Originally Posted by Deepsea21

I'd certainly add JoeO's crossfire as a possibility while you are looking as that is a good price for a spotless 2004 with no issues and 52K on the clock! If you look an Autotrader and XF's and see what people and dealers are selling and what they are asking for them I'm convinced many are looking for a total fool who would pay those prices. Maybe they'll find one but I tend to doubt it and it will probably be a 1st time XF buyer who love the look of the car for the price compared to other used cars but they don't know what it takes to keep these old cars in good condition. If JoeO's RCM has been repaired there's no reason to change it out but do keep a new spare in the car in case something happens. There is also no need to change out the crank and cam sensors until one fails in my opinion... Just keep a spare of each on hand... I mean, how many times do people replace a working OEM part and the replacement fails right away?

My prior post on this thread kind of poo-pooed you buying one of these but if your dad has tools and you don't mind wrenching on it and gaining skill I'd say get one! These days there are piles of Youtube videos and forums like this where people can learn how to work on cars and do some pretty difficult work without too much fear. If you get one and you perform the Sticky Key fix yourself you'll gain a great deal of confidence and as other issues may present you won't be spooked to attack them yourself. I was lucky when I was your age as I had old beaters from the 70's and 80's that were EASY to work on. They aren't that easy anymore BUT a 2004 XF is easier than most new cars and unless one spends a fortune most new cars all look the same and like crap in my opinion... Every increasing MPG requirements mean every design is subjected the wind tunnel so today's autos all pretty much look the same.

I'll tell you one thing... I'd take a XF any day over one of the new cars that cost way more $ with their common turbocharged 1.5L engines and variable speed transmissions. Those turbos and VSTs will need replaced before the engine and transmission in a XF even if you bought it with 100k on the clock needs replaced in my opinion and those are COSTLY repairs/replacements. I was looking at a new Honda Accord about 2 years ago and I had negotiated an absolutely great price but after I read about the untested nature of the turbo'd 1.5 and that VST, I passed. I just have no interest in dealing with that crap down the road because when I buy a car I maintain it and drive it into the grave. Unless you unload these new cars on someone else before those major expenses hit you're gonna get stuck with them at some point and it's not fun to be shelling out $1000's of dollars on an older car with 100K on the clock.

Originally Posted by JoeO

It’s been my experience that the majority of problems........(And by that I mean things that go bump in the night)......can be solved by coming to this site and:
1. describing what the events or conditions were that led up to the problem
2. remembering unrelated events that may have been a contributing factor

....and usually within a day or, the back and forth chit chat and ridicule from these experienced folk will give you a to do list that will save you money and/or time. Even if you can’t turn a wrench you will be able to go to a garage and look them in the eye and describe the solution..... and scare them with your troubleshooting skills. Don’t go in like an unmarried school marm for they will ravish your pockets.

quite a number of their solutions will be following their directions and simply doing some fairly uncomplicated stuff........the exceptions to the untrained are multimeters, reading
schematics, and learning what screem means.

when you were younger learning clefs, metronomes, and taking piano Lessons ....these guys were under a car in the driveway.

Originally Posted by Ant92993

precision ecu did my skreem module for 395 and i didnt need the skreem module anymore they put it all into the computer so you can just cut keys for your car. very easy to fix now.

Originally Posted by zip439

Crossfirecandidate, one thing that has not been mentioned is a drivers size. The Crossfire does not lend itself well to large people, some here on the forum have replaced or moved the seat farther to the rear, and headroom can also be an issue in the coupe. So be sure you test drive one ans see if you feel comfortable in the drivers seat. I am on the small size 5"9" and 145 lbs and the car is a great fit for me on long or short drives. Check it out for yourself before you get it into your head your going to buy one. I also think the field of vision forward is great, but to the rear you are vey limited, be sure you have those side mirrors set properly to see your blind spot.
This is a qutoe from Crowz which I totally agree with: "I personally think if you aren't mechanically inclined, haven't worked on cars before, don't have a good set of tools to work on them, the cost of maintaining this car taken to an independent European shop is going to cost you quite a bit over time. Just my thoughts."

Originally Posted by JoeO

The Crossfire is a well built tank, a piece of German Engineering.

Originally Posted by JoeO

I would disagree with the ownership cost being a “pretty penny”.

if you buy wrong, or shy away from taking care off mechanical issues.....yes !. Just dont do those two things and you should be fine. Murphy is alive and well but you can avoid that guy. The Crossfire is a well built tank, a piece of German Engineering.

Originally Posted by Deepsea21

I know 1 woman who can attest to that... She saw my wife driving our XF and started talking to her... She had one that she loved and wants first dibs on buying ours if we ever sell it. Anyway, she got in a really bad crash with hers... I guess it was her XF coupe vs. a large SUV of some sort and the SUV ended up on top of her XF. All airbags deployed the car was totaled but the firemen said the thing that saved her was the strength and design of the roof... Apparently the roof on the coups is supported and designed in such a way that it can take a pile of weight without crushing down and caving in. The firemen told her that if she had been driving something else she would not have been so lucky. So it appears these things are little "tanks" but I don't care to find out that way.

Originally Posted by ZERACER

There is no cure for stupid.

Originally Posted by JoeO

The Crossfire is LIVING PROOF that you CAN engineer styling, crashworthiness, and superior handling without sacrifice........(excerpt from a great article from DodgeTalk)

The foundation for creating a car with responsive sports coupe handling combined with a supple ride is a stiff bodyshell. Crossfire’s all-steel shell boasts exceptionally torsional rigidity (20,140 Nm/deg) and has been specially reinforced to bear the loads and forces generated by the unusually large wheels and tyres. The fixed-roof coupe styling, sweeping rear pillars and tall bulkhead separating the passenger compartment from the luggage area, play key roles in the overall structural stiffness of the shell and in its resistance to side impacts.

Frontal crash protection is provided by a series of interrelated impact resistant features beginning with the steel beam bumper system which channels loads into the chassis’ side rails where most of the energy is absorbed. Remaining loads are transferred to the floor structure, doors and roof. The extremely stiff passenger cabin is designed to transmit loads with minimal deformation and the doors will operate even after a severe impact.

The 60-litre trapezoid-shaped steel fuel tank is mounted above the rear suspension and behind the rear bulkhead for maximum protection from accident damage. Rear impact forces are directed by the bumper into the chassis side members and then into the main floor structure.

Side protection is enhanced by the fitting of a high-strength steel beam within each door, which transfers impact loads to the A and B pillars. Additional reinforcements are fitted to the upper edge of the door and along the lower belt line. The transverse stability of the passenger cabin is ensured by a massive cross member between the B pillars, and three further cross members under the windscreen, the dashboard and the seats.https://www.dodgetalk.com/threads/ch...markets.11889/

Originally Posted by zip439

...
The Crossfire does not lend itself well to large people, some here on the forum have replaced or moved the seat farther to the rear....
...