1969 Dodge Charger 500 Xx29 Mopar on 2040-cars

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Buyer says Dodge dealer gave him wrong Charger, failed to notice for 2 months

Mistakes happen, and they happen all the time. But when that mistake means a customer doesn't get what he or she paid for, something's gotta give. That's what one Dodge Charger buyer claims he is trying to sort out with his local dealership. Two months after taking delivery, the owner (going by the user name Dakrbouncer4689 on Reddit) says he got a call from his local Dodge dealership reporting a little problem. He had ordered and paid for the Charger SXT (pictured above on the dealer lot), but was given a Charger SE instead. The SE being the lower trim level, this presented one set of problems – namely a $2,000 discrepancy in equipment, like a five-speed automatic versus an eight-speed, a 4.3-inch infotainment display instead of 8.4, heated seats, leather steering wheel, premium audio, remote starter and so on. The second set of issues is that the VIN number on the paperwork (including the registration and insurance papers) of course doesn't match that of the car itself. The dealer, having obviously made a rather large mistake, apparently called the owner in to sort out the mess, but according to the customer's account, things didn't go as smoothly. Instead of immediately working to address the problem, the salesman kept the owner waiting, acted like it was no big deal, and offered only to swap the cars with no compensation for the trouble. Fortunately, the manager proved more sympathetic and apologetic, and offered the customer three options: he could swap the cars (re-doing the tinted windows on the SXT that the customer had done on the SE and throwing in leather seats for free), he could keep the SE (with the dealership handling the paperwork, throwing in the leather seats, adjusting the price and refunding an extra $400), or they could cancel everything, return the car and part company. As we go to press, the Charger owner had yet to make (or at least share) his decision. But while the principle of caveat emptor makes us wonder how he managed to take home a different car from the one he paid for, clearly the salesman and the dealership made a pretty large mistake by presenting him with the wrong set of keys and letting him off the lot without double checking it all. News Source: Darkbouncer4689 via Reddit, World Car Fans Dodge Car Buying Car Dealers Economy Cars Sedan

2021 Dodge Durango lineup gets price increases

The 2021 Dodge Durango is another example of Dodge's profitable specialty — minor exterior visual changes that bring outsized improvements, easily identifiable interior updates that elevate the cabin experience, and a whopping chungus engine at the top of the lineup. For 2021, the Durango wears Charger Widebody cues outside plus a new rear hatch spoiler, a new Tow N Go package for the Durango R/T, and a redesigned, driver-focused interior with an 8.4-inch or 10.1-inch touchscreen. Prices go up across the lineup. Next year's Durango SXT RWD starts at $33,260, after the $1,495 destination charge, which is $970 more than in 2020. At the top end, the limited-run Durango SRT Hellcat starts at $80,995, an $18,000 jump over the current top of the line, the Hellcat-less SRT that picks up a "392" badge to signify its new position. Below those two are nine more models in rear- and all-wheel drive. Price for the whole range with the differences to 2020 are: Durango SXT RWD $33,260 ($970) Durango SXT AWD $35,860 ($970) Durango GT RWD $37,460 ($970) Durango GT AWD $40,060 ($970) Durango R/T RWD $46,800 ($910) Durango R/T AWD $49,400 ($910) Durango R/T AWD Tow N Go $54,395 Durango Citadel RWD $49,300 ($1,535)  Durango Citadel AWD $51,900 ($1,535) Durango SRT 392 AWD $64,490 (No Change) Durango SRT Hellcat AWD $82,490 If the Citadel price raises eyebrows, it's because Dodge reworked the model to stand out as the clear luxury buy above the R/T. It appears Dodge eliminated the Citadel trim currently priced below the R/T, which is $4,810 less than the 2021 Durango Citadel. The carmaker rebranded this year's Citadel Anodized Platinum, priced above the R/T, as the Citadel. The higher price pays for driver and front passenger seats that add leather and standard ventilation to the heating function, a suede headliner, the 10.1-inch touchscreen with Uconnect 5 as standard with TomTom navigation, and driver assistance and safety features like adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, forward collision warning with active braking, and lane departure warning as standard. Those latter two features and some others can't be had on this year's model. Dodge has also thrown in the Trailer-Tow Group IV, a $1,195 option presently. The group installs an integrated trailer brake switch, heavy-duty engine oil cooler, Class IV hitch receiver, rear load-leveling shocks, full-size spare tire with the Class IV trailer receiver, and integrated brake controller.

Autoblog Podcast #317

Mitsubishi Mirage, Toyota thinks of beefing up US production, Marchionne on Alfa, Dart and minivans, Ford Atlas concept, Honda Gear concept
Episode #317 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Jeff Ross and Michael Harley bookend the other podcast topics with a pair from the Montreal Auto Show, the Mitsubishi Mirage and Honda Gear concept, and in between we talk about Toyota building all its US-market cars stateside, Hyundai building a Nurburgring test facility, Sergio Marchionne's latest words about Alfa Romeo, Dodge Dart powertrains and the future of Chrysler vans. Some chatter about the Ford Atlas concept finishes up the meat of the 'cast and then we wrap with your questions. For those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Keep reading for our Q&A module for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #317: