Like zombies, these dead cars still sell among the living
Car models come and go, but as revealed by monthly sales data, once a car is discontinued, it doesn’t just disappear instantly. And in the case of some models, vanishing into obscurity can be a slow, tedious process.
That’s the case with the eight cars we have here. All of them have been discontinued, but car companies keep racking up “new” sales with them.
There are actually a lot more discontinued cars that are still registering new sales than what we included here. We tried to keep the list to the oldest and most unlikely old vehicles still being sold as new, including a couple of supercars. Click on the image above to get started.
Last updated April 2019
2017 Dodge Viper: 1 sale
We’re starting our list out with a car we love. We don’t think there are a bunch of unsold Dodge Viper coupes sitting on dealer lots all across America. Nevertheless, one lucky individual managed to bring a new Viper home this year.
At least we know that buyer is out there having fun!
Dodge Viper Information
2016 Chrysler Town & Country: 1 sale
The Chrysler Town & Country was already an old vehicle when it was officially killed off in 2016. The basic van was introduced for the 2008 model year, and saw only refreshes until its conclusion eight years later. Some of those updates were helpful and kept the car at least somewhat competitive.
Still, we’re thankful Chrysler replaced it with the Pacifica, a superb van that is arguably the best in the segment. And if you do happen to really like Chrysler’s older minivan offering, the Dodge Grand Caravan is still being sold in 2019.
In any case, Chrysler managed to sell one of these minivans so far this year. Here’s hoping the buyer scored a great deal.
Chrysler Town & Country Information
2012 Lexus LFA: 3 sales
The second supercar on this list (which otherwise is full of highly lackluster automobiles) is the Lexus LFA. It’s an exhilarating car to drive, and is packed full of interesting technology. So far, Lexus has sold a total of 3 LFA coupes to what we have to guess are very satisfied customers. By our count, there ought to be 5 more unsold LFAs sitting somewhere on dealer lots in America.
It’s also worth noting that Lexus only sold the LFA for two model years, 2011 and 2012, which means it is by far the oldest new vehicle of the year.
Lexus LFA Information
2017 Mitsubishi Lancer: 3 sales
The Mitsubishi Lancer wasn’t a particularly good car when it was killed off after the 2017 model year, so we guess it’s not terribly surprising that there are apparently a few of them still left unsold in America.
Mitsubishi has sold a total of 3 Lancers so far in 2019. We send our condolences, um, we mean, congratulations to the lucky buyers!
Mitsubishi Lancer Information
2017 Infiniti QX70: 6 sales
Infiniti stopped selling the QX70 crossover at the end of 2017, though the crossover-heavy brand still offers the QX30, QX50, and QX60 (plus the hulking QX80 SUV). That gaping 70-sized hold in the lineup will probably be replaced eventually, but for now, it’s empty.
No matter, the premium Japanese brand managed to sell six QX70s so far this year.
Infiniti QX70 Information
2016 Dodge Dart: 8 sales
Dodge discontinued the compact Dart back in 2016, just three years after its launch. The automaker just wasn’t able to compete with the segment leaders like the Honda Civic or the sales juggernaut that is the Toyota Corolla. Despite the fact that it’s been dead for three years, Dodge managed to sell eight Darts so far in 2019.
Dodge Dart Information
2017 Jeep Patriot: 10 sales
The Jeep Patriot initially launched back in 2007 alongside its more car-like Compass sibling, but while that vehicle got a redesign and is still on sale in Jeep dealerships, the boxier Patriot ended production in 2017.
Apparently there are a few Patriots still collecting dust on dealership lots in America, because the automaker has tallied 10 total sales so far this year.