Season's Greetings, Crossfire Owners.

I am in negotiations to purchase a 2005 Crossfire Convertible Limited, 34K miles, graphite grey color, and one owner. Before making my final decision, while waiting for my funding to arrive from a retirement account, I have a couple of questions about Crossfires.

Maintenance, expensive or no different than any other car? Oil changes, DIY, corner garage, or do they have to be done at a Mercedes dealer?" What about standard maintenance items like brakes and rotors, readily available or hard to find? What about the cost of replacement parts?

Should I be worried about a 21-year-old car's seals and rubber components being dried out? What about the overall durability of Crossfires?

What are the best Pros, and worst Cons of being a Crossfire owner?

Thanks to all who respond.

 

When I started looking to buy my SRT6, I read several posts on this site. I, too, had the same questions. Read through these posts, and they will answer most of your questions. You must first answer the fundamental question: Will you be able to do some of the work, or will you have to rely on someone? I find the car easy to work on, and there's plenty of information on how to do it. As for parts, I purchase mine from Rock Auto, FCP Euro, and Autohaus. For any trim pieces, I go to eBay.

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...h-service.html
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum/585345-post1.html

Good luck with your purchase, they are great cars and fun to drive.

 

Recommend the Double Wrench Service soon after purchase. This 'zeros' out most services needed. (referenced above)

 

Let me answer inline.

1) Maintenance, expensive or no different than any other car? Possibly the highest cost of any vehicle I've owned, and I'm 65, I've owned 24 cars/vans/trucks/motorcycles. Tires run $1000 a set and last 12,000 to 20,000 miles. If you drive the car like my dead grandmother would, you can get 30,000 or so, but why drive the car like that - just go get a Camry. I have had a "tire budget" since July, 2009 when I bought my first Crossfire. I average 16,000-19,000 miles on a set of tires - I bought a sports car and I drive it like one - so this cost might be ON ME, not really on the car.

2) Oil changes, DIY, corner garage, or do they have to be done at a Mercedes dealer? I do all oil changes at home , the Crossfire is as easy as my old Ford Ranger, I just slide the pan under it and change oil. MB dealers, most of them, will refuse the car for anything other than an oil change. See my sigline about Chrysler dealers - if you are going to take the car to a dealer for ANYTHING, go buy some other car so you are not on here complaining that no dealer can fix the car - we already know they cant, its not a Chrysler product, it's a Daimler Chrysler product and they do not exist anymore.

3) What about standard maintenance items like brakes and rotors, readily available or hard to find? The Chasis is R170, so 2003 Mercedes SLK320 parts fit and that's what I buy. Not expensive and not hard to find, just don't order/search for "Crossfire" parts, you have a 2003 SLK320, tell the parts guy that.

4) What about the cost of replacement parts? Not a problem, when it comes to body or Crossfire-specific parts, there are none available so the cost is zero, unless you buy used parts from "parts cars", prices are moderate to high but unless you hit a deer, what parts do you need? Then engine is from the SLK320, so parts under the hood are no issue unless you try to buy "Crossfire Parts", in which case you did not read item 3). AS TO BODY or CROSSFIRE SPECIFIC PARTS - EXAMPLE: When water leaks into the trunk and ruins the CLP/SSM, a used one will run $200 and this should include the last three feet of wiring harness, many of us have "parts cars" we can sell parts from. (Or just don't leave the car outside in the rain.)

5) Should I be worried about a 21-year-old car's seals and rubber components being dried out? Any really low miles car that has been stored outside is a money pit. Mine has 73,000 but has been garaged its entire life. I bough it (my third Roadster) with 21,000 miles in 2015. It has required four alternators and one convertible top. Had I not bough a cheap, used, NAPA Valeo alternator ($149), I'd only have changed the Alternator once, a brand new Bosch ($329) fixed that permanently. If you buy cheap parts, you will hate this car.

What about the overall durability of Crossfires? The engines cannot be destroyed, I bounced off the rev limiter dozens of times a day at the Dragon meets with my second one, never had an engine issue (but I ran 5W50 oil). There are issues that are fixable with the automatic transmissions, and I'd change fluid every five years - but the manuals are issue free.

What are the best Pros, and worst Cons of being a Crossfire owner? Pros: It's a fun car that can take curves at twice the posted speed limit. Mechanically it is sound if you get past the automatic's "conductor plate" nonsense. The owner fraternity is populated with a tremendous group of good people; if you are not going to Crossfire driving and social meets, you are missing why so many of us have had so many of these cars, myself included. And without that fraternity, I would have moved on from Crossfires years ago.

Cons: Tires are expensive, premium gas is not expensive but the retarded mind acts like it is. The cars are getting old, many of us have replaced the factory sound system (which was crap on day one, today, many heads have failed), the convertible top runs $1200-1400 (parts and labor included) and most cars today need a new top, they are 20 years old.


As to the convertible top: a new top will last 15-20 years, you pay almost as much for tires that last 20,000 miles - so crying about the cost of a top is childish - this is not a "con" of the car, but of the owner. The car you are looking at needs a top if it has not been replaced in the last five years. Just be prepared, that's all I'm saying.


SUMMARY:

If you go to dealers for car maintenance, you will spend a lot of money on this car.

If you go to dealers to get the car fixed, you will sell the car the first time you take it in, because they will either refuse it or not be able to fix it. This car is a melting of SLK320 and a body by Chrysler, assembled in the Karmann plant. It is an orphan insofar as MB and Chrysler dealers go - there is NO factory tech support for it, for that reason, we here have created a fraternity that supports the car. We have garages/shops in PA/KS/AR/FL/GA/SC/TN/MI/IL/CA/TX that network together to help owners. There is a network here that extends to Facebook for this purpose.

If you are a bit of a DIY person, this group can help with anything that comes up.

Read my sigline.

 

I find basic maintenance and repairs are easy on this car. Price of parts varies on what you need, but nothing really crazy.
If you want to see what some of the repairs and maintenance are like, go to the first page of my thread: LINK - My Journey with my 2006 Roadster
There are links at the bottom under the pictures to everything I've done on my car. I take pictures and do detailed descriptions every time I work on it.

 

Pizzaguy, M60, and all of the responses, thank you for the detailed replies to my initial post. M60, your photographed repair history is incredibly detailed, wow!

I live in WNY State, so if I move forward with the purchase of the Crossfire, the car would only be used six months of the year, like my diesel motorhome that sits in the driveway half the year, and the other six either in my garage, or at least under my covered patio with a car cover on it.

Other than oil changes, I'm not much of a mechanic, so repairs such as anything like those M60 highlighted, I would be using my corner garage that does the work on our two KIAs. Honest work at fair prices, and the shop doesn't "fix" things that aren't broken. Plus, being a young 70, I don't quite bend or kneel like my younger days.

What I'm essentially looking to do is have something fun, sporty, and great-looking to drive during the warmer weather with my wife when we are home, not traveling in our motorhome. I have a brother who is pretty wealthy, living in Raleigh, NC, and he and I were talking about retirement savings, the stock market gains, and such, and I mentioned to him I was thinking of getting an older convertible to have some fun in. His reply was, "Spend It". Of course, not all saved, but a small amount to enjoy while the Mrs. and I can.

 

First of all, Welcome here
If your shop that works on your KIAs also work on European cars like Mercedes Benz then I'm sure you will be set to own one
This forum has most anything you need to know.
I have been on this forum since 2007 and have owned a Crossfire since then as well.
I'm sure you will love owning one.
Currently I have this 6 Speed Roadster and have driven it 55,000 miles since I got it in 2018

My Second Crossfire - My 6 Speed Roadster

 

I agree with your brother, go for it!
You'll notice something else when you get a Crossfire, every time you walk away from it, you'll look back at it. I know I do.
Let us know if you get one and post a picture of it.

 

go for it, you'll love it. Can I ask how much they want for the car

 

I'll be contacting the dealer this week for a test drive. That won't be that easy in WNY weather, with the car sitting in a pole barn, nicely tucked away with other classic vehicles, pristine and clean. It sure would make a great Christmas present for my wife and me, from us with love!

 

For service and maintenance beyond what you can do yourself, find a mechanic who works on older Mercedes cars. Mechanically the Crossfire is a Mercedes Benz R170 SLK320.

I've owned mine for 2.5 years and 40,000kms. Getting ready for its second set of tyres. Outside of normal servicing its had a new water pump, a transmission leak (from the data plug) and new front rotors and pads. Everything else have been fine.I changed all the fluids when I bought it.

They're fun cars, look amazing, get compliments everywhere you go. The downside for me is a bit of a harsh ride, too much bump steer, and too much road noise.

The engine is great!

 

LLzel, the dealer is asking $15,999. From my research, the car should sell for about $11,000 +/- a couple of hundred dollars. That's probably what I would ceiling my price at. What do you think?

UnderS.Cross, what year is your Crossfire? How many miles are on it, and how many miles were on it when you needed to replace the water pump? Did you do the work, or did you take it to a shop for repair? If I may ask, what did that cost? Many comments on this forum and other places mention that the engine is bulletproof. Having to replace the water pump seems to contradict that somewhat. And, what's with the transmission leak?

Pizzaguy, that led me to re-read your post again, thank you, and you mentioned auto transmission issues, and what is a conductor plate? Is this something I should/can look for? Would something show up during a test drive, such as rough shifting?

I texted with the salesman yesterday. Boy, wouldn't he like a sale before Christmas? He told me I could test drive the car, after they unpack it from the crowded heated pole barn I mentioned it's in, with a lot of other classic cars, after we agree on the price. I'm not sure if I'm set with that; we'll see.

I appreciate all the input and information you guys have provided. It really helps and prepares me for my final decision, plus maybe some negotiable items if I move on the car. I have watched a couple of YouTube videos on Crossfires and have talked to a few people about them. One family member who is fairly familiar with the car and the MB SLK cautioned me on the car, saying neither car has a good track record on durability and repair costs. In his opinion, the Mazda Miata/MX-5, which I am also considering, would be a safer choice with a more proven track record.

Earlier, I mentioned my diesel motorhome. Anyone familiar with the RV lifestyle will know that it can be expensive. RVs are not built to the same standards as the car and truck industry, and they can become money pits. RVers in general will put up with this in exchange for tooling around the country and visiting places like Napa Valley, Yosemite NP, Yellowstone, Glacier, or spending two weeks seeing Big Sky Montana, etc., vs. credit card camping at a hotel every night. Averaging out the RV repair and all travel and camp expenses in comparison to the CC version usually swings the lessor cost to RV'ing. So, if I move to the Crossfire, I don't need another continue fix and repair bill; I already go through that with my RV, having my local diesel mechanic on speed dial, or so it seems at times.

 

My Crossfire is a 2004 with 92,000 kms on it.

The transmission leak was purely a leak in the data plug - very common and an easy inexpensive fix.

The water pump bearing was failing at 52,000 kms. I replaced the water pump myself in an afternoon and the part was about $100USD.

 

That price seams high to me. Take a look at the results for similar cars on bring a trailer .com or even e bay, FB market place etc..
The market was high when I bought my 2006 Roadster Base model with a manual transmission. I paid 11.5k for mine but it was all original with low miles, 46k. I probably paid more than I should of, but when I have a good feeling about a car, I go with it. The market has changed now, and I could have got the same car for around 8 or 9k now.

 

it’s a good car but $15,999 is too high. I bought my 05 roadster SE 35k for $13k. They were asking 14,500. This was 3 years ago. You should offer 12

 

Take a look here. This is from Bring a Trailer and shows Crossfire sales over the past few years, including the final price and mileage.

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

 

Wow, the water pump bearing went at just over 32000 miles. That doesn't sound good. Is this common with Crossfires/MBs? This isn't something I can repair myself, and I wonder what a shop would charge.

 

Great resource Nelson, Thank you.

 

The water pump failing has nothing to do with Crossfire reliability. It has to do with the water pump manufacturer and can happen on any vehicle. Through the years I have seen Crossfires do well over 300K miles. 200K miles is common.

 

Honestly you may be better off with a newer Miata. The Crossfire is 20 years old now. If your worried about the expense of a water pump do not buy a 20-year-old car.