I rented a Crossfire convertible last year while on a trip and loved it. Couldn't get it out of my mind, or heart as I simply loved it. I'd like to get a hardtop but have some concerns:
1. expense of maintenance - I've heard it can cost $200 for an oil change (in the Washington, DC area).
2. was just told the Crossfire has been discontinued by Chrysler - will that have a negative effect on the value of the car?
3. how about tires - I suspect they are high performance and very expensive.

Mostly I"m concerned about a $200/oil change job.

Also, if I do decide to buy a coupe, is ebay motors good, or should I rely on my local dealer to locate it (higher price I'm sure).

 

Yes, oil changes are expensive ($160 in Cleveland) but you go 7,000 miles between them.

Ask around, New coupes were available in the $20,000 range a few months ago. The resale might sink for a few more years but you won't be able to get one for less than that 10 years from now.

Yes, tires are $250 - $300 and they last 30,000 miles. Other cars in this performance range have the same tire cost and life.

The big Crossfire bugaboo is dealer service. Most Chrysler dealers can't service the car properly and don't want to learn how. Ask around here for a dealer with good service in the DC area and go with them.

 

Well, I hope I can influence your decision in a positive light. First off, the oil change is relative. The car uses 8 1/2 Quarts of Mobil 1 0W-40 (yes 0 weight). It's hard to find in parts stores. The filters are about $15. So figure that you are at $70 for the supplies to do it yourself. Most places will charge you around $100 - $125. Any more than that, and it's a rip-off. The good thing about it is the car tells you when to change it. Most people will get between 8,000 - 10,000 miles between oil changes. So looking at it that way, overall it really cost about the same at changing the oil every 3,000 mi. with conventional oil. You'll periodically have to change the passenger air filter, which isn't too expensive. You can do this yourself for about $30. The Schedule B services are a bit expensive, $400 I think, but they aren't needed often.

As far as the car being discontinued, it hasn't been discontinued just yet. There will be a 2008. After that, it will probably die. I don't see how the value could drop any lower than it already has, which is a good thing for a used buyer. You can get a nice one under warranty for about what a Chevy Cobalt costs new. I bought mine through Passport Chrysler in Alexandria. I think they have a few around. PM me and I'll give you the manager's contact info. They took good care of me and gave me a killer deal and great trade-in value for my old car.

The tires are tough to get around. The factory Summer tires (Michelin Pilot Sport 2) are $$$! I think I remember the rears being about $380 each from Tire Rack. The front ones aren't nearly as bad as they are a more standard size. I really like the Michelin Pilots, but for the money I will replace them with Goodyear Eagles for a lot less and just as good a tire. I think those are only about $250 for the rears. You have to pay to play I guess. It hurts me to do a Burnout at the dragstrip everytime I think of the $$$ rubber I'm sheering off.

You need to keep in mind that this is a Chrysler in Name Alone. It's about 85% Mercedes Benz, and the 15% that isn't is not mechanical. If you decide get one( YOU REALLY SHOULD!) Go to Chrysler directly and buy a Max Care warranty. It covers EVERYTHING, just about(5007 parts). Buying from Chrysler direct(online) isn't too expensive and they have a 0% interest 12 month payment plan. I wouldn't buy it from the dealer, as it will cost more(they gotta get theirs) Go here: http://chryslerservicecontracts.com/index.php

You won't find a better, more endearing or more unique car for the money. Be prepared to be the center of attention. This car is so underappreciated, its sad. This is a GREAT car overall. They are generally very reliable. They can be expensive to repair once the warranty is gone, so I would HIGHLY recommend the warranty upgrade. If you buy it from a Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep dealer, you can have it Certified for less than $500 which will boost the warranty to 8 years or 80,000 miles. Have fun, look forward to hearing which color you chose.

The other option to consider is a NEW 2006 car. Dealers are taking at least $10,000 of MSRP and it would have the new Lifetime Warranty.

 

I second everything thats been said and will add:

If you buy a new Crossfire - they now come with the lifetime powertrain warranty.

If you buy used from a 5 Star Chrysler dealer - get the certified 8/80 warranty.

A new 2006/7 Limited Coupe with AutoStick should be around $22K.

A used Limited Coupe with AutoStick and 20K miles should be around $17K.

But if you REALLY want a bad **** Crossfire - look into the SRT-6. Just a little more effort to locate.

 

Hey if you do buy one I can help you out if you ever need it, I am in nova 20 minutes from DC and do almost all my maintenance myself. Take the plunge, you won't regret it. Changing the oil on the XFire is easy, I do it myself for about $45 dollars, it is a breeze. Plus it would be nice to have another owner in this neck of woods (i.e. DC, NOVA).

 

just wishful thinking but do those max care extended warranties cover brakes? and if not i can always catch the pads before they cut into the rotors and just change pads right, no weird benz requirement? and their just normal calipers that u pull of and reload the pads right? and how much are a decent set of pads? even tho its a benz i think i can manage an oil change on it, breaks on a benz still scare me and the extended warrenty should cover everything else...(if this thing was a jeep i could do a frame off restore but the fact that its german scares me)!

 

The Benz brakes are as easy or easier than just about any American car. Many guys on here have changed their own pads because the original pads are the dustiest you will ever see in your lifetime. The front are exactly the same to work on as a Jeep Grand Cherokee. The rears are the easiest you will ever see. You just pull a single to replace the pads. Their is no removal of the caliper required and no piston to screw back in like just about every other american car.

 

Don't sweat the brakes; changing pads and rotors is really pretty easy on these cars. E-bay is full of drilled/slotted rotor upgrades. Most folks like the Rotex Gold pads. Chassis/suspension parts are M-Benz SLK/CLK/C-class stuff. Parts are more expensive but generally higher quality and better engineered than domestic counterparts. If you can give up ground clearance Eibach/H&R springs and Koni shocks is a good set-up for auto-X competition. Coming from a domestic hot-rod world myself, the thing you have to realize is how totally engineered and balanced the M-Benz/Crossfire design is. It's pretty hard to improve with simple bolt-on stuff because there really are no glaring shortcomings inherent in the car's design !

The only problem with the Crossfire (aside from it's tiny size) is it is essentially a eight-ten year old design. In 2001, 215 Hp was competitive in a 3,000 pound sports car. As the years have passed, more powerful models have entered the two-seat sports car fray and the "horsepower wars" continue unabated. The 3.2 M-Benz V6 is a wonderful motor, over enginered, smooth reliable and long-lived; it was designed as a sedan/SUV motor. Check out the details; precision cast block, forged internals, windage tray/stud girdle, steel chain cam drive, high compression, huge (8.5 quart !) cast sump/pan assembly; this engine is over-built and under-stressed. But it's not a nervous exciting High-strung sports car motor; It won't rev to 7,800 rpm but it's torque curve is almost flat from 1,800 rpm up. If you can live with that you'll love the car.

Forget what the magazines say; drive one and decide for yourself !

Cincinnati Slim

Proud owner of a cramped, impractical, hard-to-see-out-of, "worst cupholder in automotive history" utterly cool looking, kick to drive ,joy to behold, totally involving 2006, six-speed Crossfire Coupe w/Magnaflow Cat-back and AMG intake /air boxes...

 

You will definitely want to change your brake pads - at least on the front. Lots of us have switched to Rotex pads - well worth it! Tire Rack has several tires that will hold up. My original Contis lasted 33,000 - not bad - I put Yokahama Advan tires on it recently - around $1,200 total to have four tires shipped from Tire Rack and installed by my dealer.

 

I would also consider Posi Quiet Ceramic pads which are made by Centric who also owns StopTech. I have these on all four corners and they are incredibly good with no dust and no noise and great no fad stopping. For the price of the Rotex fronts you can have Posi Quiets on all four corners.

 

I buy the supplies for the oil change myself, and my local chrysler dealer does the labor for $14.

 

Keep in mind that while you can spend a lot on tires, you don't have to.

You could have a set of Kumho SPT's delivered from tirerack for <$600...a pretty good dry weather tire and an outstanding wet weather tire.

 

gave $23,900 for a new '05 srt-6.
warranty is 3/36 on all crossfires.
this is what the salesman told me
due to an import form Germany.

wow! i like the car and it is an import.
so i guess the price for oil change and other parts
would be in line for a premium ride.
i just purchased haven't had time to do a 1 over.

is this a standard oil filter spin on.