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Potential buyer. High mileage commute and options questions.

11K views 34 replies 19 participants last post by  IICODECll 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey gang, first post. Let me give as concise of a run down as I can. I'm a car guy...if I wasn't I guess I wouldn't be looking at an R/T. I do amateur road racing, even work in auto insurance claims. I'm shopping for a new daily driver for myself. About 18 months ago, my family and I moved and I sold off all of my car "toys". My life here in Atlanta is crazy busy. My wife and I have 3 kids, who are very active. My job is very busy...plus the commute is 55 miles each way. So I don't have time for a weekend toy anymore. I've been driving a cheap beater (Chevy HHR) while we get settled here. Now it's time for me to get something nice for myself. But it has to serve as a "jack of all trades", since I can't have a toy. Actually, from a practicality standpoint, my HHR is awesome (plus it's a 5 speed, which is great), but obviously there's nothing fun about it.


I've looked at all different kinds of cars...Mazdaspeed3, Focus ST, Mustang GT, Honda Accord V6 6spd coupe. They all have some great qualities. But with all the miles I drive, I don't want to deal with a turbo direct injection motor, too many known issues. A coupe just isn't practical, even though the Accord is surprisingly fun to drive, and super high quality. So my thoughts turned to larger cars, and the Charger R/T comes to mind. As I said, my commute is 55 miles each way. 90% of that is highway. In the morning, it's 80mph cruising the whole way. In the afternoon, it's part cruising, part Atlanta rush hour gridlock. Plus my weekend errands, and I'll put 30-35k miles per year on my car.


With that in mind, how does the R/T hold up to a high mileage commute? I've seen lots of older Chargers for sale with 150k+ miles on them, so I'm optimistic.


My budget is $20k, maybe $22k for the perfect car. That puts me in the 2012-2014 model years, and I want one with under 60k miles. But I'm so confused by all the options and how much I really need them. The ventilated seats seem great (I sweat a lot) and if I can get them, then I'm all for it. But I'm more interested in the performance standpoint. How is the "base" R/T suspension? Is it too soft? Even though I do mostly highway driving, there are some twisty roads near me. I don't drive like a madman on the street, but I don't want a car that embarrasses itself in corners. Is the Road and Track or Super Track package a "must" have? I'd love it, but wondering if it's worth the cost. My car would see no track time, purely commuting and errand running only. I also can't tell if the R/T Max package...if I can find one in my budget...comes with the Super Track package in addition to all the luxury stuff. I know it's subjective, but I'd like to hear opinions on if the performance options are worth it or if the base suspension/steering/engine calibration are fun enough for even spirited onramp use. I can get some really nice, super low mileage Certified Pre-Owned R/Ts in my price range...as in 10k miles. But they're base models. Most of the optioned out ones in my price range aren't CPO and have closer to 40-50k miles, so I'm wondering where my money is best spent. Thanks!!!
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Good luck Klayfish with your decision. I owned a 2012 Road & Track for 4 years and just traded this week for a new Scat Pack I loved my 2012 and it was hard loaded with just about every option but Nav. I had the super track pack option and think that it probably hurt my highway MPG slightly given the way it was geared. Given I never tracked the car I consider that option a waste. Same for paddle shifters - rarely used them. I loved the heated / ventilated seats. My favorite option was technology package and the adaptive cruise control. Would be a must for me with 55 mile commute.

I never had one issue with this car and I think Dodge offers a lot for the money and probably even better on the used market for a car that has been well cared for. I did have a Corsa Extreme on my car which I truly enjoyed and had lots of compliments on.

Best of luck!
 
#3 ·
Simple advice.

Go drive one and see how you like it.

After that, come back with all the questions and we can help you sort through the options.

The Charger is a great ride with gobs of power, good handling and room for 5 adults. It gets respectable mileage and is a very reliable vehicle.

I've had my '06 SRT since new and after nearly 10 years, 114k miles and year-round pounding over some of the worst roads, weather and traffic conditions that Philly can throw at me, I have no desire for a new vehicle.

I love this car!
 
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#4 ·
Chargers are very reliable. You will take a little hit with gas mileage on that commute but I think in the grand scheme of things you will be very happy. I suggest at least an R/T with R&T or better yet, a Daytona. SRT would be best if you can swing it. I've had mine since new in 2006 with 60k miles and never had a single issue accept 2 recalls - air bag and gas tank.
 
#5 ·
Are you the same "Klayfish" that used to post on bb.com?
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the heads up!
 
#8 · (Edited)
I don't drive my personal Charger very many miles, but my work one gets 100+ every day (the commute you're making). They ride nice, comfortable, perform well for a sedan, and come well equipped. The worst aspect you'll see is the fuel economy, and that's not sub-par compared to any other V8. They actually do pretty well considering the displacement, and power, but they won't stack up to a 4 or 6 cyl turbo's economy.

The ride difference between RT trims is negligible. I've never been a quarter mile guy, I prefer the twisty roads, with a canyon carver. The base RT will have a little more body roll than a RT R&T through the curves at speed, but it's not going to embarrass itself either. Even the base RT is very nimble for full size car, which I credit to it being well balanced (53/47 front to rear per 2011 figures). The base V8 will do everything you want it to on public roads. You may start wishing for Road & Track, Track Pack, SRT, etc if you take it out for track days. Since you said you're not doing that, I doubt you'll notice a difference between any of the optional trims of RT.

FWIW, I didn't think ventilated seats or a back up camera were anything more than a sales gimmick until I had them. Those little things that seemed mostly gimmicky turned out to be some of my favorite features. When I stopped to think about it, it makes sense. How often do I really use the full performance capabilities of a car compared to how often I use the creature comforts? Gadgets daily, max performance rarely.
I recommend a RT (of any performance trim) with all the extra stuff. For most people even the SXT with all the extra stuff will be just as enjoyable, but it sounds like you wouldn't be happy without that extra bit of power/performance (which the RT certainly offers).



Edit:
PS, we trade out patrol cars when they're around 120K miles, which averages about 3 years. Even with a fleet of them, that obviously don't live the most pampered lives, I don't see many issues. Our 10's were eating front suspension components, but our 11+ models don't.
 
#13 ·
FWIW, I didn't think ventilated seats or a back up camera were anything more than a sales gimmick until I had them. Those little things that seemed mostly gimmicky turned out to be some of my favorite features. When I stopped to think about it, it makes sense. How often do I really use the full performance capabilities of a car compared to how often I use the creature comforts? Gadgets daily, max performance rarely.
Very well said and I couldn't agree more. I won't ever, nor will my wife, buy a car without a backup camera again. Not only is it a great safety feature, but is indispensable as a parking aid. You will get spoiled with all the features and soon wonder how you ever lived without them.
 
#9 · (Edited)
....With that in mind, how does the R/T hold up to a high mileage commute? I've seen lots of older Chargers for sale with 150k+ miles on them, so I'm optimistic....
Believe it or not, I recently bought my 2006 Charger Daytona for a commuter car. Like you, I drive about 55 miles one way to work. And my car has 160K+ miles on it. Plus, I paid less than half what you plan to pay.

There are pickup trucks here with well over 200K miles on their Hemi engines. It's not that usual. I've bought several older high-mileage cars over the years and used them as long distance commuters. When you buy a "well used" car, you basically have to go over it with a fine tooth comb and identify everything that's broken or will likely brake in the next 50K miles. Then replace it all. And also read up on the forums on that specific car and make small recommended improvements and mods that will possibly extent the car's life.

To me, there's nothing more boring that a Plain Jane commuter car. If you are going to spend two hours a day in a car, you might as well drive something you like. And I really like my Daytona. Plus, doing mods and making improvements gives me a very enjoyable hobby.

On the practical side, this Daytona is every bit as useful as our new 2015 Chrysler 300S. To be exact, my wife doesn't mind riding in the Daytona. We are using it a lot for Christmas shopping in order to save the 300S from getting door dings in the Christmas parking lot rush. Except for a stiffer ride, it's about 90% the same experience of riding in our new car. ;)

PS: EVERY car should have door moldings. My Daytona is almost door ding free. Why in the world did car companies quit using them?
 
#10 ·
PS: EVERY car should have door moldings. My Daytona is almost door ding free. Why in the world did car companies quit using them?
No way they look fugly! I pulled my door moldings off the first month of having my car! With so many different cars and SUVs out there that molding isn't going to help as much as you'd think it would. I just park farther away if available and I don't have to look at those ugly moldings every day!

Back to the OP -- I drive about 50 miles a day and more than that if I've got events and meetings etc. and I love my 06 R/T R&T. I'd check out an R&T model and see if you like the seats. I love them but some people don't.

If you don't care about the seats my advice would be to buy a base model with the minimum amount of features that you can live with and then drive that for a bit. Once you are bored buy at least a 30mm front sway bar (or bigger) and get a used SRT suspension (or buy the mopar kit) and replace the springs, shocks, struts with SRT spec units.

I didn't have to change the sway bar to get 30mm since mine is a R/T R&T but I did put Challenger SRT shocks, springs, struts on and it makes for a great ride.

If you're going to mod it anyway and don't mind the 300 look at those too since they seem to be a bit cheaper at least around here. You can sway that suspension and it will feel pretty much the same either way.

I bought my car in 2011 it only had 22k miles, I just hit 97k and recently did my third spark plug change. I've replaced the EGR too and I'm not much of a mechanic but these cars are hard to work on. I haven't had much problems the weak point is the front suspension bits like inner and outer tire rods, the tension struts, sway bar bushing, upper control arm etc. I've had to replace all of that and some of them multiple times.
 
#12 ·
What did you drive before? As a road car the charger will feel pretty floaty. You can lower it with something like an eibach kit and beef up the sway bars but its always going to be a 4100 lb big girl. I have a boss 302 laguna seca for the twisties and I've set up my 09 charger for the strip, never could imagine it being a good corner car. That said, I love all the car offers in terms of performance and practicality. I've done lots of mods over the years and I'd never sell it. And do loose the door trim....
 

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#16 ·
The 3.6L with a 8 speed is a great combo. I had that on my '12, and as you mentioned, it's got plenty of power. Certainly enough for anything within the confines of the law. Yeah, I've got a V8 now, and it's noticeably quicker, but it's really just a luxury more than anything. The V6 is far from lacking. The only reason to have the extra power is just to have it, because you intend to take it to the track, or because you intent to "stretch" the limits of the law "a bit" when driving on public roads.

Regarding the camera. I had no idea they'd been mandated. Not surprised though. However, like your dad, I don't use the camera exclusively to back up, but it's a great tool to give you vision where the mirrors don't see. I've been so ingrained with over the shoulder, and mirrors that I'll probably never stop doing it, but I do use the camera essentially like an extra mirror now. Using it in conjunction with the sensors, and you can really back in close to stuff without worrying about running into it.
 
#18 ·
...However, like your dad, I don't use the camera exclusively to back up, but it's a great tool to give you vision where the mirrors don't see...
I used to have a '95 Jeep in high school, where I was lucky to have ABS let alone any parking aids....I got so good at going in reverse in shop class they would have me back all the cars out. It was a really narrow lane with a bunch of bays. Everyone else would take like 2 or 3 minutes to slowly back out, have someone guide them out of the door, etc. I could jump in, back out in 10 seconds without a guide and plenty of room...

Though I'm sure nobody would care how good I was at backing up if I had ever smacked a mirror off as I could have being the ****y teenager I was...
 
#20 ·
I am in the same boat OP. I drive about 30 to work and 30 miles back with a total of 60 miles per day. Plus I do all the driving for my family on the weekends so miles will be put on the car I get. I own a 2015 Mustang Ecoboost and love it! However, I got another little on the way and need the extra room. I am looking at getting a used 2014 SRT a new 2015 RT. I am leaning towards getting a used SRT. Something about that huge V8 is calling to me. I wish I could afford a new Scat Pack but alas I do not think I can swing it.
 
#21 ·
Could have been my exact question

I am in the market. Getting ready to dump the Audi S4 and try American muscle for a while. I have been looking at higher horsepower sedans and the Charger keeps coming up as the best value.

I am in the same situation (same city) as the OP - but have a slightly higher budget. But I am buying low mileage / used - refuse to buy new cars.

Questions I would add:

SRT or RT? Why?
What other cars did you consider and why did you pick the Charger?
Newer Body (15/16) or Older Body?

Many thanks!

Side Note: Cars I am comparing with
Chevy SS (much higher priced)
Infinity Q50 (V6)
Hyundai Genesis R-Spec (most stuff)
????
 
#22 ·
If you have the money get the new '15+ SRT.

Only problem with that is availability of slightly used 15+ SRTs will likely be limited in the short term.

The 6.4 HEMI with the 8 speed transmission blows away the previous gen SRTs.

No need to consider an R/T if you have the budget for an SRT; it's a whole other animal. Unless of course you opt for the Scat Pack R/T, which has most of the performance of the SRT in a cheaper package.
 
#23 · (Edited)
I'm not sure about the SRT, but you can get the 8 spd transmission in the 11-14 model RT. Not sure specifically when it first became available but as Flex said it makes a huge difference. I also have to agree that if you don't mind spending the money (and obviously have it to spend), there's no reason to not select the SRT. Same reason I bought a RT over the SXT. I'll never need/use the extra power offered by the V8 over the V6, but I got it mostly because I could. I considered the SRT, but for how I use the car, I couldn't bring myself to spend the extra money on it. Especially when I considered that the V6 was perfectly capable for what I used it so the larger V8 was pointless to me. That said, it sounds like you "play" a bit more than I do, so if you're comfortable with spending the extra money, there's really no other down side than that to buying the higher trim.

What else I considered before buying the Charger. Not much really. I looked around at Ford and Chevy, but they didn't really have anything that was comparable (that I saw anyway). I know it sounds old and stubborn, but I'm not buying a foreign car. I had a Honda once. It was okay, but I hated myself every day for putting an import in my driveway, when we've got perfectly good domestic cars available. It didn't last long (maybe a year). Since you're okay with an import, I hear the Genesis is a fun car to drive. If I was considering an import the Maxima looks like a nice car, but I don't know how it stacks up because I didn't look at them.

So to be brief. Nothing domestic really stacks up to the Charger, so it's pretty much a gimme, and if you're okay with spending the extra there's no reason I can think of to not get the SRT. I'm cheap so I didn't but they are cool.
 
#24 · (Edited)
8 speed auto was only available in '15-present on the R/T. While everyone will say get the SRT if you can afford it, I disagree. The R/T is about as much as you'd want on the street power-wise while still maintaining decent MPG, so it depends on your priorities, although the new 8 speed auto is a game changer when it comes to MPG with the 6.4L. I love my R/T despite being 55hp less than the previous gen 6.1L HEMI, but that's nothing bolt on mods and a good time can't close the gap on.
 
#26 ·
8 speed auto was only available in '15-present on the R/T......
Hmmmm, how about that. Now I don't have to kick myself for getting the 5 spd transmission on my car. I've got the 8 spd paired with the 5.7L on my '14 Ram, so I assumed they'd pair them on the Charger too. It's a great combo and makes a huge improvement over the transmissions paired with the 5.7L I had on my previous Rams.
And here all this time I've been kicking myself for not remembering to order the 8 spd on my car. Ha ha, guess I didn't screw that up after all. Thanks for the correction. :beerchug:
 
#28 · (Edited)
^ make sure you're clear on years.

For regular driving and mpg the 8 speed in the 392 will pick up a few mpgs. I have a 14 srt loaded with the 5 speed. At the track the difference in tranny is moot. I don't track for racing just for fun and while the 8 shifts faster that ultimately doesn't matter - the 5 shifts about as fast as you would a manual.

For long commutes I don't think I'd be ok with 22mpg, which is what I get with my 6.4/392 in the 5 speed around 80mph. There is just no way I would spend the extra to buy a new srt for mpg. Now the new srt exhaust is great.

You can get a 12-13 in the 30k zone. Has lots of power, adaptive suspension and good brakes.

As for handling, I can pull over a g at the track. Pretty impressive!
 
#33 ·
I'd be very tempted to take that 1 year old SRT if it's the same price as the RT. That's depending on the options on the RT, and the amount of miles on the SRT. There was no such deal to be found around here when I ordered my car. A year old SRT was much higher priced than a RT (even one packed with options) when I was shopping. It's funny how locations, model years, etc affect that sort of thing.
 
#32 ·
My last job was a 46 mile commute each way. When I started there in 2009 I had my R/T then upgraded to the SRT in early 2011. I didn't notice much of a difference in fuel consumption.

No question I spent a lot of money on fuel over the 5.5 years I worked there though. :ack:
 
#35 ·
My fiancée and I just bought a house together. With the house comes a brand new commute. I just started a 48 mile commute, each way, with a 2011 R/T AWD. My previous commute was 24 miles each way. I was managing 19 MPG with a ton of traffic. It truly didn't matter near the George Washington Bridge or anywhere down route 80, route 4 or 46. It sucked any time between 4 and 6 PM. I stopped every 5 to 6 days for gas. With the new commute I managing anywhere between 23 and 24 MPG. Stopping every 4 days on the dot for gas. It's pretty consistent given that I haven't cleared the EVIC in over a year. Today I milked it for just over 25 MPG (I must drive pretty slow...). Either way I fill up for gas at least once a week. Assuming I don't fill up on a Monday, of course.

I tend not to notice the amount of time I spend in the car because either commute would have meant an hour, at a minimum, each way. I tend to think of it as 24 to 30 minutes on one road, stop and go, on a highway with too many stop lights. It's 11 miles, but it still takes me just as long as the last 3 legs of my journey. Afterwards it's all highway, 8 to 10 minutes down each leg.

The R/T itself is pretty comfortable, even if the car is a boat. I added an OEM backup camera to make it easier on reverse parking. The heated seats in the winter are a dream.

I'd personally get a hybrid or something that got ridiculous amount of miles with blind spot monitoring... perhaps next time. Simply because I do not want to put any more miles on the R/T than I have to. I'd love to keep her in the garage, taking her out when it snows. That's always fun. But I haven't gotten that far. Nor do I feel like spending any more money at the moment. I'm simply trying to find a decent mechanic for typical maintenance. Damn it! I'm overdue for an oil change. :)
 
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