The name of today’s Nice Price or No Dice Dodge Challenger SRT-8 is a bit of an untruth seeing as it now sports an, albeit incomplete, V10 swap. Let’s just see how true the price on this custom project works out to be.
There were two sorts of comments on yesterday’s 2011 Scion xB mobility car — those that accused the car of being unsafe as hell owing the work done to allow for ease of access, and others applauding that very same work, claiming it to be no issue at all and totally cool. Most all of you, however, agreed that, compared to the price of a traditional mobility vehicle, the modded Scion’s $17,250 price was a relative bargain. That was reflected in the 62 percent Nice Price win it enjoyed.
Now, I didn’t plan it this way, but with the exception of the Jeep we stink-eyed on Tuesday, all of this week’s candidates have been vehicles that have been home-built or after-the-fact modified in some sort of way. Today’s 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT-8 falls into that category too, which, I think makes it a fine contender to close out the week.
First and foremost, we should all level-set and note that this Challenger is a non-runner and seems to be only partially down the road in the attempt to reach that goal. What it does have is a third-generation Viper V10 that’s mostly there sitting under its custom-painted hood. That’s 8285 ccs of alloy-wrapped displacement, good from the factory for 510 horsepower and 535 lb-ft of torque. The engine is cradled in an aftermarket K-member and, when complete, will be working with a Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual gearbox. That should be fully up to the task.
For reasons known only to the seller, this 7,000-mile Challenger made the trek from Arizona (dig the Grand Canyon state plates) to Minnesota where the owner now has it sitting in a shop and is ready for it to move on despite all the stuff remaining to be done to properly send it on its way.
Along with the updated driveline, this Challenger has received updated 22-inch American Racing wheels, sequential turn indicators in the back, and a fresh coat of electric blue paint. The interior looks as-new, right down to still having the protective plastic on the stereo head unit display. The owner claims it to be child/pet/smoke-free and to show no sign of either wear or tear.
The exterior looks equally nice, with the exception of the front bumper which is missing some lights and is in need, according to the seller, of a color sanding to match the rest of the body.
That’s just one of the outstanding items on this Challenger’s honey-do list. There’s also the engine which appears to still need the intake side of things to be sorted out along with all the ancillaries, fuel system, and (gulp) the engine bay wiring.
On the plus side, the engine looks to be bolted in without any issue and does come with an exhaust that goes from headers all the way back to a pair of rectangular tips below the back bumper. That means a lot of the heavy lifting has already been done here. The rest of the work is mostly buttoning up and, seeing as neither the car nor the mill is all that old, parts and manuals should be readily available.
The title is clean and the seller claims in the ad to be ready to sell “ASAP.” To that end, they have set a $23,900 asking price. Yes, any prospective buyer will need to account for a trailer or flatbed tow as part of the transaction, but that’s just part of the fun with a car like this, right?
What do you think, is this challenged Challenger worth that $23,900 asking as it — literally — sits? Or, is that just too much money for what could be a can of vipers… er, worms?
You decide!
Minneapolis, Minnesota, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Jerry Klein for the hookup!
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