Don't sweat the brakes; changing pads and rotors is really pretty easy on these cars. E-bay is full of drilled/slotted rotor upgrades. Most folks like the Rotex Gold pads. Chassis/suspension parts are M-Benz SLK/CLK/C-class stuff. Parts are more expensive but generally higher quality and better engineered than domestic counterparts. If you can give up ground clearance Eibach/H&R springs and Koni shocks is a good set-up for auto-X competition. Coming from a domestic hot-rod world myself, the thing you have to realize is how totally engineered and balanced the M-Benz/Crossfire design is. It's pretty hard to improve with simple bolt-on stuff because there really are no glaring shortcomings inherent in the car's design !

The only problem with the Crossfire (aside from it's tiny size) is it is essentially a eight-ten year old design. In 2001, 215 Hp was competitive in a 3,000 pound sports car. As the years have passed, more powerful models have entered the two-seat sports car fray and the "horsepower wars" continue unabated. The 3.2 M-Benz V6 is a wonderful motor, over enginered, smooth reliable and long-lived; it was designed as a sedan/SUV motor. Check out the details; precision cast block, forged internals, windage tray/stud girdle, steel chain cam drive, high compression, huge (8.5 quart !) cast sump/pan assembly; this engine is over-built and under-stressed. But it's not a nervous exciting High-strung sports car motor; It won't rev to 7,800 rpm but it's torque curve is almost flat from 1,800 rpm up. If you can live with that you'll love the car.

Forget what the magazines say; drive one and decide for yourself !

Cincinnati Slim

Proud owner of a cramped, impractical, hard-to-see-out-of, "worst cupholder in automotive history" utterly cool looking, kick to drive ,joy to behold, totally involving 2006, six-speed Crossfire Coupe w/Magnaflow Cat-back and AMG intake /air boxes...