Has anyone heard of ground effects for the Xfire? Nothing way out there, but something similar to the SLK 320 AMG. It doesn't really need anything, but I wouldn't mind modifying the front bumper a bit. It would look nice with molded splash guards too. Wouldn't want the baby to get dirty...lol

 

I haven't seen anything yet, and don't expect to for another 6 months. These kits take time to develop, and I don't think there is going to be that high of a demand for it.

 

True. Well I have plenty of time. If you hear keep me posted.

 

There's a neat replacement for your door step guard which has the CROSSFIRE words glow in blue when the door is open.

Didn't notice any ground effects kits from MOPAR on the sheet.

 

I saw that. The guy on here sent me a pic. It is really nicve. Kinda hard to see though.

 

....yeah, especially when the door is closed, which is 99.99999% of the time.

What's next, neon lights for under the car, and those weird chrome wheels that appear to keep spinning after the car has stopped? I'm praying this car doesn't start showing up in gangsta rap videos....

I really, really like my Crossfire, but as I've lived with it (the last three days) and read the manuals and realized how many gadgets it's got on it, I wish they'd taken a page out of Colin Chapman's book...if it doesn't make it go faster, take it off.

My favorite example: I really can read the suggested maintenance manual for myself...don't really need some lit up wrenches on the dash reminding me. And I resent having to read the manual and actually practice with the controls to make the little wrenches show up! I'm pretty handy with a tire pressure gauge too!

Again, getting to know the car, I wish they'd toned down the non-performance enhancing gadgets a bit and used those resources to engineer in a few more hp and some more lb feet of torque...although on the other hand it has more than enough oomph to either kill me or get me into plenty of trouble.

I LOVE the way it handles though, and it would even be better lighter, absent some of the needless gadgets. If this thing were 200 lbs lighter, the 215 horses would be more than enough for you speed demons!

I would caution anyone to think twice about buying the car for it's 'attention getting' factor. That's a BIG investment for a fleeting novelty. Back in 84, I had one of the first Honda CRX's sold in my state. EVERYBODY came up to me at gas stations...for awhile. After a few months it was an invisible car.

Look at 'Vettes. As a performance car for the money, they are the equal or superior to some Ferraris and Porsches, and can give the Viper a go. But they're invisible...too many on the road. At any given time of day, at any convenience store, the odds are there's one in the parking lot.

Mini Coopers...anybody even notice them anymore unless they've got a trick paint job?

Audi TT's...VERY novel when new, now two or three in every Applebee's parking lot at happy hour. When did you notice your last SLK (well, now that you have a Crossfire you probably notice all of it's fraternal twins as they pass on the beltway)?

If you like this car, get it for how you enjoy driving it and how YOU like its lines, NOT because you like the attention you get. The car will be invisible on the road a year or so from now. Don't drop this much money for the costume jewelry factor...it WILL wear off. It's a great touring car to drive, THAT'S the lasting pleasure of this car.

If this car bombs in sales, and Chrysler pulls the plug after a year or two, then its novelty factor will remain intact. People still ogle over the occasional Delorean even though it was a technical piece of crap in every respect, because it died young. If the Crossfire survives beyond a couple of years, the kid in the Neon next to you won't give it a second glance.

My point is that some folks seem to want to dress up their Crossfires, others want to hop it up. That's it's main problem...it doesn't know if it's the pretty cheerleader to be seen with, or the kickass football player that outperforms the competition.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm heading to the garage to say goodnight.

 

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. I see no confusion in the minds of many of the member owners on this board. Some see beauty as being able to improve the performance of the vehicle and others see beauty as making the car stand out from other vehicles and even other Crossfires. Invention, ingenuity, creativity and sometimes, just a good budget for someone else to do all that for you

I must have totally missed your point because why is it a problem? I don't think there is anyone here who is pondering if they should go with performance or looks, because, when push comes to shove, they can always do both, or just keep it stock.

There are many Viper, Prowler, PT Cruiser and Vette owners out there who've bought a car they feel good in, enjoy and can enjoy with others who share their love of that particular car, modified or otherwise.

A few thousand Vette owners gathered in Bowling Green, Kentucky just last month to celebrate the car's 50th. You may think Vettes don't turn heads anymore, but don't tell that to them, cause they love their Vettes not just as a mode of transportation or a utility, but as a hobby and a society.

Time will tell if Crossfire will join the ranks of the above and have active and interesting clubs worldwide. And even more time will be required to tell if the Crossfire will become a classic like the 57 Chevy, the GTO or the Roadrunner.

And if you're one of those who just wants to buy the car and drive it because it is a good ride, nothing wrong with that either.

Isn't this country/world great?

 

To take a few lines from your text...

kusheen:..yeah, especially when the door is closed, which is 99.99999% of the time.

umm I meant the picture was hard to see....duh :roll:

kusheen: What's next, neon lights for under the car, and those weird chrome wheels that appear to keep spinning after the car has stopped? I'm praying this car doesn't start showing up in gangsta rap videos....

Pray all you want. Whether it ends up in a rap;country, classical, adult contemp, or even a rock&roll video, this car will be what it is, a beautiful vehicle. Many cars have been altered to fit the OWNERS taste. That will not decrease its value to those who would be owners. And it does not mean the car will become some poster child for "Remember When"....

And as mouserider says, "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder." That says enough in itself.

A kit doesn't mean low rider, neon lights, or anything. Beamers have ground effects, spoilers, different grills, etc. the car still looks classy and timeless. those are extremes and that is fine if that is what the OWNER wants. This sets the car a part from the rest of the models out there. that goes for setting the owner a part to. I don't want to be in the exact same car as everyone else. I will add my own topping to it. The car acn still look as wonderful as it did off the showroom floor. Yes some people take it to far, but that is opinion. ..


mouserider:
And if you're one of those who just wants to buy the car and drive it because it is a good ride, nothing wrong with that either.

Isn't this country/world great?

You said it!

If down the road this car bombs like the stealth (which is still an eye turner) so be it.. I would be proud to have it in my garage! :lol:

 

That's the FSS system. You can run up to 10,000 miles on a single oil change. It's to help all the people out there who can't remember to get an oil change.
[/quote]

 

kusheen:

Post your pictures when you get a second--I'd like to see your Crossfire. What color did you get?? As far as it being a "fleeting novelty"--comparing it to a CRX, COME ON! How many CRX's were produced--couple hundred thousand. How many Xfires--8K this year.

It sounds as though you keep putting down the Xfire, just wondering why you 'bought one'? Chrysler is not pulling the plug on the Crossfire--far from. It IS an attention getter and will continue to be for a long time. I bought it for the WOW factor, and I could care less if it fades out (in a year or two) because I will have another car by then. I love being the new kid on the block with the hottest car--and unless your are driving around in an Ferrari Enzo--you will not get more attention than you will in this car.

 

Hey Texex91,

I totally agree...

Believe it or not, when Krooner and MightyJlr met me at a local cruise night, the Crossfire drew much more attention than a bright red Lambo Contach SE, not to mention a least a dozen snakes of various vintages.

 

I'm duly chastised.

Texex, the 'bought one' in your response suggests....and I apologize in advance if I'm wrong...that you may not believe I bought one. Ok, just went to the garage and took a pic and it's in my gallery, just to satisfy you. Will gladly supply the VIN and will scan and post the build sheet, if you'd like. I'll take some pix outdoors in the next couple of days, but to save time go into your garage and look at your car. It's identical.

The wooden table in the pic that the car looks like it's getting ready to crash into is the table I dismantled for a vintage 3 lane Strombecker slot car racing layout. Had to do it to make room for the car...will be building a new table that will drop down from the ceiling.

The space the car occupies in the picture had been, in the past years, occupied by a '69 Lotus Europa S2, a '75 Lotus Europa Twin Cam Special, and '84 Turbo Esprit. If you require proof, I'd be glad to take some pix in the daylight of the bare floor...there are plenty of oil leak stains to attest to the past occupation by British cars.

Why'd I buy one? Well, I too like the styling. I liked it when I drove it. In the week that I've owned it, I admit to finding some disappointments as I've gotten to know the car. That's to be expected. I'm disappointed the glove box light doesn't work. I'm disappointed the piece of plastic immediately in front of the shift lever snaps out of place 3 out of every five times I downshift from 6th to 5th. I'm disappointed to find out I can expect to drop $1200 to $1500 or so every year for tires, that with normal driving with low miles. I'm disappointed the right door panel vibrates noisily on low bass notes from the stereo, with the eq essentially set flat. Yes, all these things but the tires are fixable...but I'm disappointed I have to take a $35K car back to the dealer for some fixes before it has 300 miles on it.

The performance is nice, but it's not a performance car compared to others in it's class. It's disappointing in the few comparo tests I've seen (all on line) it comes in last virtually all the time. The comparo tests haven't been Motor Trend, C & D, R & T, or Automobile...all who do it better, so my disappointment will be tempered until I read those eventual tests. Yes, I should've maybe comparo shopped a bit more...I ADMIT it!

Why'd I buy one? I've still got a Lotus Elise on order. Mine's not due for 16 months. My wife winces at the thought of another Lotus, even though this one will be WAY different in every respect than the ones we've owned. So the Crossfire was a nice cross between a semi performer for me, and a nice looker for her. When the Elise gets here, she can keep the Xfire or let it go, and I can go pick up the Elise.

I'm not criticising the Crossfire. It's a nice car. What perplexes me are the number of people who are posting here that seem to have bought the car almost exclusively based on its radical looks. I'm not criticising that, just perplexed by it. Nothing is more fleeting than novelty. I'm just perplexed by the novelty buzz given the cost of the car. If that's why YOU bought it, more power to you. I just don't get it.

I remember many times, when I owned the Esprit (which got WAY more attention than I've gotten so far with the Xfire), people would come up and want to touch, sit in, or otherwise talk about the car. I remember one time I was gassing up, and 4 college girls came up to look at it. One stuck her head through the window, and commented on the overwhelming leather scent. She then said "Wow, this must really be a babe magnet." She didn't get it. I didn't get the car for it's Wow factor, I got it because of the way I could wiggle it around the Carousel turn at Summit Point Raceway on track days.

But again, I'm chastised. I'm not at all criticising folks who buy this car for its looks. It's your money, enjoy it any way you want. I'm just perplexed, that's all, by the rush to do all the bolt on stuff that's just going to slow it down and make it look like a kit car. Again, it's opinion, but in my view AMG is the only one who's done bolt on's for the Mercedes that didn't actually denegrate the looks and styling of that car.

Before you say it, I'll nail myself...if performance was what I wanted, I could've spent $8K less, bought that Subaru WRX or whatever it is. It's WAY faster than the Crossfire, handles way better, been around long enough to had the bugs worked out. It's just so damned ugly.

Ok, you convinced me. I bought the thing because of it's look...

 

I love Lotus cars. I like the way they build their cars... just the basics, keep it simple, weight is bad. I am surprised to hear the Esprit gets more attention then the Crossfire. It is a nice car. When I see one on the road (not often) I like to look at it because I know that it's a good car. I don't think it looks better or sexier then the Crossfire, hell it is a 20+ year old design (right?)... Not saying it isn't a chick magnet, I'm sure it is... but I think those college girls had just watched Pretty Woman or something...

 

The esprit is a out and out sports car, the fact it is still admired today 20+yrs on is a credit to its design. I doubt the xfire will turn heads in 20yrs!

I just hope its not like the PT cruiser, turned heads for a few months then all the reports started to slate it as its mechanics let it down. I hope that with a merc underneath the xfire will be better than that.

 

kusheen:

How can you not like the black car--it's beautiful. I'm sorry to hear about the "minor" issues you are having with the Crossfire--like you said all fixable (and as I was reminded when my AC went out--it's a FIRST year car and one can expect such things). Any sports car that has performance tires (esp 19") you would have the same tire wear 'issue'. If you want a maintenace free car--I'm not sure Lotus ranks very high on the JD Powers list :lol: . But seriously, I hear you on the styling and I would have to say that is why most people have bought this car--it's not for the engine or even the "quality"--it's the styling. And yes this thing is a TOTAL babe magnet. I could go on about all the times some hottie has stared or made a comment, but just yesterday this lady (hot 25'ish blonde) stopped me in the parking lot of my cleaners and asked questions about the car, and then made a comment that I could take her for a ride anytime ops: --I don't think my finace would approve though.

This forum is a great place to share your issues--good or bad--that you are having with the Crossfire. We all tend to write more good than bad. When someone constantly puts down the car, I start to wonder about their intentions on the board. But, post away, as we need to know all opinions--you ARE a owner and therefore if you have a negative impression, you have every right to express it (even though we might not like it :twisted: )

Enjoy the ride and hopefully it will grow on you. As the valet guy at the airport that parks mine and then puts cones around it so no one can touch it says "that is one beautiful EXOTIC car"--see no one knows.

 

I do like the Esprit for its simple clean lines, fell in love with it when I first watched the Bond flick with the submarine convertible.

There might be an Esprit for me in the future, plus my Malaysian friend would love me for supporting their economy.

But in the meantime, it's all Crossfire, all the time. I hear about about the babe magnet. I've had to roll my window down at lights more than a few times.

A doctor is a nice brand new 911 convertible asked me to roll down my windows the other day and seriously praised the looks of the car and the SSB paint job.

Another guy in a S500 Merc did a loop in a parking lot to pull up beside me and asked if it was the new Bentley.

There's a pleasent surprise for me on the road everyday I take my Crossfire out, it is just wild.