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The day that the C8 ZO6 went for sale on Dealer lots, I had to have one. I had the cash and need. The STEALERSHIPS started tacking on LARGE surcharges (market adjustment fees) ON TOP OF THE ALREADY LARGE MSRP. I also still live by "Don’t buy the very first of the new model year vehicles".
Yes, the C8s are starting to have new model issues. I quickly lost interest on getting one anytime soon at a reasonable cost.
We currently have a 2015 Dodge Durango Citadel 3.6 V6 AWD. Its been a fantastic daily driver. The only thing that I wished that it had was about 30 more HP. Very difficult to achieve on a 3.6.
I saw a Dodge commercial for the 2026 Durango SRT Hellcat. Its a 7-passenger daily driver that I can scare the hell out of all seven people going to the grocery store. LOL I just had to have it! 710 crank hp.
We ordered a 2026, Durango SRT Hellcat Jailbreak in Vapor Grey in late September and it will be delivered "hopefully" tomorrow or Saturday!
I still have my 02 ZO6 and our 2011 Grand Sport convertible six speed.
If I had to or desired to update my fun car it would be to sell the 02 ZO6 and find a nice low mileage C7 ZO6.
The Durango Hellcat is going to be FUN! The really sad part is, I have to be easy on it for the first 1000 or so miles! Thats going to be REALLY TOUGH!
I had never really explored or considered the Durango until we rented a Destroyer Grey GT on vacation in NC. It left a lasting impression. The 3.6 was stout, the 8-speed auto really made up for the power loss, and the interior and suspension, as well as it being the new '22 with the improved interior and dash. Well, we were impressed.
Flash forward to last year. My wife's old Buick was fading quickly and they re-ringed the pistons under warranty after and overheat (before my time.) We got to looking for new cars and she took an extended time deciding what she preferred. We each have survived severe car accidents with life changing effect. We narrowed it down to a Durango GT or a Volvo XC90 per her tastes. My close friend was a service manager for the local Dodge who, when asked, steered us away from the V6 drivetrain as having more service issues and that the V8s are basically die hard. We test drove our first R/T and she got out and started DANCING around going "I want THIS ONE!" and she was ready to do the deal right then. I had to politely steer her away as it was a 77k mile example, not a single panel was without a ding or a dig, and the right rear suspension had something wrong. I quickly scanned to see what was nearby in White Knuckle which she preferred. One R/T was 100 miles away, the other popped up only as a text ad, a spot saver, but was 10 miles away. We went to see it and I immediately identified it. Not just an R/T, but it had the Blackout package as well as the Tow 'N Go package and an aftermarket exhaust. This makes it full the SRT, but with the lower powered R/T engine. Same brakes, wheels, suspension. Well, we nabbed it immediately and the dealer was stuck with $5k of brake work giving it brand new pads and rotors at just 22k miles.
Needless to say, we love the vehicle. It's the right size for easy parking. The amenities are easy. All the key functions have multiple ways to execute a change to the driver's preference... ****, touch screen, steering wheel button, or voice activated. Coming from so many accidents - none of which with either of us at fault - we loves the giant tires and brakes. The brakes and then also the auto-brake function saved it and us three times in the first month between deer and two bad drivers. I have next to no interest in any other SUV in this size or price range after owning this one. The only improvement they could do for my wife might be self-driving like Tesla or auto-cruise like my sister's Tahoe.
Going to Hellcat status... man... that is the way to go! I very non-jokingly intend to get her another when this one wear out. When that day comes this lower compression R/T engine will get a Hellcat take-off blower. I have driven an SRT and considered picking one up. The 500hp level is "just right" coming up from out 365 in this weight class to where you no longer feel the weight of the truck. At 700 I can only imagine, and I wager you'll tune it further.
I can't wait to see pictures. Keep us posted!
Edit: order more tires before you need them. You will absolutely be having too much time for a while like I did. Day 1 I handed the keys to my friend and we bedded the fresh brakes to a 1.2G stop that saw my legs fly forward.
Although I'm on my ninth Corvette. I purchased seven brand new vehicles from Chrysler, four of which were Hemi powered. MOPAR or no car! If I had to choose between my Hemi and my vert, I would pick the Hemi.
THANK ALL OF YOU for the great replies! TUSK is SPOT ON!
Back in 2018 we considered moving to TX to be with my Son and our 2 infant grandchildren. None of the vehicles that we owned at the time was conducive to carry small children that needed car seats! I never in my life EVER considered owning a MINIVAN! A grandma mobile!
We did some before VEHICLE shopping research for JUST THE RIGHT SUV!
The Durango looked very promising. We went to a Dodge dealer and test drove a brand new 2018 Durango. It was a base V6 and was pretty impressive but, what they were asking for it and us wanting the premium package, just didn’t make us price happy.
Just as we were ready to leave, the Salesman said: Would you consider a used Durango "Citadel" with ALL the stuff that we were looking for?” He showed us a Knuckle White, AWD, V6, 25,000 miles, one owner (lease vehicle turn in), three row seats, clean, NO RUST never smoked in, new tires & no damage! SOLD!
I up-graded the brakes to R1 Concepts performance pads and rotors, added a Performance Cold Air Intake and that significantly transformed the car. I was seriously giving consideration to doing all the necessary engine mods to add another 35-40hp. Very glad that I procrastinated! LOL!
YES, The antilock brakes and collision avoidance system has saved us many times. It will FLAT *** HALL YOU TO A STOP when an unexpected collision scenario happens and you don’t react fast enough! It also has adaptive cruise control! Holy Smokes, that is a pleasure to have on the highway!
My current Durango has never disappointed or failed us in any aspect.
When they offered it in a Hellcat trim, it was a NO BRAINER! We had to have it. My wife is even excited! To get all the fancy equipment, you have to get it in the JAIL BREAK edition.
LOL! I worked all last week cleaning, polishing, touching up, vacuuming, wiping down the interior and making it as good as it could be for a pick proof trade in. If they will not give me what I expect for a trade, I will just sell it on my own. They DO NOT haggle on the MSRP on a new Drango Hellcat. By God, they will give me my asking price on my trade in Durango. If not, I will not trade it in and sell it on my own.
I will attach some pictures of the 2015 and you can bet your last dollar, there will be pics of the NEW Hellcat once I get it!
It should be here today or tomorrow. The holiday schedules (Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Years) significantly delayed build, shipment and delivery. It’s currently in a train yard in Albuquerque NM. Hell, I can easily drive there and go get it! LOL!
Something that one needs to consider owning a Hellcat. More people want it than you do! I have to get a very compressive anti-theft system installed ASAP to prevent theft. I WILL de-badge the car. I don’t need to advertise it any more than it already yells "TAKE ME!" I’m getting the whole car Paint Protective Filmed (PPF) and the glass ceramic film tinted to mainly keep out the sun/heat. Once that’s done, I will ceramic coat the entire car myself.
This will be the LAST HOORAW in fancy new performance car purchases for us. Got to make it right for my Son to have it one day down the road!
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Funny, yet another Corvette owner with a Durango in the fleet. Mine is a '14 V6 / 8-spd AWD Limited with 140K miles that I use as a daily driver. At the time I was looking for one I purposely steered away for the 5.7L Hemi just because I knew that if I owned one I would not be able to leave it alone and it would become yet another "project" vehicle. I have done all the maintenance on it, including some rather "intense" jobs, but still love it dearly.
Here is a picture of a Vapor Grey Durango that I found in a trim like I ordered. It not a Hellcat but with the Black out 20" wheels. Mine has RED Calipers
Congrats but you were burned by propoganda. Take a look at every new vette model and compare the chicken littles in each. With every new generation someone says they are all going to fail because this or that. And yes, when you mass produce a car, any car, you're going to have failures. Halo cars like the vette get a lot of attention when they fail. But the fact is, the vast majority of C8's have had no problems.
LOL!! Tusc discussed the Durango OEM brakes. It being a new car to us, the brakes seemed fine. One day my wife stated that she thought that the brakes didnt stop the car well enough and were getting worse every day! I took the Durango for a shake down BREAK TEST! Amped it up to 130 mph and panic stopped the car. Brake peddle to the floor. HOLY CRAP,! The crappy A$$ wornout OEM brakes wouldnt even engage the antilock brakes. After a DIY brake inspection, I found out why they were no longer doing their jjob stopping the car!
The OEM rotors were exposed to road salt, age, wear and being OEM started splading on the inner rotor pad surface to the point that only approx 1" of the front inner rotor surface was useable! The inner pads were worn the same way! The Hellcat Durango comes with 2 piece Brembo rotors.
I also installed an AFE cold Air Intake. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT in seat of the pants gain!
I personally do not like the design of the 1-pcs slider pins used on the base V6 (330mm) and HD 350mm (V6 with tow packaged and V8) Durango brake calipers. Unlike they 2-pcs GM counterparts used on the C5 / C6 base brake calipers, the 1-pcs slider pins used on the Durango are way too easy to get damaged by corrosion, which results in seized calipers and uneven pad wear. I pull, clean and re-grease the slider pins twice a year (when changing from 3-season to winter wheels/tires or back) and replace them as needed.
On ours they are the giant Brembos on a square setup of 295 Pirelli scorpions. They pull your brain out your nose on a panic stop.
These are a close approximation of out truck. The only visual differences being our calipers are red and we have a black roof rack. The very minor and subtle wider flare strip around the wheel wells we find makes the truck look just beefy enough when compared from hea din or directly behind to look good vs the sheer vertical line of a base model. But maybe it's in our head. The wider tires and wheels definitely give it a beefier stance.
This is a virtual clone of my wife's driver. It is not quiet! Lol
And for being just 365hp it holds its own and is a fun passing machine. I would get this all day before a C8 without a manual. Why drive a two seat auto when you can cruise in comfort and do all the same things?
Good luck with the new ride, looks really cool. I tired putting a dodge in our garage once. It didn't like being there and did everything it could think of to get out of an all GM fleet stable. I honestly think it had a mind and could reason with it's surroundings. One night while driving to work I hit a recliner someone dropped in the road and did some damage along the passenger side of the car. Got home the next morning and the wife took the keys, drove it to a GM dealership and traded it in on a new Chevy while I slept. I didn't know she did that until I woke up. Haven't ever had another dodge or other then GM again. I learned my lesson.
Watch where you park that HellCat, Mopars in general & Hellcats specifically are at the top of the list of stolen vehicles
this. Mopars are the vehicle of choice for all the shitbags in Chicago. You always see them with a smashed rear window driving around running red lights and stop signs. They're also the vehicle of choice for smash and grabs in expensive stores.
Going over to the dark side!!
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