Hello. This is my first post on this Board.

I'm researching several cars with the plan to buy one. I've focused on convertibles, but I'm now seriously considering a Crossfire Coupe. Since you all are the experts, I have a few questions and comments:

1) Considering the buyers market for Crossfires, what would you expect to pay for a 2004 Coupe with 14,000 to 20,000 miles? Trade-in value for 2004 models with 20,000 is scattered ($19,500 on NADA, $17,500 on kbb.com ["good condition"], and $17,967 on Edmunds ["clean condition"]). How about a 2005 with lower mileage? Do you consider the 2005 sufficient improvement to justify additional cost?

2) I'm 6' and notice that legroom is very limited, especially for my right leg. To accommodate, I move the seat bottom back all the way, but there's then no room to recline the back. I know some of you are taller than I am. Have you managed to be comfortable in the car even for long trips?

3) The horror stories regarding dealers is off-putting, to say the least. Do you consider the build quality and mechanical issues to be above or below average compared to competitors (such as the S2000, Audi TT, 350Z)?

4) How often do you change tires? How expensive are the tires you use?

5) Do you consider the Crossfire a true sports car? The V6 has less horsepower than the VTEC 4 in the S2000, for instance, and the S2000 isn't known for its blazing off-the-line speed. I test-drove a Crossfire yesterday, though, and must admit I was pleasantly surprised with the power of the car. It felt much stronger than its rated horsepower would suggest. Unfortunately, there aren't many good twisty roads around here to test her cornering and "stick ability." What are your impressions of power, speed, and handling?

I'm considering the Crossfire Coupe for several reasons: 1) Competitive pricing; 2) Reasonable practicality (more so than most convertibles, at least); 3) Good performance (not a 'Vette beater, but surprisingly strong and stable); and 4) Styling. I had considered an older-model SLK, but the forums indicated so many electrical issues that I was turned off. I've hoped that some of those issues were resolved for the Crossfire.

Your opinions of the car would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

To answer a few of your questions. I am 6', almost 6' 1". I find the Crossfire to be very comfortable. Passengers however, have complained, one even going so far as to need Dramamine, but she doesn't really count. It was probably due to me lowering it, and the new struts, but who knows? My Range Rover is certainly more comfortable though. I will be purchasing a black Limited Convertible come September - August, once my lease is up. I would have loved the SRT-6, but I can't do without a manual. My car got towed in NYC this past week (long story, my fault) and all 3 guards were complementing me on the Crossfire. Complementing me like they've never seen one. Oh well. DC will get it right one of these days...

Honestly, I wouldn't trust myself in any more of a sports car than this, at least at this point in my life. I can get the back end loose when I want to, and that's good enough for me. The insurance on the Crossfire is cheap compared to any other car in the class, (very important since I'm 23 and live in New Jersey). People who ride with me say it's quick, and they're impressed with the feel. Pretty much it's a fun car that is beautiful. I've driven cars where the gearbox is leaps and bounds above the Crossfire's, (Corvette, Elise, plus any Honda), but it's good enough for me. If that's what you're going for, pull the trigger.

- Julian

 

I am 6 ft tall and i owned a xfire for a little over a year. I could not get comfy the whole time i owned it. I traded it in on an '04 vette and i have no regrets. The vette is sooo much more comfy. If you are not comfy... DO NOT BUY THIS CAR!!! Try a vette you won't believe the room in it. The power isn't bad either. Good luck in you choices...

 

I must add that I am 6'4" and I fit comfortably in my crossfire. Yes, the seat is all the way down and back and I cant really recline at all, but for me it works out just fine.

I took a 2 hour trip (each way) last week and I really didnt get any more uncomfortable than I would in any other car.

Good luck in your search,
jmlg

 

.I'm 6' and have no problems getting comfortable in my '04 coupe, and I do a lot of long trips in it. I would admit, however, that it can take some time until you get the seat adjustment where you like it.

 

Wow, lots of questions... A well infomed buyer.

1) You can't go wrong with an '04 under 18k.
2) I'm 6'2 and longest trip was 1,200 miles... Wasn't too bad... But how often are you going to make long trips ?
3) The dealers are idiots, but the car is pretty solid.
4) Can't address this one, I go thru a set in a weekend at the track.
5) The stock car is kind of a sports cruiser like the SLK, nice comfy, pseudo sports car.

 

I have the Michelin PS2's on my car and have 26,000 miles on them. I expect to get at least an additional 4-5 thousand out of them.

Here is what you can expect to pay for new tires using Tire Rack as a price source (Discount Tire will match their price if you don‘t want to go through the hassle of having them shipped):

Michelin Pilot Sport 2 - $1,042.00 (front: $212.00 each, rear: $309.00 each)
Continental Sport Contact 2 - $792.00 (front: $164.00 each, rear: $232.00 each)
Goodyear F1 Eagle GS-D3 - $850.00 (front: $192.00, rear: $233.00)

I am going with the Goodyear F1’s when it’s time for new tires. Car and Driver did a test a little while back of eleven brands, the Goodyear F1 Eagles came in first. There have been a few forum members that also spoke well of the Goodyear F1's.

OVERALL SCORE

Goodyear: 1050.4
Continental: 1031.9
Yokohama: 1027.0
Michelin: 1018.7
Hankook: 1015.4
Dunlop: 1002.2
Pirelli: 1002.1
Toyo: 999.7
Bridgestone: 993.9
BFGoodrich: 993.0
Kumho: 990.7

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/10252/tire-test-the-quick-and-the-tread.html

 

I edited "Couple" to "Coupe" in the title, so I hope the change shows up. I apologize for the typo.

Also, has anyone used the Hankook tires? They are inexpensive compared to the other tires, but seem to have very good performance in dry weather.

 

Another tire to look at is Kumho. They are very supportive of SCCA members and their prices are great.

 

It is a great car!

I also did a lot of research prior to buying, you are getting a Mercedes SLK320 that looks better. Dealers are different everywhere you go, mine is great. I have 36 free oil changes and at $110.00 at a crack that is a great deal.

I am short 5'6" space is not an issue, but the coupe has a great size trunk as compared to anything out there.

Here is what I found when I researched,

Vette - great but very common and very expensive.
350Z - Burn up tires in the front; camber issues.
TT- All wheel drive? A sports car? $$$
Miata - Close second for the 2006, under horsepower small trunk.
RX8 - Wankle, bad gas mileage.
Sky - Solstice - Cheap looking convertible and all manual maybe 3rd though.
MR2 - True mid-engine,but out of production no trunk!
SC430 - 4 seats 2 are completely useless, $$$.

Hope this helps, I think enough was said about tires.

 

I agree about your assessment of the other vehicles. Corvette is great, but too expensive. 350Z is very rough-riding (G35 is a different story, but very expensive). TT is unique, but not my style. Miata prior to 2006 is too small, but 2006 is very nice. I'd consider one, but I can get a loaded 2004 for a much better price and have a much more powerful car. RX8 is excellent in manual, horrible in auto (no low-end torque), and the engine can only be worked on by Mazda dealers or specialists. Sky and Solstice are beautiful, but no trunk whatsoever with the top down. I'm also not willing to pay a premium for an unproven car. MR2 also has no trunk and the interior is very cramped. SC430 is simply way too expensive (I haven't even considered one).

I've also considered Ford Thunderbird, which I still like (not a sports car, but a great cruiser, V8 engine, wonderful style; interior is a bit cheap, especially for a car that cost more than $40,000 new). I also like the Honda S2000, which has good style, Honda reliability, and 240 horsepower (but it doesn't really power up until the VTEC kicks in at around 6,500 RPM).

One other car I've considered is the Pontiac GTO, which has a Corvette engine, bland but attractive styling, and nice interior. I test-drove a 2004, 350 HP GTO yesterday, but really wasn't all that impressed with the power. I didn't drive it aggressively, though. The 2005 version has 400 HP (it uses a newer Corvette engine). By contrast, I was very impressed with the power of the V6 Crossfire, especially off the line. I don't think it will smoke the GTO, Corvette, or Mustang if challenged, but I'm not a racer (either at the track or on the streets). But, I want something that "feels" strong, stable, and fun.

 

there is really only one good reason to get a crossfire... PRICE...

want power ? there are cars that have 4 doors and cost 20k brand new that will outrun it every step of the way (srt-4).

want handling ? unless its a SRT-6 model, it will get its *** handed to it by 4 door evo's and sti's (.90+ skid pad vs .80 - .86 skid pad of non SRT-6 crossfire).

want luxury feel ? the v6 engine in this car sounds horrible compared to newer more advanced offerings from the likes of nissan... (valve train noise, clutch chatter, it sounds like a mercedes, a diesel 1980s mercedes, ok not that bad but its not what it should be).

but... i got it brand new for 22k... would i do it again ? considering the deals i got on trading in my GT cruiser and then the price i paid for the crossfire... sure... i pay less for this a month than i would for a new civic and it sure as hell beats that.

but really... drive the car, it is not a umber engineering feat... it IS a great looking piece of rolling art work though... the fancy engineering of the engine really falls short when you experience the performance and sound it produces... but you can be sure that it will last for a dam good long time, this is one of the few engines left to use a timing chain... i like that.

 

oh one thing i must add... although the handling of the non SRT line crossfire is nothing to brag about, its not a unsporty feel at all... i've taken corners very aggressively and have not felt any uncontrollable slip as of yet... it drifts rather well also if you turn off the traction control and use the gas pedal and pure inertia to overpower the stability program...

it does have a great solid feel when going over bumps and such, so it is very well built... other than the rattling trunk lid (fixable) and wind noise in the doors (fixable)...

 

I have been unable to resolve these issues with my dealer.

 

You must sell automobiles for a living, and best I can figure they are not Crossfires... hooah

 

I bought my '04 coupe with 13K miles for $19,500. I was considering the 350Z, but the crossfire has a much more usable trunk area. The Crossfire is also much more comfortable, and it is so unique, people ask me about it all the time. And about the reliability and the dealerships, it is tough with the dealer, but the car is pretty much problem free as far as the engine goes, the 3.2 engine has been around long enough to have the bugs worked out.

 

You make some interesting points. I would say, though, that I'm not looking for a car that does one thing extremely well but falls down in every other part of the experience. The Crossfire seems to do a lot of things well, if nothing the best. The SRT-4 is a front-wheel drive car, which I don't want. And, it seems like a "boy racer" car (the "boy" part of me fled long ago). I agree that Nissan makes great engines, but "fit and finish" seem to take a back seat to the engines (from what I've heard from a Nissan owner). The Crossfire I drove had a very nice sound to it, throatier and deeper than I expected for a 6-cylinder car. Frankly, I think it sounds better than the more-powerful 4s out there, such as the S2000s (a car I very much like).

I haven't decided on the Crossfire, but, for the price, I'm becoming more and more impressed with it.

 

yea really, for the dollar to quality point ratio it is a bargain...

as everyone on these forums will tell you, its a helluva ego boost too... if you like it or not... people will be asking you about your car plenty... like today i was putting in a new interior in my friends SC300 Lex (nice inline 6 5-speed manual) and my crossfire was parked next to it along with my other friends S4... we had 2 neighbors come by all asking who owns the crossfire cause they want to take it for a spin, lol... no one even mentioned the other cars, which really ticked my friend with the s4 in the wrong spot... he was all like "oh yea i own the silver S4... he owns the crossfire..." but much to his dismay the S4 comment blew right over their heads and they proceeded to ask about the crossfire...

from what you say of your expectations, i think the crossfire is a safe bet as the car you are looking for...

 

lol no i do IT work but i have sold cars to many of my friends... i dunno why but when the sales BS starts rolling i can't stop.
i don't mean to chase him away from the crossfire i just want him to have a solid idea of where it stands in today's marketplace... last thing i would want is someone to be unhappy with the car after purchasing it and to be unhappy with the feedback they got from the members that did not mention what they do not like about it and why they still chose to drive it...

btw... i love your photochopping !

 

Six foot and comfortable, but my issue has always been the passenger. With a blind spot common to sports cars, that little window on the passenger side is a must. I have that seat a couple inches forward and not tilted all the way back for maximum view. The first thing many passengers do is tilt it back, which I only find out when negotiating an off ramp blind. My friend has an '05 Vette and though there's more HP, it's not nearly as nimble feeling. The Xfire power seems underrated and the cornering is one area where you won't be disappointed.