I stumbled into owning a 2005 Crossfire convertible five years ago and it was love at first sight. I was lucky to find this forum shortly after and I've used it to diagnose some otherwise mysterious problems and perform some well known repairs before they became problems. But, the end of the road has arrived. My wife has never been a Crossfire fan and the time has come to accept the adage "Happy Wife, Happy Life" -- so the Crossfire has to go in order to make room for a car that suits her as well as me. The point of this post is to get some perspectives on a couple issues related to finding my Crossfire a new home:

1) When I got the car the hydraulics for the top did not work. I was told there was a leak somewhere and I always intended to fix it. I watched all the Top Hydraulics videos and figured I could do the work myself but it turned out that raising and lowering the top manually was so fast and easy I was never motivated enough to actually get around to it. At this point I need to move on from the Crossfire and do not have time to work on it so the question is, should I sell it the way it is, or pay someone to fix the top first?
2) The same sort of issue with the headlight lenses. They are pretty yellowed and I always meant to clean them up. I even bought the 3M kit to do it. But at this point I am wondering if should take the time to do it or just sell the kit with the car?
3) The Crossfire came to me via a convoluted inheritance chain so I did not buy it on the open market and have no idea where to sell it. Since this forum is dedicated to Crossfires I am hoping some folks who have actually bought and/or sold crossfires can tell me if there is anyplace I should list it other than just my local Facebook or whatever.

Any insights or suggestions on all three questions would be welcome!

andy


Happy Days!

 

Crossfire Marketplace located right here on the Forum would be a good starting place.

 

Sell the wife!
Just joking LOL
Sell the car as is, take plenty of pictures of interior, exterior, engine bay. Collect any paperwork that you have concerning the car and it's maintenance. Be honest with your listing.
You can get the headlights done for about $40.00 at Cosco, Walmart, or a detailer. Give the 3M kit to the new owner, because it will need to be done again eventually.
As mentioned, the marketplace here is good and free. You can do e bay, but they charge fees. You can try craigslist, but always meet the potential buyers in a place with a lot of people around.
Sorry to see it go. You're going to miss it.

 

Thanks --- this will be my first stop when I get the pics and description ready.

 

You are right -- not about selling the wife -- but about missing it. I already miss it and I haven't even listed it yet!

 

Take a look at this page from Bring a Trailer, it shows what Crossfires have sold for over the past eight years and what their mileage, year were at the time of sale.

https://bringatrailer.com/chrysler/crossfire/

 

I sold my second XFire on Craig’s List in about a week.

I think you should get the top and cloudy headlights fixed prior to listing. It’ll go quicker at a higher price if there are no weak points.
Forum Members - Isn’t there a XFire specialist in the Ft. Meyers / Naples area who could fix these issues?

Your Red Crystal Pearl paint and Cool Vanilla Tuxedo interior will help with the sale. Keep any and all documentation you may have.

Good luck with the sale and keep us posted.

 

Thanks - this site is definitely helpful!

 

Thanks to M60A3Driver the headlights are crystal clear after a 40 minute, $40 visit to a local Walmart with auto services. Wish I had known about them a couple years ago!

The top is actually a bigger issue because the lower corners of the rear glass have been re-glued so it will need "re-fixing" or a new top soon, too. Hard to know if doing that investment now will generate enough additional value to recover in the sale.

Fortunately I am not under a lot of time pressure on the sale and the snowbird season in FL is just getting underway so the "pool" of prospects will be growing. I will include Craigslist in my plan since it worked for you.

Thanks!

 

Forum Members - Isn’t there a XFire specialist in the Ft. Meyers / Naples area who could fix these issues?

Yes, Miami Matt has 4 or 5 crossfires Or Mercedes that he takes care of ,so he goes to Naples every month.
he only answers to a text text him he will call u back . U might get a call back sooner if U tell him jim gave U his number
786 877 5959

 

Nelson G - thanks for the excellent link for reference and price points! - CFK
https://bringatrailer.com/chrysler/crossfire/\

 

Go on Facebook and look for Brian Hoffman. I believe he is in Florida and travels around fixing Crossfires.

 

Bringatrailer is a great site when low mileage.

Facebook on the Crossfire Groups would be another option. I find, oddly, within the community, sometimes people think prices are too steep, instead of appreciating an uptick in the value of the cars.

Also, as mentioned previously, I always make sure before selling a car that it is detailed from top to bottom (Wash/Claybar/Wax or Ceramic Coating), Interior wiped down with professional cleaner and Lexapro Leather Cleaner and Conditioner as well as floormats shampooed. I would even clean and condition/treat the top.
Then I would do an engine wash to make the underhood look nice and clean because you know a buyer will peak under there. After that, take lots of good quality pictures. This is all easy to do and VALUE added. When I see a car with a dusty engine bay, no records, dirty wheels, I take a step back becuase it tells me about the ownership and lack of pride therein.

Headlights should be conditioned. If you don't want to do it yourself, take them to Sam's Club or Costco or Walmart. I only am subscribed to Sam's but they will charge $40 for both headlights (wet-sand, polish and apply a UV Filter Clearcoat with a 3 year warranty). Can't beat that deal and they look like new.
Money well spent.

Re: Top not working. Get ready for someone to try and haggle you for it. Replacing ALL cylinders and pump isn't cheap. Maybe it would make sense to do a little diagnosing to see what the culprit is? Maybe something totally simple and cheap to fix like a sensor not connected or connected the wrong way? Have you ever messed with the hydraulics? Is there enough fluid in the reservoir or are any cylinders visibly leaking?

Then you can get the most out of this car. But trust me....even if it doesn't seem like it right now, you will miss this car. Sometimes we make these decisions because we had a couple of repairs or something else and we think it's time....then you regret it down the road. And lastly...maybe consider replacing the wife and buying an SRT-6 instead? LOL

 

Thanks for the information and suggestions! I know I will miss the car but my wife wants four seats and I held out as long as practical. Now it is time to compromise so I will replace it with another sporty (four seat) convertible as a consolation prize but I know it will not be quite the same. As for getting the car ready to sell, I took the advice of another forum member and got the headlights polished. I keep the car as clean as possible but the interior is the Vanilla/Tuxedo option and even professional cleaning solutions do not really get the vanilla looking great. In any case, I the did give the whole car an extra once over but I did not think to take a close look under the hood so will do that. As for the top, I got the car from a cousin who inherited it from our uncle but only had it six months (his wife wanted four seats, too). When he got it the hydraulic system was empty so he filled it up only to find it would not hold pressure so it slowly leaked out. But, he did not identify which seal(s) were the culprit and I have never followed it up. Given those parts are originals, it was always my intent to use the Top Hydraulics videos and replace all the cylinders and the pump with rebuilds. I thought it would be a fun challenge but I just never got a block of time to do it. To your point, it probably doesn't need everything to be replaced. But I have concluded accepting a discount on the price for someone else to figure it out and fix it (or not) is a good trade off for me.

 

Thanks nickwe21for the information and suggestions! I know I will miss the car but my wife wants four seats and I held out as long as practical. Now it is time to compromise so I will replace it with another sporty (four seat) convertible as a consolation prize but I know it will not be quite the same. As for getting the car ready to sell, I took the advice of another forum member and got the headlights polished. I keep the car as clean as possible but the interior is the Vanilla/Tuxedo option and even professional cleaning solutions do not really get the vanilla looking great. In any case, I the did give the whole car an extra once over but I did not think to take a close look under the hood so will do that. As for the top, I got the car from a cousin who inherited it from our uncle but only had it six months (his wife wanted four seats, too). When he got it the hydraulic system was empty so he filled it up only to find it would not hold pressure so it slowly leaked out. But, he did not identify which seal(s) were the culprit and I have never followed it up. Given those parts are originals, it was always my intent to use the Top Hydraulics videos and replace all the cylinders and the pump with rebuilds. I thought it would be a fun challenge but I just never got a block of time to do it. To your point, it probably doesn't need everything to be replaced. But I have concluded accepting a discount on the price for someone else to figure it out and fix it (or not) is a good trade off for me.

 

Thanks for all your thoughts and advice. I posted my Crossfire on my local (SW FL) Facebook Marketplace and it sold pretty quickly for $5700. Considering the condition of the car and all the other factors it seemed like fair price. As an aside, I sold it to a young man who will hopefully make an appearance in this forum sometime soon. I told him how great the group is, how much help you all have been to me!

 

Glad it worked out, and come to think about it, my wife wasn’t a XF fan either.

Good luck with the hunt for a replacement vehicle, and feel free to contact us for any advice, since most of us have become registered marriage counselors…..

 

 

Nice thread and glad you found a buyer who will enjoy it. $5700 seems reasonable, although I like to think my single-owner, garaged, and babied flawless roadster is worth more. Also glad my wife just ignores my Crossfires and is happy when I disappear into the garage to fondle, I mean detail, them. They reciprocate my attention by giving me great rides, which the wife no longer does.

 

[QUOTE=Goldwing;1002273. They reciprocate my attention by giving me great rides, which the wife no longer does.[/QUOTE]

Imagine that, I thought I was alone enjoying my Crossfire for a great ride!