Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum and our family is looking to buy a 2004 or 2005 Crossfire Limited Coupe with relatively low mileage for the spring/summer/fall and store it for the winter. I have read some posts but they date from a few years back so I was hoping to get more up to date information on how well the Crossfire has held up over about 15 years.

I have always really liked this car and with the low prices these cars can be purchased at these days, I am wondering if you all think it's a good idea.

Is its reliability good? Are parts expensive? Any issues I should be looking out for when searching?

Your help is much appreciated.

Thank you.

Michael

 

crossfire; a magnificent car, the worst sales policy!
and to add to this, the critics said this:

Chrysler Crossfire (2004–08)[edit]

The Chrysler Crossfire is a sports car manufactured by Chrysler that was effectively a rebodied Mercedes-Benz R170. The Crossfire was a commercial failure, with dealers having a 230-day supply of the model by November 2005, prompting Chrysler to start selling it on Overstock.com.[160] Jeremy Clarkson, on a 2003 episode of Top Gear, slammed the Crossfire, stating, "It's hard to find anything in the Crossfire that really works"; he took note of its poor handling, cheap interior, bad road feel, and stated that anyone interested in the Crossfire should buy a used Mercedes R170 instead. Most famously, he criticized the Crossfire's "hideous" styling, claiming that its rear end resembled a dog defecating.[161] Top Gear magazine, citing Clarkson's review, included the Crossfire on its list of "The 13 Worst Cars of the Past 20 Years", describing it as, "A half-decent concept that failed to make the grade in the real world. A first-gen Merc SLK underneath, it was outdated before it was even launched. The ultimate triumph of style over content, only without the style. Or much content."[162] The Daily Telegraph auto critic Stephen Bailey slammed the Crossfire in a 2004 review; "This is indubitably the worst car I have ever driven. It beggars belief that the aristocrats of engineering, the artistes formerly known as Mercedes-Benz, have associated their name with such an aesthetic, functional and social atrocity."[163] Naming it one of the worst car flops of the past 25 years, Car and Driver wrote of it, "What do you get when you combine a bunch of rehashed, last-generation Mercedes-Benz chassis components with overwrought styling and a bit of D-town pride? This bright-eyed hunk of weirdness, that’s what. Potential buyers were put off by the art-deco looks and the $35,000-plus buy-in, and many simply bought an SLK instead. Or an Infiniti G35 or a BMW 3-series, both of which were more fun to drive than the Crossfire, and neither of which looked like a dog in the middle of a life-altering dump."[98] Edmunds.com named the Crossfire one of the top automotive failures of the last decade; "The antiquated recirculating-ball steering made it slow to respond, handling was disappointing and at the same time, the ride was harsh. To further pile on the drawbacks, the interior fell short of expectations, as did overall performance and everyday convenience. In the end, not even Celine Dion could save the Crossfire, and the final insult came when remainders were sold off on overstock.com and eBay."[159] AOL UK named the Crossfire the worst car of the 2000s decade.[1

i cant believe that these fellows are so negative, and destructive-and so wrong. i disagree with almost any thing they say. the car handles great.
but for what i read at this forum, most users are fascinated with it (me included).
i think that the concept and manufacturing are great. but we have to remember that it is a sports car, 2 seats, so the market can not be anything compared to regular street cars.
the problem is the policy by chrysler regarding service and price of spares. it is just outreagious! they charge ridiculous amounts for service and parts. even used parts sell at astronomical prices. take for instance headlight covers-if you are lucky to find them, they ask over $400 for just 1 piece, and that for a used piece with some damage. as comparison, you get easily a set of 2 (right and left) new from almost any brand, for about $100! so, if you buy it, get ready to face this.
on the sunny side, this forum brings terrific help. i just got 1 2005 coupe, and am thrilled. a dream come true to me.

 

but treated properly, it lasts longer than us.
look at this:
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...tml#post925887

 

All of us here love our Crossfires
They have common problems but all are repairable
Anything that would need to be fixed can be by a decent import repair shop
Parts are generally available at Mercedes more than Chrysler
Go find the one ya want and buy it !!

 

you are right: its better if we get the parts from mercedes dealers!

 

It is better to buy the parts direct from a Mercedes dealer, if you buy an OEM Mercedes part from a Chrysler dealer you will be getting a Mercedes part from a Mercedes dealer but you will pay heavily for the Mercedes part with a Chrysler sticker overtop of the Mercedes sticker.
A markup that can nearly double the price in some cases.

 

To add, the only REAL problem I have ever had was the security module going out. $700 and an easy fix. A week later someone told me to remove fuse #9 if the Security module goes out again so you can drive it. Great car, and since this engine/transmission was very popular with mercedes, there's parts for it. Cosmetic parts/interior parts? Not so much. I have had it for 2-2.5 years and it has been wonderful.

 

Unfortunately, not true

 

I would say that all parts are available from wrecked cars, you may have to go looking for it but they are out there.
Interior trim parts are to be found in abundance on eBay, you just have to find the part that is reasonably priced, some parts sit for ages because they are over priced, ask the seller for a lower price if the part you want is priced too high.

 

Hi,

Thanks for your help. Very much appreciated.

One more question.

Would you buy an automatic or a manual?

I can drive both but I dont know which will have more maintenance issues and which is more desirable on the resale market?

Thanks.

 

I've had mine for 6 months, I've put about 4,000 miles on it without one hint of a problem. But with no Dealer support, no diagnostic tools that work completely for these cars you have to wonder what will you do if you're 1500 miles from home and get out of a motel and it won't start. The short of it is you have to carry some spare parts (RCM for sure, SKREEM if you can afford it, Crankshaft position sensor, spend $600 for a spare key) and you have to make enough notes to be able to trouble shoot it yourself and make whatever repairs you can. The electronics are way to buggy for a regular person to deal with. but like I said there is no commercial support.
This is not the kind of car you would want to take your pregnant wife on a thousand mile joy ride. But If you got a reasonable amount of electrical knowledge and confidence that you can deal with whatever happens; go for it. For me If I would have known how buggy the electronics are and no commercial support, no diagnostic tools I would not have bought.
I love the style I love the way it handles, but I can't trust it not to let me down, I can only trust that I'm capable of dealing with whatever issues arise on my own. If it were not for this forum 25% of the Crossfires on the road would be in the scrap yard.

 

Haven’t got lots of time to type reply. Call me 585924-3474 with list of questions. Just bought my first .....2004......Heaven.

regards
joe

 

I've had automatic and manual. The only reason to get an auto is if you get an SRT.
The coupes are nice, but for the same money you can have a Convertible - think about that.

Gary / Valk had a thread on here that spoke to those looking to buy, but I can't find it.
THere are many 'gotch-ya's' with the car that will cost $500 to $3000 to fix at a dealer - so don't go to dealers.

We, the members of this community, support one another in absence of any dealer support (there is NONE). If you like to tinker with a car, we can talk you thru almost anything.
If not, we can talk your garage/handyman thru it...

 

Here is your car - AUtomatic, low miles, motivated seller he's talking under $6000 now!

 

i still cant believe how much chrysler has failed with this wonderful car. what were (are) they thinking if there is zero support? and the dealers are as bad as them. service is ridiculously expensive. and so the parts. how could they think that it could survive?
on the other hand, you guys have a network that is beyond the wildest dream. so great advice, so fast...
when i got my car i was unaware of all of this, the good and the bad, so am lucky to find myself being into this forum. thank you all again!

 

I am not interested in the convertible as I love the design of the Coupe and like the enhanced structural integrity and safety of a coupe.

When you say there in NO support from Chrysler, what exactly does that mean? Are you saying that unless I am a mechanic I can expect huge expenses to upkeep the car for the next 3 or 4 years?

As I am in Vermont, I would rather look for one closer to my home.

 

I have also noticed that the 2004 model year comes in one trim level but the 2005 comes as two, Base and Limited.

What is the difference between a 2004 and a 2005 Limited?

Thanks

 

2004 and 2005 limited are the same, except for the 2004 dimming rear view mirror.