2004 Dodge Ram 2500 (31-k Miles), One Owner on 2040-cars

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Is America's last cheap minivan worth it?

Take a good look at this beauty. Because once she's gone there may be no turning back. The minivan market has been completely decimated over the past fifteen years. I could list all the former brands (dead and alive) that once formed the lynchpin of parenthood for this inherently conservative market. But that would involve at least fourteen commas, three sets of parentheses, and possibly even one 2000s-style recount. Back then, middle-class America loved these people-movers and even the well-to-do were glad to load them up with unique luxuries such as power sliding doors, captain's chairs, integrated child seats, and DVD players that entombed cacophonous kids into a temporary silence. Back in the '90s, the minivan market regularly realized well over a million sold units a year. In 2000, minivans finally hit their familial peak of 1.4 million vehicles in a year with the help of two top-20 bestsellers: the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country. Today the minivan just isn't popular. This year it'll likely represent only a half-million in annual sales, with not a single minivan hitting America's top 30 in overall volume. But as I always tell folks, "If you want a deal, you have to hit 'em where they ain't." So you want a cheap and affordable minivan for cash money that isn't a 15-year-old Plymouth in purple? Does it have to be new? Really? Well, if you're married to that type of person, this Grand Caravan with the American Value Package is the cheapest thing going. Deals can also be had on the mini-minivan Mazda5, but since it's been discontinued due to low demand, let's focus on the still-popular Chrysler minivan. The cost for this 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan according to TrueCar is right around $19,500 depending on where you live in the USA. But let's take a look at the 2015 models instead since they tend to have even stronger discounts during the wintertime thanks to manufacturers and dealers who are busy shoveling out all this older inventory. If you opt for a 2015 model instead, you're looking at a market price right around $17,800 and luckily these minivans are still sitting in multitude. Wanna click those rebate and incentive buttons? If you currently lease or finance a FIAT or Chrysler product, have AAA coverage, and finance the car with FCA, you can make off like the proverbial bandit for a price of only $15,229 before the dealer inflicts their bogus fee money dance.

Autoblog's guilty pleasure cars

Guilty pleasures are part of life – don't even try to pretend like you don't have one (or two, or six). In the non-automotive space, this could come down to that secret playlist in your iPhone of songs you'll only listen to when you're alone; or think of that one TV show you really do love, but won't admit to your friends. I've got plenty, and so do you. Going back to cars, here's a particularly juicy one for me: several years ago, I had a mad crush on the very last iteration of the Cadillac DTS. Oh yes, the front-wheel-drive, Northstar V8-powered sofa-on-wheels that was the last remaining shred of the elderly-swooning days of Cadillac's past. Every time I had the chance to drive one, I was secretly giddy. Don't hate me, okay? These days, the DTS is gone, but I've still got a mess of other cars that hold a special place in my heart. And in the spirit of camaraderie, I've asked my other Autoblog editors to tell me some of their guilty pleasure cars, as well – Seyth Miersma, as you can see above, has a few choice emotions to share about the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. Read on to find out what cars make us secretly happy. Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG This decadent convertible is the epitome of the guilty pleasure. It's big, powerful, fairly heavy and it's richly appointed inside and out. It's a chocolate eclair with the three-pointed star on the hood. Given my druthers, I'd take the SL65 AMG, which delivers 621 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. That output is borderline absurd for this laid-back convertible. I don't care. You don't need dessert. Sometimes you just crave it. The SL line is about the feel you get on the road. The roof is open. The air, sun and engine sounds all embrace you. It's the same dynamic you could have experienced in a Mercedes a century ago, yet the SL gives you the most modern of luxuries. An Airscarf feature that warms my neck and shoulders through a vent embedded in the seat? Yes, please. Sure, it's an old-guy car. Mr. Burns and Lord Grantham are probably too young and hip for an SL65. I don't care. This is my guilty pleasure. Release the hounds. – Greg Migliore Senior Editor Ford Flex I drove my first Flex in 2009 when my mother let me borrow hers for the summer while I was away at college. The incredibly spacious interior made moving twice that summer a breeze, and the 200-mile trips up north were quite comfortable.

2020 Dodge Challenger 50th Anniversary Commemorative Edition puts on a Smoke Show

To celebrate the semicentennial of the Dodge Challenger this year, last November the muscle car brand announced a Challenger 50th Anniversary Edition. Available in seven of Dodge's high impact colors, Dodge said production would be limited to 1,960 cars, being 70 examples in each of the seven colors. Keeping the good thing going, the brand has just announced another 50th anniversary special, this one a Commemorative Edition with no cap on build numbers. The Commemorative Edition can be ordered on three 2020 Challenger trims, the R/T, R/T Scat Pack, and R/T Scat Pack Widebody, omitting the rear-wheel drive V6 GT model that can be configured as a 50th Anniversary Edition.    The Commemorative car is nearly identical to the Anniversary car. Outside, that means a Satin Black, hand-painted hood and black-wrapped roof and decklid, the Hellcat's air intake headlights, Satin Black fuel filler cap, Gold School-colored wheels, Gunmetal-colored brake calipers on trims that come with red Brembo brakes, and tons of badging all over from the illuminated "50" logos in the headlamps to the Satin Black Dodge logo in the taillamps. The interior gets sepia stitching on the heated and cooled performance seats, more sepia thread on for the Alcantara door bolsters, white gauges with yellow accents, berber floor mats, real carbon fiber trim pieces, and a bunch more badging. Paying homage to its elder, on startup a 1970 Challenger appears in the gauge cluster animation. Dodge says dealers will begin taking orders for the new celebrant this month, with deliveries to commence in the fall. The optional package adds $4,995 to the price of a 2020 Challenger R/T, $5,495 to the price of the R/T Scat Pack, and $5,495 to the cost of the R/T Scat Pack Widebody before the $6,000 cost of the widebody package itself. Whereas the 50th Anniversary car came in any of Dodge's eye-candy colors — F8 Green, Frostbite, Go Mango, Hellraisin, Sinamon Stick, TorRed, or the all-new Gold Rush — the Commemorative Edition is limited to the tamer end of the color palette, available in Granite, Indigo Blue, Octane Red, Pitch Black, Triple Nickel, White Knuckle, and the new Smoke Show hue. That latter color replaces Destroyer Gray, and can be ordered on the Charger as well. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.