[wquiles]

Hi folks - newbe here!

I currently drive a 2002 BMW M3 Coupe with SMG and now that my son was born(!), along with my 2 year girl the M3 simply does not cut it space-wise. Most of you would think that after driving an M3 for 3 years I should be looking at the STR8 instead of the 300C, but this is how I see it:
- the M3 is a serious overkill for a daily commuter in a city as Dallas. True, the power is intoxicating, but a nice V8 should keep me happy.
- with an infant and a 2-year old, the M3 must go. I simply can't afford to keep the M3 and the 300c, plus the M3 is getting to the years in which maintenance could become expensive, so timing might be OK.
- although the 300c is rather soft (no offense intended - remember what my daily driver is) it appears that a simple suspension upgrade should make things more "sporty". In fact, the M3 is just too tight for city/commuting anyway.
- it looks like with the equity I have on the M3 I can pretty much sell/trade mine and keep about the same monthly payments on a new car with full warranty again.
- the 300C's should have "slightly" better gas milleage due to the Multiple Displacement Engine which is not available in the SRT8
- the 300C is about $10 grand less!
- an equivalent BMW is about $20 grand more - I am not going in this direction again now that the 300c gives so much for a more reasonable price.

So as you can see, I don't need much convincing as to what to do - I just need some advice from others more experienced to make sure I don't overlook something obvious.

I test drove the 300 and the Magnun last year but dealers were not willing to talk much nor friendly towards good/long test drives, plus fearing the 1sr year new-car gremlins I decided to wait for year two.

So I went to one of the local dealers close to work (DFW) and found out that things are much better now. In fact, without asking much he was willing to sell a new 300C for invoice, and since I work for a company that has a program with Chrysler, I can actually buy at the "friends & family" price, which is lower than invoice, but slightly above the employee price (I got to see all prices). So price wise I am OK. One less thing to worry about.

Since it has been a year since my wife and I drove the 300 I am working with the dealer who works with Enterprice Car Rental to rent a 300C for a few days - I really want to drive it like I normally would; 2 or 3 days for me and my wife to find out if we really want to do this.

In the meantime (I still have not rented the 300), I wanted to know if there are any problems I should know about with the 2006 model cars, any options that I should get for sure, or that I should stay away from, and generally any other advice that you can please send my way to make sure I can make an intelligent purchase.

Thanks in advance,
Will

 

[Model 57]

I like your logic, I love my '06 300C. Have had it for 4 months now.
I couldn't see the SRT8, just because it was just too much. Not the horsepower, but no MDS, must have premium fuel, certainly higher insurance costs. All this from the day you get it till you sell it. I could get over the initial higher price of the car. I just need to be in a high enough tax bracket that things like that don't come into play, then I would get one in a heartbeat.

 

[sorbs]

Hi Will, I too once owned an M3. 1998 4-door. This is a MUCH better car than the one I had. You take a fully independent suspension from an E-Class (previous gen), 5 speed transmission from an S-Class (circa 2004) and wrap it in American design and power it by a 21st century hemi...compared to your sport suspension (Dallas is kind of flat and straight) and that funky man-u-matic you're about to enter bliss.

Buy it fully optioned. Look for "Smart Beam", the on-coming traffic high beam deactivator and AUX radio input for your iPod.

 

[srt8danno]

Will I think you’ve thought through this process very well. I’ve enjoyed driving my 300c while waiting on the arrival of my 300c SRT8. (I chose to go this route since I am certifiably insane- but I digress.) :wink1: We have quite a few members that have young families such as yours that are driving 300c or Magnum SRT8’s. Of course if you wanted an SRT8 you can’t just hop down to the local dealer and pick one up. So if you need to get rid of the M3 now the C would be your best route. I’ve never owned a Chrysler product, but in the last 14 months I’ve purchased two and one on order. That should say something! :biggrin:

 

[crhemi]

My 300c is 2 mos old and my family and I love this car!
Good luck with your choice. 300c it should be!

 

[baj764]

Hi Will, I too live in DFW. I bought my 300C in July. See description below. I bought mine at Bankston in Frisco. They are great. I have bought several cars from them. Anyway to the point. I have had 2 small problems. The recirculate button on the AC wouldn't work. They replaced the head unit under warranty. And this weird one. Also covered under warranty. http://www.300cforums.com/forums/general-discussion/10189-side-molding-has-happened-you.html You will LOVE this car!! Brett

 

[ilmanzo31]

my last car was a 00 mustang convertible. the 300c ride was waay too soft for me. that problem was solved by making the wheels a little bigger (20s). that lowered the sidewalls to a 45 profile, and made the handling much more sporty. plus it adds a little personal character to your car by changing up the rims.

 

[chasb]

I'm at the other end of the life cycle here.

I got my 300C at 57 after nearly an entire life of performance cars. My family rode around in my 72 Demon six pack (340/375) with headers etc and a '73 charger ES.

As long as there is room and everyone enjoys the ride, you're OK.. The 300 is a perfect mix of family sedan and performance, regardless of which motor you get. If I were doing at again I would go with my same 300C 5.7L.

The only thing I would change is the interior color (to the darkest I could get for obvious reasons)

Chas

 

[rdmac]

Great choise - the 300C. It is a great blend of performance, room, features, and value. The SRT-8 is great and I am envious of the power but for an every day driver I would pick the 300C. Think about what you are saying here - you are a family man and want to be a little practical. So you are chosing a 5.7 litre V8 with 340 Hp 390 Torque with sub six second 0-60s. Its a wonderful world. BTW the 2002 M3 is awesome - if I am correct and that was the first year of the new model - quite a car.

Bob

 

[5point7]

Buy it with every option, don't kick yourself like me for not spending another $500 for sirius and U-connect (the only 2 options I don't have).

 

[Model 57]

I'd have to agree; I bought mine with EVERY available option, less AWD, and the Rear DVD Entertainment Sys. I don't have little ones to entertain.

 

[wquiles]

Thanks much for all of the encouragement - I definitely feel much better now about not having the M3 in my garage:

Assuming everything goes fine with our rental/test drive, so far, options-wise, my wife and I are looking at:
- Brilliant black or Silver Steel Metallic and whatever the darkest interior goes with these
- HID headlamps (love them in my M3)
- UConnect (gotta have Bluetooth)
- Sirius Radio (wife wanted this)
- Protection group (mostly for the rear side airbags)
- Rear DVD system (almost fully convinced on this one)

I am iffy on the sunroof - I dont use it that much in my current two cars, so I might skip it and use that money for a nice suspension upgrade instead.

Will

 

[Buz-CCC]

Go for the Silver Steel I get a lot of compliments on mine andits not as hard to keep clean but the black is nice.

 

[ResumeSpeed]

...I am iffy on the sunroof - I dont use it that much in my current two cars, so I might skip it and use that money for a nice suspension upgrade instead...

The last few vehicles I bought I made sure had a sunroof. If nothing else I like the fact that I can use it to "vent" the car when left parked in the sun during the summer months rather than having to hassle with cracking the side windows all the time. When detailing, it lets a lot of extra light into the interior, great for picking up every last spec of dirt.

If you are going to buy off the lot I would offer one more bit of worthwhile advice - look for the newest build date you can find. While this may "limit" your selection to a degree just keep looking until you find a recent build. 2006 production started back in March, and some of those early builds are still out there. There have been quite a few TSB's issued relating to 2006 models, the newer the build the more issues that will have been corrected. You can find the build date on the driver door jamb.

 

[II kings 9:20]

Skip the moonroof if you don't use it much, exactly what I did. I call it a moonroof b/c it is glass, few if any have a true steel sunroof like my 87 300E or 93 Alfa. In the 300 series it seems the "sunroof" has been a rattle trap for many. Strong work on selecting PGII for the window curtain airbags, for 06 do you get side rear airbags too? HID is a must have bargain, I agree with resume, check the build dates or better yet order one exactly to your specs.

 

[dbonser]

In fact, without asking much he was willing to sell a new 300C for invoice, and since I work for a company that has a program with Chrysler, I can actually buy at the "friends & family" price, which is lower than invoice, but slightly above the employee price (I got to see all prices).

FWIW, I also work for a company that has this kind of program. When I bought my 300C last year I was told by the dealer that that offer would no longer apply to Hemi models. So basically, I got lucky. Even this past spring, a co-worker wanted to get a 300 but he could not get the deal on the 300C.

Maybe the special pricing has been re-instated on the Hemi models, or maybe there was never this restriction with the agreement your company had.

Basically, just triple check to be sure!

 

[wquiles]

FWIW, I also work for a company that has this kind of program. When I bought my 300C last year I was told by the dealer that that offer would no longer apply to Hemi models. So basically, I got lucky. Even this past spring, a co-worker wanted to get a 300 but he could not get the deal on the 300C.

Maybe the special pricing has been re-instated on the Hemi models, or maybe there was never this restriction with the agreement your company had.

Basically, just triple check to be sure!

Good point. The program might exclude the 300's !!!

I got a coupon from a co-worker yesterday for a $1000 off of "any" Chrysler to be used between 9/25/06 and 12/26/06. Well, guess what? There is "fine print" on the back that of all of the Chryslers made, specifically excludes all 300's

Will

 

[vvv90]

specifically excludes all 300's

Will

Replace 300's with "hotcakes"


as in selling like.