Hello,

I am looking at a 2005 Crossfire Roadster that has a few things that concern me and I would like some input.

This is a low mileage (35K) Limited unit and in good/clean condition.
Here are a few of the thing that concern me about it:

The ignition key takes some effort to turn, is this going to fail soon?
I am a big guy, I dont know if I can even get under that dash to try to remove/repair this.

When you operate the top it makes a very loud pop when things first start moving.
Is this normal or is this about to fail?

It has new front tires, the current owner said the tires were cupped and that she had an alignment done when they were installed.
They are some unknown brand with Goodyears on the back.
For 35K I am surprised it needed alignment, is that normal?
The handling of the car did not impress me, could that be due to miss matched tires or a funky alignment.
It was not "bad", it just did not give me any feeling of being great or particularly "connected".

The brakes also did not impress me.
They took a lot more effort than I expected to really slow the car.
They were not soft or spongy as if they needed bleeding, but rather just wooden, like they had no bite.

When you turn the car off the fan knocks (maybe hitting the shroud?) as it spins down.
Is this about to fail, or is there an easy fix for this?

Is this just too many issues for such a low mile, otherwise decent looking car?
Is a car like this worth in the $8K range?

Thanks for any input on the above.

 

The ignition key takes some effort to turn, is this going to fail soon? YES. Common issue - around $850 at a dealer (but anyone with a brain would not take a Crossfire to a damn dealer - sorry, it's Monday and it's my mood.) Search this forum for "Sticky key" and fix it yourself. OR, print the instructions and pay some local shop 1-2 hour labor to fix it for you. No parts needed.

When you operate the top it makes a very loud pop when things first start moving.
Is this normal or is this about to fail? Normal.

It has new front tires, the current owner said the tires were cupped and that he had an alignment done when they were installed. They are some unknown brand with Goodyears on the back. For 35K I am surprised it needed alignment, is that normal? I'ts normal if they were hitting curbs and driving on crap roads. And he did not have it aligned unless he had the adjustable bolts installed up front - the car cannot be aligned as it comes from the factory. As to tire life: 35,000 miles is not normal for me. I usually get around 20,000 - but I drive it like a sports car. Some of us get 40,000 miles but those are the odd ones. If you think you are going to get 50k or 60k or more miles on a set of tires on a Crossfire, you are in for a BIG surprise.

The handling of the car did not impress me, could that be due to miss matched tires or a funky alignment. It was not "bad", it just did not give me any feeling of being great or particularly "connected". Mine goes thru curves like it's on rails - ever heard of the "Tail of the Dragon?"

Chasing Pizza - YouTube

The brakes also did not impress me. The OEM pads are not very good - get some good street pads like I did. If you really want to be impressed there are brake upgrades that can be done but I think most of us just put on low-dust ceramic street/peformance pads, if nothing else, to get away from the dust that the cheap OEM pads generate. Hawk HPS pads impressed the hell out of me on my Graphite Roadster.

When you turn the car off the fan knocks (maybe hitting the shroud?) as it spins down. Is this about to fail, or is there an easy fix for this? Never heard that one before. Who had this car and just how badly did they abuse it? You are not giving me any warm fuzzy feelings about this car.

Is this just too many issues for such a low mile, otherwise decent looking car? Is a car like this worth in the $8K range? $9K to $13K depending on condition, how close it is to you, how much you like the color, etc. Any Limited roadster with those miles that they are only asking $8k for is probably a Katrina flood victim - what does the carfax say?

I think you should be talking to us, maybe join "CHrysler CRossfire Owners" on Facebook - we have many members trying to sell their cars - and most of us know one another and one another's cars. Don't buy someone elses problems, and you ARE making this car sound like someone's headache.

 

Thanks for the reply.

I had read enough not to bring it in to the dealer.
If I get it, I will need to find an independent shop and hope they are willing to try the fix.

It is currently owned by an older woman, but she is not the original owner and had bought it a few years prior from a local dealership.
I don't believe she has driven it hard, but who knows.
I have not tried to get any reports on it, but I guess I should.

I have read enough to know general tire life is not the cars strong suit.
If as you say they cant be aligned (and I dont doubt she believes she had it aligned and may have paid for it) is cupping normal or is there a potential issue.
I know the Dragon, I ride motorcycles in the mountains often, this car would be so I can bring my wife
That said we just dont have curves here, so its not getting worn out from that.

It goes around corners fine (from one boring straight road to another) I guess I just expected more "feel" or feedback, it like the brakes just seemed a bit wooden.
For comparison I was also looking recently at a Mini Cooper Roadster that had LOTS of steering feel and felt like a big go cart with your hands connected to the front tires.

She is asking for more than 8K, that is just what I was thinking of offering due to the potential issues.
It may be a headache, that is what I am trying to determine and I greatly appreciate the input.

This sounds exactly like what I saw with the fan issue, but not sure what the fix was (or the cause):
Can you get the fan balanced, or do you have to replace it?
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...g-car-off.html

 

Wow, a mini cooper to a xfire. We really are going to the dogs.

I remember my buddy trading me his brand new mini s for my 84 Esprit for a weekend.
I could not get rid of that pos fast enough.

 

If you have the VIN for the car, send it to me and I'll run an AutoCheck report for you. You can use this eMail address for me:

dcedwards.sr @charter.net

 

As discussed in the thread link, the sound you here is possibly the fan shroud rubbing the upper coolant hose. As stated by others, this is a known issue with the 2004 models, but not necessarily an issue with following model years. The 2005 model you're looking at may be starting to have this issue. Fix is pretty simple - just loosen the coolant hose and rotate/move it away from fan shroud. Make sure you look at the area in the attached picture to see if the coolant hose is showing a wear spot. Eventually, the hose ruptures and you could be anywhere when this happens. And this hose isn't just laying around at any of the local parts stores!

 

I would also look for any signs of a small oil leak (nothing major; just a trace or smudge of oil) from the crankcase breather covers mounted to the top of the valve covers. These are sealed only with an RTV-like material at the factory and are prone to "leaking" after several years of use. Not a major repair, but something you may have to deal with "down the road". Nearly all of us had to fix this issue on our Crossfires. Lots of discussion in the Forum on this repair with good write-ups & pictures.

The valve covers themselves will also develop leaks, but this is not as prevalent on all Crossfires. Not sure why some of us find this leak and others don't. Probably has to do with engine load & prolonged exposure at load that generates this leak. "Little Old Lady from South Beach" probably didn't drive the Crossfire like some of us do!

 

Rub your hand along the underside of the front bumper. If you feel it all "scratched up", the previous owner(s) parked the Crossfire by waiting until they felt the tires bump the parking space barrier. That meant they almost always scraped the bottom of the front bumper. I always check for this when I'm looking at a used Crossfire (or any other used car FWIW). Gives a little indication of care & attention the previous and/or existing owner gave the car.

Poor brake feel could very well be the pads, which as pizzaguy stated, are not the best quality brake material. But it also could be an indication that the brake fluid needs to be flushed and refilled. This car is over 10 years old and I'll bet the car has never had this service performed. If I was having this done, I'd also replace the factory rubber brake lines at the wheel cylinders with SS versions. In fact, I'm getting ready to perform this service on my 2007 Coupe, which is approaching 10 years old. Depending on what you believe, it is recommended that a "brake system flush & fluid exchange" service be performed every 2-3 years. I think that is overkill, especially with today's technological improvements with brake fluid and braking systems, in general. But waiting 10 years probably impacts braking system performance, especially with ABS on board most cars these days.

 

^^^ +1 to that.
You can get the Goodrich SS lines and some good pads from Rob at NeedsWings.com.
Depending on your budget, you also might want to get a new set of rotors to go along with that too.

 

You have had some detailed responses from knowledgeable people. One thing I would add is when you have something repaired you are from that point on dependent upon the quality of worksmanship (or workswomanship) of the person doing the repair. Chances are that person is not as experienced nor as well trained as the guys (and gals) of AMG.

From what you have described, which could be just the tiny peak of the iceberg and speak of the care the care has received in general, I, personally, would not be at all tempted and move on quickly.

Check through the classifieds here. There have been some nice cars posted.

 

Now THAT is thinking things thru!

 

Yea, unfortunately mine came that way. The previous owner was a lady lawyer in Chattanooga,
she wasn't too careful about parking barriers or curbs for that matter.
Mine had 42K when I bought it and the ONLY maintenance ever done was oil changes.
It even had a collapsed paper oil filter when I first changed the oil.
Kinda like an abandoned puppy that I brought home from the shelter.

 

Thanks all for the input.

This is a tough one.
I have bought several bikes over the years that have been low mile, no apparent signs of abuse but possibly neglected.
I gave them a bit of needed attention and they proved to be reliable & great deals because I bought them at a good price.

I was hoping that this car might be similar, I dont doubt this car has only received minimal service (oil changes) and is currently not owned by an enthusiast.

You guys may get a kick out of this, but rather than just explaining to me how to do it, she gave me the pamphlet to show how to drop the top and was a bit surprised too when it made the "pop" sound.

I guess it now comes down to if the 8K price is good enough to cover any issues.
I was kind of pleased to see the yellow car in Florida selling for 8700 on ebay given known starting issues.

 

For some reason that reminded me of when the seller of a TVR I bought was explaining to me how it was the only car he had ever seen without a red line. I could just imagine what that car was subjected to in the short while he owned it. I couldn't pass it up though.

When I suggested looking through the classifieds on this site I meant in search of site members cars. That Florida yellow roadster was just something I came across. As you know, buying from a knowledgeable enthusiast trumps the unknown.

Good luck. I think you will find the MINI wins the marketing and image battle but loses the quality one.

 

I have already discounted the Mini due to potential issues and price.
They are popular and the prices reflect that.

I never understood the draw of those cars until I drove that one.
It was the turbo John Cooper work version and it was truly fun to drive even around here where the roads are not.
It is just the bench mark I keep coming back to when we have been looking at other roadsters as far as "fun" or engaging.

Cool TVR BTW.

 

[QUOTE=pizzaguy;872854]The ignition key takes some effort to turn, is this going to fail soon? YES. Common issue - around $850 at a dealer (but anyone with a brain would not take a Crossfire to a damn dealer - sorry, it's Monday and it's my mood.) Search this forum for "Sticky key" and fix it yourself. OR, print the instructions and pay some local shop 1-2 hour labor to fix it for you. No parts needed.

When you operate the top it makes a very loud pop when things first start moving.
Is this normal or is this about to fail? Normal.

It has new front tires, the current owner said the tires were cupped and that he had an alignment done when they were installed. They are some unknown brand with Goodyears on the back. For 35K I am surprised it needed alignment, is that normal? I'ts normal if they were hitting curbs and driving on crap roads. And he did not have it aligned unless he had the adjustable bolts installed up front - the car cannot be aligned as it comes from the factory. As to tire life: 35,000 miles is not normal for me. I usually get around 20,000 - but I drive it like a sports car. Some of us get 40,000 miles but those are the odd ones. If you think you are going to get 50k or 60k or more miles on a set of tires on a Crossfire, you are in for a BIG surprise.

The handling of the car did not impress me, could that be due to miss matched tires or a funky alignment. It was not "bad", it just did not give me any feeling of being great or particularly "connected". Mine goes thru curves like it's on rails - ever heard of the "Tail of the Dragon?"

Chasing Pizza - YouTube

The brakes also did not impress me. The OEM pads are not very good - get some good street pads like I did. If you really want to be impressed there are brake upgrades that can be done but I think most of us just put on low-dust ceramic street/peformance pads, if nothing else, to get away from the dust that the cheap OEM pads generate. Hawk HPS pads impressed the hell out of me on my Graphite Roadster.

When you turn the car off the fan knocks (maybe hitting the shroud?) as it spins down. Is this about to fail, or is there an easy fix for this? Never heard that one before. Who had this car and just how badly did they abuse it? You are not giving me any warm fuzzy feelings about this car.

Is this just too many issues for such a low mile, otherwise decent looking car? Is a car like this worth in the $8K range? $9K to $13K depending on condition, how close it is to you, how much you like the color, etc. Any Limited roadster with those miles that they are only asking $8k for is probably a Katrina flood victim - what does the carfax say?

I think you should be talking to us, maybe join "CHrysler CRossfire Owners" on Facebook - we have many members trying to sell their cars - and most of us know one another and one another's cars. Don't buy someone elses problems, and you ARE making this car sound like someone's headache.
[/QUOTE
You cannot adjust the front suspension? Think about that again.
The car sounds OK to me, just a few tweaks and it is good to go as long as no crashes, not too many bad dings and dents and the paint is good.
Pizzaguy wants you to tell him where the seller lives.

 

This was great!!! I'm still laughing!!!

 

Consumer Reports says to never buy a used MINI due to poor reliability service.

They also state that same position for a used VW New Beetle. And I can attest to that fact. We bought a 2006 VW New Beetle 2.5L convertible back in 2010 (low mileage). And it's the highest maintenance car I've ever owned!!! But the wife loves it - Go Figure!!!!

 

Here's the text right out of the Crossfire Factory Service Manual ...

"Note: Vehicles are delivered from the factory with pre-set caster, camber, and toe settings. When aligning a vehicle with factory settings, Eccentric Repair Bolts must be installed in order to adjust caster or camber. Toe is the only adjustment that can be made without installing the Eccentric Repair Bolts."

So Toe is adjustable as delivered from factoy. Caster & Camber are adjustable with Eccentric Repair Bolts.

 

Here's a good question :
How the heck do they "pre-set" it correctly when there is no adjustment ?