[MaynardLD50]

Hey guys/gals,

I'm new to the site and the reason I'm here is because my 05 Altima SE-R is up for my lease, so it is time to buy a new car! I'm pretty stoked because right now seems like a great time to be shopping, but I have some questions.

I looked at a dealer and they had an SRT8 for sale for pretty damn cheap at $23,000 with NAV/Bluetooth/Sunroof.

I'm looking at this car also. Sorry for the long link....
(CANT post links yet I guess)

AND this is the last long link!
(can't post links until 4 posts)


I'm looking for your guys help. I am getting married in December and buying a home. We will only have this car payment, but we're trying to be budget conscious (you never know job security!). Are these cars absolute gas guzzlers? I live in Chicago so gas is about $4.50 at the cheapest and just doing simple math I think I can rule that SRT8 out.


Thanks for the help guys!

 

[300 Addict]

Welcome to the forum! If you are worried about gas consumption, go for the 2.7LV6..it's great on gas, but very little power. I say the touring model model may be what you are looking for (3.5LV6 HO 250HP). Great engine, not bad on fuel and it's pretty peppy. The 5.7L HEMI has engine displacement, which means when you aren't driving it hard it cuts to 4 cylinders..it's not bad on fuel, and you got tons of power when needed.

 

[Rambit]

Welcome! Even without knowing your financial situation it's clear budget is of concern to you as it should be. This is even more apparent considering you're getting married and buying a home. Those are major factors and the last thing you want to do is get yourself into a situation you can't get out from under. You even touched on job security.

My advice to you is simply this. When debt comes through the door love flies out the window. Never count on two incomes cuz you never know when things can change. You need a roof over your head for sure and that should be the prime importance at this stage of your life IMO.

An SRT8 is not the most economical car out there especially these days. It takes 91 octaine, oil changes are expensive and tires aren't cheap. It's more the maintenance you should be considering, not the actual purchase.

Just a suggestion, but perhaps buying the Altima lease out might be your best bet for a few years.

Bernie

 

[MaynardLD50]

Welcome to the forum! If you are worried about gas consumption, go for the 2.7LV6..it's great on gas, but very little power. I say the touring model model may be what you are looking for (3.5LV6 HO 250HP). Great engine, not bad on fuel and it's pretty peppy. The 5.7L HEMI has engine displacement, which means when you aren't driving it hard it cuts to 4 cylinders..it's not bad on fuel, and you got tons of power when needed.

I should have mentioned the 2.7 is out of the question I'm coming from 308 HP and almost 300lbs of torque on my Altima SE-R so its all Hemi baby! I heard about the cylinder disable function where it shuts off and goes to four. Pretty neat stuff.

Hey I thought of another question. When I'm out used 300c shopping whats the biggest difference from 05 to 06 to 07?

 

[Rollin on Dueces]

Welcome to the forums! glad to have you!!!!:biggrin:

 

[300 Addict]

I should have mentioned the 2.7 is out of the question I'm coming from 308 HP and almost 300lbs of torque on my Altima SE-R so its all Hemi baby! I heard about the cylinder disable function where it shuts off and goes to four. Pretty neat stuff.

Hey I thought of another question. When I'm out used 300c shopping whats the biggest difference from 05 to 06 to 07?

LOL! Yeah, then the V6 just won't cut it. I'm not sure about your question, as I own a 3.5LV6 Touring, but someone here with a HEMI should be able to answer your question.

 

[MaynardLD50]

Welcome! Even without knowing your financial situation it's clear budget is of concern to you as it should be. This is even more apparent considering you're getting married and buying a home. Those are major factors and the last thing you want to do is get yourself into a situation you can't get out from under. You even touched on job security.

My advice to you is simply this. When debt comes through the door love flies out the window. Never count on two incomes cuz you never know when things can change. You need a roof over your head for sure and that should be the prime importance at this stage of your life IMO.

An SRT8 is not the most economical car out there especially these days. It takes 91 octaine, oil changes are expensive and tires aren't cheap. It's more the maintenance you should be considering, not the actual purchase.

Just a suggestion, but perhaps buying the Altima lease out might be your best bet for a few years.

Bernie

Staying with the altima is a no go. The SE-R takes extremely expensive tires and the car is, well its just time to go for it. Are you saying I shouldn't even be considering 300c? Should I not even be looking at one of these cars?

 

[RTP SRT8]

Don't buy an SRT8 if you are concerned about gas mileage. They only get 14-15mpg around the city.
However, now is a great time to buy an SRT8 because, like you mention, the prices are way down.
I'll tell you that my 300C SRT8 is one of the finest auto's for this price that's available. It's one of the best vehicles I have owned in 20 years.
Its roomy, comfortable, extremely powerful, handles excellent, is stylish, reliable, priced way lower than any european counterpart (or even any Cadillac STS or whatever) and it looks awesome.
Would I want to drive it around the congested, pot holed streets of Chicago during rush hour (3 hours), not me. (But I wouldn't want to drive anything around the pot holed streets of Chicago during rush hour) Lake Shore drive, get me a radar detector. 294 north towards Wisconsin, Get me a radar detector. Would I want one in the suburbs, yes. On a long trip, yes, and get me a radar detector.
So it really comes down to what you want to drive. IF you want a car with top speeds reaching over 170mph, handling and braking like a Porsche 911, 0-60 in 5 seconds, styling like no other, than buy an SRT8.
Whatever you buy, make sure you enjoy drivng it. You're paying for the ride, better like it.
And Finally: Do you really want to be driving your new Hyundai (or whatever) and everytime you see a 300C SRT8 fly past, you say, "I shoulda bought that."

 

[Rambit]

Staying with the altima is a no go. The SE-R takes extremely expensive tires and the car is, well its just time to go for it. Are you saying I shouldn't even be considering 300c? Should I not even be looking at one of these cars?

Personally I don't think anyone is more qualified than you to answer that question. Unless you lay out your complete financial history for all to see and can accuratly predict the future it's impossible for us to know. Sure, for us it's easy to spend your money and we'd all love to tell you to go out and buy a new car, but you're the one who's going to have to foot the bill.

People get into trouble all the time because they want it all right away. I'd suggest sitting down with your wife to be and discussing what you both feel you can afford. Saying it's time to go for the Altima is easy for sure.

Bernie

 

[Rambit]

Here's a recent thread to look at - http://www.300cforums.com/forums/off-topic-discussion/59428-how-do-you-manage.html. Both bruno and kevenj give some excellent advice.

Bernie

 

[MaynardLD50]

Personally I don't think anyone is more qualified than you to answer that question. Unless you lay out your complete financial history for all to see and can accuratly predict the future it's impossible for us to know. Sure, for us it's easy to spend your money and we'd all love to tell you to go out and buy a new car, but you're the one who's going to have to foot the bill.

People get into trouble all the time because they want it all right away. I'd suggest sitting down with your wife to be and discussing what you both feel you can afford. Saying it's time to go for the Altima is easy for sure.

Bernie

HAHA bernie if you only knew me in real life. My wife to be is an accountant...haha and I am a high level manager for at&t. No I can't get you a 3G iPhone

the cars i'm looking at (now I can post links)

Cars For Sale: Car Details - AutoTrader.com

AND this one

Cars.com: 2006 Chrysler 300C

 

[Rambit]

HAHA bernie if you only knew me in real life. My wife to be is an accountant...haha and I am a high level manager for at&t. No I can't get you a 3G iPhone

the cars i'm looking at (now I can post links)

Cars For Sale: Car Details - AutoTrader.com

AND this one

Cars.com: 2006 Chrysler 300C

Oh Lordy!!! An accountant of all things. LISTEN to her...haha. Got a Blackberry 8830 and it's all I need BTW. Good luck in whatever you guys decide to do though.

Bernie

 

[rickgonz]

As a 300 Touring owner, my advice is to avoid it. Mileage is almost the same as a 5.7L. $23,000 is a damn good price for the SRT8, go for it! Take a close look, it could be an SRT Design, which is all the externals of the SRT8, but not the engine.

 

[SRT888]

The Srt will drink about $320+ dollars a month and $75-$100 dollar oil changes (unless u do it urself) so if that's not a problem, buy it! You'll love it!

 

[bruno]

Welcome to the forums! It appears you have received some excellent suggestions from experienced forum members.

I'm not sure whether it's the 6.1 or the 5.7 HEMI you are interested in. Besides the Carfax Reports, I would still have an independent technician look over any potential purchase when it comes to a used vehicle.

I always wonder about the weather conditions vehicles coming from the East or Mid-west would have been exposed to....lots of rain, snow, hail, road salts, floods, possible rust. I don't know where you live but to me it would make a difference. In California, we don't normally see our vehicles exposed to those elements so I wouldn't have as much hesitation purchasing a pre-owned from a SW state.

Regardless, there are lots of great used options available right now. Since your future wife is an account, I'm sure she will be very familar with DTI ratio when it comes to your vehicle purchase and soon to be home purchase.

Good luck with your vehicle choice and with your upcoming marriage, too.
bruno

 

[robaustin]

How much mileage do you put on in a year? With the recent increase in the price of gas, the latest fad is an obsession with gas mileage. I have talked to some of these people and when you work out the numbers, they really are not saving that much by panicking and trading their supposed guzzler for a supposed gas sipper. My sister got a Prius (against my advice) because she wanted to be green. After the first year where we put on about equal mileage, I spent about $300 more for gas. For me, $300 is nothing compared to the pleasure of driving a 300C versus driving a Prius. You also take a hit trading the Altima. I recommend that you objectively work out the numbers before making a decision if money is tight.

 

[UK CHRYSLER 300C]

go get it,I've had mine 3 years now,never looked back,its 5.7 not 6.1,I get 16mpg in town and 25 mpg at 80 and a bit more when the MDS cuts in,apparently the 6.1 does have MDS so go for the 5.7 and get a predator,thats plenty fast enough

 

[MaynardLD50]

Alright guys I just got home from my vacation to Disney World (which was awesome) and it is time to start car shopping. What features should I care about when looking at this car? Any personal recommendations on things you wouldn't want to leave out?

If you guys dont mind i'm going to post links of cars and maybe you could give me advice on the ones you see.

Also if you see anything you think I should look at let me know!

Thanks!