As my father has just gotten a new job in downtown Atlanta, (an hour drive in the best of conditions...) he wants to trade in his manual transmission Kia and take my automatic Toyota. He has said he will buy myself a new car because he wants the epic milage that my Carolla gets. He is split between getting a Honda fit and the beautiful Crossfire. He is already in love with the CLK 320 he got my mother last year, so he already likes the idea of a Crossfire. His main concern is that it does not have a spare tire due to its different wheel sizes. This is the killer issue for him and I need some help with telling him the BEST reasons to get an xfire over a Fit . This car is going to be the one I take to college in two years, so I'm going to have it for atleast 3 years.

Yes, i'm very new here. It's great to find a forum dedicated to this great car.

 

Young man I wish you the best, as far as a spare tire goes i have had mine for three years and many road trips, no problems, one point I would bring up is that is what AAA and roadside assistance through you insurance company is for,,, or in Docs case he is able to pick up assistance with his AARP membership . I had strongly considered geting a crossfire for my son to go to school in but he does not fit. your dad would find it hard to get a better car for the money.... There is also the advantage of no back seat,,,,,Do the Kia's have a forum like this to assist their owners,,best of luck

 

Good luck getting your dad to buy a Crossfire. If he is worried about flats, get AAA. I have gotten from 25 to 29 mpg in my Crossfire with automatic. He will look a lot better & have much more fun driving the XF than anything else he is looking at.

 

i thought about making a lengthy reply but really...you need to buy your own car (and all that goes with it. you'll thank yourself when you get in your 40's).

 

There's lots of Crossfire owners on this forum that have "doughnut spares" out of other Mercedes vehicles. So there's the solution.
If I had to spend nearly a 2 hour commute everyday to work, I'd choose a fun to drive, bargain priced, beautiful sportscar over a Fit anytime. (and I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Honda fan).
Of course there is about a 30% higher fuel bill to consider. But "perma-grin" is worth it.

 

My understanding from reading the original post is the Crossfire would be for the son (Meester), who may still be in high school, and not the father. Meester's Dad wants to drive his son's econobox to work for the gas mileage.

I guess I'll play Devil's Advocate here and suggest that any 2-door sports car may not be the best match for this situation. The lack of a spare tire would be way down on my list of concerns. Assuming Meester is still in high school, the amount of power these cars have, the higher maintenance costs due to rarity and types of parts (0W-40 Synthetic oil, etc), high insurance costs, and the lack of practicality (no back seat, minimal trunk)l would all have me choosing something else for my kid. Plus, if this is going to be a college car in a couple of years, I'd want something that can haul a lot more stuff back and forth than an XF could. I can't even get one large suitcase in my roadster's trunk.

My parents bought me a 4-door economy beater as my first car in high school. I drove it like a madman and got a couple of tickets, but if I had the equivalent of a Crossfire back then I may not be here today. I guess times have changed since when I got my driver's license 25 years ago. I'm not trying to be a killjoy, just speaking as a practical Dad. Sorry Meester, my vote is for getting you a Fit.

 

If I could do it over, I wouldnt buy a crossfire again

 

wouldnt buy a crossfire ????? Why is that !!!! As far as the flat tire & no spare !!! Buy some run flats !!! You wont need to worry !!!

 

1. Electronic Stability Control (has saved me a couple of times)
2. Traction Control
3. 4 wheel disc brakes with BAS
4. Air Bags out the wazzoo
5. Automatic transmission has W/S modes
6. Tire compressor / sealant for simple punctures ...in back.
7. Solid structure.....more ridgid than a 911.
8. Only 215 HP. & mid twenties mpg.
9. As cheap as they are right now.....should be good resale % in future.

 

Hmmm. Well, that's one out of about 1000. Pray tell Infinite, why not? Ya just can't dump out there w/o explaination. Let folks know why that would be the case with you. Just helps everybody out.

If you got a bad one, that happens, it's a machine, and I can see why you'd be leery of another one, but given the odds, another one wouldn't have those issues, if that what the reason is.

 

no aftermarket support, at all (the sole reason I buy a car is to modify it)
getting oem parts is impossible, everything is on backorder
the chrysler dealers are idiots
mercedes dealers are smart but cant really work on the car except for drivetrain.

If I could go back, I'd buy an older m3, a 350z, or something else

 

I am not going to dissagree with you on your logic. All of that is true. But I am a few months shy of 5 years with this car. Been through hell and back with this car at the dealership. I am not about to give it up now! Besides, all of the things you say is common with cars that are as rare as ours. That is what makes our car so special. You can always sell your crossfire and pick up a mustang or camaro.

As for kids today... there is no way I would give a Crossfire to a kid. It is not the pickup or power... it is the top speed that worries me. Any kid that gets behind the wheel of this car is going to end up killing themselves. Besides, I had a 4 door sedan from the 70's growing up. It was a tank! I did not complain one lick! I was just happy to be able to drive!

 

I AGREE...Plus they are expensive as hell!! Yeah our cars were expensive as hell also (at one point) but damn they arent anymore.

 

Blackcrossfire couldn't agree with you more. I almost got serious with the new Camaro last June but I backed off, I was already seeing a lot of them on the street, our car is still very unique. I too have had mine almost 5 years and KOW not a problem. Tomorrow I install my dual CAI from Needswings, it feels like Chrsitmas! Its all in what you want. If you want a car you can mod out to the hilt then yes the Crossfire probably isn't right for you. It still one of the coolest cars on the road!

 

I wouldnt take a mustang or camaro if you gave one to me. I hate domestic cars with a passion, shy of the supercars.

I dont care about rare. I can take a civic and make it rare.
I care about speed, making something slow go fast.
Im still debating about ditching my xfire for the porsche sitting in storage

 

Considering I have a purpose built track 240sx slatd to make 550rwhp on pump, 3 street bikes, and me and my dad have the c6 z06 that will be making 600rwhp in a few weeks. Plus i had a 600hp civic.

Modifying to the point of absurdity is what I do, lol.
Once I get another decent daily beater, the crossfire is going under the major knife as well

 

I felt that way about the SRT, but not the NA car. With an SRT things can get out of control real fast, and for that reason I wouldn't give it to a teenager. When you really think about it, there's hardly a car built that won't hit triple digits, and that's more than enough speed to ruin anybodys day.
I think most teenagers get into trouble while driving because they're paying more attention to cell phones, their tunes, text messaging, or being distracted by friends in the back seat, than their driving.
Being a 2 seater, eliminates most of the distractions. It's one of the fastest stopping cars on the road today. It's manuverability enables a driver with quick reactions to avoid sudden obstacles, it's quick enough to get out of somebodys way, and its traction control helps correct mistakes.
Above everything else, the Crossfire seems like it's built like a little tank. There has only been one fatality in a XF (as far as I can remember), and the driver had to do a swan dive into the Grand Canyon to do it. (no disrespect to the deceased, or his family).

 

Getting back to the original question,

Meester, Your dad needs to buy a car he wants. If he is making the payments he has to be happy everytime he gets in the car. And everytime he gets out.

Here is your delima.

If he is, shall we say, older, gettin in and out ain't easy so unless the perma grin comes on, he will not like the car. If he does like the car, why would he give it up and hand it to you?

Your screwed either way.

Here's an idea. These cars aren't all that expensive to purchase. You can get into one for under ten grand no problem. I can pretty much guaranttee that two years from now that situation will likely be the same.

So put your money away and drive whatever he finds he would like. Then he doesn't have to give up his toy and if you let him drive yours and he loves it, it's his loss to regret.

After all, you had told him.

Or let him have your Toyota for enough cash to go get your own Crossie now.

I loved every car I ever owned. I owned every car I every drove. Even the clunkers, 'cause they were mine. Sump'in to be said for that.

Every car I bought my kid, he tore up 'cause he didn't give a crap about something to which he thought he was entitled. And everytime he wrecked a car of mine that I had given him, I cried just a little.


Jus' sayin


roadster with a stick

 

ok, to elaborate...(stunt drivers, don't try this at home)...girls in the passenger seat my dad wouldn't approve of, foreign smoke roiling out of the windows cracked open an inch, tunes from my self-installed pioneer stereo that my dad hated but the girls didn't, my name on the title...etc. it was mine and i owned the keys and paid the ridiculous insurance on. when i was 16. and now i feel really good about it in my 40's.

 

Bingo!