Lots of good advice already said here, but just to chime in too:

I completely agree on the mileage thing. Although mileage has a pretty big effect on the sale price of a car or truck, it means far less than how it was driven. (Since most dealers have no easy way of knowing this, they're going to assume the worst and make you pay a premium price based on low mileage -- since that's the only way you know for sure it has some life left to it.)

Cars that were mostly highway driven (like a Pontiac I had once, with an owner who used it all the time to make trips between Missouri and Florida) can have pretty high mileage, yet very little wear and tear. By contrast, that "little old lady who only drove her car to church on Sundays" might actually have a car with a lot of issues for such low mileage, because the car wasn't usually driven far enough to get up to normal operating temperature. It may have a lot of engine deposits of gunk in it, needs new spark plugs, radiator rusting out, etc. etc.

The salvage title is the bigger issue, just from the standpoint of killing your chances of resale. Like someone else said, insurance companies are likely to total a Crossfire for something relatively little, so it might actually be a good car. But the salvage title is like a permanent stamp that says, "Don't buy me!" to a lot of people. When you get one of these, you have to plan on becoming its last owner and maybe parting it out if it's time to let it go. I would say if you can get a mechanic to look it over and he says it's in good shape, offer about $1,000 less and "take it or leave it" at that price.


QUOTE=Jackerman;686186]Just a little general knowledge I can give you as I don't own an xf just yet
The amount of miles doesn't always matter , its how the owner/s drove the car in those miles , questions to ask yourself are things like;
Was it driven as a daily driver or a weekend cruiser? Was it driven as a city car or mostly highway miles?
Little things like that make a difference in terms of trans conditions
But I can't tell you if its a deal or not , just wait for others to chime in
Just remember you get what you pay for , if you have the money I'd say wait till you find a better one , that's what I'm doing and why I don't own one yet , gotta be patient , good luck [/QUOTE]

 

Steer clear. High miles, recon title. If you're already struggling, this car can easily bankrupt you. Maintenance alone is steep. 8 quarts of Mobil 1 synthetic oil for an oil change, 12 platinum spark plugs (special ones ), 2 air filters and a super expensive fuel filter with a built-in pressure regulator....this is assuming you just do routine stuff. If a repair comes due, which it will, things could look grim. Oh, and I second the comment about tires. About a grand for a set. Hold out for a good one. If you can't afford one right now, buying a potential basket case sounds like too big of a gamble. Also worth taking into consideration is your insurance premium.

 

I agree with everyone who offers you stay away from this one and save your $. Your a student, possibly on a campus in housing, and if not all, most of your classes are within walking distance or a very affordable bicycle. Save your $ and get one cared for by a XF enthusiast. Later on, you'll be glad you did. If you buy from a dealer, make sure its got a warranty (12 months/12000 miles bumper to bumper) or something like it. Just me $0.02 worth!

 

Scirocco16v is right, except I have to say this much about it:

1. If you're struggling enough that the prospects of doing an oil change with 8 quarts of synthetic Mobil 1 is a real problem for you? Then you probably don't have any business looking for a car right now at all. Heck, I remember back when I was 16 years old ... everyone wanted that first car and the drivers' license, and if they weren't lucky enough to have parents who covered their bills, they usually spent all of their paychecks trying to keep their vehicles on the road. I actually held off until I was 18 to get my license, largely for that reason. The excitement of being able to drive just wasn't worth the costs involved vs. the small amount of income I had back then.

2. Yeah, the tires are expensive, but this is becoming the norm as far as I can tell. The days of cars using little 13" or 14" wheels are practically over. I don't think you're going to find a modern car or truck to drive that has cheap tires like the Chevy Cavaliers or Pontiac Sunbirds used to have in the 80's. My wife's Kia Soul needed tires recently and even those were somewhere around $800.

3. The arguments about actual repair costs are more valid than the complaints about the regular maintenance costs, IMO. This is where the dealerships, at least, will really screw you. I went into buying my Crossfire knowing it wasn't going to be my primary means of transportation, and expecting to do a lot of reading and learning, so I can try to do some of the work on it myself. If you really have no interest in trying to do your own service work on these cars, I don't think they're that sensible a purchase for anyone who actually counts on using the car daily, vs. owning it as a pleasure vehicle.

 

This

I'm lucky enough to have parents to pitch in money to get a car and the rest (insurance , maintenance , gas etc) is all up to me
I also didn't get my license till i was 18 and didn't get my first car till 19 , now 21 Im glad I didn't choose to get one sooner like a lot of my friends did in high school

 

Okay, I'm late to this thread and agree with everybody else about being careful with this car. If it looks good, has good panel gaps, doesn't show any sign of being crashed, it may have been a flood damaged car. Nothing but nothing will cause more serious and intermittent untraceable infuriating problems than a flooded car. Ins company's virtually always total flooded cars and this could be one. Be careful. Shell out $25 for a car fax and be sure.

 

Here's part of the CarCheck you requested. I can send you the full report if you PM me your email.

Title and ProblemCheck
Problem Reported! AutoCheck's database for this 2005 Chrysler Crossfire (1C3AN59L55X032025) shows a negative title(s) or other problems. When reported to AutoCheck, these events can indicate serious past damage or other significant problems, and disqualifies the vehicle for AutoCheck Buyback Protection. Check the Vehicle Use and EventCheck for reported accidents.

3 Problem(s) Reported: 15 Title/Problem areas checked:
No abandoned title record
No damaged title or major damage incident record
No fire damaged title record
No grey market title record
No hail damage title record
Insurance loss title or probable total loss record(s)
No junk or scrapped title record
No manufacturer buyback/lemon title record
No odometer problem title record
Rebuilt/rebuildable title record(s)
Salvage title or salvage auction record(s)
No water damaged title record
No NHTSA crash test record
No frame/unibody damage record
No recycling facility record


2 Event(s) Reported: 9 Vehicle events checked:
2 Accident record(s) reported through accident data sources
No corrected title record
No duplicate title record
No emission/safety inspection record
Loan/Lien record(s)


11/01/2011 BRIDGETON, MO
126,960
Motor Vehicle Dept. TITLE (Title #:TFG74408)
SALVAGE
POSSIBLE TOTAL LOSS - VEHICLE TITLED/REGISTERED TO AN INSURANCE COMPANY
11/11/2011 MO

Auto Auction AUCTION ANNOUNCED AS SALVAGE, EXTENT OF DAMAGE UNKNOWN
11/23/2011 FORT WAYNE, IN

Motor Vehicle Dept. TITLE (Title #:11479231000013)
REBUILT/REBUILDABLE

 

Even if the car has been rebuilt perfectly and is in great shape, lets not forget the above average maintenance costs.

Every oil change will run you two gallons of 0w40 oil (some use 5w40), that's a lot of oil. It probably needs a diff fluid change, trans fluid change, and maybe power steering fluid if your picky. Almost all of the fluids in this car a non standard (compare to most other cars).

Oil changes run me about $120 each time (not done myself), i spend a lot of money at the wash getting brake dust off of my wheels, and my insurance (19 years old) runs $125 a month with a military discount (USAA).

Just some things to think about.