Opinions on a '06 Magnum purchase...

[Brock Samson]

 
Every twelve weeks of so i go to one of the six local C/D/J (chrysler, dodge, jeep) dealerships to see what's new and today i went to check out the new Dodge Journey and see if they had or were getting any new challangers... i drove the road runner and was met by probably the most knowageable salesman i've ever met, and I've met a few,.. most are beyond bad... This guy was a credit to the profession...
anyhow, I'll make this brief..
I found what i think is a good if not killer deal, a 2006 magnum R/T AWD with 23K miles fully optioned with the Nav. and Sunroof I will ad a few pics incl. one of the sticker, it still has about 15 months/15K miles of it's warrentee and all taxes incl. they want $21K...
shows a kelly B.B. value of $28,120 ...
  I would like you opinions as to if this is worth snappin up cause i can't imagine the Dodge staying put more then a few days at the most...
I love my 300M which this would replace - but it's at 73K miles and is 9 years old... of course it's all paid for too.. 
any thoughts and strategies from you folks more experienced at dealership dealing would be very much appreciated...
thanks in advance...
  P.S. no Challys till April... 

[69charger2002]

i don't think that car will disappear off the lot in a few days. it's not super desirable, it's a gas hog, and it's not cheap for a 2 year old car. i could find you that exact car all day here for $19-20/ guaranteed
trav

[resq302]

decent price it seems.  Plus I love the Magnum over the Charger (do I dare even call it that?)

[Brock Samson]

the salesman who i do respect, thought the wholesaler would get it before the weekend...
BTW i'm running numbers and $7K is about as much as i could get (private sale) for my '99 M and all told it would cost me $23 K to buy the '06...

they also had this 300 C but it had higher mileage and cost quite a bit more...

[69charger2002]

less miles less price

http://houston.craigslist.org/car/601941347.html

[2Gunz]

I say for 20k out the door and 7k on your old car go for it.

Otherwise.... eh whatever

[daytonalo]

I'd rather walk !!! Save you milk money and buy a Challenger !!

[bull]

Not trying to get personal but do you need something that big with all that room? At $3.50/gal for gas I'm surprised it's not for sale at $15k.

[Brock Samson]

not i don't think that's personal,to ask my criteria,..
I want something i can toss my montain bike in, i'm still wanting to stay with a chysler sourced vehicle, if possible, I think an all-wheel drive RT station wagon with all the bells and whistles is a lot of vehicle, i belive the cost of a 'o8 off the dealership floor in mid to high 30s,.. a 300 C would be near to over 40...
length is major concern because of the small parking spaces here in the inner city,.. and for that reason i've allways concidered a Jeep G/C which is actually 20 inches shorter but has a really high center of gravity and poor areo numbers which i don't like...

i'm open to suggestions...
I know it's a buyers' market and my M still has a few years left in her... the chally, i would no way be able to throw my bike in the trunk the seats don't even fold down...

For fuel eco. i would be open to the 3.6 but i do need the room...
BTW the allpar review of the '08 AWD 300 C is really positive, but this is an '06.
I have more reasearch to do...

[Ponch ®]

its not a bad deal...you MIGHT be able to find one cheaper, but this one isn't outrageously overpriced.

As Ive said before, the MDS makes the HEMI not all that much of a gas guzzler. The only thing that would keep me from buying it is the fact that it's AWD. It's a lot trickier to find any aftermarket parts - from wheels to suspension stuff that'll fit an AWD. But i suspect this isn't an issue for you. And yes, Maggies are roomy and extremely practical.

I say go for it.

[Ponch ®]

Oh...and BTW, if you dig the 300 but not the price, just tell them to take off the rims, which are butt ugly anyway - not to mention that that type of "full" design usually causes brake cooling issues in LX cars. They should have a set of stock wheels that they can put on it laying around somewhere, and if this dealership is a reputable as you say, this will bring the price down enough to make it a viable choice vs. the Maggie. You can put wheels on it later on if you want (you can find a set of used 300 SRT wheels for a reasonable price).

By high mileage you mean...?

[Brock Samson]

33k

[Ponch ®]

33k

that's really not that bad for a car that is probably 2-3 years old (if you take into account that it's an 06 and could have been first sold in 05). And really, $21K is a very good price for one with a hemi.

As I usually like to tell people when they post about these cars here - if you have more specific questions, there's always lxforums.com for more research.

[bull]

I'd be more tempted to get a nice Dakota extra cab with a V6 or small V8 if you're on your own and wanting to haul stuff like dirty mtn bikes around. Or maybe get one of those quad cabs if you want to haul 3-4 people around. A V6 Dakota will get you up around 19-20 on the freeway and about 16-17 around town and they're pretty ballsy when you need them to be. You can even get them with a four banger too. The better looking '03s and older can be had for $15k or less. Here's one in Santa Rosa with 36k miles for $15k: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/car/619652248.html

"There's just something women like about a pickup man."

[kylem4711]

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/car/619507790.html

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/car/618665871.html

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/car/615528839.html

just a couple.

i really like the style of this car.  gas would be tough though.    if you are really interested in one you can get a good deal on them.  i wouldn't just on the dealership one.

[Troy]

I like them and I also considered one a while back. Had everything but it was that Vanilla color. Back then they wanted $31k with 36k miles so I'd have been much more willing to buy it at $21k. I liked it for the same reasons as you - need the room for "stuff", it rides nice, and it has a Hemi.  I can't see you in a truck - but maybe a Durango or GC like you stated but then you're fighting with gas mileage again. The MDS should help with mileage but not much. What does your 300 get? It's not stellar I'm sure. Parking will be an issue for you (but not me). I learned that the AWD is way more expensive to fix and not much better in bad conditions than the 2WD with traction control so it's mostly just fluff. The wheel offset is different too.

Troy

[Charger-Bodie]

I personally like the Magnums! If you can get a decent deal worked out, and YOU like it I say go for it!!! 

[andy74]

thats a pretty decent deal brock,id hit em for a 2000 discount and sell your car on your own,a wholesaler will pay 18-19 grand for that car,so let that be your guide,they need to make some money,but not a few grand on ya!pm me if you need any help!

[Aero426]

I think as a dead car model, as time goes on the values will drop significantly.   The AWD is not needed where you live,  plus the lower fuel economy.   I'd wait a little longer and buy one private.   Sounds like your other car has a lot of life left in it too - and it's paid for. 

[Brock Samson]

  yeah, you guys are all right..
having slept on it, i think i'd rather spend that extra dough on the Road Runners' engine rebuild and other "stuff"...
  Bottom line is the 300M is a great car, I really enjoy it and would probably miss her - like when folks say "I never should have sold that car".
I think I'll wait till she tops 110K miles to pull the trigger on a new daily which at this rate will be nearly two years or more...
By then I should be working again and big ticket items will again be viable..
The best thing about yesterday's visit was meeting a Car Saleman who actually knew his trade and wasn't full of B/S...
I'm going to post the specs for the cars here for future reference... (the magnum specs are not for the All wheel drive version)
 
http://www.allpar.com/cars/chrysler/300M.html

1999 Chrysler 300 M  DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES in inches (mm) 

Wheelbase 113.0 (2870) 
Track, Front / Rear  61.9 (1573) / 61.6 (1565) 
Overall Length 197.8 (5023) 
Overall Width 74.4 (1890) 
Overall Height 56.0 (1422) — 300M; 55.5   
Ground Clearance 5.1 (128) — 300M; 4.5   

Curb Weight (estimated) 3,581 lbs. (1624 kg); Special, 3,650 lbs. (1656 kg) 
Weight Distribution, % F/R 64/36 
Frontal Area 23.9 sq. ft. (2.22 sq. m) 
Drag Coefficient 0.313
Fuel Tank Capacity 17 gal. (64L) 
 
ACCOMMODATIONS 
Head room F- 38.3 (973) or 37.1 (942) with moon roof; R, 37.7 (958) 
Leg room F/R  42.2 (1071) / 39.1 (993) 
Shoulder room F/R  58.8 (1493) / 58.7 (1490) 
Hip room F/R  57.4 (1458) / 59.1 (1500) 
Seat travel  8.6 (218) 
Recliner angle range 50° 
Rear Knee clearance 3.9 (100) 
SAE Cargo Volume 16.8 cu. ft. (476L) 
EPA Interior Volume Index 121.9 cu. ft. (3.45 cu. m)  Overall Steering Ratio 17.0:1 
Turning Diameter (curb-to-curb)  37.6 ft. (11.5 m) 
Steering Turns (lock-to-lock) 3.1

1999 300 M Est. EPA Fuel Economy mpg (City/Hwy) 18/26

Condition /Value (KBB)
Excellent $7,615.  Good $7,050.  Fair $6,335 


2005 Dodge Magnum 3.5-RT
Wheelbase 120"
Length 198"
Width 74"
Overhang 35" front, 43" rear
Track 63" front/rear
Weight 3,800 - 4,100 lb
Interior volume 106 cubic feet
Cargo volume 27.3 cubic feet (772 L)

2005 Dodge Magnum Vs. 2000 Dodge Intrepid
Wheelbase 120"   113"
Length 198"         209"
Width 74"           74.5"
Height 58.4"        56"
Overhang 34" front, 42.5" rear 
Track 63" front/rear 62"
Weight 3,855 - 4,336 lb    3,446-3,556 lb
EPA gas mileage Varies, see above 18/26 (3.5)
Ground clearance 5.6"    5.1"
Weight distribution 51/49 (V6) 64/36
Interior volume 105.9 cubic feet (133.1 EPA)     107.6 cubic feet (126.3 EPA)
Cargo volume 27.2 cubic feet (770 L)  71.6 with rear seats folded 18.7 cubic feet (530L)
Front head room 38.4 (983) 38.3 (974) - std., 37.1 (942) - w/moonroof
Front leg room 41.8 (1061) 42.1 (1070)
Front shoulder room 58.7  59.1 (1500)
Front hip room 56.2 56.4 (1431)
Seat travel 10.6 driver, 8.7 passenger 8.7 (220)
Rear head room 38.1 (968)    37.2 (945)
Rear leg room 40.2 (1020)   41.6 (1056)
Rear knee clearance 4.8 (122)   5.9 (151)
Rear shoulder room 57.6 (1464)   58.3 (1482)
Rear hip room 55.5 (1409)    56.8 (1442)

300 C AWD:
"Our test car was a moderately shocking $45,370(.) allpar.
"Gas mileage is rated at a fairly poor but realistic 15/22 with the all wheel drive";

allpars' 300 C AWD review.. http://www.allpar.com/cars/lx/300C-review.html

   thanks again...

[Old Moparz]

Brock, I know you made up your mind already, but if you decide to shop around again, make sure you bring the mountain bike with you for a test fit. Sounds silly maybe, but when my wife replaced her Pathfinder, she had to make sure her acoustic, upright bass would fit in the vehicle & still have room to seat the 3 of us. It fit in most of the mid-sized SUV's, but only with the rear seat folded. That meant only 2 people can ride in it with the bass.

The back end of the Magnum has a low roof line & may be a big PITA to get a bike in & out of.