I sold my 2005 Crossfire roadster this week. I want to thank this very helpful group for all the advice and good information. I had a love / hate relationship with this car. It was intended to be a second car (not the primary hauler) but still my daily driver. Doing some of the repairs with advice from the group was very satisfying when each repair was completed, but the list for me seemed to be never ending. It never left me stranded but there were times I had limited use available, like when my driveshaft hanger was falling apart.

The final push away was after fixing the center bearing hanger and having the person following me immediately after that, telling me half my CHMSL was out. Then the next week starting out on a business trip and having the top pump stalling due to low fluid on the way. I planned on keeping this for a long time but I saw several nearly $1000 each repairs in the future, a new top, rebuild of top cylinders, maybe new driveshaft. My time spent on repairs was sapping my energy for other things that needed doing around the house. My last Saturday was doing long overdue paint touch up on the hood which looked great but took me 4 long hours and rewarded me with a sore back.

I knew that some repairs would be required. But the process was labor intensive in a variety of ways. My experience was to first have an issue, look up possible causes, try to confirm a cause, research compatible parts, order parts from the internet because they were either not offered locally or were overpriced, make the repair. It’s a long process and was tiring after a while. Example: Get a price from a shop to replace a water pump ($300 part), then after research find it for $30. That’s great right. Yes, but extra work that delays the repair. And that was using a shop that allowed me to provide the parts because I didn’t have time to do the job myself. Because of required research, I was scared to drive it on a long trip for fear of being stranded and not getting parts or paying high prices for parts if they could be found.

I noticed some soft materials were degrading like the elastic straps that hold the seat belt webbing in the top which protect the top from the top frame. Other parts I saw that had foam coverings were just turning to dust.

Another factor was that my wife was not a fan of getting in and out of the car, so we weren’t driving it even on nice days. And frankly while I got in and out more easily, it was a little contorted when trying not to rub hard on the side bolster while taking my phone out of my pocket since it would rub the steering wheel hard when my leg brushed it. I would end up with black marks on my pants if I forgot.

It also didn’t have enough storage for me. Yes, I should have known that before but it was a little harder to deal with than I imagined. I have a folding bicycle and it fit in the front seat but my traveling case did not fit anywhere. The plan when buying it was to trade cars with my wife when I needed the space but this turned into too much planning required for simple events.

I needed more space. I needed a back seat for the overflow. I still wanted a convertible and I bought a 2017 Buick Cascada and so far, I love it. Such a different experience than a Crossfire but for me, it’s all about top down driving. I know the Buick isn’t perfect (most convertibles are not) and it’s obviously more expensive but it checks all my boxes. The best thing is that the top can be operated up to 31 mph and takes less than 20 second in each direction. That is huge for me, less pulling over to operate the top when the weather changes.

I have some left-over stuff that I would be willing to drop in the mail to anyone if interested. I would need a stamped self-addressed envelope sent to me so I can just drop it off. Don’t ask me to manage the shipping except to drop it off at the post office. I don’t want to manage postage reimbursement, after all I got rid of the car to avoid extra tasks. I have 2 cabin air filters I bought on clearance, the homemade cup holder I built, the original broken cup holder, and the original nav radio which seemed to have trouble with CDs on occasion, a few LED lights that fit the overhead map lights. There may be other things I am not thinking of at this time, but that’s a few.

You might remember that I 3D printed a console storage bin. The file isn’t perfect and I’d hoped to adjust the retaining tab position but I will now just post as is. If it’s printed, you can cut back the tabs just like I did and it will fit perfectly. I will be posting the existing file I have for the 3D printed console bin in Thingiverse but I have to wait 24 hours before it can be posted. I’ll writeup the web site address when I get it.

I will add one last thing that I noticed that are common attributes for a lot of forums and cuts into the member’s participation in my opinion. As the number of vehicles goes down over time the participation will become more critical. So be careful with responses so people stay active.

1. While there appear to be a number of people on here who know each other and have a personal relationship that makes sarcastic responses understood. Don’t forget other members don’t have that relationship and they might not get the joke if it’s directed at them. I didn’t experience anything personally but I observed it to some newbies and didn’t appreciate it. I’m not thin skinned but as most people understand written words don’t always convey intent very well. Heck I have noticed fights between people who have met and know each other. If you enjoy being a keyboard warrior maybe keep it to the general discussion pages and off the product pages.

2. Not answering the question asked but offering side commentary instead. An example I can think of is hydraulic top pump refill. Yes, it’s not the full repair to fill the pump reservoir, but it can extend the use of the system. Sure, there is a leak somewhere and at some point, in time it will need addressed. But remember, it’s not a brake system, it’s a convertible top. Like a lot of you, I would get as much life out of the system as possible before springing for cylinder repair. That is one example, there were others.

3. Expert opinion that is stated as fact. Sorry, not always true or factual. Opinions are appreciated but don’t automatically write off contrary ideas.

4. ‘Did you do a search?’. I get it. It appears that some people ask a question without checking for history. If you know the other references, perhaps reference them in the response. Guess what, that also tells the poster that they should look first. Just telling them to look doesn’t offer much value. Searches don’t always reveal the answer. The poster might not have known the terminology. The spelling of the history answer might have been wrong. The history might not be aligned with the new problem. It could be buried in a really long thread. I some times had to make several attempts to find an answer. It’s not always easy.

Some of these turned me off so I used the forum mostly as a resource and tried to contribute when I could but didn’t enjoy it as a social group. Super helpful, super organized, loads of information but snarkier at times than I wanted to deal with.

On the plus side, the posted official documentation and the very detailed repair instructions were so helpful. I especially found the list of tools required very helpful. It helped so much be able to check to see if I had the right tools prior to starting the repair. I was able to order some tools ahead of time. Some people helped me above and beyond, even taking personal calls when I was actively doing a repair. I want to especially thank those people.

 

Kurptp13,

As a NEWBIE here, I do appreciate your experienced insight for and from this forum. Good luck on your new ride!

Kurtp13, please provide me with your complete address as I am interested in what you are willing to pass on.

"I have 2 cabin air filters I bought on clearance, the homemade cup holder I built, the original broken cup holder, and the original nav radio which seemed to have trouble with CDs on occasion, a few LED lights that fit the overhead map lights. There may be other things I am not thinking of at this time, but that’s a few."

Thanks again for your consideration.

Regards,

Jim
In God We Trust!

 

Sorry you're selling the Crossfire. I think you got your roadster last year about the same time I got mine. I've been lucky with no major repairs needed. But now that I have a torn meniscus in my knee, it's been a little tougher to get in-and-out....and I'll be having surgery in a week....and my wife has made similar comments that climbing into the Crossfire is like squeezing into a Gemini space capsule.

I also agree that a forum works best when everyone has fun and is helpful to the new folks. The great majority of folks here are super! The searches that I've done don't always yield the info that I need...so it's a huge help when an old-timer here jumps in with the info that I need. But snarky comments might be fun for some people, but other times, it's just a waste of time. I make my own craft beer and I dropped out of one beer forum when even the moderator started replying with snarky comments to the new people.

But let's face it...the Crossfire is truly a fun car and it gets more second looks from people than 99% of the cars out there.

Anyway, thanks for all your posts and good luck. Take care!

 

 

As an owner of a Crossfire SRT roadster with 105K miles on it, I too love the car but I am getting tired of the thousands of dollars I have had to put into it. It's not just a few things here and there that one would normally expect with most cars.

Parts are getting rare and expensive as well. I just went through hell finding a new water pump for example.

I don't know if it is Chrysler or Mercedes or if is both...or if it was just a marriage made in hell. They did divorce.

I really don't want to sell the car because I really like it but at some point in time, I will have to put an end to all the money I am putting into the car.

 

For me since I found compatible parts in most cases that were not high cost, that wasn't the issue so much. Although I assumed it would get worse over time. For me it was the research that went into finding out if you are buying the correct part. That time means the car is down that much longer.