Dodge Magnum: cool, not cool?
07-25-2004, 02:49 PM
#1
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Dodge Magnum: cool, not cool?
OK, a few weeks ago I posted I had looked at this thing, and thought it was pretty cool - I was certainly swept iinto the Hemi mania. and I liked the brutal manliness of the thing - it had the subtlety of a sledgehammer. As a mid-lifer with a Family, I thought I could do the right thing, have a family and grocery/home repair hauler, and have a blast now and then too.
Today, I saw a guy doing just that at Home Depot - he had one of the munchkins with him, loading some long 1 x 6's in the back, but then he looks around to se who is checking out his "coolness", and of course, it is just me, in the car I ended up getting for my day to day driving fun, an Acura TL. And the coolness just went aeway - ever thought something was cool, for the right reasons, and then someone -de-cools it by fitting the stereotype so perfectly, and being so obvious about it, that the coolness left like yesterday's bad news? Am I making aNY SENSE?
The TL isn't really cool, but it is a great car, perfect for my needs, and let's not forget the little roadster in the garage. Now having both of these Hondas is cool. Or at least i think so.
BTW, I took the TL on its maiden long trip, to DC and back, and hit the 600 mile slot on the way home. This thing has got some game, let me tell you! And let me tell you this - on the green engine, crusing at 70-72 mph, air conditioning on, XM Radio playing some great stuff ("Alvin Lee in Tennessee"), and even with the usual late afternoon DC traffic jams, I averaged - averaged mind you - for the whole trip, 32.2 MPG!
Now this is a 3600 pound sedan, with me it weighs 3800, and I am cruising along, with the Solo S2 doing its thing, the 5AT doing its thing, not nursing the throttle, not re-setting the trip computer when i hit traffic - pretty good engineering, there, Acura.
Today, I saw a guy doing just that at Home Depot - he had one of the munchkins with him, loading some long 1 x 6's in the back, but then he looks around to se who is checking out his "coolness", and of course, it is just me, in the car I ended up getting for my day to day driving fun, an Acura TL. And the coolness just went aeway - ever thought something was cool, for the right reasons, and then someone -de-cools it by fitting the stereotype so perfectly, and being so obvious about it, that the coolness left like yesterday's bad news? Am I making aNY SENSE?
The TL isn't really cool, but it is a great car, perfect for my needs, and let's not forget the little roadster in the garage. Now having both of these Hondas is cool. Or at least i think so.
BTW, I took the TL on its maiden long trip, to DC and back, and hit the 600 mile slot on the way home. This thing has got some game, let me tell you! And let me tell you this - on the green engine, crusing at 70-72 mph, air conditioning on, XM Radio playing some great stuff ("Alvin Lee in Tennessee"), and even with the usual late afternoon DC traffic jams, I averaged - averaged mind you - for the whole trip, 32.2 MPG!
Now this is a 3600 pound sedan, with me it weighs 3800, and I am cruising along, with the Solo S2 doing its thing, the 5AT doing its thing, not nursing the throttle, not re-setting the trip computer when i hit traffic - pretty good engineering, there, Acura.
07-25-2004, 05:03 PM
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They are both "cool" cars. I don't know what kind of gas milage the magnum gets but it would be more versitile. The TL will probably last longer and have a better resale value. I guess it depends on how bad you want a Hemi.
07-25-2004, 05:23 PM
#5
I've seen a few on the road. The "cool" factor is absolutely there. I like the chopped look of the roof. It looks great from the rear. I had a '99 TL and an '01 CLS. Both very good cars. I imagine that once the coolness factor wears off, I'd be kicking myself for trading a new TL for a Magnum! 
07-25-2004, 06:09 PM
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I think it looks good, and the engineers probabally did a good job. But like other cars that come out of detroit (can we say corvette), what is the build quality like? Lets hope this is the start of something different, because history says otherwise.....
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07-25-2004, 09:27 PM
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I like the Dodge Magnum. I think it's a "cool" car. When I see one out on the streets, I always give it a second look. It's a very manly car.
However, I really love the new TL and would take it over the Magnum without a second thought.
However, I really love the new TL and would take it over the Magnum without a second thought.
07-25-2004, 10:38 PM
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Considering Corvettes have won Car of the Year more than once (unlike any Honda/Acura), things coming out of Detroit look pretty good. If you are only looking to buy a Magnum because you think it will make you cool, I can see where you might be disappointed to see an "uncool guy" driving one. Otherwise, why do you really care who else has one? Is the car for you, or for your neighbors/strangers? Buy what you like - there is not really an excuse to drive a car you hate.
