2009 Dodge Challenger

Built in August 2008, this Challenger found itself dispatched to the Joe Ricci Automotive dealership in the Ford heartland of Dearborn, Michigan. But it was soon on its way over the Atlantic, arriving in the UK and being British-registered in March 2009. This was one of the very first of the ‘mainstream’ Challengers to be constructed; the 2008 cars had all been limited edition SRT8s, manufacture of which ended in July 2008. The run of 2009 cars, in SE, R/T, SRT8 and SXT spec, began the following month

Our example here is an Brilliant Black Crystal Pearlcoat R/T (or Road/Track), denoting the mid-range performance variant. These came equipped with 5.7-litre Hemi V8 engines with a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission - in the case of this car, it’s the latter. Auto cars also had slightly less power, but seeing as only three horses were deleted, meaning 372bhp instead of the usual 375bhp, it wasn’t exactly too much to get upset about. For those wanting to experience what it must have been like to drive one of the Mitsubishi pretenders, the engine featured cylinder deactivation - where, when under light load, four-cylinders would shut down to save fuel. Fortunately, when you pushed the accelerator pedal in anger, they were quickly roused back into life again.

This car also came with cruise control plus air conditioning and climate control. But then came the boxes ticked on the options list. Among these were the Quick Order Package which included a 276-watt amplifier for the SIRIUS satellite radio, six Boston Acoustics speakers, automatic headlamps, heated front seats, luxury front and rear floor mats, power-heated foldaway mirrors in body colour, and leather-trimmed bucket seats. Complementing this was an electric sunroof as well as the Electronic Convenience Group bundle, consisting of illuminated cup-holders - vital those, if you don’t want to spill your Starbucks caramel cocoa cluster Frappuccino venti in the dark - as well illuminated door pull handles, instrument cluster with display screen, keyless and remote starting, auto-dimming rear view mirror with microphone, alarm, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, temperature and compass gauge, tyre pressure monitoring, trip computer, hands-free communication facility, universal garage door opener and vehicle information centre. Phew, deep breath. The 20in chrome-clad aluminium wheels with P245/45 R20 BSW AS Performance tyres were an extra cost option as well, usually found on SRT models. All-in-all, this Challenger rolled out pretty loaded.

It passed into the hands of its current owner during 2012, so he’s been responsible for looking after it for almost a decade. During that time, he’s kept on top of its maintenance - with initial servicing carried out by Chrysler in Bishops’s Stortford, and more recently, at White Rose Motors in north London. Its last service was at 68,010 miles in October 2020, so under 1500 miles ago at the time of writing. The MoT history, which records no major failures, confirms the low mileage of under 69,500 as genuine, with well under the average annual tally covered most years. It’s hard to believe it isn’t higher, given that a Dodge Challenger like this is the sort of car you’d take on a round trip of at least 50 miles to the ‘local’ shops, just so you could listen to the tremendous exhaust rumble.

This isn’t a car it’s easy to ignore. Any third generation Challenger is an incredibly imposing and potent-looking machine, that dwarfs many European vehicles. Here, with Brilliant Black Crystal Pearlcoat paint with white bonnet - sorry, hood - stripes and giant chromed wheels, this particular one projects quite a menacing character. Shrinking violets need not apply; this isn’t the sort of vehicle you can just blend into the background with. The ‘HEMI 5.7 LITER’ (it’s American, remember) badges on both front wings are accompanied by similar branding either side of the bonnet scoops (which, in the best traditions of many US pony and muscle cars, are fake). They leave nobody in any doubt that this isn’t a car to be toyed with.

The overall condition is very good, as you’d expect from something that has done under 70,000 miles and obviously been looked after during its 12 years of life. There are some age-related marks such as minor stonechipping around the front and on the door mirrors, plus some swirl-marks here and there in the paint from polishing over the years. But the overall finish is still very sound, with only minor blemishes to be found and consistent panel gaps. There is some bubbling under the paint ahead of both rear wheel arches, which it would probably be wise to investigate and sort out sooner rather than later. We’ve included pictures in our gallery.

Elsewhere, the fuel cap on the nearside rear also has some lifting underneath its chrome and black areas, but we’re really into nit-picking territory there; you need to be up very close to see the flaws. The final impression is of an extremely tidy car that has shrugged off much of what 12 years of use has thrown at it.

The chrome wheels add a welcome sparkle to the dark demeanour, and look absolutely huge - even on a car as big and bulky as a Challenger. The rims do have kerb marks, which is understandable - it can’t be that easy parking a left-hand drive car of this size with pinpoint precision in diminutive Britain. But the chrome itself is still pretty good. The tyres are high quality Pirelli P Zero rubber, which are ZR-rated and thus suitable for all the power and performance of this Dodge. They’re date-stamped 2017, so have plenty of life left.

The dark theme continues inside the cabin, with black leather and Dark Slate Grey carpeting.There’s minimal wear and tear, mainly confined to scuff marks here and there. The seats display minimal creasing and cracking, with most of it, naturally, apparent on the driver’s seat. But it’s all very superficial, and the passenger and rear seats look like they’ve seen very little use at all. The fitted carpets are in fine nick as well.

The gauges are a stylish white, with black lettering and red needles. They show no signs of deterioration or fading, and the electronic readouts are all legible. Even the switches seemed to have escaped much of the discolouration that can often afflict such items after a number of years - the markings are still very white, and haven’t started to wear away. There’s some tarnishing to the aluminium headlamp knob, however. Lift up the centre console cubby lid, and the area below looks almost as good as new - not a lot of coins have been allowed to roll around uninhibited inside here. Steering wheels are often the first interior items to go tatty - after all, they see the most use - but here, the leather is still holding up very well. For those who absolutely won’t be happy until they’ve found something amiss, the sun visor on the passenger side seems to have the marks of a removed label. But some careful cleaning will probably improve things.

All the controls function as they should; and there are quite a lot of them with this car. You’ll need to familiarise yourself with the owner’s manual - fortunately included with the paperwork - to get to grips with all the many options on this Dodge.

The boot is substantial, and carpeted in the same grey as the rest of the car. Aside from what looks like a missing trim clip under the right-hand side body lip, and some scratches on the plastic loading panel, it’s pretty much immaculate. The same can be said of the underneath of the boot lid itself.

Being a modern engine, much of the motor is clothed in plastic, to tidy up the appearance and no doubt discourage DIY-ers from having a sneaky tinker. This is an engine that screams ‘Take me to somebody who knows!’ should there be any issues. Fortunately, with the low mileage and regular maintenance throughout the car’s life, it’s unlikely to need any attention too soon. The bay is very clean and has been nicely detailed. There’s no evidence of any leaks and, after the service towards the end of last year, all the fluids are a healthy colour and at their correct levels.

Suffice to say, if you haven’t already got the message from all the the exterior badges that this is a very large V8 from the Chrysler stable, the main plastic cover repeats the ‘HEMI’ and ‘V8’ headline. There really is no opportunity to forget just what this is.

Underneath, everything looks very solid. There is some surface rust on some of the metal areas, but none of it is remotely structure-threatening. The twin exhausts have a coating of corrosion, but they seem quite sound. While these Challengers are low to the ground, there are no signs of any damage to the chassis.

The engine fires up straight away and, wow - what a sound it makes; a deep, reverberating bass that is just so obviously American in origin. They don’t make them sound nearly this good in Europe - it takes US know-how to unleash such aural shock and awe. Have a look at our video to hear just how magnificent it sounds for yourself.

There is a fully stamped-up service history for this Dodge - with the next bit of scheduled attention due in about 2500 miles. So there’s still quite a bit of opportunity to enjoy it before any further expenditure is necessary. A collection of invoices relate to recent work carried out, while going back further, there’s also Chrysler Certificate of Origin, a list of options the car was specified with, and a health check report from 2013. The original owner’s manual is all present and correct, as is the UK registration document and current MoT certificate. There are two remote control key fobs as well. 

This is an absolute beast of a motor; a modern reinterpretation, or even reinvention, of a classic pony car that’s about as loud and proud as they come. It looks and sounds magnificent, and it has the persona and performance to match its brooding, macho mood.

There aren’t that many examples of these Challengers over here, so this one is bound to be a head-turner - whether you see it first or hear it. Our estimate of £14,000 to £18,000 reflects the rarity of the breed on this side of the Atlantic, plus the very good overall condition - aside from those couple of rust bubbles, there’s very little else that needs any sorting. This is an awful lot of car for the money, and ripe for enjoying over the summer. Buy this, and you’ll be the centre of everybody’s attention.

Inspection is always encouraged (within government guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon - yes, it’s returned to its town of birth. To arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.