I am considering a Crossfire, but I want to hear from owners about the reliability.

Are they fairly reliable and is the maintenance more expensive than most cars?

Looking at reliability reports, the Mercedes seem to have very bad reliability. But then again I always hear about Mercedes drive train being really good so I'm confused. Which is it?

Has anyone had any major problems with the Crossfires?

 

Mine has been perfect. It is 16 months old, 14K miles and just one oil change so far. Next one due soon, but no real problems.

 

I've had mine since 3/05 and only put 2,000 miles on it but they've been perfect miles. No problems and the car is screwed together beautifully. Compared to alot of the other crap on the road this car is well worth the money.

 

I have approx. 12,100 miles on my XF and it was perfect up until last week when I developed a tranny leak. The car was in the shop 1 1/2 days and it is fine now, but the best part is how well I was treated by the dealership. When I arrived all of my paperwork was filled out along with the loaner car waiting for me. I was in and out in under 5 minutes! The same was true when I picked the car up, no hassles, no wait, I was impressed.

 

First, there is way more to vehicle reliability than a good drivetrain. You have to consider all systems. And as for the drivetrain, the MB 6 speed used in the Crossfire is a clunker, not smooth at all. On the other hand, the 5 speed auto stick is very smooth. You are correct, overall MB reliability has not been that good in the past five years or so.

Maintenance cost are on the high side compared to American built cars, you are paying MB prices for the parts, not cheap (the $$$ is not what it used to be overseas, it has lost it's purchasing power a long time ago in most other countries). Then there is the problem of parts not being readily available (maybe due in part because the car is produced in low numbers... only 20,000 worldwide per year). Try $18.50 for an oil filter just to start with or OEM Michelin tires about $1,200 a set (or you can go with a set of Goodyear F-1 Eagles for around $1,000 from Tire Rack).

There have been some issues with the Crossfire, look through the technical section of this forum. Some here will say most of the issues with the Crossfire were/are due to being a first year model, I disagree. The Crossfire uses old parts from other MB's that have been around for many years, so other than the body, there is nothing all that new in the Crossfire that IMO can be blamed as first year production issues.

I'm not trying to turn you away from the Crossfire. It's a great little car and fun to drive. As mentioned in a post above, the fit and finish are good. The car is put together tight for the most part. There have been some minor problems with rear hatch rattles and wind noise.

In a nutshell, I think the Crossfire is the kind of car you WANT to own and not a car you buy because you NEED a car.

 

...This is not a Camry. Maintenance is expensive, it guzzles gas, and it offers gobs of character. It is more fun to own and drive that any Toyota could ever hope to be.

Keep in mind that most Mercedes reliability problems are due to electrical issues (according to JD Powers and others). The multitude of electric and electronic features packed into recent German cars have made them somewhat less reliable than their simpler American and (some) Asian rivals. However, the Crossfire (especially the base car) does not have the same amount of features. It's an old German car with a new body. I assume it probably offers decent reliability, as Mercedes cars used to.

I would assume that the hardware (body, powertrain, suspension, etc) is as bullet proof as can be. Mercedes has a long history of getting that stuff right. But hey, even if you did have a hiccup, some cars are worth it, you know? I would much rather be inconvenienced by a car that I bought for fun, than say, a Kia Optima.

 

We have had ours since July 4th 2003. Driven 23K+ miles and other than a wiring problem at the first 200 miles we've had nothing but good reliability.

 

Approaching 13K miles. Zero problems. Approx. 20 MPG in town. Expensive oil changes. Great car!

 

^^^
It's not all that expensive if you go by the FSS schedule versus the conventional 3k way of thinking. I've went anywhere from a little over 7k miles to just over 9k between oil changes. Do the math.

 

17k miles. Own the car from new April 2004. No major problems. Dealers service dept is crap and too expensive but that seems to be a hit and miss and should not sway you on the car. Mind goes into a independent for servicing.

 

Mine is hitting 30 klms or around 18 miles and is terrific. Had the noisy spoiler which was easily fixed and I had a noise in the ECU box when cold starting. It was the electric ECU cooling fan which was replaced by DC, noise gone.
To sum it up, very dependable and I drive it in the -30 Canadian winters!
PS. I love the 6 speed manual although a speed shift from 1st to 2nd isn't possible, you have to give it a fraction of a second to clear the gate. 0-60 mph times are around 6.8 sec.

 

Bought mine in August of this year and have put 12k miles on it with zero mechanical problems. I had the wind noise and the squeaky spoiler but those were easily fixed. My 6-speed manual shifts about as good as the 5-speed on my Prelude so I either got a good tranny on the Crossfire or a bad one on the Prelude.

My only real complaint is that first gear seems too short.

Like someone said earlier, this is not a car you buy because you want sensible transportation. Its more emotional than that. You buy this car because its cool...

 

I was looking through some of the reports on the Crossfire... we have 34,000 miles on the car, and we had to change the tires... well the back ones the front have about 5,000 miles left.
We found OEM top rated wr's Conti sports for an amazing price of $120 each!!! I kid you not, Tire Rack has them for that price.
Sure the oil changes are high but how often... every 7 - 8,000 miles isn't bad.

The build quality of the car is outstanding...

And it is definitely a better car than the 350Z which may fly, but just read those transmission issues!

Now if only it were a Boxster... that might be different...but the price and cost to own is about twice that of the Crossfire!

You pays your money you takes your choice... and this is a choice car.
any issues... well there is the need for a card directing all those admirers to the dealer!

 

I have had mine since Jan '05. It is my daily driver, back and forth to work. I drive about 50-60 miles a day, and average 23-24 mpg combined city and highway.

I have had the oil changed twice...I am old fashioned and believe the first change should be done at 2000 miles. The rest are by the FSS. My cost for the change with filter, but not the oil, $21.00. I buy the oil at the military exchange as it is cheaper.

I have 9,600+ miles on it and have had zero mechanical/cosmetic problems. The paint is flawless, and has a drop dead gloss. I do maintain the car myself, with the exception of the oil changes, and I purchased a 7/100 extended bumper to bumper warranty from Chrysler as I plan to keep the car, and enjoy it. So, future repairs are not a concern.

No advice on whether or not you should buy one. I can only tell you, I am happy with mine. Just be prepared to attract a lot of attention, including the police. Lots of attention, as no one knows what it is.

Good luck!

 

Cobra 953:

Well said! I too, had my 1st oil change early as that is the original break-in period and it's better to be safe.

 

you NEED this car. my daily driver and delivery car. a new tranny at 4k service has been outstanding 11k now no issues.

 

Owned the Xfire since 7/2004 and have 12,500 miles on it. It has had no problems, fun to drive and I am averaging 23 mpg (mostly 50 mph commute to work).

Dave

 

Mine had a gimp engine from the get go... I figure i was one of the rare few... It took the dealer over 60 days to diagnose and replace the engine... which had to be hand built just as it was at the factory... The mechs at the dealer built the engine from scratch and it runs like it should now with no other problems to speak of. The only thing that bothered me the most about this whole deal was the amount of time it took the dealer to obtain parts... in most cases it took over 15 days to obtain even the smallest of parts from way out of state parts warehouse. (only one in the USA) SO... moral of the story... if it needs a part... its gonna be a while... but as you see here, most people haven't needed a part.

 

I only have 2,300 miles so far since july, no problems so far. I drive it every day but only live 4 miles from work.
I am starting to love the heated seats...

 

Thanks for the replies!


I appreciate the input. Sounds like the only real downer is expensive tires every 30,000 miles or so. I have a '96 Mustang GT convertible now. Bought it brand new in '96 and it's been nothing but trouble for the last 4-5 years. I loved it but I probably won't keep a car that long anymore. As much as I'm spending per month practically restoring the Mustang I could buy a pretty nice car.

I think I'm definitely going for the Crossfire. It's a matter of finding one now. Here in San Antonio they are hard to come by.