1C3AN79N85X057403

That is the VIN # of the car I am looking at.

I'm wondering how long it has been sitting? It only has 500+/- miles on it, and is being sold 'used', but with remainder of warranty from dealers.

What are the most common problems to look out for? I'd like to go look at it this evening. However, I'd like to be armed with some info and knowledge of what to look for and what to ask.

Thanks in advance.
SQ

 

I purchased one of these "new" SRT but mine had less then 100 miles and the warranty (in service date) started in 02/07.

1) You will be the second owner no matter what so the factory warranty is NOT transferable should you decide to sell it later on and will lessen resale value.

2) Oil/filters should be changed as it's been sitting for close to 3.5 years.

3) Clearcoat finish may be faded or spotty if its been stored outside. (mine was stored in a inside warehouse).

4) Windshield wipers will be junk. (mine were).

5) If its been sitting on a flat tire(s). they may be junk.

6) These cars are GREAT.

7) Don't pay more then $26K - Plenty SRT's out there at this price or less.

Ask if the dealer purchased it from a Chrysler auction, has had it in his inventory (it will be an untitled car) or if it was registered to a previous owner. If the later, request a CARFAX Report and find out when the in service date was, that will let you know how much of the factory warranty remains.

If you are going to a Chrysler Dealer - try to negotiate for a pre-owned 8/80 extended warranty. If not, you can purchase a 7/70K maxi-care zero deductible extended warranty for around $1,300 - $1,600 on line.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

I would car fax it...other than that, make sure the recalls were performed (a fan relay or motor on these), test drive it and go for it. I bought a 2005 SRT - Black from a dealer. My particular one was owned by a PA dealer for like 2 years, sold back to Chrysler or re-po'd from the dealer and it went through the 5-star auction...It had 98 miles on it at auction and 400 on it by they time they drove it from Pittsburgh to me. Everything so far seems fine & awesome...I have been through the car, replaced the brake pads (to EBC Red Stuff ceramics to lower the dust but get better performance (allegedly) than the Rotex Golds) and it seems in great condition. I noticed a chunk out of a front brake pad when I swapped them...other than that...no problems. Some of the inventory reduction ones that have sat in Baltimore for several years have some adhesive residue where the protective plastic or whatever was on the headlights and such...but great cars...they just sat for almost 3 years (from the build date). Good luck.

 

Thanks for the quick responses gentlemen.

The car was indeed bought back by Chrysler due to a dealership going out of business. Then the current dealer bought it (I assume at auction), and is re-selling.

The car is $23,900 and they are hitting my trade in at about $500 less than I owe, so I'll lose a little there.

Still, I feel that $24,500 is a steal on these cars. Even the Limited Coupe is a nice car for that kind of money (although I paid a lot less).

I read something briefly about the older/first run SRT's having more issues than the later production runs? Something about the 'older' Vin #'s may be more prone to certain problems when compared to the 'newer' Vin #'s/Build dates. I can't decode the VIN on these cars like I can my mustang...does anyone have any insight to this?

What kind of MPG do you get from your SRT's? My limited coupe has surprised me with 25+ easily on the highways...hoping for similar from the SRT if I go with it.

Thanks,
SQ

 

I think that is a good price...I paid a $1K more but got $1K more on my trade in than it was worth...it was 2004 Xfire coupe.

 

That's a great buy. Jump On it. Have them do the oil/filter change, and get the ext. warranty later if they don't offer it to you for at less then $1,500 for the "MAXI_CARE" zero deductible.

Then your set for the next 7 years. Except for all the after market mods. but even adding another $4K, Eibach, Rotex, slotted rotors, Renntech pulleys, carbon dash kits, ...

But the SRT-6 is a killer car. You will be Happy.

 

The last 5 digits of the VIN is the build sequence of the Crossfires. For an SRT-6 yours is relatively recent. There is an older thread titled Sometimes Sluggish Acceleration where us chosen members entered our VINs if we had problems with acceleration. There was only 6 or 7 entries but most had VINs of 3XXXX. Member RPM is also tracking VINs and you can look at the SRT Serial Numbers thread to where your car stands specifically (I know you haven't bought it yet but unless there is something seriously wrong with it, you will).

As already noted, check that the TSBs have been performed and give the car a good test drive to see if the supercharger cuts out after prolong driving. Dicker for an oil change and extended warranty. Also check the headlight assemblies for deterioration of the lens and see if you can get the luggage that goes with the car.

These are really great cars. I let a friend drive mine and he summed it up quite nicely by stating he had never driven a car like it before.

 

Forgot to write about the gas mileage. I did 24/25 going from San Diego to Las Vegas. This included several periods of bumper to bumper stop and go traffic. Otherwise I was doing mostly 80. Over the last several weeks I averaged just under 20.9 with about 55% highway 45% city driving. This includes my once a day acceleration fix.

 

That's a good buy.
So the VIN is 1C3AN79N85X057403 - the build date is probably March or April 2005. Mine is 56182 (last 5 digits) and the build date is 3/2005.
The lowest SRT6 VIN I have on record is 25366 and the highest is 64274. Your VIN is probably in the last 7-8,000 SRT6s produced.
I have had no issues with mine yet (bought 1/2007 w/ 3,500 miles on it; has 5,000 miles on it now).

Gas mileage? ~ 22 MPG for me, mixed driving (that is, when I drive it).

Advice - get a CARFAX, or request it from the dealer. Plus you can have an independent 3rd party inspect it like I did mine - Carchex.com.

Good luck. Let us know the haps.

 

Well guys, went and saw, inspected, and most importantly drove it today (drove the coupe 90 miles to go see the SRT, so it was worth it either way)...

The car definitely has a good bit more pep to it! It seemed as if the clear-coat was in good shape, and I could see that someone had waxed it. I would be re-doing it anyways, but there was some residual wax in the rear window seam at the roofline. I couldn't see any swirls or sanding marks from a poor job of buffing, so I assume the clear was decent enough to just put a coat of wax on it and go from there.

There is a minor dime sized hail-type dent on the top edge of the passenger fender, which they said they would fix with PDR, or knock off the price of the PDR estimate (my digression).

Otherwise, I noticed that the car shook a little more at startup then my limited does.
Is this typical?
or likely symptoms of a car that hasn't been run much lately?
or maybe just because it is so 'new' as it is, with 530 miles?

I also noticed a lot more road-vibration, but I'm not sure if this is the stiffer suspension, or flat-spotted tires from sitting too long? None of the tires showed stress cracks or any sun-wear or signs of ever being flat, so I wouldn't think that was an issue. I know my Mustang sat when I first got it for a little over 8 months, and the tires in that time caused an out-of-balance shake on the road. It went away within a few weeks...can I expect the same from the SRT?

The car was in-service on 2/27/07, so only a few months gone from the 3/36. They offered a 8/80 'certified' powertrain warranty, but said I would have to pay for the extended 'wrap' which is basically a bumper/bumper on top of the 8/80 powertrain. I'm not sure of that cost yet, but I'm sure it is negotiable.

The sound of the car was much more aggressive than my coupe, I was surprised to say the least. I didn't get on it too terribly much, but it is probably a little bit quicker than my mustang now, and definitely a lot more classy and comfy. The 5.0 stang is still cool enough to keep in the stable though.

I guess as far as common issues, I shouldn't worry too much as long as it is warrantied and I have a good dealer.

Other than that, it seems as if I am getting a lot more car as far as power goes, a basically 'new' car with a 'new car' warranty, for only a little more payment. It should also hold its value a little better, and be somewhat more sought after later on. Why wouldn't I?

I doubt you can convince me not to buy it...going to talk it over with the 'boss' tonight, run a carfax, check my insurance prices, and likely pull the trigger tomorrow AM.

Thanks for the heads up.

Any other comments/advice would be appreciated!

SQ

 

I haven't driven a standard Crossfire so I don't know if there is a difference at startup but mine is smooth other than a little shake at initial startup. Other members who have driven both cars will need to help you with this.

There shouldn't be any road vibration. The car should only have a stiff ride. You'll have to see if the vibration goes away with time. If it is the tires, since they are such low profile ones I would think that they would round out sooner than those on your Mustang.

I would also go for a bumper to bumper warranty. Things like the cup holder and heated seats (which I forgot about in my previous posts - check that both seat bottoms and seatbacks on both seats heat up) do fail and are expensive to repair.

Due to the early in-service date it looks like the luggage will have been claimed by someone else. Too bad as the luggage is high quality. Try to see if you can get a set from your dealer since Chrysler HQ won't even bother about it. You will also not be eligible to attend a SRT Track Experience for free. Another too bad since the event is a hoot and a half.

Insurance is surprisingly reasonable for these cars and will maybe run only a couple hundred more a year than your limited.

The biggest gripe with these cars are directed at the service from Chrysler, or more accurately the lack of service. Some of us have good, competent dealers (including me) but the majority don't. Make sure your dealer has a Crossfire trained tech. You can also ask here for a recommended dealer in your area. This will save you untold frustration come warranty time.

Looks like you've already made your decision and I fully expect to read about your purchase tomorrow after work. The SRT-6 is like the Borg and you will be assimilated!

Oh, and what color is it?

 

Brent,

Thanks for the input.

The car is Aero Blue. My favorite colors from the get-go were a toss up between the Aero Blue and the gray...either is fine!

I will be sure to check both seats, and ask about the luggage. I am pretty sure that I am going to include a full warranty just in case.

If all works out well, I should have pics tomorrow.

SQ

 

That car is a Chrysler inventory reduction unit...as are many of them now, As you said the in-service date was 2/27/07, and the production date was 2/24/2005. No recalls are shown as having been performed, in fact. no service at all at this point.
The 8/80 certified is a good deal. The up-charge to upgrade to a 'max care' is cheaper than buying a regular extended warranty, and is well worth the $$.

 

Should the lack of service concern me?

Also, what recalls does the vehicle have?

Thanks,
SQ

 

If you loved your Ltd, you will Adore your SRT6, it's a WOW! I just upgraded 4 weeks ago & Wow, Wow & Wow! (Did I say Wow)! One of the Very Best sports cars on the Road (IMHO).

 

Since the car only has 500 miles, the lack of service should not be of any concern. When i say no service, i mean no warranty service. I would either change the oil, or insist the dealer does it. As part of the "certification" process, the dealer should have changed the oil, but i would check into that.
No recall information is available in the system. I am not sure if there were any recalls for the SRT, since i have an '04 coupe.
I wouldn't hesitate to purchase that car, especially of they are going to certify it. The warranties for certified cars are transferable, and that's a good selling point.

 

Bummer guys...

After driving 90 miles to see the car yesterday in order to end an Ebay auction Early, I was psyched about doing it again today and trading my Coupe for the SRT.

I agreed on the asking price of $23,990. I wanted to verify that my insurance wouldn't be too outrageous, and we agreed that a call at 9 am this morning and a credit card deposit would end the ebay auction and hold the car until I could get back up there after work.

Well, I checked my insurance at 9 am this morning, and all was well. Looked like I was going to get an SRT and I was anxious!

Long Story short, while trying to leave a deposit, I emailed several times, and called the salesman and dealer several times, only to be ignored or cold-shouldered. The dealer kept telling me that the only salesman who could handle the car was the internet sales manager and he wasn't available. Mind you this is a small dealer so he very well could've said "Screen my calls" etc.

I'm assuming the salesman or sales manager would rather let the auction run its course in lieu of ending it early, and decided to just ignore me in lieu of just being upfront about the deal. So, with about an hour left in the auction, I went ahead and put the $23,990 bid in and hoped I wouldn't get sniped. The car ended up selling for $24,002. Go figure!

I would've paid the $24K for it but I kind of had a bad taste in my mouth and decided I didn't want to get in a bidding war. I stuck with my price and got beat, no big deal...but I'm a little bothered by the dealer's tactics. I offered to leave a deposit last night as long as they would refund it if my insurance was outrageous. I ran my credit, was pre-approved, and all that jazz.

So, for now, I'm still a Crossfire Coupe Limited owner...till next time I find an SRT at least!

I guess I got one good thing out of the deal - I got to cruise the limited for 180 miles, stretching her legs a few times!

For the record - here's the car:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...3492%26fvi%3D1

And, if one of you won it, congrats! Hopefully you have a good experience with the dealer. Also, take a look at the passenger fender, top side, there is a hail-type ding. You can't miss it...but it wasn't in the auction description. Don't worry, I didn't drive it too hard on the test drive.

SQ

 

That sucks! From the auction:
"You are bidding on a like new 2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT6. This car has only 524 miles on it and looks, smells, and drives like a new car because it is one. Everything works perfectly and the car is under the remaining 36,000 mile bumper to bumper Chrysler warranty. The car has no dents, dings, scratches, or any other imperfections anywhere"


Hmmm...

 

The Coin tray lid is also detached from the bar that it pivots on. I am pretty sure this is an easy fix, but I just remembered that. It made the ashtray look out of whack in the interior because it sat to the side and wouldn't open correctly (because the coin lid was pressing up against the center area).

The dent was minor, but any of us Crossfire Fanatics would notice it. A used car salesman probably wouldn't think twice about it.

A few years in the paint/body industry gave me great eyes for this kind of thing and I noticed it, told him, and he said it didn't have a dent. I showed him so he knows it is there now...

Bummer - life goes on. I think I may prefer a grey one anyway, but either will work!

SQ

 

Just a little heads up. ANY CHRYSLER vehicle that has a 3/36 factory warranty is covered for 3 years from the in-service date or 36,000 miles regardless of how many owners its had. Period. 7 owners within 2 yrs 6 months and 30,000 miles, the 8th still has 6 months and 6,000 miles left. Also the dealership should change the oil no matter how little of miles are on it. (TIME) The headlights will probably be hazed, there may be some issues getting the blue plastic off the doors, and the Wipers WILL be toast. (These were all things I ran into on my fathers, but were all covered under warranty and we have seen the same problems with others on the lot.