Hey There Folks

I don't know if I have posted this on this right discussion or not. If I'm wrong, please point me in the right direction. I thought I'd ask for opinions on this car because my wife & I are considering buying a Crossfire convertible. Please tell me your experiences and if the car is trouble prone with problems. Should we reconsider?

 

I will assume it is a limited, not an SRT... I am not as schooled on the limited, but mostly small things go wrong with the car. The cup holder, well, it has a history of it's own...most just replace it with a bin when it finally fails. Seat heaters, the top has to be replaced by warranty once the rear window fails. This is a known problem warranteed beyond the normal warranty, so not a problem. I have yet to have a top failure. I am sure others with this model will chime in...welcome to the forum...

 

Where's that pizza man when you need him!

 

I'm no expert but ill give ya what I know. The SRT is more for if you want to race around a bit, since the suspension is at least 50% stiffer, bigger brakes, etc with 330 hp compared to the limiteds 215hp. You can ONLY get the SRT with automatic if Manual is one of your considerations. With that stiffer suspension though comes a much choppier ride. I'm very happy with the way the 215hp Coupe rides, surprised in fact. I havn't driven the convertable, but there is appearently some issues with leaking into the trunk, and it will be more noisy on the hwy top up and down than the Coupe. I know with my Coupe, you can have both windows down on the hwy, and you're not being blown away or buffeted by the wind compared to others cars at all. But I'm also not in a very long topdown season either. You need to look for a low mile specimen that preferably has been parked for the winters, and has had regular service. If the car needs tires, you're going to be looking to pay at least $1000 for the set. If you havn't already, look through the known problems section in the forum. All in all these cars can be trouble free if people take care of them like any other car. I looked at Jag xke and xj, BMW 3 and 5 series, Porsche 928, 944, Rx8, and I found for the price and the mileage, the Crossfire is a VERY fun cool car, and I love driving it whenever I can I'm sure other xfire people will chime in as well, so you should be able to get a good idea if this is the car for you. Silver Blue 6spd Coupe. Annnnnd......Loving it!

 

You have certainly come to the right place if you want information on a Crossfire. In the time I have been a member, I have learned more about my car on this forum than I ever thought I would know, or want to know, lol.

I own a Limited Roadster Convertible. Bought it Feb. 2010 and have put nearly 50K miles on it since I bought it. I travel a lot and most of that is highway miles. Anyway, when I bought it I did not intend for it to be my DD (daily driver) but I fell in love with it so quickly that it is now indeed all I drive.

There are some common problems with it - but most are minor. The Crossfire is a mechanically sound car. Since I have had mine the only things I have done to it are: new tires, oil changes, replaced the brake pads and the cooling fan module had to be replaced - but that was done and paid for by Chrysler since it was installed wrong during production.

GAS: It is great on gas, but you should know you are only supposed to put PREMIUM gas in this car. It is a performance car and requires high octane gas.

OIL CHANGES: the oil changes are a little more expensive - but you only change the oil every 7,000 miles on this car so it offsets the high cost. I generally pay between $100 - $150 for an oil change.

BRAKE PADS: the standard brake pads on this car put off a lot of dust. If you get the car, change the brake pads to ceramics, not only do they put off less dust, but they generally work better on this car than the OEM's.

Many convertible owners complain about their tops leaking and the back window falling out - I have never had that problem. I think a lot of that will depend on the climate you live in and if the car is garaged. Mine has always been garaged or parked under something. If you leave it out in the sun/snow, take precautions so that the top doesn't get damaged. And if you do buy a convertible, have the back window checked. Chrysler has extended the warranty on the back window to 100,000 miles.

I think anyone on here will tell you that the best thing you can do if you are considering a Crossfire is look around the forum. There are threads with "fixes" for all the common problems with this car - and most are fixes you can do yourself, instead of taking it to the "stealership."


EDIT: You asked if you should reconsider....coming from a convertible owner, I would not hesitate to buy this car again. In fact, if this one ever does die, I will look for another one or restore this one. It is that good of a car. Love it. just absolutely love it.

 

Read through the roadster section of the forum. You will find out that this car is based on the 2003 SLK320. That is a very solid platform and with regular maintenance and no abuse, most believe it is good for several 100k of miles. I bought my roadster new and only had two issues: the cooling fan replaced under a recall and the TPMS has been throwing a warning light for three years. Everything else works great. Ditto for the SRT6 coupe, other than replacing the i/c pump under warranty. I did replace brake pads on both. I change the oil (Mobil1 0W-40, hence the cost) every fall before putting them to bed for the winter. The problems with the tops have been in very hot climates with the cars parked outside, and there is a TSD that supposedly addresses a free fix in the very southern states. The only negative (besides the cup holder) is there is no spare tire. That has not stopped me from taking 800-1000 mile trips every summer. But I do have AAA.

 

Hey folks ----- thanks for all your info --- it was helpful beyond words ---- one last question---- I'm 6'4" is the car too small for me?

 

Im 6'2" and I have plenty of leg room. However I suggest "sitting" in one to get a more accurate comfort setting. When I bought my Crossfire, it was love at first sight. I tried to talk myself out of the purchase because of my height. I got in it...started her up...took her for a test drive and bought her that day. No regrets.

 

My only regret is that she isnt my daily driver. She sleeps in the garage during the winter. She only comes out when the temperature reaches above 45 and the roads are clear from salt and slush.