn out circles, and all sorts of dangerous and obnoxious driving. I have almost been clipped countless times by drivers of these weaving in and out of traffic.
I don’t blame the car for having a terrible driver, but some cars seem to attract them, which makes me dread seeing the cars because 80% of my experiences with them are bad. Sort of like a Subaru or Honda CRV driving slow in the left hand lane…I can’t decide if the car makes them a bad driver, or if bad drivers are attracted to the car. 🤣 Correlation or causation? Who knows…
I feel the opposite about the drivers of these Challengers / Chargers. Since moving to GA from NH, there are a LOT of these on the road. I could drive a mile and see at least 5 Challengers heading the other direction.
People like to make their cars unique, with special paint jobs, decals, super loud exhaust, and other doo dads. But, even though the cars look and sound fast, they are driven rather normally.
The Honda and Subaru call out is spot on. You could toss in Ford and Toyota drivers, too. It’s some kind of superiority complex. Ford earned this since the Great Recession when they “didn’t take a bailout”. Pfft. They sold the company’s signature for monetary assistance. Fortunately for them they were able to show that they had a plan going forward. The others didn’t have that advantage and turned to the govt instead.
Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack Swinger Widebody. Some of Dodge’s special edition names are a mouthful, but this is a cool car.
My dad shopped for a modern muscle car for years. He’d find a Mustang traded in at the local Ford dealer and call me and tell me about it. He’d have me look up the blue book value to see if it was priced fairly. Inevitably, he’d eventually talk himself out of it. “That’s a lot of money…”, he’d opine. Then one Saturday morning, a maroon Dodge Challenger T/A rumbles up my drive. What’s this? Out steps my 80 year old dad. I’m glad he finally got something to enjoy. He had me look at a 1973 Corvette with a 454 and a 4 speed for him last week. No telling what my old man will do! Maybe he’ll pull up the driveway in a Shelby Mustang in his 90’s!