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My sensor for the air bag on the passenger's side went bad. I went to the DODGE dealership and got it re-calibrated.
The gas mileage at first was not right, but I think the dealership also did something with that.
(notice all repairs are under warranty and at NO cost to me)
Some parts are made of cheap plastic parts (i.e. the seat-belt buckle, inside of armrest, molding on doors, etc.)
Overall this is a Good car. The 2.7L V6 is great for commuter travel NOT FOR PERFORMANCE. The Oil must be changed religiously or the oil WILL sludge up. The handling is excellent around corners and on the freeway. The Magnum is great for space, the back seat lets down for a "boat load" of space.
Just wait for your engine to get sludge, read all the intrepid.
Doesn't the Magnum use a 3.5L V6 and not the infamous 2.7?
WRONG!!!they still use the 2.7 liter engine so they can turn a huge profit replacing engines.
Well, when I RENTED one, I looked under the hood and it said 3.5 liter, not 2.7 so yeahhhhh...
They wouldn't let me rent one with a hemi, or maybe they didn't have it...
EDIT: Looked on the Dodge website, seems they do offer the crappy 2.7 as an engine choice. So the lesson is, if you're buying one of these, DO NOT buy the 2.7 unless you want to end up like the 1000s of intrepid owners around the country. (may be more lol)
The SE (base model) has the 2.7 Liter, the SXT has the 3.5. The R/T has the 5.7.
The sludge problem has been addressed the Magnums by the new larger capacity oil pan.
I have the 2.7, the 190hp moves the car, but not much more. I still love the vehicle. 25mpg, looks great, lots of cargo room, and for less than $20k it's hard to beat a SE on value. The 3.5 is $27k, the Hemi AWD is $34.
The Magnum is pretty quick with that little 2.7L. I went from putting regular fuel to mid-grade fuel in the tank and it really makes a difference. I still get great gas mileage and I can still run the freeway like it nothing. But would it be better to put synthetic oil in the engine or to stick with regular?
I just took my Magnum SE to the shop for the lock switch on the passenger's side not working. I have 25844 miles on my car now and I still love it, it runs like a champ. And the one comment about switching to mid-grade fuel, genius, it works a lot better and moves a lot quicker with that tiny change.
"...so they can turn a huge profit replacing engines."
That makes no economical sense whatsoever.
Supply and Demand - When demand is high and supply is low, prices are high. When supply is high and demand is low, prices go down. Its the first principles of economics. There is a high demand for 2.7 engines, and not enough supply. This is why Chrysler can inflate the prices to whatever they want, because they know people have no other market to turn to, other than their own.
I now have 43000 Miles on my 2005 Magnum SE and I have had problems recently with the driver's side rear window shorting out and not working temporarily. It works every once in a while, but it cuts out often. I still have lots of fun in the car, but its only the problem with the drivers side rear window.
Hey everyone, it's me again, the original owner of the Magnum SE. I'm here to report that at 46908 miles this morning at around 5am est. my heater core went out. It has not been fixed yet, but it is estimated that this will cost me close to $500.00. Overall, except for this problem, it has still been a decent car.
OK everyone its me again. the dealership gave me the wrong quote for my 05 magnum on the heater core. its only 140.00 and the labor will bring it up to 300.00. I was quoted for the 06 magnum. anyway, the problem went away, but I would strongly recommend keeping an eye on your cooling systems. good luck.
Three major things to do to prolong engine life…
1. Clean/change oil and filter every 3 months or 3k.
2. Let the engine warm up for at least 1/2 to 3/4 of a minute before placing the car in drive and pressing the pedal. Avoid short trips.
3. Use a block heater whenever possible below zero.
If you do these three things the odds of losing an engine drop dramatically.
I have a 2005 Magnum (5.7L) and the driver's side rear window also had intermittent problems. It would not come down from time to time. Sometimes this would last a couple of days and sometimes only a couple of minutes. It was hard to get it to the dealer when it wasn't working. On my third trip there, they replaced the motor and I haven't had the problem again (about a year now).
Hey original owner of the Dodge Magnum here! Bad news and good news.
Bad - The car is gone! It got wrecked on 6-22-08 :(.
Good - the airbag did deploy and the frame held its structure and integrity throughout the body (except the front end LOL). I was very pleased that the seat belt didn't rip into my chest or shoulder, it had tiny ratchets to catch the seat belt from going forward, and the airbag wasn't overly huge where your hands would smack against the glass or blow your face back.
If you wish to see the car, go to www.youtube.com and type my name (juusouken) in the search bar. Hope you'll find this helpful in buying this car.