I'm looking for a used vehicle and was considering the Dodge Charger (2007 or newer) but I don't know a lot about them as far as problems. Any first hand experience would be great.
The Charger is the same platform as my 2007 Chrysler 300, just different sheetmetal. What do you want to know?
they're also the same platform as the Magnum wagon as well (which is discontinued). When they first came out, there was a recall for the shifter linkage bracket inside if the trans (easy fix) but to my knowledge, that's about it. it wasnt a "terrible" recall, but a few cars would actually come out of park on their own. but this was a dealer recall, not a TSB, so all were fixed free of charge at any dealership if it has the Continental tires on it, be prepared to replace them soon cause they wear out exetremely quick. other than that, ive never seen alot of problems with them. the wife and i was just talking about them when we got behind one on our way to go eat because i like them as well. i remember driving the first one we got on the lot after they first debuted...a ruby red color with a Hemi, man it was awesome
The rear wheel drive models use a front end from the Mercedes E-class, sounds impressive but it really isn't. The front suspension wears out very quickley. Seems everyone with a 300 RWD has this problem. After just 50K miles I had to replace the lower ball joints, outer tie rod ends and tension struts. I used good Moog parts that you can grease when needed. (Also gave me an excuse to buy a 12-ton hydraulic press for my garage ) I know of one person that had to replace his after just 39K miles. The factory Goodyear Integrity tires were very noisey. They wore at out 54K miles. I replaced them with Hankooks that are much quieter and have a 100K mile warranty. There's a lot I like about the car. Handles well for a big car, transmission shifts very nicely, gas mileage is decent, and everyone remarks how cool it looks.
Awesome info. I'll definitely ask about maint on front end and pay close attention to tires/wear pattern.
Looks like the guys have pretty much nailed this one for you. Front end work is pricey on these cars but if you do it yourself with good Moog parts like mentioned its not so bad. Drivetrains are excellent. We hardly touch them. The upper ball joints have an improved control arm as a replacement. These cars were always very floaty on hwy. The new uppers have a ton of caster built into them by moving the ball joint location. Its actually a good upgrade to do. The cars drive a lot better and handle way better. Just be prepared to do both sides if one fails. Aftermarket also uses the new design. Tires were already mentioned. The 3.5 liter has EGR valve issues like most of our vehicles did. More so in our type of climate. Bit of a bear to do. A Hemi Charger is what will replace my wifes 300M in the future. The 3.5 has plenty of power for a family car though. It uses a trans based on the 4 speed trans from the LH chassis. Early LX 3.5 cars had the 5 speed NAG trans that the Hemi cars use. I think they made the change to the lighter 4sp trans around 06-07. Dont have many problems with it though. Usually high mileage issues. I wouldnt let the front end issues sway you from buying one if you can do the work yourself. Try and find a late model car that doesnt have any issues? At least front end work is a quick,easy job at home. Drive the 3.5 and the Hemi. 3.5 are easier to find and more affordable.
Get the hemi. Mine in the truck gets nearly 20 mpg hwy, and mine is the year before they added the 4 cylinder cutout at cruising speed. They get like 22 mpg hwy.
Thats great mileage Scoop. Up here the average is around 13MPG. 15 or so on the new ones. Trucks that is. I had a 2010 Hemi truck as a rental and I couldnt get over 15MPG on the HWY. Thats doing the math. The factory EVIC fuel mileage display is quite generous I guess you could say at 19.5MPG. Dead wrong is more like it. The Hemi in the cars isnt a whole lot different than the V6 so long as your nice to it. Also I could add that the Hemi has no timing belt to change like the 3.5 Plugs are easier to change in the Hemi cars over the 3.5 Negative to the Hemi plugs is they arent platinum and 16 plugs every 40-50000km is pricey.
Oh, I am going by the display, not calculating at the pump. I guess I should do that once and see what I am really getting. The display reads 22 mpg at 60 mph with A/C off, no wind, level ground, and cruise on. 19-ish at 70. Not sure if I want to crunch the numbers, though. All these years I was justifying driving the truck everywhere thinking I was getting nearly 20 mpg. I might cry if I see what I am REALLY getting, if the computer is off that far...
