The wife that is. As many of you know I have been looking for the perfect pony (gt500) for a while now. In the mean time I have been enjoying driving my 06 gt. With moderate modifications (exhaust tune and intake) I have been happy waiting until I find the right car. The prices are now right but the car hasn't been there. Either way, for those that know me my wife and I are both going to school. Jamie for her MBA and myself for an aeronautics degree. We make a pretty comfortable living own a nice home and have been blessed with a son.
My wife and I have always wanted to add another little one to our family but have been waiting until we are done with school. That will happen in April 2010 and we have decided to start trying at the end of 2009. Currently, my two year old sits in his car seat in the back of the mustang. (passenger side) which is ok because my wife is only 5 ft 2. If we added a second one I would not be able to travel comfortably/safely with another little one in the back. I am just short of 6ft.
So I have come to the decision that a used charger would work great for us as a family and is a good compromise with the agreement that once its paid off I will be adding a gt500.
So the question is what should I buy. An SRT-8 which has the power I am used to, looks pretty good and has a good interior, an r/t which is slower but gets about 3mpg better mileage, or an sxt with the v-6 but a good interior. I can pick up an srt8 now for the low 20's, an rt for 17-19k, or an sxt for 15-16k. Bear in mind the lower I pay up front the sooner I can pay it off. I could concieably pay the v-6 off in 1.5-2 years (if I bought today) and the others about a year longer. This is all about a year away so I expect the prices to fall even more given the state of the economy and gas prices. What do you think? Right now I am leaning toward the SRT-8 so I have a decent ride as I plan on keeping both for a long time.

 

I like the srt 8's

 

SRT-8 hands down if you can afford the fuel when the prices leap back up. Remember, it'll be premium fuel.

 

Yeah the fuel isn't a problem. 3 mpg aren't going to break me and I am using premium as it is. My only is the extra time I will have to wait for the gt500.

Roger

 

The Charger SRT-8 weighs more than my Crown Vic, weighs more than the GT500, and has nostalgic body roll. You may want to look at the 300C SRT-8 which should be better equipped. With the weight of the Charger/300C, expect it to be slightly faster than your 06 GT. They should be the equivalent of a S197 GT with 350-360 hp. The Charger R/T (5.7L V8) runs low to mid 14s bone stock.

 

If I am not mistaken there is about a 5k difference between the C and charger correct?

Roger

 

I've owned both and I'll plat devil's advocate.

I would buy the R/T and give it a tune and a CAI and pocket the cash. The tune really wakes that car up and it will be plenty for daily driving. When gas goes back up, it will be easier to live with. Moreover, the R/T has a more comfortable ride and is less costly to maintain.

Your call, but if the ultimate goal is buying a GT500, why delay that by committing more dollars away from that goal.

I liked my SRT8 a whole bunch, but it's just not as comfy and practical as the R/T was.

 

Thats great info thank you. There was an 07 rt with 5k miles on it listed locally for 19k at a local dealer.

Roger

 

I"m with EXGTO on this. Why spend more than you need when you've got it planned out way ahead. Because the kids are going to be in this car, do you really need the top level Hemi anyway? How often will you actually get to use it? The R/T should perform just fine for daddy duty and save you a bunch of cash.

GO R/T!!

 

Get a MazdaSpeed 3 (fast, four doors, reasonably frugal and practical member of the extended FoMoCo family) as a daily driver and save up for the GT500 as a graduation present. While you'll of course forgo 4 cylinders and RWD, the MP3 is a torquey little beast (280 lb/ft in a light 3,150lb car) that'll really scoot (14 sec @ 100+mph in the quarter), yet is practical (5 doors) sharp looking (without being a cop magnet so you can actually use those 280 lb/ft yet not see your family on weekend furloughs) and not a lot of cash (starts at around $23K or so).

If you really want a big, powerful RWD V8, check out the Pontiac G8 as that's getting some very positive reviews and will only run you a bit over $30K (sticker, bet you could haggle that down though) and even the V6 sounds perky whereas the V6 Dodge/Chrysler LX chassis cars are a bit anemic.

 

Get a fully loaded Mazda 3 S GT. It won't be as fast as the Mazdaspeed 3, but it gets 30 MPG on the highway, is comfortable, and it has LED tail lights with projector Xenon HID head lights.

 

If course, if you really want a powerful, affordable yet sophisticated RWD V8 sedan, you could always get the incredible Ford, ummm....., nevermind....

 

The Falcon FG6 XR8 or FPV GT... 5.4L quad-cam V8 with a 6-speed manual gearbox. Basically the 4-door Naturally Aspirated Australian cousin of the American GT500. It competes against the Holden Commodore (what we call the Pontiac G8 GT here in the US): http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...ive/index.html





Is that a bulge in the hood, or is it just happy to see its American brethren online?

The Falcon's 5.4L quad-cam V8 is hand-built in the "Last V8 Production Facility" (what they said) in Australia, and is often compared to the performance of the Mustang "Kabra" (Aussie pronounciation) engine.

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...ive/index.html

 

Croikey! It's got a manual transmission. That's not something you see on a lot of American cars these days.

I drive a Crown Vic in the winter. It's body-on-frame with a 4.6L 2V V8 and has a Ford 8.8" rear-wheel drivetrain. If the year were 2003-2005, I'd recommend one for any Mustang owner that wants a more practical daily driver. Since it is the year 2008, and there are numerous cars that have updated features (like a cabin air filter, 5 or 6-speed transmission, HID head lights, stock power seats, and more than 240 hp engines) I can't wholeheartedly recommend one other than price. You can get a new Grand Marquis for less than $20k if you shop and get all the rebates, but it is an old person's car.

The Chrysler LX platform (300C, Charger, Magnum, Challenger) is very bloated but a good deal nonetheless, if you're willing to gamble with Chrysler junk. The Pontiac G8 GT is not a bad deal for under $30k, and it is built in Australia. However, it is NOT a Corvette and I heard plenty of quality issues with the Australian made Pontiac GTO (Aka Holden Monaro). You could always settle for the V6 in the G8 since I hear it is still a gutsy motor.

The Mazda3 or Mazdaspeed3 has a great chassis, but the Cobalt SS blows a LOT of the competition away in terms of performance and handling. Unfortunately, the Cobalt / G5 is just a really really cheap POS car, like a Dodge Neon.

 

Well as much as I love that car there is no way I could drive that way.

Roger

 

I will never trust Chrysler's automatic transmissions after a disaster with my Intrepid.

 

Good call. Rented a Durango a few years ago for a trip to San Diego and nearly got stranded halfway back to PHX by the **** trans. Also had a Blazer that went through 3 transmissions in 2 years, but my S-10 never set a gear wrong so I give GM a bit more leeway.

 

Well if there are any issues, my dad manages the service department at a local chrysler store so I am sure I could get it taken care of

 

How about: Subaru WRX STI. 4-doors, 300 hp, AWD (with 3 limited slip differentials).

 

I have driven and ridden in one. Not a very comfortable ride. Great performance car, but not a family hauler. Thats what I will have the shelby for

Roger