- Dodge in 2024 sold two cars that haven’t been in production for several years.
- One is the Dart sedan that ended production in 2016, and the other is a Viper that died in 2017.
- These surprising sales prove dealer inventory can linger for nearly a decade before selling.
Dodge might not be cranking out compact sedans or hardcore sports cars anymore, but that didn’t stop a couple of determined buyers from snatching up what they could. Specifically, two customers in the U.S. managed to purchase technically new examples of long-dead Dodge models—zombie cars, if you will.
First and foremost, Dodge somehow sold a Viper in the first quarter of 2024. It also shifted two in 2023. The slinky coupe left production in 2017 and wasn’t followed up by any kind of successor. Moreover, with the brand now embracing electrification and downsizing its ICE offerings, it’s highly unlikely we’ll ever see it building another sports car with a large capacity, naturally aspirated V10 under its hood.
More: Pristine 270-Mile Dodge Viper ACR VoooDoo II Seeks Real Driver
Perhaps that’s why someone decided to pounce on what’s likely a pristine, delivery-mileage example of a never-before-registered SRT Viper. Whether or not the car in question ever makes it onto the road or ends up as a garage queen to be auctioned off for a nice profit in the future, is another story though.
Speaking of zombie cars, another person ended up buying a Dodge Dart in 2024, and that’s far more baffling. Sure, the Dart isn’t a terrible car, but it’s hard to see why someone would want to unless the discount was simply too tempting. Dodge also managed to sell three Darts in 2023, which raises even more questions about the kind of discounts these things must have had.
Built on the Fiat Compact Platform, the Dart rolled out of Dodge’s Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois all the way back in 2012 and debuted for the 2013 model year. It reached peak sales in 2015, moving 87,908 units—a respectable number, but not enough to secure its long-term survival. Interestingly, 2022 is the only year where Dodge hasn’t sold any examples of the Dart since 2012. Perhaps now they’re all finally out of dealer inventory.
