Sterically demanding tropylium salts of the type (1,3,5-C 7 H 4 R 3 )BF 4 (3a, R ) tert-butyl; 3b, R ) isopropyl) and (C 7 H 6 R)BF 4 (3c, R ) tert-butyl; 3d, R ) SiMe 3 ) react with [(η 6 -pxylene)Mo(CO) 3 ] by arene exchange and Mo(CO) 3 group transfer leading to cationic η 7 -cycloheptatrienyl complexes 4a-4d in excellent yields. 4a further reacts with alkali halides to give [(η 7 -1,3,5-C 7 H 4 R 3 )Mo(CO) 2 X] (5a, R ) tert-butyl, X ) Cl; 6a, R ) tert-butyl, X ) I). The X-ray crystal structures of 1,3,5-tri-tert-butyltropylium tetrafluoroborate (3a) and of [(η 7 -1,3,5-C 7 H 4 R 3 )Mo(CO) 3 ]BF 4 (4a, R ) tert-butyl) are reported.