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Which V8 should I get R/T or SCAT Pack

Should I get R/T Charger or SCAT Pack Charger as a Daily Driver? COVID Car Buying

22K views 79 replies 33 participants last post by  Rex Racer 
Either would be great for daily drivers. The two main things a car like the Charger would have going against it (as far as being a daily driver is concerned) is the fuel mileage and the size of the car, for parking into tight spots. I've had several RT's as rentals and they are fun to drive. They sound great and are plenty fast enough. Obviously jumping up to the 392 unleashes another level of power, but it is really too much for the daily driver.. in the sense that you are typically "wasting" more of the power than you are using. Most of the time, you won't be using all of the power of the 5.7, let alone the 6.4.

Either are a good choice. I guess it would come down to if you can afford the extra car, and if its REALLY worth it for you to pay the extra. Some people are more than satisfied with having an SXT, some think they wouldn't survive without driving a Hellcat. I had this debate between ordering my SPWB and getting a Hellcat. I went back and forth for about two weeks...ultimately I chose the SP. The extra money didn't make sense for me. Nearly identical cars other than some minor option difference, and of course the SC. The cars have the same power (feel) driving wise, up until you are at highway speeds and punch it.
 
Last piece of advice - never drive something more powerful without driving the "lesser" first. If you drive the RT, love the power, price, etc... then you have the chance to really ask yourself what you're willing to pay MORE to have more power. If the RT blows you away, there is no reason to go up.

It is much more difficult to start at the top and work your way down.
 
If you've driven both cars and don't really notice much difference between them, that tells me you did't really drive either one very hard to know. The difference in performance would have made me to know instantly. Everyone has different wants and needs. I personally would go with the Scat Pack, but if you're not going to use it, the 5.7 engine R/T might be great and save you some money. It's all about what works best for you.
Is this directed towards someone..? I believe it seems most of the posts on here reflect that the ScatPack has more power than an RT.
This is also why I had said if you’re satisfied with the 5.7, there’s no reason to drive a 6.4..because you’ll almost be forced to go with the more expensive car.
 
Yep, and $5K is nothing in the grand scheme of things when you consider the difference. I've owned both, and the 392 totally transforms the car - well worth $5,000 to me.
I agree. I factory ordered my SPWB, but $5k can be quite the increase for some people. Personally, I wouldn’t buy an RT..but that is me and my situation. I’m not knocking the 5.7 either, because they are still good/fun cars and a dream for many people.
 
It was in response to the OP who said, "I test drove them both, I cant seem to decide what is the better car. I am coming from a 4cylinder Car to a V8." I completely agree with what you said, which is why I voted to go 5.7 R/T in the poll up top.
Speaking from my own experience, I had a gorgeous '10 5.7 PCP R/T Classic 6 spd with custom white Katzkin interior. My first Challenger! When the '11 392 SRT came out one year later, I bought a 6 spd GWE SRT. I had both cars for awhile, but the difference between the two left me only wanting to drive the SRT.
Coming from a 4 cylinder, the OP doesn't sound like there's a crying need for to much power, in much the same way I don't really need a HC. Sure, I'd love one, but truth be told, I can't even go all out with my SPWB in the area that I live, so a HC wouldn't work for me.
Ahh, I see and agree! I think we’re on the exact same page. As I had said, I heavily debated on ordering a hellcat. I had one spec’d out and ready for a deposit. I changed my mind last minute, and I still think it was the better. The cars are just too similar. The scat WB is lighter on its feet, and is nearly identical to the Hellcat. There was no reason to spend the extra cash. That and there is something special about having a big 6.4 versus the 6.2, even if it does have more power (with the supercharger).
 
6.4 takes premium, plus more expensive brakes, possible insurance depending on situation.... that is the biggest difference from what I have heard. It also depends on how you drive, if you are daily driving it go 5.7. Too much to use even on the country roads unless you like to get tickets and possibly wreck in a 5.7 your doing 80 before you know it. I am upgrading to a scat pack widebody only because of the times and I have 2 other cars to daily. My wife has a 3rd car, I am a little obsessed with 4 wheels.

Neil
For me, it also came down to the aesthetics and bigger/wider wheels. Once I saw a WB in person, I was sold. The big price jump didn’t bother me. That and I was a deposit away from ordering a cat, so the SPWB was still less money.. 😂
 
I'll throw in my 2 cents here. I've owned both and I'm not as down on the 5.7 as others are.
I currently own a 21 Scat and really like it. It has all the options I originally wanted on my RT when I bought it new in 18.
The only reason i have a scat now is because of the crazy crap going on in the used market. I was able to sell my RT for crazy money and have the same payment on a Scat with more options because I got a lot more than I owed. So I was thrilled.
I loved my RT. It had plenty of power and was optioned pretty well. It really moved out when it needed to and never embarrased me unless I picked the wrong car to mess with. It will not keep up with current crop of GT's and SS's so you need to really careful..lol
Drove my RT from St.Louis to Yellowstone and back last year and it was an awesome drive. Set my trip meter for the trip and was averaging 30mpg on the way back (FOR THE WHOLE TRIP) at times. Finished out about 28mpg for the whole trip
Super comfy ride. Great highway car and great mileage for a V8.
I basically sold my RT outright to a Ford dealership. We were car shopping for my wife on a rainy day and took my charger. They told me they were going to buy my car whether we bought anything from them or not......I laughed.......they made their offer.
I was pulling the plates off about 20min later and they drove my wife and I home. About a 30min drive.
I found a new Scat onlinne that same day about an hour away. Called them and they quoted me 5000 under invoice. I put 500 down over the phone and picked it up about a week later.
I love the Scat Pack. It's the same color as my RT with more options and over 100hp more. And yes it is noticable just like everyone says. Night and day.
There is also a noticeable difference in gas mileage no matter what anyone says. Im in the pedal a lot more and my average mpg runs about 16 to 19 tops. The RT averaged about 21. Best average highway for the scat 24mpg, RT was about 27 to 28. Add the additional cost of premium and the fuel cost is significantly more.
The suspension is also stiffer on the scat. I made a couple trips to KC and back. Great riding car but not as good as the RT on long drives. Still a great cross country car but the RT was more plush riding and better for the long haul.
Insurance was also more in my case. But others have said theirs was the same. I can only speak for me.
Bottom line, you wont go wrong with either car. But, if you are power hungry you will desire the scat after you buy the RT. If you can be rational, the RT has more power than needed for 99% of people and their daily driving. Better gas mileage, little bit cheaper fuel, slightly better ride.

Three more things:
I loved my RT
I love my Scat more.
And I would not buy a used car right now, if that is what you are looking to do. Wait if you can.
There are several things that don't add up for this...
  1. whether or not you received a "good" deal isn't determined by the change (or lack of) of monthly payment.
  2. $5,000 under invoice or under MSRP? That does include that money from Dodge? Using a fairly optioned ScatPack, $5,000 is still well under employee pricing, even with the $1,500 Dodge cash included. The less optioned a car is, the most significant X dollar amount under invoice is. Most dealers aren't going to give those types of numbers right now, especially on a unit in stock.
  3. Did you shop around/inquire with others what they would purchase your car for? Seems unlikely to jump ship at the first offer, and have that be the best option..

Your description between the RT and the ScatPack is accurate IMO. I honestly think that many people would be satisfied with the RT, especially with those who hadn't driven something faster.
 
Keep the 4 cylinder for a “Mostly Daily” driver and get the Scat Pack as your trophy car.

The R/T is a nice large sedan and active exhaust from 2017 and up and sounds nice. But it’s still a rental car vs the 392 Hemi beast.

Many years back went in to buy a Toyota Camry as a daily driver. The salesman talked us into test driving a used Avalon we really were hesitant to drive because of the higher cost. Night and Day, the V6 Camry was junk. Went thru 2 Avalon’s as daily drivers.

Still have one cuz I’m not taking the Scat to the super market,pharmavy, Home Depot etc so some idiot can ding it up or back into it and run.:mad:

That's like saying you walked in wanting to buy a Dart, and walked out with a Charger. :ROFLMAO: Not in regards to just the performance so much, but the Camry and Avalon aren't ones to be cross-shopped either. Camry's are decent for what they are, but they are typically very basic. Completely different vehicles serving a different group of consumers.
 
@jashaun Check out my man Hemi Muscle on YouTube.

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCCoysSwil6cNLhqiEYuSQnw

He had an R/T and upgraded to a Scat Pack (Widebody). Awesome Octane Red.

R/T is no slouch and the reason I have a Charger at all after driving one several times. And why I have pretty much what Hemi Muscle has now.

The big Power Dollar rebates are gone and don’t expect them to come back. It makes no sense to buy used and with Chip Shortage into next year don’t expect the crazy uses pricing to improve much anytime soon.

Widebody Nation has good coverage on current trends on price and incentives.
Yeah, I don't see Dodge brining the power dollars back anytime in the foreseeable future. There simply is no reason too, as you had said.
 


  1. For me it was a good deal. I had a set monthly payment I was not willing to go over when I bought my RT in 2018. Around $500. The car stickered at $40,000 and got it for around $35,000. Details escape me as it was 3 years ago. Fast forward to late April this year, car had 35000 miles and dealership offered $30,000. Keep in mind this was back in late April, the used car craziness wasnt as well known. I took the RT a couple times last year was lucky to get $24000 on trade with less miles. So yes, I took the first offer. I owed around $22000. Found my Scat with same color, alcantera, technology package. no sunroof. Stickered at $50000 and told me they would sell it to me for $45,000 and some change OTD. With my equity from my RT as a down payment I was able to keep
    my payment down and get the scat with more options. Accepting the fact I was starting my loan time over of course. Hope this explains thing a little better.
    Yeah I could have held out for a better deal but I new that F8 scat was in transit to the other dealer and didnt want to miss it. I'm happy
Does the $45,xxx include the ~$8,000 equity down? If not, that is a decent deal.
 
45000 was their price OTD. Before my equity down. I gave my credit union the equity $$ and they gave me a check to give to the dealership for the OTD price.
Probably making it sound more confusing than it actually was.
ahh, I was also forgetting..early in the year I believe dodge was offering $2.5k or $3k off. That would make a difference as well. It was already down to $2k off when I had ordered mine in May. As we had said, it’s currently at $1,500.
 
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