Hi, this is my first time posting in this forum...(I'm new)

I am a college student turning senior this september, and although I was able to live without a car for 3 years, I decided it would be better to have a car for my senior year.

My budget is limited, so the only sporty cars I could find under my budget were Mazda $X-8 (2004-2005 model), and Chrysler Crossfire (2004-2005 limited).

I was in love with RX8 first because it was more practical (4 seats + larger cargo space), but upon doing some research I realized the engine is relatively unreliable compared to other sports cars. I don't want to spend few thousand $$$$ just on repairs, I want a reliable car that doesn't give me any major problems for 10 months that I'm going to drive.

So I'm leaning towards Crossfire these days. I disliked the design at first, but more I look at it, better it looks. I especially like the rear design and the electric spoiler. I also like the fact that it is a 2 seater and has a decent amount of cargo space.

I've been looking at used car markets, autotrader and cars.com, and came across few Crossfires that were under my budget, but they all have high miles.

The lowest one I found was 89,000 miles for $8450, and my budget is around $7500 - $8500.
There is another crossfire with 110,000 miles for $7,000, but I am not sure if this one is going to be realiable.

I'm going to put less than 7,000 miles (just 10 months), and then I am going to sell it because I have to go back to Japan (yes i am an international student - no wonder my grammar sucks!) and I can't take the car with me.

So the question is, are Crossfires still reliable after 100K? Do you guys think I can drive a used Crossfire with over 100K trouble-free? I love cars, and I take care of them very well (I drive a Toyota Camry and a BMW X3 in Japan and I really take care of them well too!). I never drag race, never abuse or modify cars. I just want a sporty coupe (well, i've been driving a boring sedan and a SUV - need some refreshment) that can be with me for 7,000 miles trouble-free.

I am willing to pay another $1,000 ~ 2,000 for repairs (excluding regular maintenance and insurance), so please let me know if Crossfires are reliable after 100K. These cars are super rare in Japan and I want to drive this car while studying in US.

Thank you and have a nice day,


Han

 

Han-san, Konnichiwa! Namae wa Mark. Ogenki desuka?


Your english is fine, almost perfect grammer, in fact. It is hard to believe you are not a native speaker.

As to the Crossfire, as is the case with so many vehicles, once you get to about 100,000 miles you can expect to start spending some money on a few common items. First that comes to mind is the water pump. If the car has been driven hard, I'd suspect new wheel bearings might be in order soon as well.

I can't say that the Crossfire is any more likely to run into problems than any other cat at 100,000 miles - but I also don't see any reason to believe that it is NOT going to have some issues. 7,000 miles is a small "window" of time, I doubt you'd run into a LOT of trouble, provided you had a trusted mechanic look the car over well before purchase. Experienced eyes and hands can often uncover coming issues that most of us can't find ourselves.

While the Crossfire is known to have some irritating issues, it is NOT known to be a troubled or unreliable car. Additionally, it is based on a solid Mercedes chassis and drive train that formed the basis of a production run of a Mercedes model that was NOT known for any reliability issues that I have heard of.

 

You are a college student? where? If it is Purdue if I can be of any help I will. I live across the river in Lafayette and have had my Crossfire for 4 1\2 years. I'm no mechanic but I am familiar with it.

 

OK. So maybe I'm better off searching for ones that have around 85000-90000 miles???

I'm willing to spend couple grands for repairs, but i'm only going to drive 3-4 times a week (5 mile distance).

I know that majority of cars begin to have problems after they hit 100K mark. I wanted to know if crossfire was MORE or LESS reliable than majority of cars out there (well, japanese cars are out of the league lol) because I'm planning 2 long-distance trips, one from Indy to Miami and from Indy to Boston, and I don't want my baby to break down on the middle of a highway.

Oh, and are leather seats comfortable enough for long-distance trips as well??

thanks

 

Hi, thanks for your reply.

Yes I am a college student but I go to IUB, not purdue. However, IU to purdue only takes like an hour and half, so it would be very much appreciated if you can help me out when i need some help.

Currently I'm looking at used Crossfires around 800 mile radius, and I have a friend who is willing to go with me to dealers/private sellers with his car if the car i'm trying to purchase is within 300 mile radius. Anything farther than that I'm going to have to take a plane.

Oh but I'm outside of US right now I won't be back until August.

Thanks

 

Mileage on this car is no issue whatsoever. The Mercedes M112 is historically one of the longest-running motors in the market. Seeing one clear the half-million mile mark is not unusual. One of our members, DJ, just bought a 6MT Coupe last year with over 160,000 miles on it. Zero issues. In fact, it's in such good shape that it's being used as the test mule for the prototype turbo kit being developed.

Many members have driven cross-country in these things, with no complaints. Seats are extremely supportive once you find your sweet-spot in the adjustments.

Buy one without remorse, you will love it.

 

Nice offer Larry.

 

Now that is fun to read. I've been SO much happier in a Base SE, the cloth seats sit lower and beat the hell outta the too-hard-for-my-comfort leather seats in the Limited.

 

Tightd1?????

 

Close, tighed1

 

Pizzaguy wrote: "But I drove my Graphite Roadster 2200 miles in three days when I bought it in Arizona and drove it all the way across the USA to Georgia. I simply took my back pillow and made it all the way home with no pain!" I found this bizarre as I flew from Nevada to Alabama to get my Graphite Crossfire, and immediately drove it back to Las Vegas. Apparently we should have looked in each other's backyards.

 

My little Crossfire has 121K miles on it, I drive it everyday (70+ miles) and only recently it's having a few issues, mostly due to the true fact that some things need replacing after certain miles (my alternator went at 110K, I might need to replace the clutch (original) any day now. If the car has been taken care of, and you remember to keep up with the basic maintenance of oil changes, radiator flushes (when needed), etc., it should not be a problem. And while I haven't driven out of my state (Texas), I've done several drives up to Houston (350+ miles each way) in the blistering heat with no problem.

Personally, I don't care for the rx8. One of my colleagues had one, and along with the tricky engine issues, it had lousy gas mileage. Even though the Crossfire uses Premium (I know some that use regular), my car can go 350+ miles on a tank of gas.

Plus, it's a pretty little car.

 

I have a 2006 manual Coupe and just hit 100k. I love love love my little car. I drive 120 miles round trip every day to work and back, and it's a dream. I regularly took weekend trips from Lubbock to San Antonio (450 miles one way) and it is one of the most comfortable cars I've personally driven. A 7 hour drive and I didn't need breaks, and felt great when I got there. (I'm 42, so it's not like I'm a spring chicken, either.)

My crossfire is my favorite car I've ever owned. I bought the lifetime warranty through Chrysler and intend on keeping "Shoe" forever. (My hubby calls it that because it's not much bigger than his shoe.)

I'm about to take Shoe in for 100k maintenance just to keep everything running good. The only things you might consider as cons compared to the Mazda would be:
expensive oil changes ($120 if you don't do it yourself, but you can go 7000+ miles)
heaven forbid you have to buy a new set of back tires
if something broke, consider it a Mercedes Benz to get it fixed as far as $

The pros - it's the most unusual car you'll ever have. A real head-turner, and a joy to drive. Too many pros to list, honestly. But a lot of that will depend on the previous owner and how well it was taken care of.

 

I only have 40k on my roadster, but I don't hesitate to drive it MI-NY (~600 miles one way). It has taken a half dozen trips from MI to the Northeast. I have no concerns mechanically, but worry a little about popping a tire since there is no spare. But, I do have AAA and if I have to buy a couple tires, so be it.

I have enough faith in these little cars, that I encouraged my son to buy his 2007 coupe which he drives between MI and FL (FSU). He does not run it a lot at college, but it has been problem free for 2+ years. As a matter of fact, I constantly tell him to take it out on the interstate and run it a 100 miles to really heat everything up and boil the condensation out of the oil.

The best advice is to have it independently checked out by someone who knows M-B (specifically SLK 320), and then have the oil/filter changed with Mobil1 0W-40. Check the cabin and air filters as well. A battery and alternator charging test at an Autozone are usually free. Everything else is generally maintenance -- that includes 12 spark plugs at 100k.

 

Hi Han
Your English is better than mines, lol no worries.
I am a Crossfire owner, i love my car. It drives lije a big car and has plenty of storage in the back. I have had small issues if you call them issues with the car. They do have turn signal issues the holder will break but cost very little to have someone solder back the clip. In California we have to get a smog check every other tear and the car has pass all checks no problems, by the way I am pushing 181,00 mikes and just return from a approx 1100 mile trip one way. So the answer is if the owner has taking good care of the car, yes it will go way pass 100,000 miles and run great. Hope this helos some.

 

Han went back to Japan years ago - look at the date on his post!

 

Good to hear anyway tho