This Cursed Dodge Has Sat On The Lot For 979 Days

Some cars sell quicker than others. Ask any Toyota dealer in the country about its supply of RAV4s, and they’ll probably tell you about the next shipment they’re expecting from the factory, rather than what’s on the lot, simply because they’re so in demand. On the flip side, you can likely walk into any Volkswagen dealership in the country right now and walk out with a good deal on an ID.4 that same day, as there’s over a year’s supply of the car sitting on lots, according to CarEdge.

Back in 2024, the Dodge Hornet suffered a similar fate, being named as the slowest-selling vehicle in all of America. At one point, dealers had a 428-day supply of the compact crossover that year. That meant that if Dodge stopped building Hornets that day, it would take 428 days to sell the existing supply already available (versus an industry-wide average of about 90 days). Makes sense, considering the car’s less-than-stellar reviews and relatively high price.

The Hornet is no longer the slowest-selling car in America, in part because Dodge stopped building it earlier this year. But even with the Hornet out of Dodge’s lineup, there are still plenty of unsold models sitting on dealer lots. One Hornet in particular can’t seem to shake that curse, as it’s been sitting unsold for 979 days, or over two and a half years.

This Poor Car, Man

A friend sent me the listing for this particular Hornet, and honestly, I can see why the dealership has had trouble moving it. While the normal 2024 Dodge Hornet had a starting price of $32,995 including destination, this one is a pricier R/T plug-in hybrid model, specifically, an R/T Plus. It was the most expensive Hornet trim offered in 2024, priced from $48,985 before any options.

Making things worse, this particular car did have options, including $495 for the Blu Bayou exterior paint job and $1,595 for an “R/T Blacktop Package,” which includes stuff like black painted mirror caps, black badging, black window moldings, and black aluminum wheels. According to the monroney, the total price out the door, as recommended by the factory, is $49,620. At 33 grand, a Hornet is sort of reasonable. But at nearly 50? Yeah, no way.

Obviously, no one was brave enough to purchase or lease this pricey Hornet at MSRP back in June 2023, when it first hit the lot. As time went on, the dealer, AutoNation Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Carlsbad, California, began offering discounts online to get it sold. During that time, it was being used as a service loaner (a thing that usually happens when a car can’t get sold). Cars.com has had the car listed since it arrived, and has a full history of the price changes from then until now:

That hasn’t worked, either. The cheapest this Hornet has gotten is $39,870, or $9,750 off of MSRP. In January, the car jumped back up to its starting MSRP, before being discounted again, this time by $9,732, to $39,888, where it sits today, still unsold.

A representative told me they moved the car to their used car inventory because it now has over 13,000 miles on the clock.

(Ed. Note: A previous version of this story insinuated this Hornet had been sitting undriven for the past three or so years, but since this story was published, the dealership confirmed to me it had been used as a service loaner. The text has been updated to reflect that. – Brian)

The Hornet Isn’t The Only One

Amazingly, this Hornet is far from the oldest “new” car to be currently languishing on a dealer lot unsold. That honor, according to CarEdge, goes to this 2023 Buick Enclave Avenir that’s been sitting on the market in Ohio for a scarcely believable 1,290 days, or over three and a half years. Because it’s a 2023 model year car, that means it was probably built back in 2022, the same year this website was launched. The car has been listed for MSRP—just over $63,000—since it arrived, with no discounts recorded, which might have something to do with it.

Perhaps less surprising to see topping this list of cursed dealership inventory is this 2023 Land Rover Defender TReK edition, limited to just 100 units and equipped with a bunch of off-road-minded add-ons, like a rooftop tent, Warn winch, snorkel air intake, ARB refrigerator in the trunk, solar panel, and extra underbody protection. While it certainly looks cool, it makes sense why most people wouldn’t want to spend $88,435 on a kitted-out Defender when they don’t plan to do much hardcore off-roading (a normal Defender 110 S, without all the extra gear, started at over 30 grand less).

Another unsurprising car to see here: A 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, specifically a 3LT model with an MSRP of $96,774. While I’m sure truly base Stingrays flew off the lot, this one, with its high trim level ballooning the price, has struggled to catch a buyer. For some context, a Z06 from that same model year was only $13,000 more expensive. I’d rather spend a bit more to have a base Z06 than be stuck with the most optioned-out Stingray any day of the week.

If you’re shopping for a deal, you might want to look at a Jaguar. While the company hasn’t built any cars in over a year, there are still plenty of them sitting unsold across the country, including two dozen F-Paces and a couple of i-Paces that have been sitting for over 1,000 days. Though the F-Type went out of production in the middle of 2024, there are still 117 of them sitting undriven at dealers, waiting for buyers.

In a few years, I suspect Hornets like the one above will be the subject of various “zombie car” articles, covering instances where dealerships manage to hold onto a car for years after said car ends production, before eventually selling it. This happens from time to time, especially with cars that are widely considered to be overpriced from the get-go. I’m just curious to see how much farther below MSRP this dealer is willing to go.

Top graphic image: AutoNation Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram