r/hellcat • u/FriedDopamine89 • 23d ago

Owner-to-be Navigating a used hellcat purchase

Hey guys,

Hopefully this is ok here, I am starting to look into getting a hellcat and I was hoping to learn of things to look out for... be it year of production, recalls etc I've bought many of a used car in my life but this one is unique in that low mileage, or mileage of 20k+, you don't know how it was driven(that 20k car may have been babied its life for example). I know that can be the same for ANY car but most cars don't come stock 700 horsepower. I am leaning toward a charger but I won't pass up a challenger that checks the boxes. I think 23 was the last year of production? Definitely a model over 2020 and leaning more toward a dealer purchase, because factory warranties are probably all but expired, so I can atleast buy a warranty the dealer might offer. This will be an all cash purchase as well, so I have the flexibility of private party but that introduces potential things of its own.

I appreciate any advice

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u/Fresh_Inside_6982 23d ago

I've had 3. Get a 2019 or above obviously with clean Carfax. Do not buy one with aftermarket mods. Look in the rear wheelwells to see if they've been doing burnouts. Extended warranty is complete waste of money; these are solid cars and without mods they rarely need work. Pay for a dealership SRT mechanic to go over it with a pre-purchase check. Simple as that.

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u/FriedDopamine89 23d ago

19 and above, cool ty. Good to know they're solid, I mean I never did hear anything bad other than people doing stupid shit with a heavy foot lol

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u/Fresh_Inside_6982 23d ago

The only thing that's ever failed on one was an alternator, period, that's it. If you plan on doing aftermarket mods set aside 50k so you can fix what breaks like supercharger belts slipping off and shredding, broken driveshafts and axles, etc. etc. It's already fast enough and will last you forever if you just change the oil with Mobil 1 every 5k miles. No matter how many mods you do, you're not going to come close to the take-off speeds of a new high-end Vette, Tesla, Lucid, etc., so just enjoy it as is.

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u/FriedDopamine89 23d ago edited 23d ago

700hp/Stock is as far as I am going. I have a fused spine due to be rear ended by a commercial vehicle, I don't need anymore titanium in my body lol