Hi. i just found this board.

I know it's a GC board...but I still want input from you guys..even if you are a *bit* biased toward the GC..

I am looking for a car that my wife can drive daily, that will fit our two kids (5 and 1) AND will frickin' haul A$$ on the weekends when I drive it.

I know gas mileage stinks. I don't care. It's the price I'll pay for the power.

I need a car with decent sized back seats, decent cargo capacity, and safety. I live in so cal..so AWD is nice, but NOT a necessity.

I honestly think the GC looks better...but I wonder if the rear seat room of the 300 would be better for car seats.... I haven't seen either car in person, but specs online seem to indicate the 300 has more rear seat legroom...which would allow car seats to fit better...

trunk space on a 300 vs the rear cargo area of the GC - I'm assuming the GC can fit more... do the rear seats fold down for hauling if needed?

both the 300 SRT8 and GC SRT8 are powerful...is either one clearlyf aster than the other, or a better handling car? i get the idea that each are "jekyll hyde" in that they can cruise around and be relatively practical... in terms of ride comfort, not overly noisy..if you just put around..but when you mash the throttle then you get the alter ego...and blast off...

that's what a i want. somethign my wife can drive to the store, or somethign we can all fit in and drive on a 2 hour drive in relative comfort..not bouncing around becuase it's sprun too stiff...but if i daddy needs to pass...it will blast off like a rocket...

is either car a better match for my needs?

SRT8 GC > SRT8 300c :cool:

Sounds like you just laid out the best argument to get the Jeep. If those are your criteria, I say "welcome to the family."

Yeah, I can fit a full size adult in rear with my seat pushed almost all the way back ... you should have no problem fitting kids and/or kids in a child seat.

The AWD will be good in the rain, and for general added traction, and it is FAST.

The SRT8-GC is faster than the 300C-SRT8.

The SRT8-Charger is Faster than the SRT8-GC though.

---

I don't have any kids and I don't do any shopping, but I still picked the GC SRT8 over the rest.

The SRT8-Charger is Faster than the SRT8-GC though.
.

That's news to me........anyone else agree or disagree.

0-60 The Jeep will beat everything but the Viper. After that the 300/mag/charger will pretty much pull on us. At highway speeds, the Jeep is the slowest.

got it. I can see why the GC is fastest to 60....that AWD....

so off the line the GC will beat a lot of stuff... most everything.. :) I've seen the videos of the GC's beating GTOs, and Vettes... a guy I know has a new C6 Vette and he raced a new GC SRT8 and he said it took him up to about 60..but then he pulled on it.... he was amazed.... ;)

i'll have to go look at them.

any of you have any ideas which one I could get a better deal on? I'm not sure if I want to buy or lease. I'm leaning toward a lease.. 24 months...and I want to keep my cash outlay and monthly as low as possible.

any chance one of these vehicles can be had at or neat $500-550 a month? ZERO down.

0-60 The Jeep will beat everything but the Viper. After that the 300/mag/charger will pretty much pull on us. At highway speeds, the Jeep is the slowest.

The Jeep has the stiffest ride of all. You feel every little bump and groove in the road. Maybe too stiff for some. Yes, 0-60 the jeep is the quickest due to its gearing and AWD. Its right there with the other SRT's in the 1/4 mile unless you are a real stickler for .01 and a few MPH. . It weighs about 600 pounds more than the LX models. The seats fold flat, and can haul prenty of cargo. My advice is drive both, and see what you feel most comfortable in. I got the Jeep because I live in Chicago. If I was in Cali or AZ, most likely would have went with the 300 SRT. Whatever you get, do pick it up in the daylight, and totally check the car over. Look for paint problems, etc. Drive it before you sign on the dotted line. Good luck.

any chance one of these vehicles can be had at or neat $500-550 a month? ZERO down.

Not a chance.

Im in socal and have had the GC for 7 months now...its an awesome daily driver, but dominates whenever some sports car needs to be put in its place.

the back seats dont have that much room, but it will be fine for kids/safety seats.

I have only seen one other GC srt8 in socal in the past 7 months, so if you want to feel like you have a unique car, this is the one for you.

the one thing i should mention that will give you some more insight is that when your wife is daily driving it, she probably wont really realize how fast it is unless she accidentally steps on the gas too hard. you dont have to be extra gentle with the gas pedal for it to dive off the line smoothly. its very responsive to whether or not you want to kick ass off the line. if you mash it down, it will fly, but if you you just give it normal gas, it will feel like a regular jeep.

that sucks for those of us who drive it redline 24/7 though ... it feels like i need a lot of extra stress on my foot to keep it at 85-90mph on the freeway than my other cars

got it. I can see why the GC is fastest to 60....that AWD....

so off the line the GC will beat a lot of stuff... most everything.. :) I've seen the videos of the GC's beating GTOs, and Vettes... a guy I know has a new C6 Vette and he raced a new GC SRT8 and he said it took him up to about 60..but then he pulled on it.... he was amazed.... ;)

i'll have to go look at them.

any of you have any ideas which one I could get a better deal on? I'm not sure if I want to buy or lease. I'm leaning toward a lease.. 24 months...and I want to keep my cash outlay and monthly as low as possible.

any chance one of these vehicles can be had at or neat $500-550 a month? ZERO down.
I remember you from another forum. I have a 300C 5.7, and our GC SRT8 is my wife's. I feel to be in a good position to give you some feedback:

1. You can get an awesome deal on a 2006 300C SRT8 lease right now. I have seen it at $450/mo, about $3K down. Not bad at all for a fully loaded car. You'll have to search the internet to find a deal on a Jeep, at least right now.

2. Both of these vehicles have very low front valence panels. If your wife is not used to driving a low vehicle, you better make sure she knows how to deal with driveway aprons, etc., or you will be disappointed very quickly.

3. If you are concerned about your wife driving a vehicle without a spare tire, even though it has runflats, the Jeep is not for you.

4. Yes, the Jeep is pretty exclusive. I've only seen 3-4 on the road, and we're in metropolitan Los Angeles.

5. There is not a lot of storage in the Jeep. I can't even find a place to put some jumper cables. Definitely one area where I'm not real pleased.

6. My wife loves her Jeep. I know she is exercising her right foot, as the mileage calculations are really poor. It is more fun to have her drive and me in the passenger seat, as it is great to see the looks on the faces of drivers after she dusts them.

7. Get both. With so much commonality between them, it is really easy to get out of one and drive the other.

If she wants to have fun, go for the Jeep.

I have 2 car seats in my back seat all the time, and it works fine for that, but when I've taken a load of adults on a bit of a road trip, I'm just glad I'm not sitting in the back seat. I love the 300, but I am kind of stuck on the SUV thing. My dog goes to work with me every day, I like the option of being able to haul some stuff, and I like a low slung ride, while still up in the air a bit.

Either way-- I'm sure you'll be happy!

so - are the deals going to be way better on a 300 SRT8?? price isn't the deciding factor if the cost is close and I like one more than the other..

but if it's $450/month on a loaded 300 SRT8 and $650/month for the GC....I'll go with the 300.

i get the impression the deals are better on the 300 b/c there are more of them, and the GC, being more exclusive, is gonna cost more. i haven't talked to mylocal dealer to find out HOW much more... ;)

my wife has driven my car a lot - a lowered Volvo S60R with a body kit..so she knows how to drive a lowered car. she'll do fine. my car is plenty fast, but NOT nearly as fast as an SRT8.

will handling be much better on eithe the 300 or GC?? not that I plan to carve up any twisties in either one...but would one or the other do better on tight corners or long sweeping onramps??

I'm not planning on tracking the thing...I just wonder if one or the other is better for the occasion trip on a twisty road...should I find myself on one.

thanks for all this input!!! I love it...

i'll have to look at themin person and drive them to see which I like. i honestly think I'd like the exclusivity and "cool" factor of the GC. but storage space is a concern. I don't need the storage/convenience of an Odyssey...but a large trunk is nice to have...My Volvo S60 has a small trunk, my S70 has a LARGE trunk...amost like a caddilac... :) is the rear trunk space in a GC comparable to say the space in the rear of an RX350 or an RDX or is it way smaller?

what are you paying on your GC SRT8s?? assume I do a 24 month lease with little to nothing down. thanks.

One additional factor, if you're talking $$s..... on the 300, there is a gas guzzler tax. You DON'T pay that on the Jeep.
In the Seattle area (at least a few months ago) you coulnd't even find a place that would lease the Jeep.

why would the dealer care if it's sold or leased? don't they get their money either way...???

i did see the gas guzzler tax on the 300..I just assumed the GC had it too. why would one get the tax and one not? i guess since ALL big SUVS are gas guzzlers..they don't make you pay it on the SUV??? :)

i called my local dealer. they have one GC SRT8 and 2-3 300 SRT8s. The salesguy said he knew at least ONE of their 300s was an 06. The rest were 07s.

I'll swing by tonight to "look". :)

The Jeep is exempt because it's built on a truck platform. As for leasing..... a lot of dealers won't lease limited edition vehicles. At least not the first 1.5 years usually. Some dealers will do it. I think there was one member here who leased, but I also know of several folks who tried to lease, but they got shut down.

the one thing i should mention that will give you some more insight is that when your wife is daily driving it, she probably wont really realize how fast it is unless she accidentally steps on the gas too hard. you dont have to be extra gentle with the gas pedal for it to dive off the line smoothly. its very responsive to whether or not you want to kick ass off the line. if you mash it down, it will fly, but if you you just give it normal gas, it will feel like a regular jeep.

That may be but it certainly won't sound like a regular Jeep!! ;) :D

Here's my .02 cents. I think all of the SRT8's are great but when it comes to combining practicality with all out impracticality the Jeep has it all. Plenty of room and cargo space, nice creature comforts (DVD player is nice for the kids), AWD..oh and did anyone mention? It's insanely fast for it's curb weight! The 300 would be my second choice though. I love the Charger, especially the yellow Supperbee, but the 300 SRT8 looks really classy. Like sombody already mentioned, drive them both and see which one fits your family best. I honestly don't think you can go wrong with any of the SRT8's. So what ever you decide you'll still be part of the "SRT" family. Be sure to post what you dicide on along with a couple pics.

why would the dealer care if it's sold or leased? don't they get their money either way...???

i did see the gas guzzler tax on the 300..I just assumed the GC had it too. why would one get the tax and one not? i guess since ALL big SUVS are gas guzzlers..they don't make you pay it on the SUV??? :)

i called my local dealer. they have one GC SRT8 and 2-3 300 SRT8s. The salesguy said he knew at least ONE of their 300s was an 06. The rest were 07s.

I'll swing by tonight to "look". :)

Leasing? Its all about the residual ......Honda's, BMW, hold their value a lot better than Dodge, Chrysler, and Jeep. They take a large depreciation hit in the first several years. I also believe there are no special lease rates on the SRT's. Most have said they were quoted around $700-750 a month for the SRT on a 36 month lease, and some even wanted a Cap Cost Reduction. The SRT's are a buy, not a lease. Also, make sure you get the best pricve on the vehicle when leasing, and then work from there. Good luck, and let us know after you look tonight what your thoughts are, especially after driving them both. Sort of a win-win which ever model you get. I am also thinking of getting a Superbee and just storing it. Well, if I can convince my wife. She said go ahead, but you have to sell your 69 Roadrunner. She is just mad that I will not let her touch the RR.

I know leasing is a tricky business. It's not uncommon to find one car that costs MORE than another leasing for LESS b/c it depcreicates much less... Lease deals on the cars that hold their value well can actually be pretty good. I've seen deals on BMWs and the Volvo XC90 that were good simply b/c the car didn't drop in value too badly.

My reason for wanting to lease is that I really don't want to deal with repairs. My current car, a 2004 S60R is a perfect example. I got it used, got a pretty good deal, added some mods, and now - have a car that is fun/fast and looks cool..but with almost 60k on the odometer, it's having minor problems, and it's off warranty. I"m worried I"ll have some large $ repair, and not only will I have a car payment but I'll be hit with recurring repair bills. I'd much rather lease for 24 months, drive it, enjoy it, and then dump it. and never worry about fixing anything. at the most, i might have to buy a set of tires...and brake pads...

i'd pay a bit more to lease, but at th esame time, some cars you just can't lease b/c then numbers don't work out. but if the car depreciates too much, you need to either put down enough cash, or pay enough per month, so that in 2-3 years, you aren't upside down in the car. i know people who have not put enough money down, got sick of the car, and then couldn't unload it b/c they were upside down and they actually had to pay to get rid of it, or roll the loss over into the next car. no thanks.

i'll look at them, see how the numbers look, adn if they want too much for it, i'll pass. every once in a while, though, dealers are hungry to move a car and they will make super deals.

maybe fi thsui place has a 06 300 SRT8 they will be more motivated to move it and cut me some super deal.... we'll see... i'm sort of not expecitng much in the way of "deals" on the GC...

You should be able to get an 07 Jeep for 500-1000 over invoice if you shop. You can also buy and get a 5 year/70k warranty...they will also negotiate that. Good luck.

i got my '07 at invoice

i got my '07 at invoice

Hey man....thought you were under an NDA? uh O....you in trouble now.:eek:

i'll have to look up invoice...edmunds has it..

what did you guys pay?
how much is the extended warranty?

do you actually think youre going to keep it more than 3 years or 36,000 miles?

YAH how much is invoice?????
DANK

I've driven them both and own the Jeep. In my experience, the Jeep has more driveline noise, and rides quite a bit rougher. But, it works better for me for summer/winter sports, what with the roof rack and all wheel drive. It also sits higher for better forward visibility. It has stealth. It won't handle the corners quite as well as the 300, but believe me, you'll probably chicken out long before the Jeep will. The Jeep will take the 300 from a dig, but the 300 wins in the long run.

In the end, it comes down to what you want. Either way, enjoy!

YAH how much is invoice?????
DANK

check out edmunds....TMV exclusive of some things such as dealer holdbacks, incentives etc. Fairly accurate representation.

http://www.edmunds.com/new/2006/jeep/grandcherokeesrt8/100668772/prices.html

put it this way, i had the charger daytona, and traded it in for the srt8 jeep, so the charger is the same size as the 300, and it is very roomy, but i have the jeep now, and let me tell you, if you want to put in car seats, this is not the truck for you. the way the seats are it sucks you have to keep the front seats all the way up, to the point where its not really comfortable. now i love my jeep, i have two of them in fact. two 06, one limit with hemi, and the other the srt8 and hte limit, seats give more room for the car seat (not by much) then the srt8. exspec if your car seat has the handle that folds forward and locks down, it gets stuck on the front seat unless you have it all the way up. so take it from someone who had both , the 300 will give you much more room for a fam. the back seats in the jeeps are not big at all. so if your looking for room, and the trunk in the 300 is very big, go for that, all of corse if you dont need all wheel drive wich where you live doesnt look like you do. I love my srt jeep, but if you need room go with the 300. but the jeep is faster, i drove both.
hope this helps, and good luck

I just so happen to own both of the vehicles you are considering... Based on the criteria you presented above I would say that the 300C SRT8 is a slightly better match for your needs. The reasons being:

1.) The 300C SRT8 has a much more spacious rear seat than the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8.

2.) The 300C SRT8 has a relatively large trunk (compared to other sedans). Whereas the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 has a relatively small cargo area (compared to other SUVs).

3.) Make no mistake about the following performance related FACTS:
- The 300C SRT8 is FASTER than the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 (i.e. The 300C SRT8 wins a roll-on race)!
- The Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 is QUICKER than the 300C SRT8 (i.e. The Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 wins a 0-60 race)!

The best advice I could give you would be to get both, but if that is not an option then you can't really go wrong with either vehicle... Best of luck with your decision making process ;)

The SRT8-GC is faster than the 300C-SRT8.

The SRT8-Charger is Faster than the SRT8-GC though.


Hmm, I have to respectfully disagree with these statements. This might just be confusion around the terms 'fast' and 'quick'. However, amongst the SRT8 family of vehicles there are really only three performance related certainties:

1.) The Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 is the QUICKEST 0-60! This is primarily due to its AWD advantage off the line.

2.) The Magnum is the SLOWEST 0-60! This is due primarily to its additional weight when compared to the other RWD SRT8 vehicles.

3.) The Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 is the SLOWEST in a roll-on scenario! This is primarily due to its AWD transmission, which is more parasitic than the RWD transmission found in the other SRT8 vehicles.

Also, the 300C SRT8 and Charger SRT8 are so similar in terms of straight line performance that the differences are negligable.

As far as the 1/4 mile goes, it's hard to definitively pick the "fastest" SRT8 vehicle. When you analyze a large quantity of track slips for stock versions of these vehicles the numbers are all over the place. Jeeps have hit the 12's right along with the LX's. LX's have been all over the 13's as have Jeeps. And "right out of the box" you'll find variances between the same exact vehicles. Up to a one-second 1/4mi. ET difference on any of the four SRT8 models is common. Obviously a lot of factors come into play when it comes to times achieved at the track. But when it comes right down to it, when you average the numbers, all of these vehicles as different as they are, are amazingly "close" throughout their entire speed ranges.

Hey man....thought you were under an NDA? uh O....you in trouble now.:eek:
Good catch!

OK. I drove them BOTH. the dealership was very friendly and they were all too happy to let me drive the cars...

I drove the 300 first, the GC second.

The 300 has more room in the rear. The ride was firm, but smooth. Brakes were great. The interior felt nice. This car could easily be a family car. The car did not blow me away in terms of power..but I didn't get that long of a test drive. The car did have a lot of low end torque, but the up top/rpm power seemed less than I expected...

I drive a 2.5L turbo with about 360hp...with 3500lb curb weight. my car has so-so low end torque and then this big rush of power from 3500-6500 rpm..which just gets harder and harder as you increase the revs..so to some extent, I'm used to MORE power the MORE you rev it..whereas the 300 seemed to have gobs of it down low off the line, but then it seemed to drop off a bit... it was fast but this particular car didn't seem super fast.

the GC is smaller in back. rear seat room would accomodate car seats, but it would be tight. not ideal for kids. The off the line acceleration of the one I drove was absofrickinlutely unbelievable. The car was like a rocket sled. It did not even feel CLOSE to the 300 in terms of power. One time I stood on it and I swear the front end came up, the rear end squatted and it just WENT. BAM. Power was instantaneous. :)

The part I did NOT lke was the ride. Way too rough. It felt like a pickup truck. Compared to the 300 it was much much rougher. There is no way I could expect my wife to drive our 1 year old around in this thing. over some of the uneven pavement we were on the bumps were very abrupt and sharp. I also felt like the car was skittish on the pavement. it didn't track straight and smooth like the 300 did. the GC seemed to wander back and forth, so I was constantly making minute steering corrections/inputs to compensate. I had a car before that did that when I upsized the tires and it drove me nuts. This car is fun, but not relaxing. NO way my wife would go for it.

The 300 would work. We have more cars to test drive, but I will let her try it and see what she thinks. the 300 would easily be my choice as it's larger in back, smoother, and more comfy.

I do have to say that while both felt "nice", I was not blown away by the build quality or luxury of the car. both my cars are Volvos - which I think are nice, but by no means the "top of the line" in terms of euro cars, and I"ve have several japanese cars, and the 300 felt inferior to the volvos in terms of fit/finish

but - it is a car with 425hp....for roughly $40k. you can't touch a BMW, M/B, or any other luxury car for that price with even half the power...so... you get what you pay for... an M5 would be my dream car, but I don't have $90k+ to spend on a car. bummer... ;)

thanks for all the input. it helped to sort of know what to look for and expect when I test drove these vehicles. The GC is out. The 300 might work.

If I get one, I'll post bqack here and let you know. thanks again

Well it looks like you did your homework and you're close to a decision. Everything you mentioned about the GC is pretty much right on. There is a certain amount of torque steer and drifting with this vehicle. But remember you're driving a 420hp AWD SUV with really big tires. The torque steer you do get used to as well as keeping them big ol' tires pointing straight, and as far as the stiff ride you either love it or hate it. I bought my SRT8 for performance so the ride I can get used to and I have. My wife does not particularly like riding in my SRT8 so I can see why you're hesitant to put yours in the GC. Good luck to you with what ever you buy.

I have noticed that by keeping my tire pressure at 32, and after more miles, the ride harshness is not as bad as when it was brand new. My wife will ride in mine, as long as she can drive it. She said sitting in the passanger seat with me driving makes her nauseous. Is it me, or the jeep?

any chance one of these vehicles can be had at or neat $500-550 a month? ZERO down.[/QUOTE]
Red '07 GCSRT8
got mine in Indiana for $1000 above invoice only cause the dealer forgot to order it with nav only got the boston acoustics system with 6disc in dash. No rear entertainment either or mygig but everything else, so ended up $41,600. A 27month lease cost me $980/month including the 6% tax. The interest rate sucks a$$ so that jacks up the monthly's. No down. Low residual ($25,000), gonna try and sell b4 lease ends and make up some of that interest.

any chance one of these vehicles can be had at or neat $500-550 a month? ZERO down.
Red '07 GCSRT8
got mine in Indiana for $1000 above invoice only cause the dealer forgot to order it with nav only got the boston acoustics system with 6disc in dash. No rear entertainment either or mygig but everything else, so ended up $41,600. A 27month lease cost me $980/month including the 6% tax. The interest rate sucks a$$ so that jacks up the monthly's. No down. Low residual ($25,000), gonna try and sell b4 lease ends and make up some of that interest.

Where in Indiana did you get yours? I live in Northwest Indiana and a lot of the dealers here were adding the Chicago marketing fee of 5K. Luckily my dealer didn't.

She said sitting in the passanger seat with me driving makes her nauseous. Is it me, or the jeep?

Nope its the Jeep....one review had said that the ride can make people nauseous/sick. Was from the bounce of the suspension I believe which was the cause.

I have noticed that by keeping my tire pressure at 32, and after more miles, the ride harshness is not as bad as when it was brand new. My wife will ride in mine, as long as she can drive it. She said sitting in the passanger seat with me driving makes her nauseous. Is it me, or the jeep?
Tire pressure is very important for maximum ride quality (among other things). When taking a test drive this would be something to check (it's on the evic display) as in many cases during PDI dealers can't seem to get pressures right. This has been typical on every new vehicle I have bought. With the Jeep I have heard of pressures on demo models that are over 40 psi which would definitely make for a harsher ride.

I have no issues with the ride quality on my Jeep. Granted that roads are decent where I live it handles remarkably well in all situations. My wife absolutely loves riding in it, loves the sound and loves it when in WOT mode. Also no issues with torque steer. The first day or two I drove it I noticed it took a little more effort and correction but after that, for whatever reason, that it's no longer necessary.

overall....the srt8 300c is the fastest......dont take my word for it look around and see for your self.........

I've found the GCSRT8 can be driven to suit my mood. If you want to drive it easy it just rumbles away and feels nice & smooth. If I'm in the mood I drive it hard and that torque steer reminds you that it's a powerful vehicle
I'm sure if I had kids I would go for the 300C because the rear is tight and the seats are unforgiving.

overall....the srt8 300c is the fastest......dont take my word for it look around and see for your self.........
Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

Probably one of the most concise, accurate, simply put statements yet about all these comparisons between models. Too damn many variables involved when vehicles this close in performance are compared. Just run what you brung, have fun, and drive like ya stole it.....They're all good. My 2 cents.

The Jeep has a top speed of 155 mph, the 300 is 165+.

The Jeep has a top speed of 155 mph, the 300 is 165+.

Wrong. The jeep has a top speed of 165 mph. Many of us (including myself) have been there. The 300 has a top speed around 173-174. A few of our friends have been there.

The Jeep has a top speed of 155 mph, the 300 is 165+.

And what say ye about this?

http://www.cherokeesrt8.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=378&d=1157051370

http://www.cherokeesrt8.com/forums/showthread.php?t=957

LOL, I know you guys are not trusting speedos for top speed numbers, go get a GPS and try again.

LOL, I know you guys are not trusting speedos for top speed numbers, go get a GPS and try again.

Some people on the 300c board tested the speedometer against a gps unit. The speedometer was accurate within 1% at top speed. In other words, the speedometer is trustworthy. And further, the SRT engineers confirmed the top speed at being around 165 in one of the board-postings they did a few months ago.