[nexusnrg]

I'm in a dilemma and I'm looking for some owner recommendations.

I have the option to buy a 2008 Inferno Red R/T with 18k miles on it they want 23,000 for it but I'd offer them no more than 20,500. OR....

A 2006 Top Banana DAYTONA R/T with 59k miles on it. They want 19,000 for it but I'd offer them no more than 17,500

If YOU had a choice from the two above Chargers, which one would you go with, and why? I'm in the market to buy one in the next week or so, and these two are available to me right now. My only concern is that the 06 chargers seem to have more TSBs than the 2008. Carcomplaints.com has practically nothing posted for 2008's and some for 2006's. I already have a POS IMPALA that I am ready to drive off a bridge into the Gulf of Mexico. So I don't wanna lose one POS with a "constant issue" vehicle for another one.

Your comments, suggestions, advice are greatly appreciated. BTW I've been reading the forum for about a year now but just registered the other day when I decided I was going to make my next car a MOPAR and Charger specifically. What year model is TBD...

 

[Gladiator]

You clearly aren't looking specifically for a Daytona so go with the 08. It isn't a big price difference considering it has a lot fewer miles. (I'm saying that assuming that the options are pretty equal between the two cars.)

 

[MySRT8U]

if it were me personally, I would hold off and find a clean used SRT. I had the R/T first and while it is a great car, the SRT is a whole different animal. Used SRT's can be had for about the price of the 08 you have listed. Sometimes a little lower

 

[Gladiator]

That's true but that also depends on the milage. An SRT would abviously be the better choice but that's a choice "C" and we were given "A" & "B".

 

[Grimlock]

I agree that I would hold out for a SRT8. They are just a better car and a better value if you are into performance.

If you aren't into performance, then I would go for the Torred R/T. But for another $1-2K you could get a SRT8, so why wouldn't you get one?

 

[MySRT8U]

That's true but that also depends on the milage. An SRT would abviously be the better choice but that's a choice "C" and we were given "A" & "B".

lol true, but he said suggestions were appreciated :bigthumb: so that was mine lol. As someone who bought his SRT the expensive way, I know from experience lol. And of course if you aren't BIG into performance than the R/T is the best bang for you buck in terms of mixing performance with comfort etc.:bigthumb:

 

[Gladiator]

All of you guys who bought the SRT the expensive way saved me a ton of money. I was all set to buy a R&T and said eff it. Where is the closest/cheapest BB SRT at?

 

[paxton]

I'd opt for the lower milage car and longer warranty period...plus the 08's have an updated interior which is alot nicer than the 06's. Performance wise...I'd get the SRT if I were you!

 

[nexusnrg]

Hey guys I appreciate the responses thus far, PLEASE KEEP THEM COMING.

To answer some of your questions, there is a dealership here who is selling a 2006 SRT8 also in Inferno Red, it has 15,000 miles on it, and they are asking 26,660. My big issue is the fuel consumption/MPG. I'm going from an Impala LS that gets around 28MPG Highway to looking at getting a 5.7L Hemi that lists 25MPG. I drive 45 Miles round-trip from home to work 5 days (sometimes 6 days) a week. I quickly and easily put 300 miles on my car in only a 5 day period, and that's only just to drive to and from work. Forget casual/leisure driving.

Believe me, I would love to have the higher performance 6.1L engine, and say that I have an SRT8, But I can't see myself managing the additional fuel cost. I'm not a "performance" type of consumer anyhow. But I will say that If I had the choice between an SE or SXT, and an R/T, I'm going to go with the R/T every time simply because it appears to get about the same MPG as the V6 models do. So YEAH, I want more horses.

In the time I posted this thread, and now, I've went to the dealership that has the Daytona and checked it out, the car was in really good looking condition. I wanted to take it for a test drive but the salesman wanted some info from me first, and sure enough he started talking numbers. He goated me into giving him a price I would settle on, which was 17k, and then he pulled his manager into the game, and things went haywire from there. I just thanked him for his time and left.

Gladiator is exactly right on! I absolutely do not care if it's a daytona or not. It just has to be at least an R/T. I'm not going to drive a watered down Charger. I kind of made that clear to them at the dealership too. I told them that if they had another R/T on the lot I'd be looking at that too. The daytona package is not a draw for me.

So maybe this reply will give you guys a little bit more info. It sounds like most of you would lean toward the 08 since it would still have warranty, and true the interior is updated. I just don't think I'd get what I want to pay for the 08 but I'll see what the salespeople have to say in the next couple of days.

I do hope to be in a charger here shortly though, and then I'm going to start modding. One thing I'm looking at doing is replacing the hood with one of those VFN AAR Style hoods, and CAI, and probably a new grille to start off with.

 

[SDCharger08]

IMO go with the 08 R/T... Inferno Red is great color too and the mileage is good!

 

[soxfan4eva]

I'd rather have the Daytona, from a practical point of view I'd rather have the newer R/T with less miles if it's a similar price. Since you seem to be worried about the cost of gas, I imagine you don't have much to spend on repairs and maintenance. At 59K miles the Daytona will be in the shop sooner than the R/T.

 

[Grimlock]

If you aren't a performance guy, then yeah the SRT8 might not be for you. The only advantages of the SRT8 for you would be the hood (maybe no need to replace it?), the body kit, and the interior is much nicer. The fuel economy isn't *that* much different either. Maybe you would pay a few hundred dollars a year more, but it is definitely worth that to me.

The good news is if you just want an R/T there are tons of them out there. I would try to figure out what colors, options, etc. are most important to you. Clearly target the one with lowest miles (and full service documentation) first.

You may want to compare the seats in an R/T, Daytona (or R/T with R&T), and an SRT8 as well. Driving all 3 on the same day might be beneficial as well. You might want to consider the V6 as well....just to compare. Some people prefer it!

How long do you plan on keeping the car? Resale value might make the SRT8 worth buying on this alone. As time goes on, the price of the R/T will begin to fall at a faster rate than the SRT8. There will always be buyers looking for the top performance car of the generation, and the R/T will not have this same demand. Of course you don't buy these for an investment, but it is worth considering. The Daytona will probably hold value better than a regular R/T as well, but it might be more difficult to sell as the graphics aren't for everyone!

To me the SRT8 is just too cheap right now to not buy one, but you need to consider what is right for you and your current living situation.

 

[Waldo]

if your worried about fuel...do you do mostly town driving? if thats the case then yea the mpg isnt very good...i get around 13 in town...highway driving (60mph) i get 23, and interstate driving (75mph) i get 20.

 

[JackassJesse]

The 08 seems like the best choice. I have an 08 and the interior is awesome!!!. The other ones look so weird. haha But I still love them!!! haha But yeah, I really want two more cylinders!!

 

[nexusnrg]

if your worried about fuel...do you do mostly town driving? if thats the case then yea the mpg isnt very good...i get around 13 in town...highway driving (60mph) i get 23, and interstate driving (75mph) i get 20.

I primarily drive along US Highway 90 its 23 miles one way, and I drive through 2 cities to get to work, so about 15 traffic-lighted intersections and the speed limit on that stretch is 45mhp. If I take I-10 I add about 5 miles to the trip but it's a straight shot with no stopping, and a constant 75-80mph. I don't usually take the interstate though because it's 5 miles out of my way to get on it. I'm not really worried about "fuel" I have the money for that but I was kinda pissed off every time I was dropping 50-60 dollars a week each time I went to fill up (back when it was 4+ dollars). I actually started thinking of a *puke* prius. You can see where my heart has lead me though. Now that I'm ready to dump the impala instead of getting something more fuel efficient I'm going in the other direction with a V8. I just don't think the 6.1L is for me though. I'd like to keep gas down to under $300 a month.

Well it didn't really sound like they were willing to deal down to my level on the Daytona anyhow. I'm going to gun for the 08 in the next few days and see what I can do. If that falls through I'll keep watching the daytona to see if it sells or not, if not, maybe by the end of this month they might be more receptive to my offer.

 

[nexusnrg]

Ok, well let me ask this of all you SRT8 owners.... (since there seems to be a strong leaning toward it)

Understanding that it has a 19 gal tank. One person listed he get's 23mpg on highway, 14 in the city, and around 20 on the interstate.

Is this the norm for most of you? What are you all experiencing? Another question, about how many miles do you average to a tank? To give you an example, when I fill up my impala (14 gal tank) I reset the trip meter to 000. By the time my low-fuel indicator goes off (about where the red line is on the fuel gauge) I put about 304 miles. So on an average I am getting about 300 miles per tank full.

What is your avg per tank full in the SRT?

 

[ws6ta]

I have read many (many) posts on fuel mileage over my tenure here and there is only maybe a 1mpg difference between the R/T and the SRT.

My R/T got a best of 24mpg on a flat road. I took a road trip (almost all hwy at 70mph) and averaged 23mpg.

The above is the best I have ever managed out of the car. I have taken trips before at 75-80mph and only could muster 19-20mpg. In my normal driving around town and highway (60/40) I average 16 mpg with a heavy foot.

The SRT will have much better resale if you are taking that into consideration.

Good luck on your search. You might have a hard time finding an SRT for around $20k though.

 

[Silver Charger R/T fan]

IMO... I need to look both cars, feel and drive, see the interior and exterior in excellent condition, the paint, no crashes etc...

maybe the TB daytona has best interior and exterior without crashes and good paint, if this is the case, go for the TB... if both cars is in the same condition, go for the newest...

 

[CHARLIE]

I have read many (many) posts on fuel mileage over my tenure here and there is only maybe a 1mpg difference between the R/T and the SRT.My R/T got a best of 24mpg on a flat road. I took a road trip (almost all hwy at 70mph) and averaged 23mpg.

The above is the best I have ever managed out of the car. I have taken trips before at 75-80mph and only could muster 19-20mpg. In my normal driving around town and highway (60/40) I average 16 mpg with a heavy foot.

The SRT will have much better resale if you are taking that into consideration.

Good luck on your search. You might have a hard time finding an SRT for around $20k though.

I don't know if I agree with that. I think it's more like 3-4 mpg difference. The reason I say this is because members of our regional LX club, come together and caravans on a 250+ mile trip to Spring Fest every year. We all top off our tank prior to taking off at a desinated location. During mid trip, some of us reported, over our 2 way radios, what kind of gas milage they are getting. The R/Ts seem to be getting 3-4 mpg better than the SRTs. Mind you, we are all traveling single file, driving at approx. the same speed throughout the trip. Most of us top off at the gas station where we meet up before the trip.

 

[Grimlock]

I think real world might be 2MPG difference. I don't drive much at all (I'm disabled) and when I do it is mostly in town. I typically average 15-16MPG. I am not really sure how far I could get on a tank, I never really pay attention to that and I just fill-up when ever it is convenient.

Also keep in mind that the SRT8 comes with many more options standard. Those seats are damn sweet, and I would definitely want EVIC on my car!

As for prices, I've seen SRT8s for as low as $16K with high miles in recent months. Fining a really nice one with low miles for under $24K would be super easy for me in the Bay Area. But it might be more challenging depending on where you live.

I don't want to "sell" you a car that you don't want. But some many R/T owners regret not getting a SRT8 weeks or months later. The number of people who upgraded on this forum is staggering! With prices being typically within about $2K, I think the decision is easy. But I am a performance guy. But the other stuff that comes with the SRT8 is cool too. It is a much better looking car with the body kit, the hood, the 20" rims, etc.

The resale value of the SRT8 will be superior in 5 years too. I bet SRT8s are selling for double what R/Ts are by the time they are 10 year old cars....or darn close. People will always want the SRT8 for the great stuff it comes with. A great example is to go compare the price of a M5 to a BMW 540i. The SRT8 is the Dodge equivelent. Or I suppose you could even compare Dodge Neon SRT4 prices compared to other Neons. I am shocked how expensive those SRT4s still are!