While spending your hard-earned cash on a new 2026 Ram 1500 might sound like the most sensible allocation of your funds, especially given you can now have a venerable Hemi V8 under the hood once more, there is a much more exciting road you could choose. Your current truck could perhaps use an upgrade, but you could also elect to keep maintaining it properly and extend its service in favor of treating it to a new friend.For the cost of a mid-range 1500 equipped with a V8, you could secure yourself a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. In other words, one of the most brutal and wild muscle cars to have ever graced our wonderful planet. Yes, it may be the less sensible choice, but as long as your current truck is doing the business, why not allow it to remain a part of the family. Especially as you can finally allow yourself that muscle car that's been nestling away in the back of your brain. Used Challenger SRT Hellcats Cost About The Same As A Mid-Range Ram 1500 Stellantis If adding a fire-breathing Challenger SRT Hellcat to your collection sounds like a party you'd like to attend, then you can anticipate spending around $60,000 to source one. In fact, looking at the market, we can see that sort of expense should net you a low-mileage example still in pristine condition, as close to 'new' as you could reasonably expect unless you single out a delivery-mile example. Naturally, modified or well-traveled examples will be even more accessible than this, but if you've got the momey for a new V8 Ram 1500, you may as well secure a low-mile SRT Hellcat, rather than settle for something a little less sweeter.This is pretty comparable to a mid-range Ram 1500 Hemi, such as a Laramie trim. When the $1,200 Hemi V8 option is ticked, the total MSRP rises to $64,665. Cheaper models are available, but you won't get as much in the way of performance or included equipment for your money. Used Hellcats Haven't Dropped Much In Value Stellantis Interestingly, despite being five years old as of 2026, the 2021 Challenger SRT Hellcat is worth pretty much what it was when it was brand-new. This is despite most examples not featuring delivery miles, a trend which is the opposite of what you'd normally expect a new car to follow. Usually, a new car will lose most of its value in the first three years of its life, before depreciation will become slower. If it attains classic status 20 years or so down the line, the value will likely start to rise once more.The base MSRP for the Hellcat was $61,150 in 2021, meaning it has lost pretty much nothing in terms of worth in the years since. The reason for this is likely the way the automotive market has gone since, with ultra-powerful V8 muscle cars like the Challenger having been killed off in favor of more efficient performance options. Collectors recognize the Hellcat is the last of the old-school era, and thus its value has remained steadfast. If You Want To Feel Alive, Buy A Challenger SRT Hellcat Stellantis Therefore, you could always buy one with a view to selling it for a profit in the future. The extra money could net you a brand-new Ram 1500 Limited Longhorn, after all. Or, you could get it out and scare yourself silly. We recommend the latter option. The SRT Hellcat comes with a wild 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V8, which unleashes 717 angry horsepower at the rear axle. Adding to the classic muscle car feel, there is no slick automatic transmission as standard, but a more engaging six-speed manual unit instead. An eight-speed auto unit was available to those willing to pay for it.This will allow you to launch from 0–60 mph in around 3.5 seconds, ensuring it can give most supercars something to think about. The SRT Hellcat was tuned to be a straight-line demon, hence it included features such as Line Lock, which keeps the car's front wheels firmly locked while the rears can spin up. Not only does this allow you to craft a dirty burnout, but also to heat up those rear tires to ensure you've got peak grip for your upcoming drag launch. There's also a launch control system, ensuring you have the best possible chance to nail whoever is brave enough to take you on. Don't Expect Dodge's Wild Drag Monster To Eat A Hardened Sports Car In The Corners Dodge The Challenger SRT Hellcat also comes bundled with an advanced three-way adjustable Bilstein suspension setup, which also incorporates adaptive damping. The suspension can be set up for a range of conditions, ensuring it can run at its potential whether it's taking on the street or a track. It also gets a commanding Brembo braking setup to ensure it can get slowed down, which is reassuring given the atom bomb residing beneath the hood.It won't worry a Lotus in the bends, and it's still pretty hard work given that it's geared more towards smashing quarter-mile times as opposed to lap times, but it's far more effective than the 1960s muscle cars that it's inspired by. Its Four-Door Sibling Offers More Practicality Stellantis It goes without saying that the Challenger SRT Hellcat isn't the most family-friendly machine on the road, primarily because of that thirsty V8 which ensures you'll be lucky to see 15 MPG. It also lacks a pair of rear doors, while its sloping roofline makes getting comfortable in the rear seats more of a challenge. This is where the Charger SRT Hellcat comes in, as the four-door alternative boasts easier rear access and a more spacious aft cabin, courtesy of its extra seven inches of rear legroom. It also has a marginally larger trunk, making carrying your family's cargo much more straightforward.Luckily, the extra space provided by the Charger doesn't mean you lose anything from a performance standpoint. It gets the same supercharged 6.2-liter V8 monster and transmission options, as well as the same suspension and braking componentry. The standard non-widebody versions will set you back around $60k on the used market, the same as its two-door sibling. It's still not as practical as a Hemi V8-equipped Ram 1500, but it's a little closer, so it should be a little easier to justify at least. The Challenger Is Dead, At Least For Now Christopher Smith / CarBuzz / Valnet Dodge's parent company, Stellantis, put all its chips on a more efficient future toward the start of the 2020s. It started developing a range of electric powertrains and platforms, as well as more efficient internal combustion engines, such as the 3.0-liter Hurricane inline-six that was envisioned to replace the Hemi V8. As a result, the decision was taken to axe the Charger and Challenger models in 2022, with the cars disappearing in 2023. The Charger returned as a hatch-styled coupe and sedan, though without any V8 options on the menu.Fortunately, things have taken a turn. A lack of interest in EVs has caused Stellantis to make an about-turn, especially with its American brands. The Hemi V8 was resurrected in 2025, as was the Street and Racing Technology department. Dodge's performance arm was felled alongside the Challenger and previous-gen Charger, though the move back towards V8s led to its recommissioning. A V8-powered Charger is now in the cards at some point, so the hope remains that perhaps Dodge's headline Challenger muscle car could also make a return someday.The 2026 Ram 1500 TRX still utilizes a developed version of the 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 after all, which now produces 777 hp. We reckon it would look just right under the hood of a new-generation Challenger. Go on Dodge, we all know you want to.