2009+ Charger/300C questions

a friend has a 2006 SRT8 300C, and has no problems with winter driving. IIRC he's running toyo tires. being up in Edmonton, I think I'd pick up a 2nd set of rims and some dedicated snows....cooper weathermaster ST2's on my 5th ave make it the best winter car I've ever owned. it was the worst on the 1/2 worn BFG KDWS's....

I have a 05 magnum r/t rwd with good snow tires on cop wheels and it is great in the winter. Never was stuck or close to it and had no problems stopping and starting. I was surprised how well it held up in Winnipeg winters. Im using cooper weathermaster st2 also, a very good winter tire.

I would alwasy buy a second set of wheels and dedicate one to winter tires. So maybe I could reconsider the SRT-8 or R/T and see if I can convince myself that all feels right in the altitude department. I'd hate to start messing with aftermarket suspension on a warrantied car though. After driving a G37x today, I sure miss the power of the R/T but it sure felt more car-like than the very muscle car like chrysler offerings. I really need that fully hybrid of the car=like feel I have with the 300M and the absolute grunt from that 5.7+ Hemis.

I've alwasy been on the look out for turbo or supercharger for the 300M. Nothing exists. I have the know how to probably make such a setup work (tranny willing), but not the time any more.

I'd never buy a BMW as my perception of the typical hat backward poser owner around here just doesn't define me. And for that matter Audi is becoming the new BMW douche bag mobile around here for some reason.

I added another 300C drive undermy belt today, and it wasn't much better than the charger. I sat in a sebring and it was better, but there just isn't a performance option for them and no back seat leg room (it was convertible maybe that screws it up). After that I headed across the street to the Hyundai dealership at the suggest of my friend and they had the Genesis Sedan. Thinking it might have a nice 306 HP V6 I got talking with the sales lady and the brocure shows a 4.6L V8. That caught the attention. The test drive in the Genesis went well. Feels liek a car. A bit higher feeling than my ground hugging 300M special, but at least car like. The 290hp V6 didn't cut the mustard for me, and knowing that my M already ran down a V6 Genesis coupe (twice back to back, I asume bad driver) I just won't be happy with that engine combo. No AWD is a big down side, but if RWD is on the table it's something to consider. I'm afraid I have to either give up on Chrysler, or just wait it out longer. But all my knowledge from allpar browsing just doesn't show any hope for me in the near term for finding a good affordable sport sedan. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Also if anyone knows of any way to add uConnect to a 300M and about 100 ponies, I'm all ears! Dual zone climat would be appreciated as well. why have I gotten so picky, am I officially old at the age of 34?

Greg

also check out used caddy CTS-V's, and pontiac G8's...both have V8 and RWD in either manual or auto....

Drove a 2009 Hyundai Genesis V8 and a 2010 or 2011 Lacrosse. The Hyundai was nice, but at 2 years old was showing some aging sounds and cosmetics and was missing most of the options I wanted in teh new car (bluetooth, video, backup cam and AWD). The Lacrosse was anemic well appointed car that still had no AWD or power. I found mid range price G37x only to find it was a US car completely devoid of any options and obviously WAY over priced by that point.

I finally stopped by another dodge dealership and took another ride in a 2010 charger AWD and was pleasantly surprised to find that it didn't feel as high or truck like as my first ride. Maybe a different interior package or color or something? Impression changed after all the test drives? It stil wasn't perfect. I much preferred the R/T's interior seating and suspension. But ultimately it's not possible to get the sporty seats from the R/T or SRT or any of the suspension handling options that would make the care feel a little more sporty and firm. The interior still looks too straight and truck like but that did give me hope for a 2011 model. If the 300 is a reasonable price or the charger gets the same interior, the new hood lines and decent interiors might actually close the gap and put an end to my searching outside of the Chrysler line-up. For now I'm going to hold off on any purchase until I can sit in a 2011 300 and charger. And by then it'll probably be winter and I can try a RWD in real winter conditions.

Dartman75 - If you want to stick with a Chrysler product, I would wait for the 2011 Charger and 300. Both cars will be redesigned in and out, and the all-new 3.6L Pentastar V6 will replace the old 3.5L V6.

IMO, good winter tires are a MUST for these cars - I have seen V6 Chargers and 300s with stock (Continental?) tires get stuck in 1 inch snow.

Good luck!

I would take a 300C over a CTS any day. A while back I saw an AWD 300C for sale for a great price I thought about getting but I didn't like thinking about how much stuff would cost to get fixed if it broke. Someone told me they were taller and then I saw what looked like an AWD car beside a normal one and you could really see the difference.
Even with good snow tires there are days I wouldn't go out with a RWD car because I know it will just end up having problems. The best winter car Ive had is FWD V8. The only thing that stops it is me not wanting to drive it on certain days in fear of damaging something driving through deep snow or being hit by someone.