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Would you buy it at that price?

http://www.leftlanenews.com/2006/08/15/dodge-challenger-rt-to-be-priced-at-30000/  

Depends on the specs. That price for a 5.7 Hemi would be reasonable. That price for the 6.1 would be insane! I'm guessing that one's going to be closer to $40k. It depends on the market positioning. If they want to take the Camaro and Mustang on head-to-head, they're going to need to keep the prices in check. If they're going for more of a limited, "niche" product, they could probably get away with a little higher price tag. But it's a given that dealers are going to totally gouge consumers when they first come out. I say wait 6-9 months after the initial frenzy has died down, and go in and get one for sticker or below.  

Would I buy one, no, I don't think I will ever buy a V8 or anything over over 4 liters as a daily just on principle, and I don't think the new Challenger would make a good track car/weekend toy.

Do I think they will sell a lot of them? Maybe, I thought the GTO would sell way better than it did. Maybe the Challenger will sell more on the styling, since the GTO looked like every other Grand Bland on the Pontiac lot. Like esanchez said, I think after a few months you will see the typical American car company incentives that will make the car a good value.  

American car consumers have ADD and are sheep. Toyotas are cool because everyone is drinking the "Kool Aid" even though they're boring, dull, and expensive. The GTO didn't sell because GM hardly spent a penny advertising it, and its styling was about as exciting as bingo night at the senior center. Not a bad car otherwise. I think there will definitely be an initial buzz with the Challenger, but like the Mustang, it will eventually die down, and you'll be able to walk in and name your price, probably even on an SRT. Everyone thinks SRTs are so rare, but at a few dealerships, I saw about 6-8 Magnum and Charger SRTs in a row. You just need to know where to look.  

I have the feeling that they'll make the same mistake with the Challenger as they did with the Charger/Magnum and not offer it with a manual, which will send a lot of potential customers elsewhere  

I don't think so. Why would they have shown the prototype with the six-speed "pistol grip" stick if they had no intention of offering it with a manual? They could get away with it with the Charger/Magnum since they're more mass-market sedans, but on a niche sporty product like this, it's almost mandatory to offer a manual. But I do agree they probably could have gotten a few more enthusiast buyers if they would have offered the Magnum/Charger with a manual transmission option.