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New Dodge Magnum Owners - Give Us Your Report

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#38 of 77 Re: New Magnum Owner Signs On [buckangus] by bbfd86 Aug 08, 2006 (7:12 am)
Replying to: buckangus (Aug 08, 2006 6:03 am) I too had a rocky start with my Magnum R/T AWD. The car was in the shop 14 times in 5 months (see my earlier postings). However, the car has settled down now and hasn't had any problems for 3 whole months!   There are plenty of reasons to buy a Magnum: it's a hoot to drive. It's one of the the coolest looking cars on the road today - I've had many people come up to me to admire and enquire about the car (that never happened with all the Saabs and Volvos I've owned). The price is awesome compared to all other high performance wagons out there (i.e. Saab 9-5 Aero or Volvo V70R at $48,000). The Hemi sounds great with a CAI. It's very roomy and comfortable and has a lot of trunk space. Its got great safety ratings (important to an ex-Saab/Volvo owner). The Magnum performs extremely well with AWD and four Continental snow tires in the severe winter weather conditions of Upstate NY and Vermont. It's a hoot to drive (did I say that already?). The local Dodge dealer here in Rochester, NY has been good about servicing the numerous problems at the start. As this is my first American car ever, I did purchase a bumper-to-bumper extended warranty out to 7 years or 100K miles to be safe (I drive 20K miles a year).   To sum it up, I love my Magnum. I was disappointed with the quality and reliability for the first 4-5 months, but the local Dodge dealer was good about fixing the issues. It seems to be doing well since then and I've got my fingers crossed. The only real downer is the gas mileage at $3.15 per gallon. I get at most 16mpg around town and 19-20mpg on the highway at 75mph.
#39 of 77 Re: New Magnum Owner Signs On [buckangus] by hardhawk Aug 08, 2006 (10:56 am)
Replying to: buckangus (Aug 08, 2006 6:03 am) I respectfully disagree. I bought my 2005 Magnum RT in October of 2004. The only significant issue I have had with it was the crappy Continental tires that came standard on it and only lasted 16000 miles. The car drives great, is solid and quiet as a bank vault, hauls our stuff, goes like a bat out of you know where yet still can get 25MPG on the highway, and is so distinctive on the road. There is nothing out there that can compare with the Magnum RT's value, practicality, and performance for anywhere within $20,000 of the price. I am sorry that you got a lemon, because my experience with this car has been superb. If mine was stolen tomorrow I would be getting another one just like it ASAP.
#40 of 77 Re: New Dodge Magnum Owners - Give Us Your Report [pf_flyer] by zimsmagnum Oct 27, 2006 (7:07 am)
Replying to: pf_flyer (Jul 25, 2006 7:09 am) Picked up my 2006 Magnum R/T AWD 3 weeks ago. Ten days later we were hit with 20" of snow (where else but Buffalo NY). The car handled extremely well, plowed thru with no problem. My main concern was possible damage driving over downed tree limbs but no damage, yeah... Initial thoughts on the Magnum: - Love the hemi (thought I was done with my 2nd childhood) - Gas mileage...if I wanted better gas mileage I would have bought a different car. But then again, ask me if and when gasoline reaches $5.00/gal - 2 continental tires had to be replaced by the dealer (slipped belts). Tracking tire concerns thru this forum. - Stalk controls for wipers,speed control were confusing at first - Plenty of room for passangers and cargo. All in all extremely pleased with car. This is the 1st American made (well, actually Canadian) car I've bought in over 20 years. Will be interesting to see how well it holds up, even with the extended warranty.
#41 of 77 Great Ride So Far by nikdfish Oct 29, 2006 (4:57 pm)
Picked up my '05 AWD RT off the lot in Aug. of 2005 and put 23K miles on it since then and have enjoyed every mile. The only repair items have been replacing the parking brake release handle the week I purchased it and having the leaky transmission O-ring fix done at 19K (had the repair done when I dropped it off for an oil change, no big deal ...). No problems with pull, "crowning" or uneven tire wear (although I do run 5-7 lb more pressure than the sticker).   Drives & handles great on everything from interstates to gravel back roads in the WV mountains. Love the power and sure-footed feel. For comparison, it has a turning radius smaller than that of my old PT Cruiser GT turbo, and stops shorter from 60 mph by a couple of feet even though it weighs 1000 lb more!   Although not equipped with the tow package's self leveling shocks, I have had absolutely no problem with towing trailers up to 3400 lb total weight with tongue weights up to 290 lb (using a HiddenHitch hitch, not the Mopar "invisible" hitch). AWD plus 4 wheel disc ABS is a real plus there.   People talk about the "bare" interior, but I prefer an unpretentious, functional, interior to one dolled up with fake wood, "leatherette", and fake chrome. Hands down, this is the preferred vehicle for long family road trips.
#42 of 77 Re: New Dodge Magnum Owners - Give Us Your Report [buckangus] by nelsoncm Nov 05, 2006 (10:54 am)
Replying to: buckangus (Aug 08, 2006 5:59 am) Well, your post scared me off enough that I went for a Saab 9-5 wagon to avoid the problems you spoke of. The Magnum SXT was in serious contention -- I love the storage space and the comfort. I'm a previous Saab owner and while I hate the lack of utility up front (poor cubby/pocket/cupholder space), it's otherwise got plenty of room, is equally distinctive in looks, and with 260 hp and a powerful turbo, it hauls you know what! Hope you were right. The one thing Dodge (and the Jeep I traded) have is very thoughtfully designed storage space and nice quiet rides. I miss my Jeep center console! (On the other hand, I now get killer mileage (20/28)... Replies to this message: bbfd86 (Nov 27, 2006 10:18 am)
#43 of 77 Re: New Dodge Magnum Owners - Give Us Your Report [nelsoncm] by bbfd86 Nov 27, 2006 (10:18 am)
Replying to: nelsoncm (Nov 05, 2006 10:54 am) For the price of a Saab 9-5 you should have looked at the Magnum R/T AWD. The SXT is not a fair comparison.   After owning a Saab 9-5 Aero wagon for 6 years I went for a 2005 Magnum R/T AWD. I was very disappointed with the quality and reliability of the Saab over the 6 years I owned it. It was my third Saab, but the first one to not measure up on quality. The Saab Aero handled better, but was hobbled by front wheel drive. You need AWD with that kind of power. The Magnum offers more leg room than the Saab both front and back - my two boys and I are all well over 6 feet tall.   Saab's engine doesn't even come close to the 5.7L hemi with an after market AFE cold air intake - 350hp and zero to sixty in around 5.7 seconds!   The Magnum R/T with AWD and 4 high-speed rated Continental snow tires handled last winter in Upstate New York and Vermont as well as any Saab I've owned, in spite of it weighing 500lb more than the 9-5.   (I also considered the Volvo V70R, but it was $18,000 more than the Magnum and had NO room in the front seats.)
#44 of 77 Have any of you encountered snowy conditions with a RWD Magnum? by billwfriend Dec 05, 2006 (6:55 am)
I'll be in the market for a wagon type vehicle come the end of April 2007, and I'm currently considering a used Dodge Magnum to replace my leased 04 Honda Oddysey to haul the wife and kids around in. I'll be looking at around $14k at that time, so the AWD and RT models are out of the questions.   I live in Wisconsin, so I'm concerned about how the RWD Magnum handles in the snow! Anyone have any experience to share on this subject?   Also, I'm heard a few complaints regarding the reliability of the 2.7 engine... should I only look at Magnums with the 3.5 then?   Thanks! Replies to this message: bbfd86 (Dec 05, 2006 10:04 am) uddriver (Jan 25, 2007 8:06 pm) budw (Feb 14, 2008 4:47 pm) joaneddd (May 09, 2008 9:33 am) caliberchic (May 11, 2008 1:27 pm)
#45 of 77 Re: Have any of you encountered snowy conditions with a RWD Magnum? [billwfriend] by bbfd86 Dec 05, 2006 (10:04 am)
Replying to: billwfriend (Dec 05, 2006 6:55 am) Having lived in snowy climes all my life I would NOT recommend buying a RWD car, especially one as big and heavy as a Magnum. Go AWD if you can, otherwise stick with FWD. Safety first when hauling the family. (I have a good friend in Spokane whose whole family survived a roll-over accident in their Honda Odyssey after his wife fell asleep at the wheel!) Replies to this message: uddriver (Jan 25, 2007 8:06 pm)
#46 of 77 saab vs. magnum by nelsoncm Dec 18, 2006 (12:23 am)
To bbfd86, yeah I know Saabs have issues. It's actually really odd that I returned to Saab since I had a sort of love/hate thing with my previous one, an 02 arc wagon. And I agree this newer one has some very apparent build quality issues in terms of interior materials and the odd rattles. I actually test drove both an SXT and an R/T Magnum. I found 340 hp on the R/T to be an insane amount of power to drive my son to school or hit the local starbucks. But otherwise, I did love the comfort of the cabin, the seats, etc. Didn't love the cargo area -- just so cramped. But ultimately, I just don't trust Dodge/Chrysler. Maybe if in a couple of years, I hear better things in terms of reliability, I'll look again. I know, GM really isn't any better, but I just went with what was familiar.
#47 of 77 Snowy Conditions by vinny68 Jan 11, 2007 (8:41 pm)
I have an '06 Magnum RT and was hesitant with the first snowfall here in Illinois but it handled great in the snow! I think the idea that rear wheel driven vehicles can't handle well in snow/ice conditions is a little outdated. There have been lots of advances in tire compounds, electronic stability programs and anti-lock brakes since large rear wheel drive cars were popular many years ago. Now I would not hesitiate to drive my Magnum anywhere in any conditions.

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