[Ghetto Prince]

Told 'em that I was thinking of purchasing another 300. This time, though, I wanted a "C" and with the Hemi; and that basically, they had lied to me the last time about what the differences were.

Well after putting about 400 miles on it (Fri, Sat, Sun), I honestly don't see what the big deal is. I really didn't notice any performance gains or improvements over the limited that I have now.


So I figured that maybe I wasn't driving it the right way. By that, I mean that I wasn't doing enough performance intensive stuff. So I started revving the engine and racing people at red lights. Heh heh heh. Twas a lot of fun too. Overall though, I don't drive like that and I'm not sure just how I'm supposed to use this Hemi power.

To be fair, I went home and took my limited out and tried to race a few people from red lights too. The most fun was this chick in a white mustang. I tore her azz up. It was funny and fun. I'm sure she didn't expect what she got. Then I got to thinking just how much more would I have won by had I been in that "C" instead of my limited.

So here are my questions to you current "C" owners.:

• How does one use the Hemi Power? In what types of situations does this come into play?
• If the 300 didn't ever have a high-powered hemi option, would you have still purchased it? Or would you have looked elsewhere at a sports car or something?

I'm mainly interested in the answer to the first question though (as it affects my buying decision). The second question, I'm just curious about, but it's not nothing important.


Oh, and one more thing, you people who said that the gas mileage difference was negligible are wrong. There is a huge difference. I'll only drive it on weekends anyway, so it won't affect things that much, but there is a very noticeable difference.

 

[jjs]

I honestly have no idea how you could not notice a difference.

In answer to your question about 'how to use it', I am not sure what you are asking, except it does mate very well to the autostick feature so the tranny doesn't have to look for a downshift to keep the engine revs in a very nice spot for the hemi to do what it does best. I would have to say I 'use' this to get out into traffic from driveways, onto onramps and out into freeway traffic, ability to make lane chages without having to plan ahead (as with engines and trannys that kind of get you there eventually).

As to the 'what if', I MAY have gotten the 300 had hemis not been introduced, but since they had been it was a slam dunk decision.

Also, where the hell did you get a C for a 400 mile, three day test drive.

Are you SURE it was a hemi?? lol

 

[CITADELGRAD87]

I use, but don't abuse, the horsepower every time I drive. Each time I need to get on the freeway, which is at least 2x per day, I punch it. Every time I then need to get out of the entrance/exit lane, I punch it and assume the proper speed for the through lanes. I'm not stomping on it, at least not most of the time, but I do use a lot of throttle.

Well over half the rest of the time, I'll either punch it pretty moderately off the line, or stomp on it while cruising, just to feel the ponies.

In almost ANY driving situation, either using or the comfort of simply having access to all that HP is peace of mind and fun to me.

I have a buddy, he and I are always talking cars, peformance, mods, etc.

The first time I took him for a spin, I pinned him to his seat. NO WAY you get that out of the V6 motor.

As to gas consumption, that's the cost of doing business. I never thought twice about the gas consumption of any car I have even considered owning. Of course, I drove a 67 Chevelle for about 6 years, everything gets good mileage compared to that thing.

I really like the looks of the 300, but I wouldn't be driving one if the power hadn't caught my attention.

 

[First300COwner]

Wow. The touring 300 has fair power coming from the bigger V6. The smaller V6 was a horrible idea and option.

Can't compare the Hemi 300C to the regular 300's. Line up to a Hemi in your regular 300 and you will see the difference. The V6 300 is about a second slower in the 0-60 runs and the 1/4 miles runs. That's about 2 to 3 car lengths for the numerically challenged.

I think your a cool guy ghetto, and I hope you don't take offense to what I'm about to type but all I can say is "it don't me a thing if it ain't got that Hemi!"

Take is easy Ghetto Prince.

 

[Ghetto Prince]

I honestly have no idea how you could not notice a difference.

In answer to your question about 'how to use it', I am not sure what you are asking, except it does mate very well to the autostick feature so the tranny doesn't have to look for a downshift to keep the engine revs in a very nice spot for the hemi to do what it does best. I would have to say I 'use' this to get out into traffic from driveways, onto onramps and out into freeway traffic, ability to make lane chages without having to plan ahead (as with engines and trannys that kind of get you there eventually).

As to the 'what if', I MAY have gotten the 300 had hemis not been introduced, but since they had been it was a slam dunk decision.

Also, where the hell did you get a C for a 400 mile, three day test drive.

Are you SURE it was a hemi??

lol

The dealer here let me test drive one for the weekend.

The one I own now, I had for over a week, before I decided to go ahead and purchase it (I was waiting for them to find me a black one with all of the options that I wanted).

When I say I didn't notice, I mean that I didn't encounter any driving situations where I needed more power than what I already use. It could be the way that I drive though. I also notice that when I switch from my jeep to my 300, I don't notice any power gains in it either (although I know it's more powerful). The more I think about it, the more that I'm beginning to feel that it's the way that I drive. I live in a small town (100k population), so I don't use the freeway much (and if I do, it's for like a 4-mile stretch). No one spot in this town is more than 20 minutes away from another spot. When I travel out of town, I rarely go above 75mph and 75mph = 75mph no matter what car you're in. I just don't get when a person would need or even want lots of power. All I could think of was racing... so that's what I did. Heh heh heh.

 

[II kings 9:20]

My 4100lb 05 Odyssey will smoke your 300, having said that, I ordered a 3.5 300 and changed my order, the power is more than sufficient and driven without much throttle there is really no difference. Say you take off at a rate of 10 seconds to 60mph, it won't matter if you have a Hemi or a corolla, they both will get there in that time frame with ease. Mashing the go pedal on ramps and merging is the difference but in "normal driving " I can see where the 3.5 and the Hemi seem similar. The feel of 250 torque and 390 torque is indisputable, just look at the 0-60 and 1/4 mile figures. If you normally drive a 10 sec 0-60 (I usually do unless I feel frisky) then 1000 ft-lb torque and 1000 hp won't make any difference at all. If you are happy, keep your 3.5.

 

[Ghetto Prince]

My 4100lb 05 Odyssey will smoke your 300, having said that, I ordered a 3.5 300 and changed my order, the power is more than sufficient and driven without much throttle there is really no difference. Say you take off at a rate of 10 seconds to 60mph, it won't matter if you have a Hemi or a corolla, they both will get there in that time frame with ease. Mashing the go pedal on ramps and merging is the difference but in "normal driving " I can see where the 3.5 and the Hemi seem similar. The feel of 250 torque and 390 torque is indisputable, just look at the 0-60 and 1/4 mile figures. If you normally drive a 10 sec 0-60 (I usually do unless I feel frisky) then 1000 ft-lb torque and 1000 hp won't make any difference at all. If you are happy, keep your 3.5.

Yeah... that's probably what it is. And don't get me wrong, I'm not gonna get rid of the one that I have now for the "C." I'm gonna keep 'em both, if I decide to get the "C."

After reading these forums, I felt like I was missing out on something. So I was just gonna go ahead and get another 300 (but this time with the hemi) so that I'm not missing out. Before doing so, I decided to drive one for a while so that I could justify an additional purchase (to myself). However, I really didn't notice what it is that I'm supposed to be missing out on. That's why I started racing people, so that I get a feel for what I'd be gaining by purchasing another car like the one that I already own (but with a hemi... obviously).

 

[Northern Rider]

Hi GP. Aside from the Hemi, the tranny in the c is just about the smoothest around. The C has amzing soundproofing, much bigger brakes, bigger springs, and of course a long list of standard equipment inside and out that may not be on your other model.

 

[C-Man]

The best thing I like about the hemi is the effortless passing ability. I'm in a large metropolitan area and the power is great for getting around the retired folks and tourists. I didn't drive the 3.5 to compare, but I love my Hemi.

As far as getting the car without it, I wouldn't had considered the 300 if it didn't have the C. Now if the C package came without a Hemi I might have considered it, but then it might had fallen off my radar. The writeups on the Hemi powered C in the mags really got me seriously considering the car. If the mags were like ho hum with a Hemi-less C, I'd probably be driving a TL now.

 

[rogue]

The Hemi gives you bragging rights on the street. It outclasses cars twice its price, and cars that are supposedly "fast" like the Infinity G35 and Nissan Z get eaten for breakfast. It has its weaknesses, but what car doesn't.

My friends would never let me live a day without giving me a hard time for not getting the Hemi. Would I care? No way. But deep down inside it would eat me alive each time a 300c drove by me and I couldn't keep up.

I had someone at AEM ask me today "Is that the new SRT-8?" and I replied "Nope its a standard C." Just food for thought. Without the Hemi, the 300 is a Taxi Cab in Las Vegas. I would have never given it a second look without it.

 

[goddardzilla]

*Originally posted by Ghetto Prince
How does one use the Hemi Power? In what types of situations does this come into play?
* If the 300 didn't ever have a high-powered hemi option, would you have still purchased it? Or would you have looked elsewhere at a sports car or something?

For me the Hemi is all about confidence and improved driveability:

The extra confidence that the power will get me out of trouble in a marginal passing situation. The confidence that the car has a large margin of capabilities if I need to use them. If you pick your street performance contests well, with the Hemi you can win most of them - confidence .

Of lesser importance to me is the respect and bragging rights. If challenged, it's good to feel solid about your car - though whatever car you have there is always someone who has, or feels they have something better.

Both engines are generally acknowledged to be well engineered, however I believe the hemi has the edge. Some Mercedes aficionados could take the opposite view.

I'm mainly interested in the answer to the first question though (as it affects my buying decision). The second question, I'm just curious about, but it's not nothing important

Answer: emphatic no! In the spectrum of buyers, some want the bling, some want the performance, some demand both. For me without the performance, the bling is just appearance - the well dressed person without the personality, kinda like the sizzle without the steak - "where's the beef?"

.

 

[th59718]

I drove both the 300C and Touring. The Touring is a very nice car. I wanted the Hemi for passing on 2-lane roads and long mountain climbs.

 

[joey]

While not politically correct, I like to use the hemi to chirp the tires when I want to tell someone I am not happy with their driving.

 

[Alsmag]

Ghetto....don't let any of the feedback here be viewed as a negative towards your ride. Each person is different and so is their likes/dislikes and needs. Apparently the "C" is not that different to ya, so there's your answer. Enjoy the look and the fuel economy...I certainly wouldn't spend 36-40K on another 300 if you plan on keeping your current one.

Roll with pride my man...you have a sweet ride regardless!

 

[ChuckG]

My current auto has a Chrysler 3.5L engine and front wheel drive. This is my first FWD vehicle and my first 6cyl. I would never, ever consider purchasing another car with a 6 and FWD.

Sure my car is nice and sure it has some pep. I'm not a go-faster or a street racer or interested in bragging about my car. I just miss the feel and sound of a V-8 and the rear wheels pushing me instead of being pulled (I don't need a HEMI, just a V-8). And as a bonus, RWD cars just ride nicer and don't have all that tourque in the steering wheel.

Whenever I read about people who have trouble driving a 300 in the snow, I laugh to myself and think maybe it's time for them to go to driving school and learn how to drive a RWD car with a V-8. This is a wonderful car that I'm sure will run fine in bad weather.

So GP, whatever your decision at least you can be certain that you made a wise choice in your selection.

 

[yarbie]

First things first without a doubt no purchase for me without being a "C". The 300C
won Motortrend car of the Year by the way not any of the base models were tested nor could have they won this award not being a "C" version. There's alot more going
here than just a HEMI motor which by the way is legendary !
What's going on are alot of electronics in the suspension all the the way into the interior. The "C" version is really a different car than the base models. An example
of this is a 6 cylinder Mustang versus a Cobra ? You ask yourself what's the big deal ?
In my eyes it's a Mustang but it's not. Are you with me.
A huge factor is also going to be resale value of your base model. Base models will lose SO MUCH MORE MONEY THAN ALOT OF CARS OUT THERE. THE "C" VERSIONS WILL HOLD THEIR VALUE BIGTIME. THIS IS ONCE AGAIN LIKE THE BASE MUSTANG VERSUS
A GT OR COBRA. ASK AROUND AND YOU'LL HEAR THE SAME THINGS IM TELLING YOU.
YOU WILL BUY A TOURING MODEL FOR $24,000 AND WITHIN ONE YEAR IT WILL BE WORTH $12,000. BUY A C MODEL FOR $35,000 AND IN ONE YEAR YOU'LL GET $30,000
FOR IT GAURANTEED.
TO AWNSER YOUR QUAETION ABOUT POWER LET ME TELL YOU YOU ARE FROM ANOTHER PLANET IF YOU THINK THAT THE LIMITED IS EVEN CLOSE IN POWER TO THE HEMI. YOU DEFINETELY DIDN'T GET ON IT OR DON'T KNOW HOW TO USE THE AUTOSTICK VERY WELL. THIS C WILL LIGHT THE TIRES UP FOR 50 FEET IF YOU SLAM ON THE PEDAL. YOU HAVE 250 HP VERSUS 340 ! COME ON BRO IT'S A V8 5.7 LITER MOTOR OVER A 3.5 LITER V6 THAT'S WHAT COMES IN ALTIMA'S AND STUFF.


DON'T CHEAT YOURSELF IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO GET ONE IT'S THE ONE YOU WANT TO
BE SEEN IN !

 

[300PMP]

To come clean...after reading the posts on this forum for weeks now, I too, like GP had been feeling those same feeling of doubt, wondering should I have dropped the extra couple dollars and just gotten the C. Sure I just bought a 250K house and I just graduated college, but what the hell, more ponies right?

Ghetto prince's question (which I think in a town of 100K could be changed to "Country Prince", but I guess that doesn't have quite the same ring to it) was "When do you use it?"

The main answer coming back was "merging from lanes and on and off ramps."

Others liked the "Power and torque"
Others liked the resale value (what, you bought this car to resale it a year later?)
Others like the "Confidence" that the CAR gave them or the ability to smoke someone. So herein lies the question of practicality.

So you bought the "legendary" HEMI to change lanes...interesting.

While I admit that the HEMI C is the desired form of this masterpiece, I find that the reasons for it's usage come up short.

Shoot back.

 

[FOAMAVEN]

While I admit that the HEMI C is the desired form of this masterpiece, I find that the reasons for it's usage come up short.

Shoot back.

I don't think there is a right or wrong answer to this question. This is why there are hundreds of different cars on the market and each one will find a buyer who loves it, Simply said there is an ass for every seat!
I bought the 300C first for its looks but only because of the hemi and 5 speed transmission as well as other mechanical features. If you are not into the mechanical aspect it may not be for you, no big deal! It is your money spend it on what makes you happy.

 

[CITADELGRAD87]

To come clean...after reading the posts on this forum for weeks now, I too, like GP had been feeling those same feeling of doubt, wondering should I have dropped the extra couple dollars and just gotten the C. Sure I just bought a 250K house and I just graduated college, but what the hell, more ponies right?

Ghetto prince's question (which I think in a town of 100K could be changed to "Country Prince", but I guess that doesn't have quite the same ring to it) was "When do you use it?"

The main answer coming back was "merging from lanes and on and off ramps."

Others liked the "Power and torque"
Others liked the resale value (what, you bought this car to resale it a year later?)
Others like the "Confidence" that the CAR gave them or the ability to smoke someone. So herein lies the question of practicality.

So you bought the "legendary" HEMI to change lanes...interesting.

While I admit that the HEMI C is the desired form of this masterpiece, I find that the reasons for it's usage come up short.

Shoot back.

You are asking for subjective input, then subjectively analyzing the responses and claim to find them lacking.

Sort of like shooting back "Interesting, but chocolate is as good as vanilla."

I for one stated that I use the power differential EVERY time I drive, and gave as examples onramps and passing situations. Does EVERYONE even want such power? No, many drivers would never even know they have 340hp on tap. I do, and I stomp it with regular frequency. This is my 5th car. I drove, in order, a 72 Pinto, a 67 Chevelle SS, a 90 GMC stepside, a 96 Infiniti G20, and the 300C. Guess which ones I'll tell my grandkids about?

Your determination that such usage is somehow incapable of supporting the decision could be used right back at you, pointing out that a 90 hp vehicle is perfectly sufficient for your transportation needs, so why do you need the 6 offerred in the 300 you bought?

You compound this with the even more subjective "practicality" test.

I assure you, practicality was the last thing on my mind when I bought my C.

I like cars. I like fast/quick/powerful cars even more than other cars.

I love the 63 Corvette. Would I drive one that had a V6 powerplant?

No. But I wouldn't throw rocks at you if you did.

That doesn't mean that I have to humor your trying to convince me that it's every bit as much fun to drive as a 427 4 speed in the same car.

As we have already decided, we disagree on this.

You're not going to get away with describing it as simply "power to pass", though.

 

[Alsmag]

On a different note....me delivery date is March 18th!!! From "D" to "D1".

Now back to the ensuing arguement.