Rowdy muscle cars tend to be like junk food. They look good, are hard to resist, and tend to upset people. And you probably won't want to rely on either, all day, every day. That's because full-blown muscle cars can be hard work to drive, have overblown proportions, and generally just two doors. When it comes the time to have a family and grow up a bit, the V8-powered coupe is probably best kept for the weekend. But what if we said there is a muscle car that can carry the whole family, including the dog and plenty of luggage, is usable every day, and (for the time being at least) relatively affordable? This is the Swiss Army Knives of muscle cars, but prices are rising. The Hemi Is A Legendary Engine With Prices To Match Mecum Mention the name "Hemi" and muscle car royalty springs to mind. Chrysler introduced the original hemispherical combustion chamber engine design with the FirePower name for the 1951 model-year, rated at 180 horsepower. In 1964, the Gen II 426 Race Hemi engine debuted, with Richard Petty lapping the field and winning the Daytona 500. When the street version of the 426 Hemi was unleashed in 1966, a legend was born. Quickly, this motor was fitted into everything from Coronets to 'Cudas, and these Golden Era models are worth a fortune today.You'll be looking at $87,400 for a Hemi-powered Charger from 1968, or $66,700 for a 426-powered Coronet Super Bee from the same year. But while it was a staple of old school muscle, the Hemi still survives today. You can still get this motor as an option in the Ram 1500, for example. Plus there are some more practical Hemi-powered muscle cars of recent years that can be had for a fraction of a Golden Era icon. And one in particular stands out as a modern classic. The Dodge Magnum SRT8 Is A Forgotten Hemi Hero Bring a TrailerFast wagons were soooooo early 2000s. The Audi RS2 had blazed the trail for the Germans, with the unhinged Volvo T-5R offering a smorgasbord of turbocharged Swedish craziness. For the 2003 Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, Dodge introduced a concept car called the Magnum SRT8. This was an entry into the fast wagon party, American style. The looks were bluff and mean, like a '60s muscle car had been grafted onto a load-lugging body, and under the hood was a supercharged 5.7-liter Hemi V8. 2006 Dodge Magnum SRT-8 Anyone with a few motor shows under their belt would have seen the tell-tale signs. The wing mirrors, the working interior, the wheels that actually turned, the engine in the engine bay. This was no fanciful concept, Dodge was actually going to make this thing. A year later, Dodge introduced the standard cooking Magnum, a station wagon built on the Chrysler LX platform. A year later, the SRT8 (Street and Racing Technology) version was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and a year after that it went on sale. The SRT8 Has Power For Days Bring a Trailer Under the hood was a pure muscle-car spec 425-horsepower and 420 lb-ft 6.1-liter Hemi V8, with new heads with larger, hollow-stem valves, and a reinforced block. This was enough to propel the SRT8 to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds, 100 mph in 11.7 seconds, and allowing it to cover the quarter mile in 13.1 seconds. The SRT8 can go from 0-100-0 mph in under 17 seconds and has a 60-0 mph stopping distance of approximately 110 feet thanks to four-piston Brembo calipers.The Hemi V8 is mated to a five-speed automatic transmission with specially calibrated, driver-selectable Auto Stick for manual shifting. To help the car stay on the asphalt, Dodge added SRT-tuned dampers, large-diameter anti-sway bars, and tailored spring rates and suspension bushings. The ride height is also one-half inch lower and the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) has been tuned for the 2008 Dodge Magnum SRT8’s performance-handling characteristics. The SRT8 sits on 20-inch aluminum, SRT-designed wheels. The Magnum SRT8 Is A Drag Strip On Saturday, School Run On Monday Kind Of Car Bring a TrailerWhile Dodge had gone all in on the muscle credentials for the Magnum SRT8, it remained a sensible family wagon. The Magnum (which can trace its name back to the '70s) benefited from the longest wheelbase in its class, which no doubt helped towards its 71.6 cubic feet of cargo space. The space inside is fully functional, with an upper flat-load floor with storage space below the floor, and 60-40 split-folding rear seats. There are power-adjustable, deeply sculpted and highly bolstered sport seats, and even LED lighting in the front cup holders and front and rear door-map pockets. Who said you can't have performance and practicality? The Magnum SRT8 gave a very good argument to having a one-car garage. The Magnum SRT8 Is Rare Bring a Trailer When the Magnum SRT8 arrived for 2006, it cost just $37,995, that's half the price of some of its rivals. Despite this, and performance that was up there with some of the best sports cars of its day, the SRT8 remained incredibly rare. This is a surprise as the rear-drive SRT8, which borrowed parts from Mercedes W211 and W220 platforms, had a lot going for it.To be fair, the muscle car renaissance was only just starting in the mid-2000s. People probably weren't quite ready for a muscle wagon just yet, and the economic crash of 2008 meant there were probably fewer people wanting to splash out on a fast wagon. In the end, 3,845 Magnum SRT8s were built between 2006 and 2008, says Hemmings. It's not expensive to run either. RepairPal estimates an annual maintenance cost of just $474 for all Magnums, and there are reports of these cars doing more than 275,000 miles. Prices Are Skyrocketing For Magnums Bring a Trailer Perhaps unsurprisingly, the rare, cool, usable and incredibly quick SRT8 Magnum is a sought-after wagon these days. Hagerty included the model in its annual Bull Market List for 2025, saying that prices had gone up 39.3% since 2019. While Hagerty puts the prices of SRT8s at $22,700 in good condition for all model years, you may have to move fast. There are plenty of Magnums with low mileage that are selling for more than that, and we are talking 40,000 to 50,000 miles, so not super low at that. This suggests collectors are snapping up good cars and demand is high. One 10,000-mile SRT8 sold in 2025 for $47,000, that's $10,000 more than it was new. It's Not All Bad News MecumThe good news is that there are still some cheaper cars out there, with some selling for $12,500. Very recently, an original owner 2006 Dodge Magnum SRT8 with 57,000 miles sold for $19,250 on Bringatrailer, which seems like a good car for a good price. The great thing about a Magnum SRT8 is that you can buy it with your head and your heart, with very little compromise needed. Who knows you could even clear out a few cars from your collection, the SRT8 seems to do it all.Sources: Hagerty, Hemmings, RepairPal, Reddit, FastestLaps