Ownership Verified: BCS and the Angry Wagon - Dodge Magnum R/T

BerserkerCatSplat

Hormone Induced
Joined
Jun 21, 2005
Messages
9,748
Location
Alberta, Canada
Car(s)
The Jeep of Theseus, Angry Wagon
So since the Jeep was becoming more and more a trail-specific toy than a legitimate second vehicle, I got on the hunt for a vehicle that would be a fun commuter with a bit of oomph when necessary. Plus, I wanted a wagon, and it had to be RWD/AWD and well less than $10,000.

My immediate first thought was a blue Volvo V70R - a car I'd wanted since they first came out. I love the look of them! However, disastrous reliability issues killed that idea in short order. Even the owners' forums were pretty up-front about the fact that shit broke and was expensive to fix.

CTS-V wagons are too new and expensive, but definitely on the right track. A WRX wagon was also a contender... but then a friend bought one, so I could hardly go that route. Plus, they still command a premium and aren't exactly hugely powerful.

So, why not just get the limited-production (4 years only!) orphaned-child of the Chrysler LX platform instead? Sure, why not.

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The car is a 2006 Dodge Magnum R/T, with pretty much every single R/T option box ticked aside from AWD and navigation - and God knows who would want a nav system from 2006 anyway. Sunroof, dual zone climate, EVIC, premium sound, Autostick, heated seats, the works. 118,000km, most examples for sale in the area were 200,000+. Owner wanted $11,000, I got him down to $7,000.

First: Proof!

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The beating heart! 340HP/400lb-ft of 345cid V8 in a quite dusty engine bay. The car is rather heavy, but the low-end grunt makes it extremely motivated.

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CD/MP3 changer and, inexplicably, a cassette deck. Many decades of format obsolescence in a single console! Also note the gross beige winter floormats.

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All the white-gauge hotness the mid-2000s could handle.

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And the best part of millennial box-ticking: a factory-installed rear-seat DVD player setup. I believe I've won "basically dead entertainment format" bingo. Also note ratty seat covers, which I immediately threw in the bin and exposed pristine front seats.

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The only two issues with the vehicle are that it is in need of a new windshield rather badly, and the driver's side fender has a scrape/dent that will likely just lead to me replacing the fender as a colour-matched boneyard one is $100 and 6 bolts to install. NBD! The wheels could stand to be refinished, but they'll eventually become the winter wheels so I may just not bother.

First mod will likely be a Tranzformer transmission control unit for the NAG1, so I can get the shifts tightened up from the soft-assed factory settings. It also gives me line-lock in case I need to "dispose" of some tires.
 
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Haha, thanks guys. It took around three weeks of dealing and dickering but I was in no rush to buy anything. I looked at a few other Magnums as well, one of them was $6500 but looked like it had been lived in, CEL was lit, and it had an honest-to-god bullet hole in the taillight. I took a pass on that one. :lol:
 
Sweet. Always liked those. A modern Hellcat version would rock.

Nice choice, hope it treats you well. /knock on wood
 
The people demand a Hellcat swap!

But seriously, awesome wagon!
 
Nice buy, BCS. That thing should make a fun commuter.
 
Thanks, y'all! I've been really enjoying the car for the last couple days, very impressed with how well it handles for such a big vehicle. I find the ESP system to be a bit nannyish but at least I can just shut it off for hard launches. No big power adders in the near-term, but I'm keeping an eye out for a set of SRT exhaust manifolds unless I find a smoking deal on some longtube headers. An aftermarket tuner might get me 10HP/20lb-ft but it'll probably disable MDS and nuke my gas mileage haha, so I'll stay away for now.

A Hellcat version would be outright lunacy, but I'll bet anything you could shoehorn it in.


Left-field idea: 2015 Chargum conversion.

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Congrats! I've always loved these, someone at my college had one that sounded downright mean. :)
 
Brillant, I always had a soft spot for them. Looks like you are having a blast with it even if it may not have as much torx as your jeep.
 
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