I'm trying to talk my wife into trading her PT for a Magnum She is afraid of the power from the hemi, but I might have her sold on the H.O. v-6. Anyone have one? how does the performance compare with the R/T?
Honestly! :D
MagnumFreak
08-15-2004, 06:10 PM
Best advice I can offer you since the car would be hers primarily is to take her in and let her drive one. Let the car sell itself to her. From what I have read the performance for the SXT is pretty good. Gas mileage is also better. You can only get the 17 inch rims but they look pretty good.
milo55
08-15-2004, 06:16 PM
MagnumFreak,
We went by the dealer today it was closed. But they had a nice black SXT with taupe leather and a lot off goodies. She is conscience of gas milage. I will have to get her to drive one. For that matter I'd like to drive one too.
MagnumFreak
08-15-2004, 06:43 PM
Good luck to you in your search. If you get the chance visit this site: Car buying tips (http://www.carbuyingtips.com) It has some of the best information on buying a car. All of the information is free so feel free to cruise around. The web site owners make their money from the affiliate links to things like auto financing,etc. Lots of great info. I picked up a couple of tips that I will use when I pick my Magnum RT up in a couple of weeks.
Honest Al
08-17-2004, 02:18 AM
My wife and I just got a SXT, I must say that I'm impressed w/the performance. It pulls way harder than 250HP in a 4000lb car has any right to.
I think that a lot of it is the final drive ratio (3.90:1 compared to the Hemi's 2.82:1 ratio). The trans is set to shift at 6300RPM during full throttle, mine does not hit second gear till 50MPH. At that point the little V6 is screaming. I ran out of road at 120MPH but it was not slowing down at all. For a family car/cruiser it is plenty but too quiet for my taste. What is exceptional is the ride (gotta love that 120" wheelbase) and the handling (once you ditch the 215/65/17 Goodyears). I'm used to driving a 12 sec. Mustang and this thing still feels quick. :rck:
milo55
08-17-2004, 06:48 AM
Hey, Honest AL, Thanks for the review, Thats just what I was looking for! I love the Hemi but as I said for my wife to use as a daily driver I was thinking it would be overkill. As far as the exhauste note, I'm sure there will be an after market set up soon, if not already.
I am going to take my wife for a test drive Thursday. We will see how it goes.
Buy the way, I see from your post count you are a new member, Welcome and Enjoy, Is that Amity, Mass.?
Honest Al
08-17-2004, 10:20 AM
No, it's Amity, Oregon. Thanks, I'm enjoying the new site. As far as gas mileage, we don't know yet as we are still burning up the dealer supplied tankful (we picked it up on Sun., have put a couple of hundred miles on it and still have a 1/2 tank). It is EPA rated at 19city/27hiway, but if we see 25mpg I'll be happy. It is fun to drive even if you are just cruising because you get a lot of attention (this is not always good as a cop saw my car at a light and must have seen too many Magnum commercials as he set up a speed trap for me 3 blocks away, I just loafed by at 30mph in a 35 zone). I'm sure the novelty won't last, just look at how many PT's there are out there now.
dcguy
08-17-2004, 02:55 PM
I have an SXT with about 2500 miles on it now. I think the 250hp is adequate, with nice low-end pull. I agree, the SXT is almost too quiet, but that's what the engineers intended. I notice MPG is getting better as I put more miles on it, but right now I am only averaging about 21-22mpg, a combination of city and highway. Mind you, I have a serious lead foot so I'm sure more conservative drivers will get better MPG. I paid $24,500 for my SXT with a sunroof (no leather). I think it's a terrific value for the sheer size and utility of this thing. I also agree, the ride is very nice and the long wheelbase certainly contributes to that. I traded in a SUV to get the Magnum, so I'm sure any car will feel smoother. I could have spent the extra $8-9k to get one of the loaded R/T's my dealer had, but in my opinion, the SXT was too good a value to pass. Plus, my wife said if I wanted to get a new car it had to cost less than my still relatively new SUV, and get better gas mileage...the SXT fit the bill. If this car is for your wife, she will love it. R/T is for pure enthusiasts. Maybe I will trade up to an AWD R/T in a year or two. The Magnums do need some time for the factory to work a few bugs out. Mine is at the dealer as I write this. :( I got a crappy Stratus SXT 4-cyl loaner. Man, I can decribe how vastly better the Magnum is from the other Dodge products...completely in a leauge of its own.
milo55
08-17-2004, 08:37 PM
Well I brought my wife to the dealership tonight with intensions on a Magnum. Guess what we ended up buying a Pacifica. I was not impressed with the Magnum interior at all, very cheap looking and feeling. It drove nice but my wife liked the more upright seating position and the overall quality feel in the Pacifica. Of course we got all the options therefore the sticker price was 11000.00 more than the Magnum which I'm sure has alot to do with the higher quality materials used in the interior. I guess I'll have to start a Pacifica Forum! LOL. Thanks for all the advice. ;)
dcguy
08-17-2004, 09:55 PM
Pacifica definitely sounds more like the woman's choice than a Magnum, so I am not surprised. She is probably not the one writing the check anyway, am I wrong? Magnum is for men. Can't blame her. My wife would do the same thing (as long as I'm not the one driving it!).
guru_del
08-18-2004, 11:37 AM
Took the wife to look at magnums as well, she liked the pacifica better too.
luckily the car is for me so the choice is still mine.
I totally agree with everything you said though. I am still waiting for next year though.
pyssed
08-18-2004, 02:52 PM
Speaking from the view from driving my wife's 300 is that the get up is there in the 3.5l but the gas mileage is not as good as the sticker. I believe she said she gets 17 mpg around town with about 22mpg on the highway.
Honest Al
08-18-2004, 03:00 PM
After looking at some specs it appears that I was wrong about the final drive ratio, the 2.7L have the 3.90s while the 3.5L has 3.64s.
cavuu
08-18-2004, 09:46 PM
I had the chance to drive the 2.7 and the 3.5 at a local dealer.
They both handle the same but there is a significant difference in acceleration. The 2.7 has about the same performance as the 3.3 Caravan, maybe little less. I put it on cruise at 55 mph and it climbed a moderate hill without downshifting which is better than many vehicles I have driven. On a steep hill it shifted back but it was so smooth that you could only tell by looking at the tach. The lower performance is more noticeable during passing on the highway than in city driving. The shift point with your foot on the floor was 6400 rpm and there is noticeable engine noise. In Canada the SE comes with ABS and stabilty at no extra cost, it is not an option. The only exterior appearance change is the mag wheels but the wheel disks on the SE simulate them very well.
So if you want a cool daily driver where cost and gas milage are important then it should be fine. If you live in the mountains or drive with a full load the 3.5 would probably be better
milo55
08-19-2004, 07:05 AM
Took the wife to look at magnums as well, she liked the pacifica better too.
luckily the car is for me so the choice is still mine.
I totally agree with everything you said though. I am still waiting for next year though.
If I were to buy a car the R/T would definitely be my choice, cheap interior or not! I love that muscle car look and feel. However as said it is for my wife even though I am paying for it :mad: As a family car with seating for six, they say seven. and a comfortable secure vehicle, the Pacifica fills the bill. We picked it up last night and I have to say I am very impressed DC. has done an exceptional job with the Quality in this vehicle. we will see how it pans out. :D
FreeLantz
08-20-2004, 08:18 PM
That 3.5-liter HO was last year's top of the line engine in the 300M, it is no slouch. I have also heard though that the fuel economy difference between the 3.5 and the Hemi is negligable. That said, I'd go for the Hemi myself without thinking twice. :D
Honest Al
08-20-2004, 09:24 PM
That 3.5-liter HO was last year's top of the line engine in the 300M, it is no slouch. I have also heard though that the fuel economy difference between the 3.5 and the Hemi is negligable. That said, I'd go for the Hemi myself without thinking twice. :D
I agree, if I were buying it for myself I would have held out for the Hemi, but since it is my wife's daily driver the 3.5L seemed a better choice.
rtmotosport
08-22-2004, 03:16 PM
The SXT performance is similar to an Intrepid R/T. I think the times will be high 7's 0-60 and high 15's for the 1/4. I own an 01 R/T Motorsport and have tested the SXT and it's very similar to the 'Trep. While it's heavier, it has a different gear ratio and while it's no Hemi it moves pretty good.
