Any Regrets?

[Horvat26]

My dealership has a bunch of franchises, but no Dodge. I had a sweet 01 Mustang vert, modded to at least 300hp (used to hang with stock mach 1's), light bar, chrome bullit wheels, leather, 5sp, works. Was buying a home at the time and 478 was just a little high. So, I bought the quickest economy car there was. I miss the V8, but appreciate the little eaton. It would rape my RL. Plus, when I used to sell used cars, the neon's we had on trade were complete crap! Ergonomics were terrible, electric nightmares, and the Neon just signifies crap to most people. I also heard they had some powertrain issues that I just did not want to deal with. They look a little too flashy for me, and the RL has a nice subdued look to it.

[djt81185]

Originally Posted by Nero

I have loads of respect for the SRT-4. The engine is stout and can really pour on the power! But for me, the bottom line came down to the bottom line. I drove away in my 2005 Ion RL for around $18K. There was no way I could have gotten the SRT-4 for anything close to that unless I bought used. I have no regret about my purchase as the Ion RL was the only car in its class at the time I bought. My budget was set and I knew what I could afford and the Ion was the most bang for my limited budget.

Same. I got mine for 18K..I was upsidedown on my Dak R/T and I couldn't get an SRT in my payment range even though that was what I really wanted (I had a 1st gen that was indestructable)...But this car is a much better highway car since I do like 25k a year. Thought i do wish we had the mod support...and I wish I had a LSD.

Dan

[my_bd]

1. The SRT4 had the ability to put a certain evil grin on my face that i could not remove, I do not get this from the RL.

2. I liked the way the SRT4 felt and sounded raw and powerful. The RL is more civilized.

3. The SRT4 scared the crap outta my wife, and she hated it. She likes the RL much more, but still says I drive like a maniac. I say it's not me - it's the RL.

4. I see neons everywhere I go - billions of em. I can never really tell at a glance whether it's a neon, or an SX2.0, or an SRT4, or a whatever. i have to look a little longer to figure it out, spot a few key features. I'm sick of seeing Neon-types everywhere. I like the RL, hardly any of them around out here, there's a few more of the regular Ion's around too, but nowhere near the numbers of Neons. The RL looks unique, nicer inside & outside, dent-resistant, quad coupe suicide doors are neat too.

5. Aftermarket is still in it's infancy for the RL, so that causes anxiety if you are ready to do some upgrades now. The SRT4 aftermarket is very mature.

6. the RL was $7k less than the SRT-4. Dealing with Saturn sales associates was such a breath of fresh air compared to dealing with Dodge or any of the others. Saturn service dept. is stellar!

7. I bought an 04 RL, no LSD available at that time. This was the one huge sacrifice I made. I still want it, and intend to add it.

On the whole, no regrets.