Dodge Magnum

mikhal

For now it is probably best to order through a buying club. You will be able to get it at invoice plus about $400-$500. I did that through Sam's Club. Waiting for a magnesiun one now. Hope that there will be a rebate by the time it comes, which will probably be at around the end of August.

wale_bate1

Oh, I'm not looking. Just reporting a casual conversation with a local dealer. BTW, they had the ADM sticker at $3,000 on all their SXT's, which is all they had on the lot.

He said R/Ts don't even hit the lot; theirs are all pre-sold at this point. That's when I asked about ordering, and the price bump was mentioned.

Magnesium and Cool Vanilla are defintely my favorite colors at this point...

tigerbangs

My wife and I have just traded our 2001 Volkswagen New Passat GLS wagon for a new Dodge Magnum SXT in Magnesium with the Dark Slate interior. We had had a lot of trouble with the Passat, none of which was out dealer's fault, but we were both aggravated by the constant recalls and stupid little troubles that we had with the Passat. To it's credit, the Passat was comfortable and fun to drive, but the turbo 4 engine and the automatic transmission made the car feel as if it was powered by a rubber band...lots of turbo lag. The primary reason that we wanted a new car, though, was that our large, and growing larger kids, complained that the back seat was too confining in the Passat. We are all large people ( I'm 6'5" and my wife is 5'10" )and the Passat had grown too small for us.
    I was intrigued by the Magnum: it sure looked cool, and it wasn't an SUV, which I really wanted to avoid having to drive. Several things struck me at the first test drive in the Magnum: first, how incredibly smoothly and quietly the car drove. The Magnum had none of the 4 cylinder drone of the Volkswagen when accelerating, and wind noise and road noise were very well suppressed. Secondly, I was struck by how roomy the interior was, both front seat and back seat. As tall and portly as I am, I could barely reach the pedals with the seat pushed all the way back, and the pedals were moved forward! My wife and I were finally able to share a common front armrest without elbow-wrestling for room. I haven't ever had that happen, except in a Mercedes S-Class! It was very easy to find a comfortable driving position, and the visibility was much better than I expected it to be, given the gun-slits that Dodge calls windows in the Magnum...LOL!.
   Out on the road, the Magnum was a revelation: A Mercedes-like ride, with no pitching, and enough suspension travel and damping to filter out the broken pavement and potholes without a whimper. It's hard to believe that an American car has this level of damping control: it's almost like cloud-like, and the car neither leans in hard turns nor pitches on pavement that had the Passat bouncing like a Yo-Yo. You can make some serious time in the Magnum: not only is it swift, but effortlessly so.
   As for the interior: it's roomy and comfortable, and the quality of materials is far better than what we used to expect from US car makers, but it isn't up to Volkswagen standards. The plastics seem to be of good quality, and the fits of the panels are very good. The car doesn't rattle or squeak (yet),but the the overall ambience of the interior is a bit austere, though serviceable. I have already investigated wood and/or brushed aluminum add-on trim for the dashboard and door panels, and it is available. I may just break down and buy a wood kit to dress up the interior slightly.
    I know that all of the interest seems to be on the HEMI R/T. but the STX, with the 3.5 liter V-6 has ample power for just about every non-towing situation. I don't intend to tow with this car, so it isn't an issue for me, but I can understand the appeal of the R/T for those who savor smoky burnouts and towing their boat. The smoothness of the driveline is so deceptive that it is easy to drive at extra-legal speeds without realizing how fast you are going: 90 feels about like 60 MPH except that the scenery flies by a lot faster. I could get into serious ticket-trouble with this car if I wasn't careful.
   Then, consider the wow-factor: This car practically stops traffic wherever it goes! Most people have no idea what it is: some think it is a custom job, most don't know what to think, but they are drawn to the shape, and the color, which seems to flop from gray to green depending on the angle at which you look. I haven't gotten this much attention in a car since my 1956 Packard Patrician was on the road!
     What would I change? Hmmm...I wish the car had the Boston Acoustics speakers package, and I wish they had made fog lights available on the SXT. I hear a lot of complaints about the crusie control, but, having owned a Marcedes with the same control system, I don't find it as bad a many other owners do. Puddle lights would have been nice, too, but I suppose you can't have everything. All in all, a BRAVO to Dodge and Chrysler for a job well done.

morseland

Here are a few pictures of our new magnesium Magnum. My wife and I love the car.
http://home.comcast.net/~morseland/index.html

mike7

BEAUTIFUL!!!! That is one sweet looking car...
Thanks for posting pictures (I'm still drooling)
Where did you find the nose bra and splash guards?
That makes it look even "badder".

morseland

Dear Mike,
     We got those options from the dealer. I think the flaps were around $40 and the bra $170. The dealer put the stuff on for free as part of the deal when we purchased the vehicle.
     We did have to have the front end realigned by some specialist like others have spoken of. The car runs terrific, I have 1,400 miles on the car and couldn't be happier.
      Its difficult not to get on it, the Hemi sounds like music to my ears. I am glad we got the Magnum instead of a 300C.

roderacer

Greetings! It has been a while since I have been on the Townhall boards - let's see last post I made was probably on the 2001 Impala board. What a great ride that was, but I digress.

I have yet to have the pleasure of sitting in a Magnum, but hopefully the dealer will get a couple this weekend - I'll make sure to bring a change of shorts when I test drive that beast.

1.) To all of the happy R/T owners out there with the DVD Nav system, how does it perform as far as accuracy goes?

2.) How is the exhaust note? Anyone going to put an aftermarket system in when they are available?

That's all for now. I will go back to lurking.

Cheers!

morseland

Dear Roderacer,

     My R/T doesn't have the navigation system, I wish it had, and it doesn't have the heated seats like our 300M has which my wife wanted badly in the new R/T.

     But what it does have is an exhaust note when you get on it that sounds terrific, you get that sound of a powerful V8 with duals I haven't had since I owned a 442 twenty years ago. The car is very quiet but when you get on it the sound is unmistakable. At idle and normal driving the car's engine's presence is not very noticeable unlike the old supercars. Some owners have already modified their exhaust system to get more sound, I am happy just knowing the engine's power and its exhaust note are quickly available when needed.

roderacer

Thanks for the feedback! Got to drive an R/T today. I don't think I can say anything that hasn't been already said so I will leave it at that. What a rush!

You hit it on the head - this car IS quiet. I couldn't believe how smooth it was. Tranny felt very good too. The car had all of 5 miles on it when I took it out, so I didn't come close to any 'real' driving, so I didn't get a good listen to the exhaust; but I know it is there in a beautiful way!

Waiting for the dealer to find one for me.

Cheers!

snickle

The NAV system is great. As good as my Garmin unit.

As for exhaust, a little quiet under WOT. I will probbaly go with the Borla system soon. An extra 15horses and only 1.5 db under normal throttle.

roderacer

Thanks for the info on the NAV system - Garmin makes top-notch stuff.

I wonder how an exhaust would sound when only 4 of the 8 cylinders are going???

...dare I say - fast and furious? yikes!!!!

tigerbangs

I am throughly enjoying our new SXT, but was dogged by what I thought was a harsh ride over broken pavement that had my wife complaining. Our car didn't ride nearly as smoothly as the SXT we had taken for a test drive. We had come back from a 110 mile ride, and I had a feeling that something was wrong. I dropped my wife and daughter off, and went to the gas station to check the air pressure in the tires: OMG! 45 LBS of air in the tires; no wonder it rode like it had tires made of concrete! I adjusted the pressure to the factory-recommended 30 PSI, and the ride quality improved by one order of magnitude (no pun intended). Now the car has excellent compliance over broken pavement, and the steering wheel shake that I experienced over broken pavement is gone! Whew...someone is going to get trashed when the CSI questionaire arrives at my house! I hope I didn't jar anything loose while the tires were pumped up that high, but to the car's credit, we never did hear any squeaks or rattles, even with all that air in the tires.

shipo

Having a car delivered with high tire pressure is actually fairly normal. Cars are shipped from the factory with high pressure so they won't bounce too much on the car carriers. True, the technician who prepped your car should have caught it; however, I don't see that as a reason to trash your selling dealers' CSI. Also, keep in mind that some dealerships have been known to provide less than stellar service when a customer picked a few too many nits on their CSI. Counter productive though it may be, it has been known to happen.

Best Regards,
Shipo

roderacer

Glad adjusting to the proper pressure solved your rough ride symptoms.

Keep in mind that after a 110 mile ride, the tires get quite warm and the PSI reading is higher.

If you adjusted the pressure at the gas station, I would definitely check again when the tires are cold to make sure you didn't let too much air out.

Cheers!

emale

shipo,

do you work for a dealership?? because your comment about customer surveys kinda pi$$es me off. if a dealership/salesman deserves poor marks; that is what he should get. i don't care if it'll hurt his feelings or damage the dealerships bogus 5 star rating.

as for those new car surveys; imo they are a load of crap anyway. i have bought or leased a number of new vehix in the last decade and i can't remember once getting a survey where i was asked my opinions about the vehicle. it's almost always about how clean the dealership was; and did my salesperson smell pretty!! i'd like to give feedback on ride/drive and problems. but am never asked those questions...

shipo

Nope, I'm just a lowly computer analyst, car enthusiast and aviation junkie. ;-)

My comments regarding the CSI reflect what I have learned over many years of following the industry. Like it or not, some dealerships have been known to exact revenge for a bad CSI report. I'm just the messenger in this case. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

dekester

Looking at an SXT model and priced one out on-line with the Protection Package and upgraded speakers. Just curious with the people posting here:

1. What is the most popular trim line?
2. What is the most popular color>

I like the Magnesium, but would probably go for the Cool Vanilla IF there were interior colors other than grey! White with tan leather is a good combo that comes to mind....

I'll probably wait until I relocate to Florida before buying or even test driving. The local Dodge shop here (Staten Island, NY) is an old-fashioned, high-pressure, arm-twisting kind of place. Their attitude is that they are doing YOU a favor by overcharging you and selling you what THEY think you want, rather than listening to you to see what YOU want.

I'd love the Hemi, but I'm trying to keep the price well under $30G, so the SXT with 3.5L V6 will suffice; wish they'd give it the 5-speed auto, too.

Deke

kjnorman

"I'd love the Hemi, but I'm trying to keep the price well under $30G, so the SXT with 3.5L V6 will suffice; wish they'd give it the 5-speed auto, too."

If you can wait a few months, look at the AWD version, as the AWDs, even with the 3.5l will have 5 speed trannies.

Now of course, in Florida, you may not have reason to get the AWD like I would in Wisconsin to YMMV....

and1

Does anyone know what the GVW of the Hemi is...wondering if it might qualify for the 6000+ lb SUV tax credit. Thanks in advance.

hardhawk

I don't think it is anywhere close to the 6000# base to get the tax credit. Good thought, however! I have a Magnum brochure at home and seem to recall reading a number that was way lower than 6000#.

and1

Wondering if anyone knew what the GVR of the Hemi Magnum was....hoping to it was over 6000 lbs so as to qualify for a Section 179 write-off. Thanks in advance.

rayainsw

"OMG! 45 LBS of air in the tires; no wonder it rode like it had tires made of concrete! I adjusted the pressure to the factory-recommended 30 PSI, and the ride quality improved by one order of magnitude (no pun intended). "

And I believe that more than 1 potential buyer has rejected a specific vehicle because the one they test drove happened to have such a condition - and the ride was deemed unacceptable.

- Ray
Now carrying a tire pressure gauge on every test drive adventure . . .

and1

Wondering if anyone knew what the GVR of the Hemi Magnum was....hoping to it was over 6000 lbs so as to qualify for a Section 179 write-off. Thanks in advance.

and1

GVW is not listed anywhere online in the Dodge sales materials...just ***, which makes me wonder. As you are probably aware, GVW is weight of the vehicle fully loaded. Thought Dodge may have sqeaked by like VW and the Caddy SRX by a couple of pounds (wink-wink) in order to sell a few more units.

iowabigguy

Chrysler Adds Even More Horsepower to HEMI® with New 2005 Chrysler 300C SRT-8

Additional 85 horses - 25 percent more power - builds more momentum for HEMI® and Chrysler 300

Chrysler reveals 425-horsepower Chrysler 300C SRT-8, powered by new 6.1-liter HEMI V-8

jfigueroa1

Good day:
What is the average price to pay on a sxt 200hp., and have any body had tried both the RT and the SXT side by side. really like the magnum I do not really need the hemi, but is 190 enough can you tell a big difference between the two eng.
regard VA.

Jason5

Perhaps I missed a portion of this discussion...but just to be clear. GVWR--is the maximum combined weight including the vehicle, passengers and/or cargo that it can safely carry.

tigerbangs

Our Magnum SXT came with the upgraded radio with the 6 disc changer AND cassette player, but the standard factory 4 speaker sound system. I am painfully aware of the shortcomings of the speakers whenever I listen to anything with any bass content or high-frequency sounds such as cymbals, bells or high strings like a violin. I don't want to change out the radio, because of all the features it has in it, but I really want to upgrade the speakers. There are no tweeters mounted in the speaker grills on the dashboard, and the sound coming from the cargo is thin and almost shrill. A local car audio dealer has suggested replacing the factory speakers with a set of Rockford-Fosgate component speakers in the doors: 6.5 inch woofers in the doors with midrange and tweeters installed in the factory dashboard locations, he has also suggested replacing the the 5x8 rear speakers with Rockford Fosgate 5x8 triaxial speakers at a total installed cost of about $400.00, which seems reasonable to me. Has anyone here undertaken such an upgrade? What are your thoughts?

barnstormer64

Everybody has the specs on the cargo volume, but not the cargo area.

Has anybody measured how large a piece of plywood (for example) you could put in the Magnum (with the rear seats down), compared to say a Taurus wagon (which is what I'd be replacing)?

Should've taken a tape measure with me, I guess, when I test-drove the Hemi. Vrooom!

atlgaxt

It is interesting that Dodge has not reported a gross vehicle weight, but with a curb weight of about 4,100 lbs for the RT, it would need a payload capacity of 1,900 lbs to have a gross weight over 6,000 lbs. There is no way that the Magnum could do that.

Also,why was an earlier post talking about comparing the 190 hp V6 to the Hemi as if those were the only choices? It seems that for most folks not seeking the best and baddest car on the block but wanting decent power, the 250 hp 3.5 V6 would be the perfect compromise choice.

snickle

I drove all three models. The base model is way too sluggish for me. The SXT with the 3.5L is perfectly adequate, the car moves and accelerates fine.

The RT is a last.

I bought an RT.

mainlinepiper

Does Dodge plan to offer AWD for the SXT? Also, does anyone know if there are plans to offer the Navigation system on the SXT? Thanks...

sebring95

The AWD will be available for the SXT and RT. No idea on the Navi. I wouldn't count on it. Dodge is planning to build 50% of these with the Hemi (according to Automotive News).

mainlinepiper

Why should we expect the Magnum to be any more reliable than Dodge's other non-truck offerings? Reliability doesn't seem to be Dodge's forte...

sebring95

I don't really see where anyone is having major dependability problems these days. Beyond a few models here and there that have some sort of isolated issue (fords diesel problems, vw's coil packs, hondas tranny recall, etc) most cars are build very well. Dodge performs just slightly below average on the JD Powers, although the variance from top to bottom isn't all that significant. 3 year dependability study puts dodge at 3.02 problems, the average is 2.69, and Toyota tops out at 2.07 problems. So the Dodge has one extra problem over three years. Same on the initial study, Dodge has 1.21 problems, average is 1.19, and Lexus tops the chart at .87 problems.

I think the question to ask....is there anything about this car that could cause a potential major screw-up considering it's a new model? Sure, always is on a new model. I haven't heard of any major issues yet, so far the Magnum is a huge hit.

BTW, I read in Automotive News that the designer of the 300/Magnum was now moving to the next-gen minivans.

tlk

I will receive my new company car in about a month. It is an RT with everything, including the tow package. Problem is, the tow package does not include a hitch. Any recommendations of hitch brands/providers to go to or stay away from?

sebring95

The Mopar unit is probably a good bet. Might even recommend it since it's more likely to cause "warranty" issues if something gets screwed up.

emale

the company is giving you an R/T to drive...that must be NICE!!

snickle

Go with the mopar unit. Totally hidden unless you have the reciever attached.

Kirstie_H

Full Test: 2005 Dodge Magnum
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/roadtests/roadtest/102663/article.- html

kirstie_h
Roving Host & Future Vehicles Host

tlk

Thanks for the recommendation. I will have the dealer install it when it is delivered. Also, because I live in South Dakota (where it snows a lot), I got the AWD version. I will let you know how it handles....

belias

Does anybody know if they are going to bring the new 6.1L Hemi as an option in the Magnum? It would be a real shame if it was only used in the the 300 SRT-8. Not that the 5.7 is anything to complain about, but, the specs on the 6.1L look pretty awesome! I seem to recall reading that the 6.1L won't have the cylinder management system in place (i.e. it won't shut off 4 cylinders during highway driving to reduce fuel consumption). Of course, that should probably go without saying since those likely to get the vehicle with that engine aren't likely to be interested in saving gas. Though with prices heading north in a hurry, I wouldn't be surprised to see that feature incorporated into the 6.1L engine in the near future!

sebring95

The 5.7L was built from day-one for integration of the MDS. I'd be surprised if the 6.1 doesn't have it, but who knows. Dodge still has to meet CAFE regardless of whether or not the buyers would care about mpg.

emale

the 6.1L will not have MDS...at least initially. maybe down the road a year or two from now.

and the 6.1l will become available in the magnum SRT-8 sometime next year.

andre1

What kind of lease deals are people getting on the Magnum RT? I'm interested in this vehicle, but I refuse to purchase it due to the expected heavy depreciation (i.e. see the Lincoln LS for recent depreciation disasters of supposed 'hot' domestic vehicles). I'm interested in 2 or 3 year leases with NO cap cost reduction and 12 or 15K miles a year.

sebring95

They aren't giving much up on leases anymore, too many Lincoln LS's burning them on the tail-end. I'll bet they've already adjusted the residual to a nice conservative figure. I don't see any reason these should have any better/worse depreciation than any other domestic though. There's a forum for leasing questions, someone with residuals available to them I believe. I doubt dodge is giving any spiffs on the RT's. Look under leasing in the town-hall home page. I have no idea how to link another forum on these posts.

foureyes3

I think the dodge magnum will hold up in value. Lincoln Ls is domestic. The magnum is foreign and domestic. The fact that mercedes is mention with the vehicle to help it maintain some value. This is not simply an old fashion american wagon. It does have an e class suspension system. I think the gear system is mercedes. But, I could be wrong. I look at some website Automobile lease something and they gave it pretty good residual.But, I don't know how credible this site could be anyway.

atlgaxt

The biggest factor affecting depreciation right now is the fact that the Magnums are the hot new thing and are in relatively short supply, giving dealers pricing power. Prices are bound to drop over the next year, and anyone over paying to get one now will get a double whammy.

While Subaru's are not as hot has the Magnum, I got hurt with a similar situation. I bought a Forester XT (the Turbo) last fall and paid a couple of hundred over invoice. Now I see that they are being deeply discounted, with some reports being over $3,000 below invoice. Talk about being a stupid moron. Above and beyond normal depreciation, I am deep in a dark hole with that car now, having burned thousands of dollars. And I thought I was finally being smart buying a Japanese car.

foureyes3

I agree about the Magnum. Your story was a perfect example of jumping the gun too soon. You never know when a huge rebate may kick in. It may happen right after you buy the vehicle. Depreciation can be tricky. Edmund keeps pretty good information on depreciation on vehicles. They don't have any information on the magnum. I guess it's to new to tell right now. I think these gas prices are affecting the vehicle pricing alot. I don't think the prices would drop as much if the gas prices hadn't shot up. You could get a nicely equipped Durango for the price of a nicely equipped Magnum. It's good to keep an eye on those consumer reports.

corkfish

Same thing happened with me and my XT. I bought one when they first came out and paid way to much for a base 5 speed. In addition, Subaru of New England is a different animal. Nobody was negotiating. I knew at the time I was paying too much, but I needed a new car and loved the XT so much that I pretended not to notice that I was getting shafted.