New or Used?

[Ryster]

Hi!

Thinking about finally taking the plunge and buying an LX. My dilemma is whether to buy used or buy new.

My local Chrysler dealer has a 2005 cool vanilla 300C on the lot. 11,215 miles, starting price $29,292. Is it reasonable to expect the dealer to come down to around $27,000? Car is well equipped (no nav) and looks to be in fantastic condition.

A new 2007 Charger R/T can be purchased for a similar price. $33,100 sticker minus dealer discounts and incentives puts it in the same price range as the '05 300C.

Aside from the warranty only having about 12 months left on the used '05, should I be concerned about buying a used LX? I haven't purchased a used car in over 15 years, but with such low mileage I assume the 300C would be a solid car (I would run Carfax should I decide to proceed).

Would I be better off negotiating with the Dodge dealer on a new '07 Charger R/T?

I would most likely buy outright and not finance. That would probably be a better choice on the used car as opposed to a new Charger.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated

[ZMagnum]

The 300C will have the (transferable) 7/70 drive train warranty while the Charger won't. The drive train on a 2007 is 3/36 with the bumper to bumper warranty. But like you said the 300C only has 12 months left on the bumper to bumper warranty.

For me I would go for the Charger. I put a lot of miles on the cars I drive (going to and from work) so starting off near zero miles is a lot more appealing to me than starting off at 11,215 miles.

[AWDJohn]

It really depends on which car you like. Even though both cars are made from the same platform, they are quite different.

The 05 having the longer powertrain warranty is a huge plus. You would actually have two additional years of powertrain warranty versus the charger.

The 300 has a lot of nice added features: memory seats, rain sensing wipers, etc. that are not even available on the Charger.

What options does the 300 have on it? The asking price of $29K, leads me to beleive it is fully loaded (Nav, etc).

The bottom line is that it really comes down to what you want.

[Tbird100636]

Hi!

Thinking about finally taking the plunge and buying an LX. My dilemma is whether to buy used or buy new.

My local Chrysler dealer has a 2005 cool vanilla 300C on the lot. 11,215 miles, starting price $29,292. Is it reasonable to expect the dealer to come down to around $27,000? Car is well equipped (no nav) and looks to be in fantastic condition.

A new 2007 Charger R/T can be purchased for a similar price. $33,100 sticker minus dealer discounts and incentives puts it in the same price range as the '05 300C.

Aside from the warranty only having about 12 months left on the used '05, should I be concerned about buying a used LX? I haven't purchased a used car in over 15 years, but with such low mileage I assume the 300C would be a solid car (I would run Carfax should I decide to proceed).

Would I be better off negotiating with the Dodge dealer on a new '07 Charger R/T?

I would most likely buy outright and not finance. That would probably be a better choice on the used car as opposed to a new Charger.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated

Make sure the 300C has a fresh set of Goodyear Assurance tires and not the Continentals unless you plan on buying a new set of tires & wheels. Make sure it doesn't have a right lead/pull-there is a TSB for this- it is only covered once so if it has already been done make sure the dealer takes care of it before you take the car. Make sure the brakes don't pulsate. Although there may be a powertrain warranty left, it is a $100 deductible for each visit. I myself would go with the new one, but its your choice. Good Luck!!!

[formerice]

I would drive em both. 11,000 miles isn't much and the 7-70 powertrain warantee is nice. After you drive them both one of them will want to go home with you. Unless you come to your senses and buy a Magnum!