Possibly Buying a Charger Hemi SRT8.. WTF..? Opinions pls
Discussion
Pre-facelift and showing it's age as a result, so needs to be cheap.
But - the motor is a gem, delivering a tsunami of torque, mated to a superb MB 5GTronic 5 speed auto.
No cylinder de-activation of the 6.1l - mine gave me a worrying 15.5mpg ave and it has to have premium gas.
That said I absolutely loved every mile I drove it (300c SRT-8)
But - the motor is a gem, delivering a tsunami of torque, mated to a superb MB 5GTronic 5 speed auto.
No cylinder de-activation of the 6.1l - mine gave me a worrying 15.5mpg ave and it has to have premium gas.
That said I absolutely loved every mile I drove it (300c SRT-8)
Matt Harper said:
Pre-facelift and showing it's age as a result, so needs to be cheap.
But - the motor is a gem, delivering a tsunami of torque, mated to a superb MB 5GTronic 5 speed auto.
No cylinder de-activation of the 6.1l - mine gave me a worrying 15.5mpg ave and it has to have premium gas.
That said I absolutely loved every mile I drove it (300c SRT-8)
Hi Matt, I have been having a blast today..But - the motor is a gem, delivering a tsunami of torque, mated to a superb MB 5GTronic 5 speed auto.
No cylinder de-activation of the 6.1l - mine gave me a worrying 15.5mpg ave and it has to have premium gas.
That said I absolutely loved every mile I drove it (300c SRT-8)
A couple of questions if I may.
What was the car like to live with every day..?
What were typical service costs..?
MPG doesn't really bother me as I won't be traveling too many miles.
After 150 or so miles today, I do miss having a manual box.. The auto is rapid enough and kicks down pretty quickly, but after having some other quickish sports cars in the UK, I think the charger is missing something.
Agreed about the torque.. This is the first US muscle car that I have driven on an extended test.. I would like to compare others to this. Camaro, Mustang, Challenger....
Do you have any comparative experience of the others..?
Dave.
As it happens I do. My work lead me to have quite extensive experience of Camaro 2SS, Mustang GT and Challenger SRT-8 around 2009/10.
The Charger was not available with a manual transmission - the the Tremac in the Challenger is agricultural - in fact the manual transmissions offered by GM and Ford are not really any better. Using the 'auto-stick' manual over-ride goes a little wary to better shift control - but of the 3 cars the Mopar has by far the best auto trans.
The fact that the Charger has 4 doors also sets it apart.
I ran my 300C for 3 years and around 60,000 miles. I had very few issues with it. One of the front struts ruptured an oil seal and a replacement unit was around $1000 and is the same unit on the Charger. I also had a transmission control unit go bad on me, which was covered by the warranty - but would have cost around $750. The battery quit after 2.5 yrs - just a luck of the draw thing, I think. Other than that it was just tires and fuel.
I made a few simple mods to mine (Diablo Predator ECM flash tune, a Zoomer exhaust and some tougher axle shafts) and it was bad fast. The motor is pretty much unburstable and has quite staggering tuning potential. The guy who bought mine fitted a Procharger and has 500+WHP dyno numbers as a result.
I did all of the scheduled service myself - oil, filters pads etc. The only thing I couldn't do was a trans fluid change, as special tools are required to ensure refill to the correct levels.
If gas consumption is not a concern, I would 100% recommend one, assuming it's not bonkers money. I paid $26k for my fully loaded (every option offered) 2007 300C when it was 14 months old and had 30K miles on it. It was a repo, I think, but still something of a steal as a new one would have set me back around $53k in 2008.
I now run a 2012 Mustang GT which is a much more agile and more accomplished machine - but it's a lot smaller, has very little room in the back and has nothing like the tractability and sheer low-revs pulling-power of that pushrod hemi. The Camaro SS is (in my mind) something of a mixture of the two - the LS3 engine is superb (though still not as visceral as the Mopar), but the Camaro's looks are polarizing. Personally I think they are a bit cartoon-like and over-styled - they are also very, very common, because they are cheap (relatively).
Of the 3 - I'd have to say (all other things being equal), the Mustang is the best of the bunch. However if that Charger is cheap (and it should be) that's what I'd go for (For the motor and brakes alone).
Before you give it back, open the hood, take the lid off the fuse box, locate fuse #11 and pull it out. With 20 secs and replace it. Now drive the car again.
You might be VERY surprised.
The Charger was not available with a manual transmission - the the Tremac in the Challenger is agricultural - in fact the manual transmissions offered by GM and Ford are not really any better. Using the 'auto-stick' manual over-ride goes a little wary to better shift control - but of the 3 cars the Mopar has by far the best auto trans.
The fact that the Charger has 4 doors also sets it apart.
I ran my 300C for 3 years and around 60,000 miles. I had very few issues with it. One of the front struts ruptured an oil seal and a replacement unit was around $1000 and is the same unit on the Charger. I also had a transmission control unit go bad on me, which was covered by the warranty - but would have cost around $750. The battery quit after 2.5 yrs - just a luck of the draw thing, I think. Other than that it was just tires and fuel.
I made a few simple mods to mine (Diablo Predator ECM flash tune, a Zoomer exhaust and some tougher axle shafts) and it was bad fast. The motor is pretty much unburstable and has quite staggering tuning potential. The guy who bought mine fitted a Procharger and has 500+WHP dyno numbers as a result.
I did all of the scheduled service myself - oil, filters pads etc. The only thing I couldn't do was a trans fluid change, as special tools are required to ensure refill to the correct levels.
If gas consumption is not a concern, I would 100% recommend one, assuming it's not bonkers money. I paid $26k for my fully loaded (every option offered) 2007 300C when it was 14 months old and had 30K miles on it. It was a repo, I think, but still something of a steal as a new one would have set me back around $53k in 2008.
I now run a 2012 Mustang GT which is a much more agile and more accomplished machine - but it's a lot smaller, has very little room in the back and has nothing like the tractability and sheer low-revs pulling-power of that pushrod hemi. The Camaro SS is (in my mind) something of a mixture of the two - the LS3 engine is superb (though still not as visceral as the Mopar), but the Camaro's looks are polarizing. Personally I think they are a bit cartoon-like and over-styled - they are also very, very common, because they are cheap (relatively).
Of the 3 - I'd have to say (all other things being equal), the Mustang is the best of the bunch. However if that Charger is cheap (and it should be) that's what I'd go for (For the motor and brakes alone).
Before you give it back, open the hood, take the lid off the fuse box, locate fuse #11 and pull it out. With 20 secs and replace it. Now drive the car again.
You might be VERY surprised.
My numbers are US. The 6.1 could have done with the current MDS technology - it's very thirsty of you boot it (and what's the point go having it if you drive Miss Daisy). It was way too easy to get the mpg readings in single numbers, though not so much an issue for the OP, being US based and looking for a second car. It HAS to be premium gas though - putting regular in them causes all manner of potential problems and will void any warranty that might be supplied.
Great info getting posted
I've got my first yank for just under 2 year now. A f150 s/c 5.4 and find it great to drive.
Worked out my mpg was ave 24mpg what i think is great.
Been looking at challengers for a we while love the look but wife wants a charger as having 4 doors
Be a family car. Was wanting a 6.1 but now thinking bout the 5.7 for affordability if going to run as a daily.
Stay just outside Glasgow
And only handful about but trying to catch up to talk seems to get shoulders shrug at me. No very friendly to stop and talk ect
I've got my first yank for just under 2 year now. A f150 s/c 5.4 and find it great to drive.
Worked out my mpg was ave 24mpg what i think is great.
Been looking at challengers for a we while love the look but wife wants a charger as having 4 doors
Be a family car. Was wanting a 6.1 but now thinking bout the 5.7 for affordability if going to run as a daily.
Stay just outside Glasgow
And only handful about but trying to catch up to talk seems to get shoulders shrug at me. No very friendly to stop and talk ect
The car went back this evening.. After having a whale of a time this weekend.
Too many red flags and the like from Carfax and the dealer etc..
5 owners in 6 years, a repo, but full historyand never dinged.. Although none of the service logs included what was done.
66k miles and a very clean car. They wanted above the KBB value which also set alarm bells off.
What it has done is open my eyes a bit more to what the 2nd car will be. Now to drive the others and weigh up the options, thanks for your sound advice.. I will be back with more questions I am sure.
Too many red flags and the like from Carfax and the dealer etc..
5 owners in 6 years, a repo, but full historyand never dinged.. Although none of the service logs included what was done.
66k miles and a very clean car. They wanted above the KBB value which also set alarm bells off.
What it has done is open my eyes a bit more to what the 2nd car will be. Now to drive the others and weigh up the options, thanks for your sound advice.. I will be back with more questions I am sure.
Gassing Station | Yank Motors | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff