Ok! Here's the latest update.... I returned that piece of junk multimeter to WalMart and wound up buying an LCD "True RMS" digital multimeter from Radio Shack. (Yes, they still have a location open in my city!) This one actually works properly, and may just last me years if it's anything like my old Radio Shack analog meter.

According to this new meter, I'm getting a steady battery draw of about 107ma when the car is sitting with no interior lights on or anything. The Crossfire service manual seems to indicate it should be a little less than half that amount, but I have an aftermarket Clarion stereo installed too -- so who knows if that changes things a bit? Doesn't seems like enough current draw to be a big concern.

But here's the interesting part. It appears that as soon as I try to actually start the car, it causes a large current drain that doesn't immediately go away after turning the key off again. (I can put the key in ACC or ON mode and everything seems normal... can roll the power windows up/down, turn on headlights, stereo, etc. All works normal. But right after the failed attempt to start it, the windows won't work anymore and even the interior cabin lights appear dim.)

I bought one of those battery jump starting booster packs (700 cranking amps) and charged it up all the way. Tried attaching it to my Crossfire's battery terminals and then starting it. That just results in a "click, click, click" that actually sounds more like a metal "clank, clank, clank" if I open the driver side door and listen.

So safe to say I have a bad starter that might be somehow sticking and shorting the battery too?