Challenger CP-6000 Review: Best Value 6,000-lb Parking Lift

Challenger Lifts is the Louisville, Kentucky manufacturer owned by Snap-on, and the CP-6000 is its entry parking lift. The numbers: 6,000 lb, a 104 in by 94 in platform, 82 in of drive-on width, a 70 in rise, a 7 in lowered height, automatic mechanical locks, 1,900 lb crated, around $3,199.

That is $300 less than the Forward FPL-6, which has the same platform, width, rise, ceiling requirement and weight within 50 lb. It is $100 less than the Triumph NSP-6S, which is smaller in every dimension. And it is $700 less than the BendPak PL-6000, which is ALI certified and has an 84 in deck and a 72 in rise. Among 6,000 lb parking lifts, the CP-6000 sets the floor on price from a brand that will still be selling seals and cables in ten years.

The 6,000 lb rating covers every sedan, coupe and hatchback and most compact crossovers. A Camry is 3,400 lb, a Model 3 about 4,000 lb, a CR-V 3,600 lb. A Tahoe at 5,600 lb is inside the rating and, at 81 in wide, does not fit the deck.

The minimum ceiling is 11 ft 4 in, or 136 in, with a 70 in rise. That leaves 66 in of headroom on the upper platform at the minimum ceiling before an opener or a light fixture is subtracted. Every sedan fits: a Camry or Accord at 57 in, a Model 3 at 57 in, a Mustang at 54 in. A CR-V at 66 in is on the line and needs the fixture-free version of that ceiling; a RAV4 at 67 in needs 11 ft 6 in.

Below, the deck underside at full rise is about 63 in off the floor, which takes any car and most compact crossovers.

The 82 in drive-on width sets the other limit. A Camry at 72 in, a Corvette at 76 in and a Model 3 at 73 in all leave 3 to 5 in per side. A Grand Cherokee at 77 in leaves 2.5 in, which is workable and not pleasant. Anything at 80 in or more, which is every full-size truck and SUV, should not be driven onto this deck regardless of what it weighs. Those buyers want the CP-8 with its 88 in deck.

At 1,900 lb crated the CP-6000 is one of the two lightest full-rise parking lifts in this group, and that is why it is rated an easy install. The platform sections are manageable for two people, the columns can be stood and plumbed by two with a third on the level, and a capable owner with helpers can finish in a day. Challenger's manual is better than the Triumph and Forward books, with enough photographs to follow without a dealer video.

The sequence is the class standard: anchor the columns plumb into 4 in of 3,000 psi concrete, bolt the platform together on the floor, hang it on the carriages, run the hydraulic line to the power unit, set the equalizer cables for level travel, confirm the locks engage on every rise.

Power is 220V single phase on a dedicated circuit, so an electrician is part of the project. An owner install with hired wiring comes in around $3,700 to $4,000 all in, the lowest total in this group after the Triumph NSP-6S. A dealer crew adds $600 to $800, and Challenger has one in most metro areas.

The CP-6000 parks its load on automatic mechanical locks in both columns, engaged as the platform rises, so the stored vehicle rests on steel and the hydraulics work only during travel. The circuit has a check valve against pump failure, a flow control on descent and a manual lowering valve for a power outage. Those are the same features on the CP-8, which is certified, so the architecture is not where Challenger saved money.

Where it saved money is the certification, the finish and the controls. There is no ALI/ETL listing; the 6,000 lb rating is Challenger's own, not verified by an independent lab to the ANSI/ALI ALCTV standard. The powder coat is thinner than on the CP-8 and will chip at the deck edges. The control panel is a raise and lower switch with a lock release and nothing else.

None of those affect how safely the lift holds a car. They affect whether a permit office accepts it, how it looks in year five, and nothing at all in the case of the controls. For a private garage, that is the right set of things to cut.

The Forward FPL-6 is around $3,499 with the same 104 in by 94 in deck, 82 in of width, 70 in of rise and 11 ft 4 in ceiling, backed by Rotary's parts network through Vehicle Service Group. It is a fine lift and it is $300 more for no additional spec. Unless a Forward dealer is closer than a Challenger one, the CP-6000 wins.

The Triumph NSP-6S is around $3,299 with a 100 in by 92 in deck, 80 in of width and an 11 ft ceiling requirement. It fits garages the CP-6000 does not, and that is its only case; at 11 ft 4 in of ceiling the Challenger gives more deck for less money.

The CP-8 is Challenger's certified 8,000 lb lift at around $4,199: a 112 in by 100 in deck, 88 in of width, a 74 in rise, a 12 ft ceiling, 2,350 lb. The $1,000 between them buys 2,000 lb, 6 in of deck width, 4 in of rise and the ALI listing. For two sedans that is wasted; for a sedan and an SUV it is the right $1,000.