Okay, I have to chime in here. I own a small import dealership, and the fact is the average auction price for an '05 SRT-6 is $11,350. We usually give "below average" on trades (which is $9,850) simply because we can't afford to get burned on a trade. I know the Crossfire SRT is a special limited run car, but the fact is it's a Chrysler, and the price on all vehicles and especially GM and Chrysler products have dropped dramatically. I can pick up 2 or 3 SRT6's a week for 11k at auctions, so why would I pay more for that on a trade-in? The Crossfire is a hard resale because 99% of the public doesn't have a clue what it is, or that it shares a Mercedes platform.

That being the case, this car is not something that any dealer (besides a Chrysler dealer) wants to keep on the lot, so they quote a price that they know they won't lose money on. You see it as a dealer trying to screw you big time on your trade, but from my perspective I don't want to be put in the position of losing a couple of thousand on a car I can't move.

That's why I always tell my potential customers that they would be much better served trying to sell the car themselves.