Chrysler Resale Values Increase

The increasing resale value of Chrysler vehicles comes as a spot of good news after the automaker emerged from bankruptcy only a month ago, and it’s happened without Chrysler slashing prices.

Chrysler managed to get its inventory down from a 114-day supply when it entered bankruptcy to just a 71-day supply at the end of June (an ideal number is about 60). Detroit inventory lots where Chrysler stores its unsold cars are emptying out for the first time in years, and the company is no longer bullying dealers into taking more cars than they can sell.

As a result, the company’s prices have stabilized at an average transaction price of $25,200. With 25% fewer dealers, the average price will likely grow, given the dealer network — which in some cases was competing against itself — has been cut into leaner form.

Reader Review of the Week: 2009 Dodge Journey

Real-world experience with a car can be far more valuable than any other. For instance, what if the size of your family, combined with one inconvenient car seat, throws off your experience with an otherwise enjoyable car? “New Owner” in Virginia Beach just bought a 2009 Dodge Journey and will take you through the pros and cons of that vehicle with meticulous detail. Read his review and then post your own here.

Chrysler Back to $4000, $5,000 Cash Back Offers

Now that it’s out of bankruptcy, New Chrysler is offering up some healthy incentives for July. Starting today and running through July 31, select 2009 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep models will have $4,000 cash back, with an additional $1,000 owner-loyalty cash back. There’s also a credit union program that allows for an additional $1,000 incentive on top of the manufacturer-offered cash back. All told, you could see $6,000 cash back on select models.

Chrysler has not updated its consumer sites with exact details on which models are eligible. When they do, we’ll post those details here.

Cars.com Faceoff Takes on New Mustang, Camaro, Challenger

Could there be a better way to head into the Fourth of July holiday than with a three-way horse race — excuse the pun — between new yet classic American muscle cars? Cars.com lined up the 2010 Ford Mustang GT, 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T and 2010 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS to see which pony car would come out on top. We compared them in every category, from styling and performance to exhaust sound (and you can listen to recordings of each). Check out the story to see which muscle car drove off the winner in all the categories. If you want to see how they stack up as daily drivers, watch the video above.

Cars.comparison: American Muscle Cars (Cars.com)

Fiat-Chrysler Deal: What it Means to You

The Chrysler-Fiat deal is done. Today, the Italian automaker is the new owner of the majority of Chrysler’s assets. This clears the way for Chrysler to emerge from bankruptcy, having shed nearly 800 dealerships as well as billions of dollars in debt and labor costs.

Fiat plans to reopen most of Chrysler’s factories by the end of June. The factories were idled during the automaker’s bankruptcy filing. The future looks a lot brighter for Chrysler, but what Fiat cars can we expect to see here in the coming years?

Fiat in the U.S.
Fiat’s small cars will plug a gaping hole in Chrysler’s lineup. However, it will take time to adapt Fiat’s cars to meet U.S. emissions standards and safety requirements; Fiats were last sold in the U.S. in 1983. Some experts say we can expect to see Fiats here again by the end of 2010. According to published reports, here are the Fiat cars that are projected to come stateside.

Chrysler Dealers Lose Franchise Agreements

Is today judgment day for Chrysler? While Chrysler and Fiat officials wait to see what, if anything, the Supreme Court will do to their proposed deal, Fiat said that its plan to buy Chrysler is still on even though it can walk away from the deal if it isn’t completed by mid-June.

"Fiat will not walk away from the deal if it isn't completed by the June 15 deadline," a spokesman for the Italian automaker said.

No matter what happens, though, judgment day has arrived for 789 Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealerships across the country.

That number represents 25% of the 3,189 Chrysler dealerships in the U.S. Those 789 will lose their franchise agreements today and therefore cannot offer Chrysler’s national sales incentives. This makes it fairly difficult to sell cars in an already depressed market. Dealerships were targeted based on poor sales performance, close proximity to other Chrysler dealerships and not selling all three Chrysler brands.

2009 Dodge Challenger Video

In its second year as Chrysler’s spot-on-styled retro muscle car, the Challenger finally adds a manual transmission to complete the true muscle car experience. Cars.com’s David Thomas takes you through the 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 in this video review and shows you this hot rod isn’t just fast – it has some practicality as well.

Chrysler Announces New Sales Incentives

As it navigates out of bankruptcy, Chrysler has announced several new incentives good through July 1 for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles. This includes 0% financing for 60 months on select 2009 vehicles or up to $4,000 consumer cash on 2009 models.

Current Chrysler customers are also eligible for $1,000 of owner loyalty cash on most 2008 and 2009 vehicles, and there’s $1,000 in credit-union bonus cash on certain products for qualified buyers who finance their vehicles through participating credit unions.

The End of the Dodge Viper?

Automobile Magazine is reporting that Chrysler never received a bid to buy its Dodge Viper operations. Housed in a relatively independent manufacturing facility in Detroit, the limited-number super car and its plant had a price tag of just $10 million. According to bankruptcy filings, no serious offers were ever received.

What does this mean? Well, we don't expect a joint Chrysler-Fiat to ever produce or sell a Dodge Viper, which leaves at least one editor here kind of sad.

"If the Viper is quintessentially American — powerful, a bit unrefined and definitely over the top — would its disappearance reflect a change in America itself? Love it or hate it, the Viper is a phenomenon. If it rockets quickly and noisily into the sunset, it will be missed," says senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder.

Let us know if you will miss the Viper — over the top or not.

Chrysler Never Received Offer for Viper Operations (Automobile)

City Helps Closing Chrysler Dealer

La Quinta, Calif., is thinking about rewriting its own ordinances to help out one of the 789 Chrysler dealers slated to close June 9. The city has zoned a stretch of Highway 111 strictly for new-car dealerships, but the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep dealership there is preparing to transition to a large used-car shop, along with a service department.

City officials are looking to change the zoning, but only on an interim basis, as the dealership seeks out a new franchise agreement.

The dealership is part of a group of franchises, not all of which have been successful. Both a Mazda and a Kia franchise have closed at the same location.

However, the owners and the city want to keep the 38 employees working and provide service to a large area that is without another Chrysler dealer nearby.

Golf fans may note that the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic is hosted in La Quinta every year. Chrysler's sponsorship ended with its entering bankruptcy. It had been a sponsor of the event since 1965.

City may aid car dealer should Chrysler's ax fall (The Desert Sun)