Zombie cars are still among us. Even though some went out of production many moons ago, they refuse to die. In recent years, Stellantis has had the most dead-but-alive cars, including a “new” Viper that someone bought in the first quarter of 2024. Lo and behold, the freshly released sales numbers for Q3 2024 have another Dodge. It’s far less exciting than the V-10 monster. Yes, it’s a plebian Dart.
The dealer must have forgotten all about the compact sedan, leaving it somewhere in a corner of the lot. It’s been collecting dust for several years seeing as how the last Dart was assembled eight years ago. Indeed, Dodge built the final car at the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois all the way back in September 2016. Technically, the econobox lived to see 2017 when the equivalent Fiat Viaggio sedan and Ottimo hatchback for China were discontinued.
What could possess someone to buy an unused Dart after all these years? Surely that person got a great deal as the dealer must’ve desperately wanted to get rid of the car. The Dart consistently appears in the sales chart as Dodge moved three cars in 2023 and four the year before. Looking further back, ten people bought one in 2021 and another seven were sold in 2020.
Before it went away, the 2016 Dart cost $18,990 for the base model. In 2024, you’ll have a hard time finding a brand-new car that still costs less than $20,000. The Kia Rio and Chevy Spark are dead while the Mitsubishi Mirage and Kia Forte are going away. Thankfully, the 2025 Nissan Versa remains refreshingly affordable, at $18,330, making it America’s cheapest car.
The Versa costs roughly 62% less than the average new car sold in the US. According to the Kelley Blue Book, the average transaction price of a new vehicle in July 2024 was $48,401. Transaction prices have gone down year over year for 10 consecutive months. The peak was in December 2022, at $49,929.