There are few modern vehicles that really catch my eye these days, but the Dodge Magnum was always one of the more intriguing products that I feel deserves a closer look. First of all, it’s a wagon; second, it’s rear wheel drive; and finally, Dodge offered it with a thumper of an engine. Wagons have fallen pretty far out of favor these days, but the Magnum does have a following owing to its legitimate performance credentials. This 2006 Magnum SE listed here on eBay is a former police-spec model that the seller is moving along due to being a touch too rusty.
A police spec Magnum? I hadn’t heard of that, but it makes sense. After all, rear wheel drive and V8 power are features almost every police officer over a certain age wishes the Big 3 still offered. The seller does specify that this was a “Pursuit”-grade package, so it wasn’t just a detective’s car; it was suitably upgraded to do high-speed driving chasing scofflaws and hardened criminals. The upgrades included “…heavy-duty brakes, upgraded suspension, and high-speed engine controllers,” according to the seller.
Inside, it’s very basic, and that makes sense for a police department. What I immediately noticed is the deletion of the center console shifter, because it was a very distinctive design that felt Mercedes-Benz-like in function: after all, the Daimler-Chrysler merger happened just a few years earlier, and we were beginning to see some of Germany’s influences in modern Mopars. The column shift makes sense for an officer who just wants to slam this thing into gear and take off after a speeding convict. With just 55,000 original miles, it still looks quite clean inside, so I’m guessing it didn’t have many passengers.
The 5.7L HEMI engine produced 340 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque. That’s still a very sold number today, and the Magnum R/Ts have become quite sought after for their impressive stock performance. Sadly, this Magnum has fairly significant rust issues underneath, and the gallery photos show what looks like corrosion into the frame area, or at least critical mounting points. It has the same rust my brother-in-law’s Magnum had on the driver’s side quarter panel, along with a few other spots. This will be a labor of love, but with a $4,500 Buy-It-Now, it could be worth it considering the low miles and rarity.
IIRC, these were designed with the shift supervisor in mind pre-SUV craze as well as CSI and traffic detectives. Probably more of the specialized teams too that we don’t hear about.
Our local PD ran them as regular patrol cars mixed with Chargers. I worked in the Chrysler plant building these, we made a large number of police spec Magnums
These cars look like Dodge started building a sports car, and changed it to a wagon halfway through production.
Priced aggressively. The seller ran it though eBay once before, $3,000 opening bid and $6,000 BIN, it received no bids. The Magnum version of the SRT8 as with all SRT8’s has a desirability factor, not so sure about a rusty one with the police package.
Steve R
Given all the rust, $3000 is pretty optimistic. These aren’t all that rare… or collectable. (Frankly, I think they’re quite unattractive.)
Everyone of these I’ve seen have been overpriced and/or rusty. I was looking for a wagon earlier this year, but these were all over priced for what they are, including this one. Kudos to the seller for showing us the hole in the floor, though.
Biggest problem with these was that with seating for 5 or 72 cubic feet (back seat down) loadspace, it had the same capacity as a much more compact Ford Focus wagon so it really wasn’t the second coming of the full-size station wagon. The Focus cost 2/3 the price, had better visibility and could be had with a manual transmission even if it was technically a delete option on the early wagons.
I loved the TV commercial they ran when these were new. It went something like this: A Magnum and a red Italian sports car were at a stoplight. The light turned green, they took off and the Magnum dusted the sports car. At the next stoplight the embarrassed driver hollers over: What do you have in that thing? The Magnums’ driver glances back over his shoulder and answers : Eight 2x4s, 3 bags of cement and a pair of speakers. LOL. :-) Terry J
I’ve always thought that these things were pretty cool, particularily the ones with 3 pedals, but I’m afraid that this one has too much cancer to make it worth much of anything.
Another reason for the column shifter: typically police cruisers are outfitted with equipment such as a police radio, laptop, etc. that would cover the center console where the stock shifter normally goes.
Not to mention AR15s and short barreled shotguns. :-) Terry J
I’m pretty sure that I read somewhere that the column shifter was always preferred by LEOs because they are easier to manipulate in emergency situations than a console shift.
Another ‘fun fact’ on the police package; note the regular key lock for the lift gate. They didn’t issue the regular key fobs with the lock/unlock buttons like my ‘05 has, just regular old keys. One thing I find odd are the references to this being an ‘SE’. I could be mistaken, but as I recall the SE’s were all 6 cylinder, and the 5.7’s were all RT’s. What a shame about the rust, looks like a really nice car other than that…
Rented one of these while my company dodge was in for collision repairs thanks to a passed out drunk Durango driver.
Fastest car ever is a rental you aren’t paying for. 65mph up the curvy gaps in the Tennessee part of the Cumberland plateau, and 65mph down all in 2nd gear.
Turned it in after 6 weeks with a poorly shifting trans and a smoking engine. Not very durable compared to my truck.
I have always liked these, and would have bought one if they continued to make them when I bought a Charger in ’12, but by that point, they were long gone.
I had never heard of these with the police package, it’s a bummer that this one is so rusty.