Petrolheadia wrote:I don't know what the ownership costs of one are in the UK, but if you can cope with it, I guess that the V8 300 would be quite nice for you. The Hemi motor is also quite reliable for a powerplant of its segment.
Though the Lexus LS is also a comfortable mile-muncher, its build quality is better, and it's not as virtually-non-existent in the classifieds as a 300 that is not a V6 one.
Surprisingly, the running cost in terms of fuel doesn't look too bad; the variable displacement in the V8 means that it seems to get about 20mpg overall. Not shabby for a massive thing like that. Bearing in mind that the PT's ECC engine gets about 25mpg overall, it's not such a bad deal. Tax is about £550/yr, which is a lot - but the PT costs £340/yr anyway, so over a year it's not really a big deal. And let's face it, while the Lexus may be better put together, it's not got the character of the 300C. That beautiful eggcrate grille goes all the way back to the first Chrysler 300!
That's something I really like (and also like in the PT Cruiser): It's unashamedly American in its styling cues. It feels like they were the last real Chryslers; FCA just puts a badge on Lancias and calls it quits. Lancias for crying out loud! And soon, as EVs gradually improve and they begin to eat into the market for petrol as a fuel, it'll get harder and harder to find the go-juice to run a big V8 at all. Before I'm forced to drive a glorified bloody washing machine, I'm gonna drive a Hemi.