What proof do you have? Did you read the article? The crossfire was a flop, and I'm glad it was. The only thing they said about it that I don't think is true was the standard dog taking a dump comment. Beauty is subjective.. end of story.


-"As nouns go, “flop” is a good one—short, peppy, and to the point. Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines a flop as “an act or sound of flopping,” or “a complete failure.” It implies a cheeky, jovial kind of bad, a light-hearted crappiness of fate that goes beyond simple notions of success or defeat.
By the same token, in the automotive world, a flop isn’t necessarily a bad car. Bad cars come and go all the time, but flops are something more—they’re an unholy convergence of economic, corporate, and design conditions; a perfect storm of bad luck, bad planning, and—say what?—engineering. Four-wheeled flops don’t have to be miserable to drive or vomitous to look at (although it certainly helps); they just have to be a no-questions-asked sales disaster


-"The Crossfire fell victim to that most heinous of sporty-car sins: It did nothing uniquely. Its chassis was borrowed from the 1997-to-2004 Mercedes-Benz SLK, and like the SLK, the Crossfire was a decent, if not brilliant, sporting GT."

 

LOL i'm nineteen as well and i completely agree. Girls love the car, and i get asked all the time about it. No one has ever said that they didnt like it.

 

endless amounts a people stop and tell me they love the looks of this car.......please built more flops.

 

You might want to be careful expounding others lack of intelligence while using words like "Stupider"

 

Actually, I agree with the dog taking a dump statement. Doesn't change the fact that it's a good looking car. I would bet he thinks the mole on Eva mendes face makes her ugly. Sometimes flaws are beautiful.

 

I have found that cars that are 'flops' have some of the strongest followings and dedicated owners. Not to mention best forums. Just try to find a forum as good as this one for a Camry or Accord. I do not think that this forum would be as good as it is if the Crossfire was a great sales success.

The next best forum I have been a member of is the VW Phaeton forum. I was strongly considering buying a VW Phaeton (not the reason for my screen name) before I bought the Crossfire. The Phaeton is an example of great enginnering, build quality, quirky features that makes you fall in love with the car, and an emblem that people do not think justifies the price (sound familiar)? VW only sold a little over 3,000 Phaeton's in the US in three years. If I ever need a large sedan, a VW Phaeton will be sitting in my driveway (while I continue to drive the Crossfire).

 

It is almost like deja-vu. When I owned my 1970 Dodge Challenger, with a 440, I heard the same types of negative comments. Why didn't I get a Mustang? Why didn't I get a Camaro? blah, blah, blah. You could not get any after market parts for it and a lot of people thought that it looked funny.

In retrospect, the Challenger is a much nicer car than most that were available at that time. It just seems that nobody was able to see it until 30 years later. I always knew it was a nice car and this one is too. I get the same type of response when people see it, as I did when they saw my Challenger. I get asked so many questions about this car.

What I truly find amazing, is a select group of individual's capacity to dislike this car. The dog taking the dump comment is a direct rip off from the comment made on Top Gear during their 2003 review. The rear view of the vehicle is a classic British roadster look. That, to me, provides much of the Crossfire's appeal. Much like the Challenger, the Crossfire lacks from a cookie cutter formula approach to looks. To me, this is very much a good thing.

 

You're kidding right? What was wrong with the Chevelle? The Chevelle was (is) one of the most legendary muscle cars ever produced. They sell for 6 figures these days for original big block specimens.

I have a 1965 Chevelle (pictured below) that I've owned since I was 15. Maybe you meant Chevette. That was a POS for sure!

65_005.jpg

 

Yeah, the Crossfire is a concept car for the street. The sheet metal is very complex, and I'm surprised that they didn't charge an arm and a leg for the car just based on the lines. I am very particular about cars as works of art. The Crossfire has some of my favorite features: Wide and low stance, large, wide shoulders, large wheels, high belt line, low "chopped" roof, attention to detail (the spline running from the front to the rear including the interior), and short overhangs. They got it right on this car, it looks like it means business and the SRT6 definitely backs this look up. I'll bet if they had released the SRT6 first, things may have gone a little differently.

 

Well the guy that wrote the mazagine article is a real P%ICK! I have a Crossfire, Colt M4 and a lot of other guns, I am a Sailboat CAPTAIN, retired and like them all. Soooooo I think I will go cruising tomorrow just to feel the wind in my hair and like others on here get another of many compliments on of course the Crossfire!

 

Lmao!!! My bad. You are right. I meant the Chevette. Amazing. You kept your Chevelle since you were 15 yrs old? You are a rare one -- and that goes for your car too.

 

The article has many inaccuracies - the references to the Sterling brand and the history of the car are wrong, as is story and production details on the Jaguar.

He has assembled this article by plagurising (stealing) extracts from cheap auto magazines bought off the shelf. Not sure who wrote it but it but sounds like a clone of our Jeremy Clarkson (the well known british slob who knows bugger all about car enthusiasts) these people should talk to the guys who own and run these cars - because we are the real thing, not this garbage!

 

have to agree with my fellow Brit Steve,does sound like a Clarkson clone penned this list.
On the other hand the cars on it that originated on this side of the pond were IMO real dogs,particularly the Jag Xtype.But then again I own a '96 MGF ( an MG Rover 2 seater sports car which never reached the States) reckoned by most pundits to be badly built,unreliable and a typical Rover
disaster BUT I LOVE IT and £ for pound its a hell of lot more fun than a Z3.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I think the xf is beautiful and allied to a good engine/running gear and proven chassis makes it a winner.
Having said that I would't pay SLK prices for one ( or any other 2 eater) so the fact they are sales flops with low second hand values is the reason that makes it such a viable car, bit like my MGF.
P

 

Yes, I've kept my Chevelle for 18 years! It was my first car. I worked a job after school and throughout the Summers just to pay for the Paint, engine, wheels, and etc. My Dad helped me and I finished the car when I was 17. Some day I'll get around to restoring it properly. It needs a full frame off restoration. I'll probably go the Pro Touring route so that it will be able to handle well and go fast in a straight line.

Cheers!

 

I think most of the posters are pretty spot on with the assessment of the crossfire. Heck, the other car in my signinature was also a flop. No one was going to pay 26k for a VW in 1993-1994, especially a sporty one. As mentioned, the phaeton is another good example. Sometimes the biggest flops are the best vehicles, well ahead of their time. The general consumer may not really understand it and prefer more mainstream vehicles. The crossfire isn't ahead of it's time, in fact it's kind of the opposite, but I think most people never really "got it".

Some simple detractors for the crossfire were obvioiusly the price, but also the lack of on-paper performance. It also didn't offer any interesting technology. My 06 GTI base model had more interesting technology in it. That car had an msrp of like 22k. Now if you go up to the 35k range, things get both more powerful, purposeful, and technical. Very easy and understandable that the crossfire would get lost in the shuffle. IMO, another example of the raping and pilaging that Benz did to chrysler.

Regardless of the finances and internal politics, for the right person, the crossfire is a brilliant car. It's fairly light. It's very safe. It has an excellent chassis and suspension. And of course, it looks great. However, it's most brilliant feature is not written about. It makes probably the best sports car for year round daily driving. It's easy to drive in most weather situations. It's taken to the mild philly weather brilliantly. It's a true GT car (so maybe it isn't really a sports car). The lack of technical features makes it fairly easy to maintain (assuming you can find someone who knows the basics when it comes to european cars). My favorite part of the crossfire is how easy it is to live with on a daily basis. It isn't peaky or rough, it's just smooth.

 

The dog taking a dump is wrong. I look at it and I see a cat in a crouch ready to pounce...

 

I have a saying "What do expect from a pig but a grunt" C&D never liked the Crossfire. And quess what I had before the Crossfire a Jag X-type - that after 48,000 mile (leased) never cost me a dime, never had any service issues and got me thru all the Chicago snows like a champ.
The other day I was looking at a Cadillac SRX and then a Lincoln MKX (for my wife)
and in both showrooms the salesman and the GM commented on how cool the Crossfires are and it's a shame that they didn't sell - They thought they were a gcool car, and I LIKE MY CROSSFIRE!

 

Hey, the rarer the better right?

 

I don't see any animals, I just happen to like fastbacks and hatchbacks. Trunks always look tacked on, the most obvious example is the mk2 jettas. I love the golfs, but the jettas look like golfs with trunks added on. I just dont like adding things to cars (for the most part), I'm all about changing or removing things though.

 

A few months ago the same magazine (Car & Driver) wrote an article something to the effect of the least expensive and best 300HP used car available. The cars they identified included early NSX’s & BMW 850s and 8 other cars. I am subscriber of C&D and truly enjoy their articles and when I received the above I thought (and probably hoped) that the SRT6 would be listed. Needless to say it wasn’t. The point in this posting is that (in my mind) there is a fine line between being the “most affordable 350hp German manufactured (Mercedes Benz lineage) coupe” (ie., SRT6) or the “Biggest automotive flop”. I think we can all agree that flops mean great values and SRT6s certainly qualify. I have also posted on here that a guy that works for me is a true “porschephile” and currently owns a 2005 or 2006 Boxster but is truly amazed at the performance and build quality of my SRT6 at the price I paid ($24K for a “brand new 2005) - literally $15K less than he did and I have about 130HP more (along with larger tires, brakes) (granted - doesn’t steer as well etc., not a car comparison posting). Just my $.02.