New or Used: If This Was 1969 Instead Of 2011…

David writes:

Hi Sajeev and Steve,

I think this question is right up Sajeev’s alley: my wife and I want to buy a new car (no more used-vehicle shenanigans for us). We like RWD cars; the bigger, the better. Panthers are a bit primitive (and extinct anyway), and the usual German suspects are much too expensive: we’d be happy to spend $30k, and could stretch to about $34k. We’d be much happier with our choices if this was 1969 instead of 2011.

Our short list is short: 2011 Dodge Charger and Hyundai Genesis. If the Charger could promise reasonable reliability, we’d pull the trigger—assuming the test drive is pleasant. But we’re worried that the Cerberus cars are totally untested. There could be a Ford-style reformation, or this might another gilded turd. We think we can afford a Hemi, so at least the powertrain is proven—and awesome. But with the Pentastar, we feel like we’d be signing up for a blind date—for the next 5-7 years. Also, it has a folding rear seat, which is important given that our only other car is a coddled Mercedes W126.

The Hyundai has… a warranty. And maybe reliability? Not much soul. We haven’t driven one, but will soon.

So: Can you help us decide between these two choices? And are we forgetting some other options?

Steve Answers:

This is ironic because I just began to notice that Chrysler products are selling better at the auctions. A lot of folks like to buy into the presence of a vehicle, and Chargers are becoming an image car in certain parts of the country.

The buyers of most of the late model Chargers are usually the ones that end up financing a car to the hilt and in many cases. This car has always struck me as an incredibly cheap and claustrophobic. Although Chrysler has improved this model tremendously with the recent re-design, to me the exterior still screams ‘Boy Racer’.

If it were my money I would run to the Hyundai Genesis… Coupe. If Toyota had kept up with the Supra, refined it towards ‘touring’ to the nth degree, gave it a class leading interior and added a stellar warranty, you would have the Genesis. Right now they are not selling and if you get one high end 3.8 Track you can hit the $30k mark straight on.The sedan version enters in at a $33k MSRP base price without options. If luxury is your thing, that can be a great buy. But it sounds like you want a bit more sport an touring in your life and the Japanese competitors to the Genesis sedan may be in limited supply for a while. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Hyundai backtrack on the rebates and incentives.If you have kids I fully understand the sedate… I mean ‘sedan’ desire. If that’s a reality, perhaps you may want to opt for a 2 year old sedan version of the Genesis with all the options and a CPO warranty. That would hit right around $30k. A loaded near-new Genesis is world’s better than a new Charger.Both Genesis models are over-engineered vehicles for the price range. Two great cars and if I had to go new at 30k with your current desires the two-door would be on my short list. Other than it’s sporty altar ego the Ford Mustang, I can’t think of any touring coupe that would hit so well and squarely at the $30k mark.

Sajeev Answers:

Panther Love lives on in the Chrysler LX platform. Love is a fickle thing, witnessed by the Panther’s phenolic timing gears in the early 1980s, cracked intakes in the mid 1990s, and beancounted everything in the 2000s. The same is true with the Dodge Charger, and I suspect those teething issues are gone by now. Mostly because it will be the go-to fleet vehicle for displaced Panther lovers. The “totally untested” comment is not relevant here.

The Genesis is a polished car, but the Charger’s new sheetmetal and interior narrows the gap significantly. I’ve driven the Genesis V6 (okay) and V8 (sweet!) and since the V8 is more cash than you intend to spend, I think the idea of going Chrysler is your only option. And it’s a darn good one, even if the whole Chrysler-FIAT-not-making-money thing comes to a gruesome end. Odds are the 2011 Charger is a good car, and the aftermarket will stock parts for it for years to come. So don’t sweat the warranty difference between the two, drown out those worries with a good local wrench and a Magnaflow cat-back for that HEMI.