As Hellcat-powered Jeeps go this is one of the coolest but it hasn’t held its value well
- The Hellcat-powered Gladiator sold for $124,500, marking an $80K drop from its initial price.
- Modded with a supercharged V8, it offers 707 hp, 40-inch tires, and upgraded Dana axles.
- Aftermarket upgrades like beadlock wheels and eight-piston brakes make this Gladiator unique.
Once upon a time, in a world where bigger was always better, Stellantis seemed hell-bent on shoving a Hellcat V8 into just about anything with four wheels. However, one car that never got to bask in the glory of the mighty Hemi was the Jeep Gladiator. Technically, the V8 fits, as we saw with the Wrangler 392, but for reasons known only to the powers that be, it never made its way to the pickup truck.
That didn’t stop America’s Most Wanted (AMW) tuning company, though, from making it happen. And get this; someone just snapped up one of these Hellcat-powered Gladiators with an $80,000 discount over the price of a brand-new one.
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Originally, AMW asked $204,995 for this Jeep. It comes fully equipped, not just with a Hellcat engine rated at 707 horsepower (527 kW) and 650 lb-ft (880 Nm) of torque, but everything else one might want. This Jeep comes fully loaded with upgrades like 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels, 40-inch tires, eight-piston brake calipers, ARB air lockers, and Dana axles. Basically, it’s built to conquer any terrain and make you feel like a superhero in the process.
When it recently went on sale on Bring a Trailer, it had only 1,200 miles on the clock. The lucky Jeep Gladiator owner managed to snag it for just $124,500 before their premium as the winning bidder. That’s a cool $80,495 less than brand new, and you’re getting what’s almost a brand-new truck loaded with nearly every mod you could ever want.
One commenter humorously pointed out that the original owner spent roughly $6.75 per mile driven. Oh, and don’t forget the extra costs of fuel, insurance, and registration on top of the absurdly high price tag.
The entire auction is a great example of how some aftermarket mods and tuners’ cars just don’t retain their value all that well. While that’s not always the case, it seems to be the rule for Jeeps like this. Another AMW Gladiator traded hands late last year for $125,000. It had almost all of the same features but included even larger 42-inch tires.
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So, is this a good deal? From a value-per-dollar standpoint, absolutely. Even without knowing it’s $80K cheaper than brand new, the upgrades here are significant. Larger tires, better differentials, bigger brakes, and, of course, that monstrous boost in horsepower and torque.
Sure, you could buy a brand-new Gladiator for half the price, but you wouldn’t be able to look down on all the other stock Gladiators with quite the same smugness. And that’s really the reason it exists, isn’t it?