RE: prices!
Exactly.
I think a lot of it is going to have to do with your relationship with your dealer/salesperson, and obviously, demand for the car.
A firend has a Ford that he needed to get serviced. When I took him to the dealership, they had a Shelby sitting in the showroom. The salesman said it had been there for several weeks. I asked if the prices had come down yet. He smiled and said "the price hasn't changed". I laughed and asked him how much OVER the sticker they were pricing the car. He looked at me kinda funny and I told him I didn't just fall off of the turnip truck. I knew they were pricing a car with an MSRP of about $41,000.00 at $53,195.00 (the price he gave me), and that they could let it rot in the showroom before I paid $12K over sticker. Maybe a LOT of folks feel that way, now that they've been available for a bit, and are willing to wait until they're not going to get raped on the price. He didn't follow me out to my car, BUT he didn't argue either.
I think that the longer we wait for the Challenger (after it's available), the more money we'll put in our pockets - more time for potential price gouging to abate, and more time to save a few extra $$$ to put down on the car.
Obviously, the Challenger production numbers should be well higher than the Shelby Mustang production numbers, so the initial price "should" be lower as well.
In the same vein, Dodge can't keep the Caliber in the showroom, yet the prices haven't skyrocketed. Yeah, Caliber production numbers are substantial, so it's hard to comapre the Caliber to the upcoming Challenger on that basis alone. Additionally, we have "Employee Pricing" now, so the Caliber can be had for less than if that program weren't running.
I realize I'm comparing apples and oranges, but it's all speculation anyway.
We'll just have to wait and see.