Hello guys. I have been researching on the Crossfire for a couple of days now and what better place to get info on them than a bunch of entusists. Im a 22 year old kid and have been into pontiac's for a long time. I have 3 Fiero GT's and a 98 V6 firebird. Lateley my firebird has found a perminent place in my driveway because i have become acustomed to driving a 2 seater. Now as a lot of us know Fiero's arnt the most reliable things on the road so my firebird is going to be getting sold and my Grandmother (bless her) as a gift is going to help me get a Crossfire as she wants me in a safer newer and more reliable vehical before she passes. My question is i have been looking into Edumnd's and carreview.com and have read good things on the crossfire. It seems the only time someone complaines about them is the cup holder the trunk and how it underpreforms compared to there much higher price tagged cars. My question is how would the crossfire hold up under a daily driver use such as a to and from work and weekend outings. Are they a reliable car for that purpos. Also i will be getting an extended warrenty on the car. I understand that the 6 speed gear box has its issues and that being said i have no problem getting the 5speed auto. Any into would be great. Thanks guys.

 

I haven't heard of hardly any problems with the 6-speed actually ... but when I was looking for a car, I wanted this one to be an automatic because I detest stop-and-go traffic ... and with cars around 400hp with a stiff clutch it's even worse.

There are many people using the Crossfires for a daily driver, and I haven't heard many issues at all. There are many similar threads on the forum. Most of these cars are relatively low mileage sine they only began production in 2004, so you wouldn't expect many issues to pop up in the first 60k miles or so regardless. As you likely know from research, Crossfires have a Mercedes drivetrain that is pretty reliable.

 

Thats exactley what I wanted to hear. Sorry about the thread on this topic. See i was looking into a cobalt or neon because it was going to be a gift but my grandmother said to me "your a good driver you dont get tickets and into accidents like your brother does so go get a reliable sports car" so thats what im doing. My dad is the one who convinced me into the crossfire. So i think im going to go for it thanks for the response. And yes ill frquent this forum on it. You can ask pennocks fiero forum all about me in a good way that is.

 

Drive one, I do recommend 6 speed,(cause I own one,) anyway, if you drive one, you will be hooked. I test drove mine last summer, and the way it looked , and the way it handled, not to mention the small price tag for a great sports car----made up my mind.

 

I've been hooking on Crossfires for quite a while. If you can find one, I would recommend test driving an SRT6 (only comes in auto) if you are looking for more HP out of the gate. The acceleration of non-SRT6 is still pretty good and there a few ways that you can bump up HP (just use the search feature on the forum). I hope you find one that you like and become part of the "perma-grin" club!

 

I have an 06 ltd coupe, with the 5 auto, and what I like about that is I can maually shift w/o the clutch if I want, or just drive and go. I have 21K on the clock and absolutely no issues, and it's my daily driver when I'm not on the bike. Power is just fine for me on my commute, the SRT's of course are very powerful, but they also have more issues and things to go wrong, and for me the reliability and the power of the regular car makes me really happy. The coupe works best for me as I can carry quite a bit back there, including two good sized dogs when I have to. The cupholder is something I don't bother with, there are alot of good workarounds for that. There is nothing I dislike about this car, and consider it one of my best buys in the auto world that I have ever had the good fortune to come across. when you get one you'll break your arm slapping yourself on the back for being such a good car buyer. or at least tendonitis from trying to wipe that smile off your face.

 

This is exactley what i like hearing guys. a few people on my fiero fourm said it might not be a good idea because of the SLK platform but they said they worked out the problems that the earleyer year SLK's had by the time the crossfire was placed on it. I think i have made up my mind on the crossfire. As soon as the old bird goes im going to get one. Preferabley a coupe. and theres no way i can use an SRT6 daily so i will be going for the limited model.

 

I got mine new in 9/09, and have been using it as a DD ever since. Works fine. Door a little long in parking lots. Not a single issue since purchased (knock on wood).
As to the six speed complaints, I don't get it. I, too, am a 2 seat mavin and currently have a Sunbeam Tiger (top loader 4 sp), and a Jensen Healey (early Chrysler 5 sp). Historically also owned an X 1/9 (underengineered Italian 4 speed), Fiero (nice GM 4 speed), Torino GT (Hurst shifter 4 speed), Merkur XR4ti (German Ford 4 speed), Boss 302 Mustang (Ford top loader), Peugeot 505 STI (some French POS with a shifter that liked to lock up), Econoline (3 on the tree), a Cadillac CTS (delightful GM 5 speed), and an '04 Mustang 6 cyl (can't even remember if 4 or 5 speed). I can safely say that the Xfire manual is the best of the bunch. Throws are shorter than any of the cars listed, and the complaints about the long throws must be coming from 60k Corvette, 80k Maseratti, or 120k Morgan owners. There is never a clunk into any gear. I've heard the complaint about the lack of feel or feedback. If your getting your feedback through your right hand rather than your eyes and ears, your doing something wrong. The only disconnect here is the disconnect of being able to feel the gears whirring against each other, and that disconnect is obviously an engineering choice.
In fact, all mechanical systems reflect engineering choices, and MB apparently designed this tranny to be quiet (it is), forgiving (it is), smooth shifting (it is), and fast in engaging (it is). I think that there's at least one too many gears, but that's a personal matter. In short, the complaints about the manual 6 speed are along the lines of complaining about sound deadening in the firewall because you can't hear the engine, complaints about an IRS because it doesn't punch you in the back like a live axle, or complaints about right hand mirrors because a purist doesn't need one.
Enough editorializing. The bottom line from my limited experience (but confirmed by other posts showing the high trouble-free miles achieved by others) is that you will not go wrong with this car.
P.S. Having owned one I can tell you that it is tighter than your Fiero, faster than your Fiero, you will never have to worry about understeer, and the TC will save you from oversteer, more practical than your Fiero (although I don't believe this should ever be a concern in a 2 seater), more comfortable on a long drive than your Fiero (and I have driven both across the country), better sound (by a factor of 10) than your Fiero, and actually a little easier to enter and exit if you use the seats right (this comment is reversed if you have a tilt-wheel on the Fiero).

 

After reading all your post's about the 6 speed i think that might actuley be in the cards now as long as i can find the exact combenation i want (black/red interior) I enjoy stick shift a lot. My 87 fiero was my 1st 5 speed folowed by my 86 which is a 4 speed. My 3rd fiero was an automaticx before it became a parts car and was never as fun to drive as the other 2.

 

I drove my SRT6 for two years daily about 60 miles round trip from work and back home without a problem...they are great cars for daily or weekend drives. just remember oil changes on crossfire's any of them are expensive taking 9 quarts of synthetic oil and a $20.00 oil filter take that into account.

 

You have one cool Grandmother! Sounds like you have already done your homework. I'm a DD and have had a few problems, nothing too major yet. Take care of the car and it will take care of you. This forum is an excellent source for anything that comes up. An extended warranty is also a smart move, get the highest milage and longest one you can afford. Good luck with the hunt, hope to see ya around!