Top Tips for Buying a Chrysler 300C Hemi V8 (2005-2013)

Walk around the sinister shape of a Chrysler 300C, observing the low-set stance with its pugilist front end and echoes from a dozen ‘mob’ movies will ring in your head. It is that kind of car.

With its bold egg-crate grille, long bonnet and slammed roofline the Chrysler 300C debuted as a concept at the 2003 New York International Auto Show, its name referencing Chrysler’s famous 1957 300C ‘letter series’ two-door.

While the name and styling were distinctly retro, the eventual rear-wheel drive architecture the 2004-2010 production models used were far from it, borrowing heavily from then partner Mercedes-Benz’s forthcoming E-Class to create Chrysler’s own LX platform.

There were strong Mercedes-Benz ties elsewhere, too, including the 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel that overseas models used, the W211 E-Class’s five-link independent rear suspension, and the W220 S-Class’s double wishbone front suspension.

Add in a Benz-derived five-speed automatic, electronics, wiring harness and even some internal switchgear, and you had something that for all intents and purposes resembled a cut-price E-Class. The BBC’s Top Gear team went so far as to describe it as a “re-shelled German car with an American body”.

While the 300C’s styling may have oozed “gangster cool” not all the early versions were especially tough, with the initial Australian lineup in late 2005 featuring a 3.5-litre V6 (183kW/340Nm), alongside the range-topping 5.7-litre Hemi V8 (250kW/525Nm).

At launch, the V6 cost $53,990 while the Hemi V8 commanded $59,990. The petrol sedans were joined in mid-2006 by a 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel (160 kW/510Nm) costing $57,990, with Touring station wagon variants also added to the range at this time.

Named for the unique hemispherical combustion chambers, ‘Hemi’ engines had been a feature of big Chryslers since the early 1950s, when a 331-cubic inch (5.4-litre) version of the overhead valve V8 was fitted to the upmarket Imperial.

Later in that same decade, Hemi-powered Chryslers would dominate NASCAR racing and maintain their status until regulated out of contention during the 1970s.

After discontinuing production version of the Hemi V8 in 1971, Chrysler waited an extraordinary 31 years before reviving the technology in 2003 with the introduction of the third-generation (Gen III) 5.7-litre Hemi V8 in the Dodge Ram 1500 pickup.

While the pushrod engine lacked the true hemispherical combustion chamber attributes of the original 1950s-1970s engines, it did feature a ‘semi-Hemi’ domed combustion chamber and the defining, angled-valve, opposing-rocker layout of a hemispherical head.

Each cylinder had just a single inlet and exhaust valve but there were two spark plugs to speed up flame propagation in the redesigned chamber.

Early versions of the 5.7-litre engine had a 9.6:1 compression ratio for ease of use on cheaper Regular gasoline, but later versions with the 10.5:1 compression ratio run best on Premium fuel.

Capacity expanded in April 2006 with the arrival of the 6.1-litre SRT (“Sports & Racing Technology”) models which punched out a hairy 317kW/569Nm, and again in 2012 when SRT8 versions grew to 6.4-litres  – matching the 392-cubic inch capacity of those legendary Hemi V8s from Chrysler’s late-1950s Letter Series cars – and boosting outputs to 347kW/630Nm.

Early SRT8 sedans at $71,990 cost $12,000 more than the basic Hemi V8 300C but plenty of buyers saw value in the more powerful and better-equipped cars. Some who might have been watching the dollars would have had their minds changed during a test drive by the righteous bellow of the 6.1-litre V8, with its dual drainpipe exhausts capable of cracking window glass in parked Hyundais.

With broad hips covering 20-inch diameter wheels, slits for windows and a big, square air-intake with optional mesh covering, the SRT8 could easily be mistaken for a Bentley, something Chrysler likely had no problem with.

These are a big car that shrinks the moment the engine rumbles into life. It could probably use more gears than the five provided but even the 5.7-litre gets away quickly enough to hit 100km/h in 6.7 seconds, while the SRT8 drops that to 5.3 seconds and 13.6 for the standing 400 metres, with the 80-120km/h overtaking increment handled in a blistering 3.2 seconds.

Grip via the 245/45 and 255/45-section tyres is exceptional and road test writers praised the responsive rack and pinion steering with its 2.8 turns lock to lock.

Yes, a car like this is going to use lots of fuel (around 18.0L/100km) but if you avoid mashing the throttle for the sake of pure entertainment you might eke out a semi-respectable 15.0L/100.

Vision to the sides is restricted, so adjusting the heated and folding door mirrors before test driving a 300C is essential. The boot, or ‘trunk’ as American gangsters prefer to call it, could hold a lot of bodies, with even more space available in the Touring.

SRT8 equipment included embossed leather seats (heated with electric memory adjustment), woodgrain on the dash, doors and console, a 13-speaker sound system, dual-zone air-conditioning, a rear park sensor and stability control. Finding more luxury in a comparably priced used car is going to be difficult.

Local values did decline rapidly during the cars’ first 15 years but seem to have hit the bottom of their slide and are beginning to climb. This echoes the experience of SRT8s in the much larger US market, where cars that have travelled fewer than 50,000 miles (80,000km) are regarded as collectible and have increased by 30 percent since 2022.

Basic 5.7-litre sedans in our market with 250,000km and more can be found below $12,000. Low-kilometre (sub-150k) SRT8s can exceed $30,000 and are the ones to choose if you plan long term ownership and to potentially cash in on growing demand for the last of Chrysler’s Hemis.

Things to Watch Out for When Buying a Used Chrysler 300C Hemi V8 (2005-2013)

• These cars were involved in the massive Takata airbag recall which commenced around 10 years ago. Surviving 300Cs should by now have been modified to eliminate the problem.
• Cracked or poorly aligned front panels and grille. With a prominent nose and no viable bumper, any impact will be taken by the grille and can relay damage to adjoining surfaces.
• Make sure the transmission selector comes out of Park easily and doesn’t need multiple attempts to select gears. A faulty interlock bar is said to be the cause and easily replaced.
• Check that major electrical items function as they should; power windows, seat adjusters, cruise control, even the tyre pressure monitor can fail due to electrical system flaws.
• On a quiet section of road during the test drive, check by applying the brakes hard that the ABS is still functioning.
• Air-conditioning should deliver cold not just cool air and in sufficient volume to reach the rear outlets.