I'm not new, but I'm back in black!

[NY2PA]

Hi All,

I joined the forum when I first purchased a 5.7 300C AWD back in March of 2005, but have not been very active since that summer. In the first 6 months of what was then my new job, I had much too much time on my hands and spent more time surfing the forums and obsessing about the car than working. Things got crazy busy at work and more demanding as my son grew from infancy and although I would still check out the forums now and again, the original thrill of the car was replaced with the pressures and time constraints of everyday life.

Then, tragedy struck about 6 weeks ago while on my way to a customer in NJ. It came in the form of a Ford Explorer XLT with a woman driving it that was more concerned with reading a map than noticing the miles of stop-dead traffic in front of her on I-95N. Hence, the rear end of my once pristine silver baby received was on the receiving end of her stupidity and the trunk wound up in the back seat, literally. Because these cars are built like tanks and my foot was firmly planted on the brakes, damage to the car in front of me and my front end were minimal. That might sound good, but it wasn't, b/c my insurance company could not justify a total loss since the engine, radiator and electronic components were not damaged and airbags did not deploy so they started the 6 week process of repairing the car. After two lowball estimates and 2 adjustments after the last estimate, the final bill was over $23K. Amazingly enough, that's on average about $2K more than what dealers are actually willing to pay on the car even though KBB has it at $24K in good condition.

Now for the good news, I traded my limping old friend (she was pulling to the right over 80MPH and the trunk & doors were not working with the remote) on the same day I picked it up at the repair shop and drove home in a pre-owned 300C SRT8 with less than 11K miles and every option including rear DVD for $10K plus tax & tags. I want to thank everyone on the forums that contributed to the threads discussing the modded 300C 5.7L vs. SRT8 because my decision was made before the test drive. I'm a little nervous about the winters now that I do not have the AWD, but it seems that enough sources say that the SRT8 is no slouch in white stuff. I guess we will see.

I drove it home on a very dark and lonely stretch of I-476 and knew that I made the right choice. I smoked an Infiniti G35 which may have given the old 300C a good race and I was up to a buck 25 before I felt I should slow down a little. This thing is friggin' fast, and the suspension is so much tighter than my ex 300C (no dissing intended, just a comparison) I have not had this much fun since I sold my over-boosted GMC Typhoon about 14 years ago. I've been in some fast cars since then, but at 6'4" and 270LBs it's not easy to find something this roomy with this level of performance at this price. My father-in-law is a car nut and owns a 911 Turbo, an MB SL55 Roadster, and a MB S600 and although they are all fast cars, only the $150K S600 is comfortable for me to drive. For the money, the SRT8 is truly the best vehicle available, foreign or domestic, especially if you shop at Big & Tall. Plus I can piss my father-in law off because he spent around 4X as much for his sedan and I can stay with his v-12 in my v-8.

I apologize for the lengthy diatribe, but I wanted to explain why I have not been active on the forums in quite some time and wanted to re-introduce myself. I can't believe there are over 13K members now! The forum has come a long way and I look forward to being a more active member in the years ahead. My wife & I were blessed with a second child about 1 month ago, so as those of you members with children understand, most of my posting will be at odd hours!! You'll be seeing a few questions from me as I am deciding on which replacement grille (the GB with Tommy Z looks like a great opportunity!!), dash (Totally clueless on which way to go b/c the car looks too sporty for wood grain IMO), and whether clear bra on a black car is noticeable (I have a tentative appt. to get it done on Monday). If any local members from the Chester county- to Philadelphia area have recommendations on where to get tint and 3M clear bra done, please respond to this post or send me a PM.

Thanks in advance!

[bruno]

Welcome back to the forums! It's amazing how things came along that changed your circumstances. Sorry to hear about the damage to your original 300c but congratulations on the purchase of your new replacment! Enjoy the power! Try not to stay away so long this time.

bruno

[Michaelr]

Welcome back to the forum NY2PA, there seems to be a rush of old members getting back online. Thats bad luck with the car but good to see you got a new one.
regards Michaelr

[CUEBALL]

Welcome back!!

Sure has been a lot of life events for you over the last year or two. i for one am glad it all has worked out for you in the end. I remember you from my early lurk days and as a member, and look forward to more posting of your experiences!!

Congrats on the new addition to your family! Boy or girl?

Steve

[NY2PA]

Originally Posted by CUEBALL

Welcome back!!

Sure has been a lot of life events for you over the last year or two. i for one am glad it all has worked out for you in the end. I remember you from my early lurk days and as a member, and look forward to more posting of your experiences!!

Congrats on the new addition to your family! Boy or girl?

Steve

Thanks Cueball. Your name is familiar also. We had a little girl, which means that we now have one of each & I am definitely done! The only new additions to my immediate family will have wheels on them.

[GoofyTimL]

Welcome back... you left before I joined in the fall of 2005... so now we can get acquainted!

[StealthAuto]

Welcome back!!! We all know life gets crazy sometimes so no hard feelings. We did miss you though!

-Aaron