One day, someone parked a 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye in the street, right outside their shop, and handed them the keys. A few days later, they got an unexpected phone call.
A five-year-old muscle car showed up in the street outside their repair shop one day. The driver just handed them the keys and said that he had been told to drop it off. And then, he walked away.
They took the Dodge SRT Hellcat Redeye into the yard and had no idea what to do with it. A few days later, they got a phone call from the actual owner of the car. He told them the car had been in a crash involving DUI with someone who borrowed it from him. But it had a clean title and only 4,000 miles (6,437 kilometers) on the odometer. Now, he just wants to get rid of it. So, he is waiting for the repair shop to make him an offer.
In heavy rainfall, the two mechanics realize that there is no power in the battery, so they can't pull the window up. They tear off one of the many deployed airbags and use it as a protective cover to keep the rain out of the cabin.
The car doesn't look that bad at first sight. But they know that in the crash, it made a jump and landed violently. So they are now bracing for the worse. The hood and roof display several dents. And those dents don't tell half the story.
Once they pop the hood up, they see part of the disaster. The radiator is pushed well into the 6.2-liter HEMI V8 engine that pumps out 797 horsepower. That HEMI still runs and still sounds like in the good old days. But the power steering is gone.
Photo: goonzquad | YouTube
The Dodge has a very nice specced cabin. It came with red leather and a sunroof but every airbag on board was deployed in the crash. Pieces of shattered glass are stuck into the dashboard leather. But with all windows intact, where does that glass come from? Could those chips be linked to the DUI issue?
There is damage on the rear end as well, where nothing underneath is in its original position. Knowing what the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye has been through, no wonder the owner wants to see it gone.
He actually wants to sell them two cars for the price of one and is asking $100,000 for the two. The other is a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, which also sustained some damage. But it is just the front bumper that needs to be replaced. The car also comes with a clean title and only 17,000 miles (27,359 kilometers) on the clock.
But there are already two Trackhawks in the shop, and they don't really need a third one right now. So, they are only going to make an offer for the Dodge. Speaking of which, it sustained serious damage, far worse than they originally thought. The engine, transmission, and suspension also got pushed back in the impact, and the subframe needs to be replaced. The rear end is just as bad as everything got pushed up, including the exhaust, and there are holes underneath.
They call Larry, the owner, and offer him $25,000 for the Challenger. Larry doesn't even want to hear about it, but he eventually promises to drop by on Monday. Larry will sell them the car for $30,000. They estimate that the repair will be around $15,000, and then they will be able to sell the car for around $55,000 or $60,000.
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