Wow! I'm surprised how insulted I am by this poll.
I've owned another Chrysler product, a Dodge Stealth, and the ONLY reason I bought it was that it was REALLY a Mitsubishi 3000GT. The ONLY differences between the two cars were cosmetic. Before that I owned a Mitsubishi Eclipse, which was identical to the Pontiac Laser and the Eagle Talon - more products NOT designed and produced by the company who's name it bore.
When I think Chrysler, I am reminded of the K car, and the 70's Newports. Not exactly the cream of automotive excellence or excitement. Right or wrong, that's what I mentally associate the name Chrysler with. When I think about Mercedes and AMG, I think of the AMG Hammer - one of the world's fastest production sedans ever made. When I hear the name Karmann, I associate it with the Karmann Ghia - a cool little roadster classic. Don't get me wrong, I don't think that Chrysler has never made a good car, or that Mercedes can only produce perfect cars. But I would much rather my car be associated with Mercedes, AMG, and Karmann than with the folks that put their emblem on the hood, wheels, and trunk.
In fact, if I had not known that the Crossfire really had very little to do with Chrysler, I would never have bought it. So, yes, I probably will remove the Chrysler badges from my Crossfire. In fact, I'm planning to make a nice Karmann badge to replace them with. I also have an AMG badge for the trunk and Kompressor badges for the fenders.
Yesterday I was driving behind a fellow in a Chevy Silverado. He had a bumper sticker that said "Please don't put MY flag on your foreign car" showing an American flag. I laughed out loud at his stupidity. His "American" Silverado was made in Mexico or Canada. The "Japanese" car I was driving at the time was made in Normal, Illinois. I'm sure he would have been pissed if I had put HIS flag on my "foreign" car. (And don't even get me started on my opinion about patriotism, having served my country in the Army, I can put MY flag on any damn car I want!)
The Silverado owner's ridiculous opinion about flags and "foreign" cars is just as ridiculous as denying the Crossfire's German design and manufacture.
It seems that many people here have different opnions about our cars and their heritage. It's actually very simple. We all love our Crossfires, and we wish to associate them with other things that we love. If I want to call mine a Mercedes, so be it. If you want to call yours a Chrysler, so be it. Who cares? Don't rain on my parade, and I won't rain on yours.
