David Burns wrote: "Tire Rack has both OEM tire sets (Michelin and Continental M+S) , in stock. And several other brands/models of same sizes.
Read Michelin's site... the tires that are on Crossfire are BRAND SPANKIN NEW design. Same for the Continental's."
Dave, when I had to replace my tire three weeks ago, indeed Tire Rack was the only place that had the tires. The ONLY place. Michelin themselves told two Michelin dealers I visited, and then told ME when I called the 800 number in our brochures that they had NONE.
Tire Rack had 3...THREE tires in stock. Total.
I do know that has changed somewhat now, but the fact is Michelin dealers generally will NOT be stocking these tires because of their limited application.
I have NO clue your point about the tires being spanking new. That is totally irrelevant to the issue. Chrysler sells a car that has NO spare tire, just a goo pump that is virtually useless in many tire damage situations. They start selling cars knowing there were no replacement tires out there. BRILLIANT!
Hey Crossfire tech...your requested comment. (Oh, first...'whiner' has only one 'n', not two. spelling it 'whinner' might be mistaken for olde english for 'winner', and I don't think that's how you feel about us disillusioned Crossfire owners...)
Your numbers re the Z, RX8, and WRX are specious. You KNOW they don't sell for list. I was at a Nissan dealer yesterday (where I got offered $25K trade for the Crossfire...but not on a Z) and they were selling Z track packages for under $30K. So let's stay in reality and compare apples to apples. YOU are the one comparing the sales figure for a far more expensive Boxster with the Crossfire. Talking about mixing apples and oranges.
RE the # of Loti sold...YOU made the definitive statement that 2 seaters don't sell....no matter WHO makes them. You didn't put any restrictions on #'s sold, so if you didn't like being called on it you need to be more precise when you try to make a point.
Be that as it may, the Lotus starts being delivered in May of this year. With 35 dealers getting 9 cars per month, they will have delivered over 2500 by the end of the year, and a pipeline at least twice that already in the books.
In other words, they will have NO cars 'on the lot', Crossfires???
But for the sake of argument, I'll grant you for a moment that the Lotus will sell fewer cars. To your statement nobody sells two seaters, no matter who makes them.
Look at Porsche. Please, no ridiculous statement that the 911 is a '4 seater,' you know NOBODY thinks of it that way, nor uses it that way. With the exception of the Cayenne, Porsche sells no real, serviceable 4 seater in the US. If they weren't selling 2 seaters, they wouldn't be here at all...don't think they're going anywhere.
Mmmm....last time I looked, there's at least one Mazda M5 (miata) at every intersection in the country. You'd be the first to offer the revelation that the M5 is a loss leader for Mazda....please...
You asked for a list of problems...well, I did it once, but I'll do it again just for you:
Design flaws/feature ommissions for it's segment:
No rack and pinion steering. You and Wes can protest all you'd like, but no car since 1960 that seriously has sports car pretensions has been without it.
No tilt wheel.
No HID.
Down on power.
Fixed sun visors.
Poor radio.
Poor cup holder.
Cheap plastic interior.
No memory seats.
No Nav system (throwing that in because it's been an issue for lots of other guys, I couldn't care less personally).
'Make-do' for tire failure.
Balky 6 speed.
Problems folks have had that have required trips to dealer:
1st gear popping
Glove box locks falling out.
Noisy rear hatch.
Lately folks have had auto problems.
Lately folks w/autos have had idle problems.
Wind noise (which two Chrysler dealers have failed to be able to correct per the TSB on my car).
Running heater fans.
Tire bubbles.
Saggy leather seats.
CD skipping (actually, mine would not come on at all yesterday).
Interior door handles coming off.
Short-lived headlight bulbs
Lifter noise.
Poorly installed radiator hose that could be cut and fail.
Gear shift lever coming loose while driving.
Loose interior pieces.
Misprinted manuals that have resulted in uninformed dealers seriously underfilling oil sumps.
Somebody just posted a problem that someone suggests is an 02 sensor...something suggested as common on MB engines. Might be right, might not be...
You get the idea. There are others, these just come to mind from memory. If this is a handful, you must have big hands.
YOU may not think any/all of these or important. But to somebody with a new, expensive car, even one or two of the minor ones can be very disconcerting. The serious ones are SERIOUS.
You know, I LOVE it when the self appointed moderators of this board call folks 'whiners' when somebody expresses some type of disappointment with their expensive car while it's still NEW. It's also interesting that somebody decides to stoop to name calling when the facts are not on their side.
Look folks, enjoy your car, by all means. I've had fun times with mine. But it is far from a great car, and now it is a very poor value as well.
Not to worry, CCrossfire, my car will be gone by Wednesday, this has been my last weekend with it. So please, consider this my last 'whining' rant.
I may post only to sell 3 extra wheels and a BRAND NEW never on the road front PS2 for it...but may go the ebay route instead.
Have an Amazing Day!