Hi,

I'm your typical 48 year-old male taking advantage of an early mid-life crisis! Actually, my lovely new wife recognizes that I had to sell my old sports car (a mint, classic '79 T/A) to help finance my divorce from The Wicked Witch of the West, so she's all about making me whole again and has told me to go pick-out a car (within reason, of course).

My budget is set for a used car, no more than $22K. Anyway, I'm not a gear-head guy, not interested in running the car on meth, nitrous systems and such, I just want a cool looking sports car that's fun to drive. I've narrowed my search down to:

a. Nissan 350Z
b. Saturn Sky
c. Chrysler Crossfire SRT

Now, again, please understand I'm not about who has the most HP or best 0-60.. I just want to make a good choice and a good investment. So, since you guys are the experts, here are a few "pre-purchase" questions about the SRT:

1. I'm 6'2" and around 240 lbs (now trying to get down to 200) - I also have a history of lower back strain/muscle problems, am I going to fit into an SRT? Will I be comfortable driving it? Is there sufficient head-room? A few years ago I bought a turbo-charged VW Beetle and people could not figure out why; the reason was simple, MORE headroom! I sold that car and then bought a Mitsubishi Eclipse GT, a car that I loved the looks of, but it was just too uncomfortable for a guy my size to get in and out of on a regular basis.

2. My biggest question and one which I have not found the answer to is: "How can a car that has a sticker price of $48000 in 2005/2006 be selling used for at or under $20K?" Why the big drop in value since this is a hand-built machine from Mercedes; I would think, if anything, it would hold its value. Can someone explain this? I don't want to buy the car only to find that it has a history of super-charger failure and it's going to cost me another $2K to get it fixed.

3. Is it expensive to maintain? I saw one guy selling his on-line and I saw his comment that he "was getting tired of having to pay $135 for oil changes.." Wow! I usually use Mobil 1 in my sports cars, but that's about as far as I go..can $135 for an oil change be right?

4. Is insurance for the car expensive? I'm with Allstate and have a totally clean record of driving for 32 years so I'm relatively low-risk.

5. The only caveat my lovely bride put on my selection was "Whatever you buy, just make sure that it's an automatic so that I can drive it too..." OK, I can live with that, but does the SRT automatic have some kind of automatic-manual shifter where I can still shift through the gears manually if I want to?

6. Since I'm looking strictly at used cars, is there anything particular to the SRT that I should be looking for? I mean, I know the basics, CarFax report, etc. what I am asking is there any specific part failure that causes an SRT owner to trade in his SRT rather than fix it?

I'd appreciate any and all replies! For what it's worth the SRT is currently my top-pick, I love that it's a German hand-made car which has so much power and good looks.

Thanks guys!!!

Chris R.

 

you should be fine with the back problems and height

I got my SRT-6 back in feb. and have had no problems, nor have I heard of any major problems that occur on every Crossfire with the exception of the intercooler pump which costs 100-200 to replace but I have not had that problem myself.

having said all that this car does cos a lot of money and if you decide to buy one you should be prepared to pay for it if something does go wrong, if memory serves me correctly a replacement engine is $18000.

that is what the dealer quoted me for an oil change I do them myself once every 7000 miles in both Crossfires for about 70.
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...r-similar.html

not at your age and with a good record

yes

not to my knowledge

good luck on whatever you pick, one thing not seen when looking at getting a Crossfire is how awesome the people on the forum are

 

OIL changes 8.5 qt mobil 1. DO IT YOUR SELF 80.00. GOT 10,330 MILES LAST OIL CHANGE 90% HWY FSS WORKS OUT TO ABOUT $26.00 EVERY 3500 MILES

YOU CAN SHIFT AUTO AS A STANDARD GREAT TRANSMISSION!!!!!

COUPES 2016 MADE, ROADSTER 944 I THINK MADE. SRT ARE RARE, ONLY CHRYSLER EVER WITH SRT BADGES

30,000 MILES ON MINE . SMALL TRANS FLUID LEAK WARRANTY tHATS ALL!!!

THERE ARE STILL SRT"S OUT THERE WITH FACTORY WARRANTIES 3/36, AND IF YOU FIND 1 WITH LESS THAN 48T MILES AND LESS THAN 48 MONTHS OLD YOU CAN BUY THE EXTENDED FACTORY WARRANTIES!!

MOST CARS BUYERS, DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THE SRT6 . WHEN YOU DRIVE ONE YOU WILL WANT ONE!

JUST CALL ABOUT INSURANCE, U MAY BE SURPRISED .CHECK FORUM FOR COMPANIES

TIRES ,ANY HI HP CAR FOR NAME BRAND TIRES ARE GOING TO BE COSTLY, BUT THERE ARE LESS COSTLY BRANDS

SUPERCHARGER WOULD BE EXPENSIVE, BUT FAILURE RATE IS VERY LOW. gET EXT WARRANTY!
TO BIG FOR CAR, I WEIGH ABOUT THAT, BUT JUST 4 FT 8" THERE ARE SOME BIG DRIVERS OUT THERE SOME ONE SPEAK UP.

 

OH YEA, WELCOME AND GET THAT CAR

 

Did you sign up also on the Nissan 350Z and Saturn Sky forums??? Get the 6 you will not regret it...

 

Correction, the first Chrysler with SRT badges. Don't forget the 300.

 

Hi guys,

Thanks for the quick responses! To answer two questions:

1. Yes, I am very concerned about how a man my size fits into the car. I'm relatively tall at 6'2" and many coupes just don't have adequate headroom. Also with my lower back problems I have to have pretty comfortable, supportive seating..too plush and I get no support and then I can't drive for more than an hour or two at the most. I prefer more firm seating with lower lumbar support. Also since I'm tall how far the car sits off the ground can make a big difference. My old Mitsubishi Eclipse sat so low to the ground that I had to squat to get into the car!

2. Did I join the Sky and Nissan 350Z forums? No, not yet; the SRT-6 is my top-favorite so I want to start there first. I'm an IT professional so I spend a lot of time in user forums; in-fact, most equipment I own has some kind of associated end-user forum and I always find them to be more helpful than searching for information on my own.

Again, thanks for the replies so far.. I'm actively watching this thread so feel free to ask any other questions.

With thanks,

Chris R.

 

Chris,

Everyone's body is built different. You really need to test drive one for awhile to know if it's comfortable for you. No one here can answer that question for you.

 

im almost the same size as you, im 6'2 210, i also have lower back pain quite often but it never bothers me on drives except for when i do 10+ hours, then i wish i had a better lumbar support

 

Hi guys,

Thanks for the new replies!

Yes, I do agree no one can make the judgement about comfort except for me. The reason that I asked is that the earliest that I may get to do a test-drive is next weekend and I was trying to ascertain ahead of time whether my height might be a problem for this size vehicle.

Also about the oil changes; I guess I don't understand; my mechanic is one that works at a tire and auto place locally. I've been going there for years and he works on all makes and model cars.. He's no expert by any stretch, just your average hard-working Joe trying to make a living. The nice thing about him though is that he always let me bring my own oil and filter. I guess what I'm getting at is, what's so different about the SRT that a guy like my mechanic wouldn't be up to the task? I no shade-tree mechanic so doing it myself really isn't much of an option (remember I'm an IT guy, computers and electronics are my thing).

It is great and refreshing to see such an enthusiastic community!

Thanks again!

Chris R.

 

i dont think they were saying dont take your car to someone because it cant be trusted. i believe they were saying it would be cheaper and by quite a bit, for instance when i first bought the car i changed the oil at a shop and it was $140, after that i learned my lesson and started changing it myself for about 80 bucks. the car takes alot of oil and uses fleece filters.

 

the issue for the oil change isnt diffucult to grasp. 8.5 qts of mobil 1 oil so say 9 at 7$ is 63$ then 15$ for a mann fleece filter total 78$. most dealerships run 80 to 90 $ per hr say 1 hr to do the oil change now your looking at 160$ on the low side. do it your self and save a c note. its a bonding experience with your car. most dealerships will use a topside drain you are also paying for their shop equipment.
as long as your looking at the srt-6 take a gander at mine the original s/c 3.2 mercedes version. hardtop and topless in the same car!

 

THe oil filter is on top of engine. There are 5 o-rings that come with fleece filter. There are great instructions with photo"s on forum. If your mechanic has changed the filter on a late model mercedes etc, he should be ok. But if the o-rings are not set right, it will make a mess and get oil everywhere. The oil filter should cost $16.00 to 20$. The oil is 0-40 some walmarts have it , my last cost 6.29 Qt The oil can be sucked out from top when changing, are drain out thur drain pan plug. Be sure and install a crush washer on oil plug when reintalling plug! The fss will inform u when oil should be changed, if u chose to go by its recommendation. Good Luck Danny

 

================================================== ======================== I type to slow!!!!

 

i would rather say great minds think alike!!

 

That"s works for me

 

If headroom is a concern get a Roadster instead of the Coupe

 

I had my oil changed last week, here's the breakdown.

First off I bought my filter for around 20 bucks after tax.

And straight off the oil change receipt:

Full service, with customer's filter $39.99
Mobil 0W40 8.9qt 29.00
Customer pref synthetic oil 35.00
Customer filter credit -5.00

I don't know what the "pref synthetic oil" part means, but it adds up right. All in all, about 120 bucks. And when they put that little sticker in your car that says to change again in 3000 miles, throw it away, it's a lie.

My uncle was about your height and sold his N/A crossfire because he didn't like the headroom. So it's a maybe there.

When I was looking for a car it was between the srt6 and the 350z. I got the srt6 because I liked the looks better, I still can't decide if I like the z or not, changes every time I see one. But it never fails, when I look at the srt I say "that's a fine looking car".

 

Oil changes should be like $20 if you bring your own oil, it is the Mobil that is expensive.

I foresee issues with SRT6 ownership, like parts availability. Right now if you need a new hood, bumper, or rag top I think you are S.O.L. when it comes to OEM parts, granted Chrysler/Kharman might get back in line.

The price is not out of line at all...
Look at a 2003-2004 Jaguar XKR price, supercharged, leather everything. About $20k.
Look at the SRTs daddy, the SLK32 AMG. Around $20K.
Look at the 2005 SLK55 AMG, the SRT6 upgrade, V8, something we may never have. They are coming way down right now. I looked a few months ago and they could be found right over $30K, now they can be found from $25-30K.
GXPs and Redlines should be well under $20K
M3 Cabrios with smg, Z4s, $15K.
If you really want ot see some people that are hurting then price an early Caddy SLR-V
So a 2005 SRT6 is holding up pretty well.

 

You know that you can time out while posting and then double post when you log back in?