Episode 37

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Published on:

2nd Feb 2023

Dodge Magnum – The Hemi-V8 Muscle Wagon With Mercedes DNA

00:00 - OPEN

If you love wagons, today’s Better Than New used vehicle is a bad-ass wagon made by Dodge that has a little bit of something for everyone.   

01:00 - INTRO

The Dodge Magnum was sold in the US from 2005-2008.  Like many other manufacturers, Dodge didn’t call their wagon "a wagon" either.  They simply called it “Magnum” and like wagons of yester-year, the Dodge Magnum provided plenty of space for five people and all their stuff. But what made it vastly different from Grandpa’s station wagon was its badass muscle car styling with performance to match, as long as you had the available 5.7 or 6.1-liter Hemi-V8 engine.  

02:25 - MAGNUM MODELS OFFERED INITIALLY IN 2005

When the Magnum was launched in 2005, the following configurations were offered to buyers: 

  • Magnum SE w/Rear Wheel Drive
  • Magnum SXT w/Rear Wheel Drive
  • Magnum SXT w/All Wheel Drive
  • Magnum RT w/Rear Wheel Drive
  • Magnum RT w/All Wheel Drive

2006 Model year saw the introduction of the Magnum SRT-8

  • Rear Wheel Drive-only
  • 6.1-liter Hemi V8 engine
  • 425-hp and 420-lb.ft. of torque

 05:45 - WHY YOU MIGHT WANT ONE IF:

  • You like wagons
  • You like edgy styling  
  • You want a vehicle with the capacity to comfortably haul five people, but you also want it to haul in other ways as well.  
  • You like the styling and the V8 engine, but need all-wheel drive part of the year where you live.  
  • The idea of having the quickest, most bad-ass family hauler in your neighborhood truly appeals to you.  

07:30 - WHAT MAKES IT GREAT?

  • Infused with Mercedes DNA
  • Looks cool
  • Not like everything else
  • It’s not an SUV or a Crossover, yet it can do a lot of what those vehicles can do
  • V8 Performance

Magnum RT – Road & Track Road Test Results:

  • 0-60 in 6.1 seconds
  • Quarter mile in 14.6 sec. at 97.4 mph

Magnum RT - Car and Driver Road Test Results

  • 0-60 in 6.1 seconds
  • Quarter mile in 14.7 @ 97 mph

Magnum SRT-8 - MotorTrend Road Test

  • 0-60 mph: 5.1-seconds
  • Standing 1/4-mile: 13.1 sec @ 108 mph

Magnum SRT-8 - Car and Driver Road Test

  • 0-60 mph: 5.1-seconds
  • Standing ¼-mile: 13.6 @ 106 mph

Magnum SRT-8 Motorweek Review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejbUu7CxKcg&t=12s

10:10 -  WHAT’S NOT SO GREAT? 

  • Fuel Economy isn’t great  
  • Rear Drive dynamics are not ideal for new or unskilled drivers.
  • Hard interior plastics are not appealing 
  • Small, xlow windows make it harder to see out
  • Automatic Transmission manual shift option is not intuitive
  • Transmission can get stuck in "park" on high mileage Magnums
  • Watch the following video link to get the transmission out of "park"
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKWTbGijkVg&t=164s
  • Takata airbag recall - check NHTSA.gov to see if this was fixed
  • https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/takata-recall-spotlight
  • Potential dropped valve seats in the 5.7 Hemi V8
  • You’re buying the former owner as much as you are buying the car
  • Get a Prepurchase inspection
  • Caveat Emptor – let the buyer beware.  

17:30 - RECOMMENDED DODGE MAGNUM TRIM LEVELS

  • Minimum: The SXT with the 3.5-liter 250-hp 6-cylinder
  • But I think you will want a V8 in this wagon
  • The 5.7-liter Hemi offers plenty of power for most people
  • An AWD option is available with the 5.7-liter V8
  • Truly committed types want the 425-hp 6.1-liter V8 in the SRT-8
  • The SRT-8 is expensive, so expect to pay much more than an RT
  • The Dodge Magnum RT with the 5.7-liter V8 is the value choice

18:50 - WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT TO PAY?

  • $5000 or much less for low-end base or SE models
  • $7000 to $10,000 - Magnum SXTs with 3.5-liter V6, RWD and mileage between 70K and 100K from a dealership.  
  • $10,000 to $14,0000 - Magnum RT with RWD with similar 70K to 100K mileage.  Final price depends on miles and condition
  • Expect higher asking prices for RTs with AWD and lower mileage.  
  • SRT8s are specialty/collector cars and are priced as such 
  • $25,000 to $30,000 was a typical asking-price range for Magnum SRT-8 vehicles from various dealerships around the US.
  • Expect asking prices from $35K to $45K on ultra-low mile examples
  • Magnum auction sale prices on bringatrailer.com in 2022 were between $26K and $32K for SRT-8s with 48,000 to 69,000 miles

22:45 - CLOSE

For the money, a Magnum RT with low miles, consistent maintenance, one or two owners and no accidents will likely offer the best combination of V8 wagon fun and reliability, but don’t forget the prepurchase inspection on this one.

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About the Podcast

Better Than New
Find a cool used car, truck or SUV at a price you'll love
The average new car sales price in the US is nearly $50,000, and the average used vehicle sales price is close to $30,000... I think that's insane! Well if you're like me and you don’t want to pay these crazy inflated car prices, I believe you should still be able to drive something fun. That’s the idea behind Better Than New – a podcast to help you find a cool used car, truck or SUV at a price you’ll love.

I’m Gary Crenshaw, host of Better Than New and a long time automotive enthusiast, and I want to inspire car buyers on a budget to think differently about what they can actually afford to drive. My goal is to introduce listeners to the broad array of interesting, fun-to-drive, enthusiast-friendly used cars, trucks and SUVs available at prices just about anyone can afford… vehicles from the 80s, 90s, 2000s and beyond that offer buyers a wide range of interesting choices. Each week we’ll explore a specific vehicle or vehicle category, tell you what to look for and what to avoid, and give you practical tips to help you find your next cool used car, truck or SUV and keep it on the road for years to come.

With a little work, the joy of owning a cool used car at price you’ll love is within reach and this podcast is here to help you find it.

So hop in, buckle up and let's go for a drive!

About your host

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Gary Crenshaw

A lifelong lover of all things mechanical, Gary has spent the majority of his existence driving, dreaming about or wrenching on cars, motorcycles and even the occasional airplane.

It started with mini-bikes and go-karts as a kid, progressed to 2-stroke dirt bikes, followed by his first car… a 1969 Volkswagen Beetle. Then came the Yamaha era with several RD400s, RZ350s and a Canadian RD350LC (should have kept that!). A pilot’s license was next with some memorable hours flying a 1946 Aeronca Champ low and slow around the Pacific Northwest. While in college, his brother-in-law who sold high-end cars hired him to deliver BMW, Mercedes and Porsche vehicles to customers.

Those early experiences led to a lifetime of owning an eclectic mix of interesting used cars, including a ‘65 Mustang GT, a ’72 Datsun 510, a Porsche 914, a Celica Alltrac Turbo, a Mini Cooper S, a couple of Miata’s, two Audi S4 Avants, a Galant VR4, a Fiat 850 Spider, a 1983 Subaru 4x4 GL wagon and a first gen RX-7, along with dozens of daily driver cars and SUVs from Acura, Honda, Toyota and Mazda. And his favorite? Depends on when you ask, but that distinction likely goes to the Mazda RX-4 station wagon he learned to drive in. That fun-to-drive car combined Gary's passion for wagons, rotary engines and manual transmissions all in one.

So what about you? Which used car, truck or SUV would you love to own? Let’s find it together!