Went looking at cars this weekend

[Tru2Chevy]

I don't suppose you have found any used 5.9s either, huh?

I have done some reading on the 6.7, but just enough to know that many people think they suck.

- Justin

[79CamaroDiva]

Originally Posted by Shownomercy

What do you do?

me or him? I'm assuming you mean him even though you quoted me. I'll let him toot his own horn about work

[LTb1ow]

Oops, yea I figured the message would make it through...

[bcgetfresh]

Originally Posted by SteveR

Ok, so we went and spent 6 hours today test driving cars We drove;

2009 Pontiac G6 GXP
2008 Pontiac G8 GT
2006 Dodge Magnum SXT
2006 Dodge Magnum R/T AWD
2006 Chrysler 300C SRT8
2006 Saab 9-3 convertible
2008 Saab 9-3 Aero
2007 Saab 9-5


All of the cars were nice, but some really stood out over the others. First was the Dodge Magnum SXT. I wanted to get an idea of how the Magnum felt and its visibility. The V6 was kinda crappy, and the cloth seats were uncomfortable. Visibility wasn't bad though and I kinda like the way it looks. There was plenty of room in the back seat for two adults. There was a good amount of cargo space and with the back seats folded down you could really put a good amount of stuff in there.

Next was the Pontiac G8 GT and G6 GXP. The G8 GT was very comfortable, and the interior is laid out real nice. Everything is ergonomic and easy to reach. I'd say front passenger area is in the same size class as the Audi A4. One thing we noticed is that the center console in the G8 is almost identical to the Saab 9-3, minus the Saab center console key thing. We drove one once a few weeks ago and it handled good, and there was plenty of power. The only thing I noticed when we drove it is that there is a very noticeable lag from foot-to-floor to engine reaction. Next was the G6 GXP. The interior is a bit bigger than the G8, with more leg room in the front and back (we drove the sedan). The ride quality was really good, the seats felt comfortable and it was a blast to drive. The motor was responsive and it has plenty of power. The looks of it are really nice in person with the mesh grill and optional black chrome wheels. I had only seen a few pictures of them here and there but never in person. We test drove a black on black one and I was very impressed with the looks of it. As much as I rag on Pontiac for always using the same double grill thing on every single car, they really made it look good this time.

Then we went over to the Saab dealer and played with them for a while. I wanted to take the 9-3 convertible out first and see what the road noise was like. It handles great and there really isnt much noise difference between the convertible and the sedan. There really isnt much of a back seat though in the convertible. Back seat in the 9-3 sedan was ok, but tall adults will have their knees in the back of the front seat. The 2.0L turbo had decent power, but it took a little while for the turbo to kick in and felt a little sluggish down low. The trans also didnt respond predictably in the one we drove so I never really felt comfortable that the car was going to do what I wanted it to.The interior is very well laid out and the seats were amazing. Next was the 9-5, and I like the way it looks, but it didn't feel as good as the smaller and cheaper 9-3. The seats didnt feel as contoured as the 9-3, and the center console wasnt as easy to reach and just trying to turn the radio on was a chore. The ride was nice and smooth though as the convertible felt a little stiff over bumps. Finally we took out the 2008 9-3 Aero. The 2.8L turbo V6 was very nice and was a huge improvement over the 2.0L, and all the trans issues were gone. The two tone tan and chocolate leather interior was very well done and the seats were so comfortable you could sleep in them. For some reason though they used interior design ideas from the older 9-5 in the new 9-3 which I think was a step back as the previous dash and console from the 9-3 was better I think, but not a huge deal, as it was still a little closer to the driver than the 9-5. After driving the '08 9-3 Aero, I knew it was going to be a strong possibility.

Finally we went to a Dodge dealer and first took out a 2006 Magnum R/T AWD. The interior upgrades over the SXT was night and day. The leather was decent, and the contour of the seats were a lot more comfortable. I didn't really get on it, but it had good enough power from the 5.7L hemi. Everything in the interior is easy to reach and for some reason, unlike the Saab's, all the controls on the steering wheel are lit so you can see them at night. I can see how people make fun of the SXT and SE though, as they arent very comfortable, and they are underpowered. The R/T on the other hand really felt like an entirely different car. The interior was much better, the engine more responsive, and the ride quality smoother. Finally was the 2006 Chrysler 300C SRT8. All I can say is OMFG. Love it or hate it, until you drive one, you have no right to make fun of it. The handling was responsive, the interior was very comfortable, everything was laid out nice, and with 425hp, it moves to say the least. The salesman let us take it out by ourselves so we had time to really see what it had. I was really impressed with it. The SRT8 seats were also really nice.

In the end, all the cars, minus the Magnum SXT which is being stricken from my memory, all fall into roughly the same price range of 20-25k after rebates and such. I still havent taken out a CTS yet, or found an S60-R locally to test drive, so following these last few days of playing, I'd have to say the list right now is;

300C SRT8
Magnum SRT8
Saab 9-3 Aero
Pontiac G6 GXP
Caddy CTS
Volvo S60-R
Lincoln MKZ

After these last few days I think it's going to be hard to choose just one of these cars as I'm very impressed with all the ones on the list that we've taken out so far.

whooaaaaaa your tellin me you can buy a G8 GT for 20-25k???

[BigAls87Z28]

Wait, the G6 had more room then G8? Did you drive the right car?

[79CamaroDiva]

Originally Posted by BigAls87Z28

Wait, the G6 had more room then G8? Did you drive the right car?

interior wise, yes it did. he could have sat behind himself in the g6 but not the g8, plus the g6 seats were much more comfortable. the g8 feels a little hard.

[BigAls87Z28]

Originally Posted by 79CamaroDiva

interior wise, yes it did. he could have sat behind himself in the g6 but not the g8, plus the g6 seats were much more comfortable. the g8 feels a little hard.

I honestly dont think you sat in the same car I did. I sat in the back seat of a G8, behind a guy that was 6'4, and had enough room to slouch in the seat!!
G6 is roomy, but no where near as roomy as the G8. Not even close. Width, leg room, everything.

[SteveR]

Originally Posted by BigAls87Z28

I honestly dont think you sat in the same car I did. I sat in the back seat of a G8, behind a guy that was 6'4, and had enough room to slouch in the seat!!
G6 is roomy, but no where near as roomy as the G8. Not even close. Width, leg room, everything.

We took out an '09 G6 sedan, not the coupe, and it may not even be that the cubic foot space was more, but the way it was laid out it felt like I had more front leg room and the back seat was big enough for me without any issues. The G8 was good and I don't mean to put it down, but the G6 GXP just felt a little more comfortable and that I could stretch out more.

[SteveR]

Originally Posted by Tru2Chevy

I don't suppose you have found any used 5.9s either, huh?

I have done some reading on the 6.7, but just enough to know that many people think they suck.

- Justin

Everyone I talk to loves the 5.9. I'd definitely look at getting one, but people ask a lot of money for a newer 5.9 diesel. The Ford's are pretty nice, but I'd look for a '99.5 - '02 7.3 Power Stroke over a 6.0 ('03 - '07), and the 6.4 is amazing (2008), as long as you make sure it wasnt one of the first batches that were built as they had turbo issues. If you can find a new 6.4, they're really nice. The hard thing is finding a bare bones truck. Most if not all have all sorts of luxury options like leather bucket seats and stuff I really dont want. I went looking at GMCs and they're pretty nice and I've heard good reviews of the 6.6, they're definitely a huge improvement over the 6.5. What I dont like about them is that in the end the diesel option for either a Chevy or GMC is almost 10k. It's like 7500 for the motor, and like 1400 for the Allison trans. That puts GM at the most expensive in terms of just the option alone, whereas Ford is only 6400 total. Used Fords are really easy to come by too, especially fleet trucks. I made a post a while ago about the cost of diesel trucks right now. You can easily pick up a six or seven year old diesel for 6k or less right now.

[SteveR]

Originally Posted by bcgetfresh

whooaaaaaa your tellin me you can buy a G8 GT for 20-25k???

Sticker on a base 2008 G8 GT was around 28k. If you can find a new 2008 left-over at a dealer, the incentives right now are something like 7500 cash back alone. So if you found one for say 30k sticker, you could easily drive it off the lot for something like 20-21k. The big thing is negotiations. Bottom line is that the dealership marks up new cars 3-5k on average, some less. All incentives are reimbursements from the manufacturer and are NOT taken off by the dealer, so never let them tell you that the incentives are their mark down, as they still have their mark up in the car after the incentives are taken out. And always make sure you qualify for all incentives and rebates and that the salesman puts those in BEFORE you haggle on the price. You want to see how low on the car you can get before trying to get them to budge on their mark up. If you beat them up on the price, then ask about the incentives and rebates, they're most likely not going to give you everything you qualify for in the deal, then add them to the deal after you sign the paperwork and make money back that way. I think that's illegal, but all dealerships bend the rules to make money, because there is NO regulation on it. So if you can get a total of say 9k in incentives and rebates, then have them take 2k more off the car, you just saved 11k. The thing is not to try and steal the car from them. The salesmen make their living off commission, so make your focus on the incentives and rebates, as that doesnt affect the dealer invoice and salesman commission. The incentives for the 2009s aren't nearly as good, so they'd be more money.

[SteveR]

Originally Posted by Shownomercy

What do you do?

I work for the government trying to make things that were made to blow up not blow up.

[Tru2Chevy]

Originally Posted by SteveR

Everyone I talk to loves the 5.9. I'd definitely look at getting one, but people ask a lot of money for a newer 5.9 diesel. The Ford's are pretty nice, but I'd look for a '99.5 - '02 7.3 Power Stroke over a 6.0 ('03 - '07), and the 6.4 is amazing (2008), as long as you make sure it wasnt one of the first batches that were built as they had turbo issues. If you can find a new 6.4, they're really nice. The hard thing is finding a bare bones truck. Most if not all have all sorts of luxury options like leather bucket seats and stuff I really dont want. I went looking at GMCs and they're pretty nice and I've heard good reviews of the 6.6, they're definitely a huge improvement over the 6.5. What I dont like about them is that in the end the diesel option for either a Chevy or GMC is almost 10k. It's like 7500 for the motor, and like 1400 for the Allison trans. That puts GM at the most expensive in terms of just the option alone, whereas Ford is only 6400 total. Used Fords are really easy to come by too, especially fleet trucks. I made a post a while ago about the cost of diesel trucks right now. You can easily pick up a six or seven year old diesel for 6k or less right now.

Yea, my brother picked up an '05 3500 quad cab 5.9 last spring. It's a great truck. 4x4 and an 8' bed, cloth interior, and with his predator programmer he's getting about 22mpg around town and 26-27 on the highway (as long as he keeps it under 80).

- Justin

[SteveR]

Originally Posted by Tru2Chevy

Yea, my brother picked up an '05 3500 quad cab 5.9 last spring. It's a great truck. 4x4 and an 8' bed, cloth interior, and with his predator programmer he's getting about 22mpg around town and 26-27 on the highway (as long as he keeps it under 80).

- Justin

wow thats some awesome gas mileage. You can really get those engines running efficiently once you do some minor work to them. Thats a nice looking truck too

[Tru2Chevy]

Originally Posted by SteveR

wow thats some awesome gas mileage. You can really get those engines running efficiently once you do some minor work to them. Thats a nice looking truck too

Yea, before the tuner he was getting 18-19 in town and 22-24 on the highway, which is still damn good. More mods are in the works....with just the tuner the truck has no problem lighting up all 4 tires now

- Justin

[SteveR]

Originally Posted by Ian

if you get the SRT-8, be prepared to pay a lot for brake parts. the rotors are not serviceable, the front brake pads cost $400, tires are expensive. if for some reason you have to get a new rim, its about $1200 for ONE of them!

Thats good to know. How do they hold up maintenance wise? Any major known issues? Also, the salesman told us that the suspension for the 300C SRT8 is different than the suspension for the Magnum/Charger/Challenger SRT8, do you know if that's true?

[Anti_Rice_Guy]

Originally Posted by SteveR

wow thats some awesome gas mileage. You can really get those engines running efficiently once you do some minor work to them. Thats a nice looking truck too

There's a guy I know with a 600+rwhp, 1300+ rwtq TT 07 Cummins 5.9 crew cab that averages ~17 overall