While the car market has mostly started to cool off, there’s still some craziness going on. Some models are still being marked up, and big-time flippers still walk among us. And while their influence isn’t as felt on the market as it was before, it’s sort of satisfying to sit back and see people with more money than sense pay stupid prices for cars that are priced far more than they’re worth. A recent auction for a Dodge Neon on Cars & Bids is the perfect example of this.
This particular car for sale was a 2005 Dodge Neon SRT-4, one of the best bang-for-your-buck sport compacts of the 2000s. But this isn’t just any ol’ SRT-4. Most of the ones still around are in rough shape or modded to hell. This one is both rare and in pristine condition. It’s a Neon SRT-4 Commemorative Edition. Only 200 of these were made in 2005 to celebrate the end of the SRT-4’s production run.
It was a package that got you things like 17-inch wheels, performance tuned suspension and steering, sunroof, leather wrapped steering wheel and cloth sport seats with blue stitching. All this for the low, low price of $24,830 in 2005, according to the window sticker the owner posted.
This example is even more special considering that it has just 125 miles on it. It’s essentially brand new. The cherry on top is the fact that it’s stock. So what would you think something like this would sell for? Try nearly the same price as it sold for new, adjusted for inflation. In an auction that closed on July 17th, someone dropped $36,000 for the chance to own this thing.
Hopefully whoever placed the winning bid didn’t do too much internet research because it’ll show them exactly how much they overpaid for it. Checking auctions from the past six years on Bring A Trailer shows that of the nine that have sold on the site, four with lowish miles have sold for well under $20,000, and three have sold for under $10,000. Things get a bit interesting though.
Two of the auctions have been for SRT-4 Commemorative Editions. One sold in March 2019 with just 1,600 miles on it for $26,000. The other was this exact car. I double checked the VINs to make sure. It sold for about $23,000 just over three years ago. Whoever purchased it never drove it either, as its mileage is listed the same on both BaT and Cars & Bids.
At $36,000 though, I’d be rethinking my priorities. And honestly, while the Neon SRT-4 was a fantastic pocket rocket, it’s really just a great engine wrapped around a crappy Neon. And at a price like the winning bid, I’d see that crappy Neon before any sort of rarity.