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I first considered the 300C, but I think I like the Magnum looks more. In fact, my wife likes the Magnum better. I'm probably going to wait for the 'new' effect to wear off so I can get one at a decent price, but again I have yet to lay eyes on an R/T. I've seen the 300C's with Hemis, but no Magnums. I guess people are ordering all the available ones, so the dealers have none in stock.
My 300M has been great, but never a good green light stomper. Even with the aftermarket enhancements I've made to it, it's never been fast enough for my taste. That's why I really want to test drive the Hemi. I think the 340 HP may be enough, but I've also considered waiting for the SRT-8 that's due out next year. Possibly labeled the new Charger?? It now stands to put out 426HP with the help of a Whipple Supercharger. Now THAT's some serious HP. Enough to beat most Corvette's, but maybe not the Z06. Anyways, if ever get to test drive an R/T I'll let everyone know.
I hope DC is not making a mistake by putting too many Magnums and 300s in fleet sales. I'm afraid they are shooting themselves in the foot, cheapening the brand that they are trying to build up. I also do not understand why they are doing this because I cannot believe they are making much money (profit) on fleet sales. IMHO, they should have kept building Chrysler Concordes and Dodge Intrepids for fleet sales at least for a couple of years, letting the Magnum and 300 be more exclusive. I'm also afraid all the fleet sales will hurt depreciation. It is a shame because I think both cars represent excellent new product.
I am trying to see some pictures of the magnum.
people out there is there any good sites that you could recomend.
greetings from Virginia
fig
http://www.fast-autos.net/dodge/dodgemagnum.html
I have also added in a link for some shots of the 300C Wagon that makes for interesting viewing. I think I am going to hold out to see if this car will be sold in the US ... and not just Europe. The reason why is simply for the interior & some of the extra features.
http://www.fast-autos.net/chrysler/chrysler300ctouring.html
Surprisingly, there were numerous 2005 300's in adjacent spaces which would have "surprised and delighted" me more. I saw one 300 C, three Tourings, and two Limited. It was also possible to rent Grand Cherokees, Pacificas, Jaguar X Types, XJ's, and numerous other "high end" vehicles from a variety of rental car franchises. Apparently ALL or most car rental company's are willing to use a variety of vehicles--under the guise of Premium or Luxury rates--to satisfy customers.
kcram
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Smart Shopper and Wagons Message Boards
No dealer in this area inflicted any added markup on the stickers. I've often viewed those claims with suspicion--I've not seen it locally on new models.
I've owned 4 Corvettes ('91, '93, '96, 2000) and a 1994 Viper. I can honestly say, this thing is almost as cool as the Viper. It has all the power my 2000 Vette had, easily.
If you can find one, GET ONE. They appear to be exceptionally well made. I just can't believe I'm so drawn to a station wagon!!!
Tim
I have the Magnesium R/T also and love it to death. I wish I had optioned it out like you did since the car itself is a blast to drive and deserves all the options. I went to a reunion of some local and out of state long time friends last Saturday night and gave four of them a ride out on the local secondary highway. We hit the century mark within a very short time, the car was solid as a rock, its engine and transmission smooth as silk. I felt like I was back in 1969 without the noise. Plus the car corners like its on tracks.
I don't classify the car as a station wagon unless talking to the fairer sex, especially my wife. I just open the hood to anyone who has a passion for performance and let them take a drive.
"While chassis electronics and tire technology improvements help control our Chrysler 300 and Dodge Magnum rear-wheel-drive models, some customers may still opt for the all-wheel-drive choice," said Murphy. "With this latest option, we are able to offer what the customer wants in each case."
"The new all-wheel-drive system adds a front differential and a transfer case to the standard rear-wheel-drive configuration. All-wheel drive continuously divides the power between the front and rear axles at a 38- percent to 62-percent ratio.
In addition to the front differential and transfer case, the all-wheel- drive system adds a unique short- and long-arm front suspension to accommodate the front drive axle and related components. This unique suspension uses a forged upper control arm and single-piece case-iron lower control arm, efficiently packaged around the front-axle drive system. The steering gear effort and response and the suspension characteristics also are tuned to the handling characteristics of all-wheel-drive vehicles. "
In place of differential locks 4MATIC uses the electronically controlled traction system 4ETS, an additional component of the stability program ESP®. This is automatically activated if one or more wheels lose their adhesion. In this case 4ETS applies individual brake pressure to these wheels while increasing the drive torque to the wheels which still have sufficient traction. These split-second braking impulses enable the effect of three differential locks to be achieved:
Rear axle: If one rear wheel begins to spin, it is braked and a drive torque corresponding to the braking torque is transferred to the other rear wheel. This is equivalent to the function of a rear differential lock.
Front axle: The same principle applies to the front wheels, therefore 4ETS also replaces a front differential lock.
Central lock: If both rear wheels begin to spin, they are simultaneously braked while the transfer case compensates for the difference in speed between the front and rear axles. In this way 4ETS also performs the function of a central differential lock.
The four-wheel drive system in the C-Class is configured to distribute the drive torque to the front and rear axles at a ratio of 40 : 60 at all times. The Mercedes engineers have therefore intentionally given the C-Class four-wheel drive models a "rear emphasis", as this torque distribution provides the best conditions for safe handling characteristics – even at high speeds.
Rusty, could you please post the link to the Magnum AWD release? Thanks!
kcram
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Smart Shopper and Wagons Message Boards
http://wwwsg.daimlerchrysler.com/SD7DEV/GMS/TEMPLATES/GMS_PRESS_R- ELEASE/0,2941,0-1-57488-1-1-text-1-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0,00.html
http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?port_code=autoweek&cat- _code=carnews&loc_code=index&content_code=03874432
Can you fit two adult mountain bikes stacked on their sides inside the wagon?
Does the front passenger seat fold forward on the base SE (or any of the Magnum models) to allow longer items to fit?
It is hard to tell by looking at the pics on the Dodge web site.
Anyone have higher resolution photos than what's on the Dodge web site of Magnums in any color?
I wonder if the A/C can handle cooling a black Magnum on 100+ degree summer afternoons?
Do you get the same A/C unit with each model or do the bigger engines get more powerful A/C compressors?
I'm a little concerned that the black will look like hell after a couple years of dust and swirl marks. It does look really great on a brand new car that is never driven in the real world.
I wonder if Chrysler is afraid a 300C wagon would kill the Pacifica's sales numbers? Would it matter to them if it did?
My last black vehicle did look awful after a couple years. Just couldn't get out the swirl marks and it was always dirty looking.
"Mineral Grey or Black?"
"Magnesium."
;-)
Between the two, now that I've had a chance to see them in the metal, I'd vote Mineral Grey. Black is beautiful, baby, but man, what a PITA to keep up. Then again, I'm near OC when it comes to car maintenance!
I agree, however, with the "Magnesium" sentiment. This is one cool color. And the Vanilla too. I think if I were pulling the trigger, Cool Vanilla would be on my order form...
I didn't realize that the Mineral Gray was the lighter color.
I Got the Silver, and its a beautiful looking silver (especially coming from a non-silver person as myself!)
There is also a Sirius add-on available by the dealer, but I wonder how tacked-on the dealer-installed Sirius unit looks.
Is the radio opening a standard size to replace it with an aftermarket system?
I would want a system with an AUX-in mini-jack so I could plug in any portable device I wanted (such as an iPod) and perhaps fully-integrated XM Radio rather than a separate satellite radio unit.
With 4 of the 7 colors offered on the Magnum being grey or black, it kind of limits the choices. The Silver is quite light, and while it looks good, I've had 2 silver cars in the past. Mineral Grey and Magnesium Pearl are about the same darkness, but the Magnesium has a greenish tint to it. It's the color that was often used on the 300's in the commercials on TV, kind of a drab look.
I like the Mineral Grey as it is much darker than the Silver, but not quite Black (I don't have tons of time to keep rewashing my car). Also, in my opinion the Magnesium is rather drab looking if not in direct sunlight, plus that color is shared with the Chrysler 300's, and Mineral Grey is not (slightly more exclusive that way).
If only there were some way to combine the two, without having to wait and hope the theoretical SRT-8 does it, I would be set. In the mean time I'll just have to be happy with my RT (just try to stop me )
http://www.dcxmediaservices.com/videoptrs/wms/dctv/Jul04/Magnum_R- eview_300k.wvx
I don't think the current high interest in it will hold up in 3 years when you're trying to resell or trade it in. So you will take a giant depreciation hit if you pay anywhere near full MSRP much less over sticker. Maybe the 300C will still be hot in 3 years, but I don't think others will when the shortage is over.
When I can get one for $500 over invoice, I'll look into it more seriously. I might even wait until I can get at invoice minus rebate.
Let's take a short stroll down memory lane to the release of a small, neon-based minivan called the "PT", shall we?
Yeah, the buzz will wear off eventually and as soon as it does, the critics will crawl back out of the woodwork and point out that it can't be that great because folks won't pay a premium anymore. Horsefeathers!
The real deal: right now it's worth whatever somebody's willing to put down on the counter for it right now. If someone loves it enough to pay a premium, then it's absolutely 100% worth it to that buyer.
I have never been one to pay a premium for any car. Then again, I've never been in the market at a time when something I really want bad is the hot ticket. Now, if, in '06, Audi brings an S3 Sportback with DSG here, and due to short stocking or whatever they are going for a pop over the MSRP, I'd probably bite the bullet, and do it with gusto!
BTW, about an hour ago at the carwash I caught an R/T in Cool Vanilla. Yes sirree, Bob, that is the trim level and color I'd do if I was gonna do it, and no two ways. My local Chrysler/Dodge shop (in an admittedly casual conversation last Saturday) will order one for me for sticker plus $3,500! Very kind of them...
;-)
An S3 or any very limited production vehicle might be worth over sticker new even in the long run because at resale time, they will continue to be hard to find new or used. This will command a high resale price, whereas a $28K 2005 Mangum SXT might be only worth $9,999 used in 3 years.
Regardless if the enthusiast buys it for $30K today, and three years from now it's trading used at $9K, the buyer who loves it is getting his or her money's worth, because of the satisfaction it gives. I believe that with every fiber of my being, and always have.
Calculating sliding value on a depreciating commodity and buying based on that factor is kind of silly to me. Either it's worth it to you at the time or it isn't; nothing else matters, provided the capital is available.
The Magnum R/T in my opinion is one of the best car values out there. Its state of the art for a sports wagon that practical and safe without being a monstrous SUV that lists for thousands more. Wait a few more years when people start to unload those tanks. I am keeping my 1999 300M for now because the car is worth so much more in driving satisfaction than what the dealers say the car is worth.
I did feel originally that the 300M would hold its value better and not have some of the problems as soon as it did at 80,000 miles which include an air condition compressor, and the typical transmission servos, window motors. Brake wear seem typical, especially when it seems all brake parts are made from cheaper metal these days. Tire wear also seems average. But the car as a whole drives and handles like new.
I couldn't be happier with our R/T purchase and hopefully it will stay that way. But we did get the extended 60,000 warranty to be on the safe side, the dealer gave us $500 off on it.
What do they charge then for the 60,000 mile one, that just covers all the other minor things?
Thanks.
I guess the extended warranty covers much of the other stuff like air conditioning compressors, window motors, electrical, instruments and stuff not included in the powertrain warranty already. It also gives roadside assistance and free rental car when vehicle is in service. I believe it costs about $1400 so we got it for $900. After the 300M experience I thought it might be a good idea and it is transferable to a new owner if we trade before 6/29/2008 or 60,000 miles.
Since the Dodge warranty is for 36K miles, you paid $900 for 24K miles of coverage on non-powertrain items. Sounds high to me. I would have given you the same guarantee for $850. ;-)
Look I'm not trying to rain on your parade; but if you think that much is going to go wrong with this car during that time, I wouldn't even buy it.