Hello:
I've been reading these forums regularly and finally registered.
When Dodge formally announced that the Challenger was a "Go", I called a handful of local dealers, trying to get details about securing a place in line to get my hands on a first year model.
Only one dealership seemed to have any knowledge about the car, and the sales manager I spoke to told me that I was the first person to inquire about the car, and that a $500.00 deposit would put me first in line. It took me a few days to get to there (5/16/07), and by that time, I had slipped to #2. They assured me that as a "5 Star" dealership, they would have the largest allotment in the area. The arrangement they had printed up stated that the cost would be MSRP, plus a $250.00 "documentation fee". Orders to be placed in the order that deposits were taken. Remember, this was before ANY details of the production models were released. No idea of price, colors, options, or deviations in appearance from the concept car.
Shortly after the various announcements were made about pricing, options, etc. and well before the 12/03/07 official kick-off of ordering, I called and specified the Black with all 3 options. I was told everything was good to go, and that I was all set.
Well, by now, I'm getting tired of being "good to go". I'm still sitting in "C" status, whatever that means. I guess since I'm not paying a huge markup I don't have a whole lot to complain about, but my patience is wearing thin. Even though I have a signed "vehicle purchase contract", stating the agreed upon price, and a VIN assigned to my name, I have sinking feeling that dealer greed will rear it's ugly head, and this car is going to slip through my fingers.
Hopefully, this saga will have a happy ending.