Hey guys, Just making this a first stop on the forum. I'm going to be up-front here and say that I do not own a Crossfire. Now before you pelt me with stones, I do have a legit reason to be here!


Before I get to far, Let me just say, I love cars of all kinds, but sports cars have always been my favorite. I've owned and wrenched on all of my cars including a 77 Camaro, (My first car - had a Fireball V6 and a huge dent in the door! It was punishment for being young), an 81 Trans-Am, an 88 Fiero, 87 Formula Firebird, a 2nd Gen RX-7, 96 Miata M-Edition, a 2002 Corvette Z06, and a couple of junkers and trucks in-between since 1988.


I am currently in possession of an 05 Crossfire. Notice I said, "possession" there. The car isn't mine. My wife runs a cleaning business and has been helping an older lady with cleaning out her home after her husband died a year or two ago. She wanted to sell the car but didn't want to go through the hassle and headache of selling it. It needs a little TLC but nothing crazy, so I offered to help her sell it.


Now again, before you pelt me with stones, I'm not asking anyone here to buy it!


My goal in participating here is to:

1. Figure out any common issues I should be on the lookout for. I don't want to sell someone a car and have them knocking on my front door at 3AM looking to bury me!
   
2. Get some advice on things like,
   • best ways to clean the soft top
     
   • I have what appears to be an oil leak on the valve cover. I cleaned it up but it seems to have come back.
     
3. Come up with a realistic sale price for the car, though so help me after driving it home, I'm almost reluctant to sell it. It's not an SRT-6 or anything but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't having some Miata flashbacks on the way home!
   

None of that needs to be answered here of course. Just pointing out why I'm here. It's a cool car and I'm excited to have it for the short time I do. Looking forward to getting to know you guys! No better place then a good internet forum to knock heads together and get a few giggles!

 

You are going to be hit with stones and insults, but not for trying to sell the car. Cars sell here very well. Your car will attract attention because you already made it clear its not in "collectible sports car condition" and the 'rescue' guys will swoop in and offer $1500 in order to fix the car and sell it for much more. Value of a Non-SRT Roadster is probably $2500 to $12,5000, but the buyer needs a LOT of information:
stats, photos (*inside, outside, underhood, trunk, etc.*), mileage, written service history, etc. to determine price. Given your post, I'd bet you wont be able to provide all of that, so don't expect to finance a retirement on the sale of this car.

Convertible Tops:
1) Soft tops are best cleaned by replacing them with a new top. I've had three Roadsters and have never allowed them to need cleaning, I use 303 Fabric guard to protect the top and not allow anything to stick to it. An unprotected top, once it goes downhill, has to be replaced, IMO. So, it just depends on what condition the top is in. My current top was replaced in 2021 on a 2007 car, it was high time for it. New tops run $800 or so and installation runs "free" to $1500 depending on how gullible you are. They guys changed mine in a condo parking lot before breakfast at our Eureka SPrings meet -cost me breakfast for two guys.

I do not use any cleaner, because, again, I don't allow mine to get "dirty", I use marine fabric guard to keep the top conditioned such that it CAN'T get dirty (see link below).
If I were to "clean" a top, I'd probably trust this:
https://www.303products.com.au/produ...-cleaner-473ml

Protect it with this, it's the only product Iv'e used on all three tops (this is the marine fabric guard I mentioned above and have it on hand all the time, wonderful UV protection as well):
https://www.303products.com.au/produ...e-fabric-guard
My car sits in the garage 356 days a year, so I treat my top every 12-18 months, back when I had a Roadster as a daily driver and it sat outside, I treated it every six months.

Valve/Breather Oil Leak:
If it's the valve cover gaskets (it isnt), any shop can fix it in about 2 hours.

If it is the breather covers on the valve covers (and it is):
No matter where you take the car, any real mechanic can fix this. The fix will last six months because no garage is going to do it right because, to do it right, the car is tied up for many hours in a stall at the garage and they must charge hourly - around $500-600 for this. I fixed mine over a weekend, probably spent five hours on it, back in 2016. It's oil tight to this day. It's an easy fix but it takes TIME and you MUST FOLLOW Max's procedure here on the forum. Total cost of DIY is maybe $100, thats because I always change the valve cover gaskets and replace the bolt set at the same time. So you need: Valve cover gaskets, bolt set, RTV compound, mabye six tongue depressors, some sort of garage-quality de-greaser, paper towels, water and TIME to do it right.

Common Problems
Not enough time to type them all out. Crossfies can tend to be high maintenance, troublesome cars - I attribute this to how much sitting they do. I had a daily driver roadster that almost NEVER gave me issues. My SE is a garage queen and it's always been so, thru three owners. It is almost constantly demanding attention, more so now that it's getting older. Iv'e changed: The plugs, brake pads, battery, alternator, CLP/SSM, Top, battery, alternator, sound system, battery, alternator, HVAC blower 'resistor', HVAC climate control fan speed potentiometer.

Common fail items:
Water gets in the rear wheel wells and ruins the CLP/SSM - there are ways to avoid this, other than leaving the car in the garage all but nine days a year.
Crank sensors fail, sometimes in traffic, change yours every 3-4 years and keep a spare in the trunk ($40, easy to change).
Relay modules fail without warning, often in traffic, keep a spare in the trunk ($160), they plug in like a lamp. (DJ Tighge here offers a refub service, about $65, use it! Order a NEW one and send your OLD one off for refurb and you are good to go.)
Climate control fan resistors fail, easy fix, cost about $30.
Climate control fan pots fail, not an easy fix but if you ship the module to me, I replace the part and return it to you for $65 shipped.
Auto transmissions develop fluid leaks and "conductor plate issues", I drive manuals so who cares?

Catalog of common fixes:
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...s-repairs.html

Buyer advice thread:
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...crossfire.html

ONE LAST THING, it is obvious to the most casual observer that you would love this car. I get the idea the car is not in really sell-able condition. If it's a limited roadster with, say, 60,000 miles on it, the value is $5000 to $12000, but if it is not pretty, if the top is crappy, it it's not all that clean (and that goes for UNDER THE HOOD as well), then a fair price could be as low as $6000. Perhaps you found your next car........

 

Thanks for the detailed response and all of the great info! As I always find, these forums are going to get you the best information possible because the people in them don't just know the car... They LOVE them.

There isn't really anything terribly wrong with the top I need to get a lint roller to get the bits of fuzz off it and there is something over the rear window I was hoping to get off. Otherwise It doesn't leak and seems to be in good shape. The car seems sound and there are no glaring mechanical or electrical issues I have picked up on beyond that little bit of oil on the valve cover. I cleaned that all up last night and will drive it again to see if I can identify the exact place it's coming from. I'm pretty sure from the reading I've done about it and the statement you made you are dead on right. It's that breather cover. As I mentioned I've turned lots of wrenches and don't mind getting my hands dirty.

Rims are in good shape.... Tires will likely need to be replaced in the next year or two depending on how much driving is done. It's a limited with a 6 speed and a little over 50K on the clock.

People can throw stones at this point. I think I've made it clear I'm not doing anything more nefarious than trying to help someone sell their car so if they want to give me a hard time for that they can. it's no sweat from my back and they'll just be ignored. At this point, I've got two cars and 4 motorcycles. As much as I enjoyed driving this across town, I just don't have room for another permanent vehicle to maintain!

Here are a few pics of the car after it was washed last night.

 

That is the most popular interior: Two tone gray, my prefered interior.
The exterior looks like SSB (Silver Saphire Blue). My least favorite color.
The rear window has separated and someone did the best they could re-gluing it, but its time for a top.
The interior looks filthy, or at least the floormat.

Given the miles, if you had it detailed and if the engine compartment is clean after you do the leak fix, putting a new top on, I'd expect it to bring $10,000.
All the world loves a six speed Roadster.

 

I'll likely leave the top as is. The owner has been pretty clear about not wanting to put a lot of money into it to sell it. I'm not sure what a new top goes for, but I'm imaging they aren't cheap (I'm guessing about.... $1500-ish?) and if it's anything like my 96 Miata was it is a PAIN to install. I'll detail the hell out of the interior and make sure the engine compartment is prettied up for sure. It's all part of the plan.

TELL ME ABOUT IT. Were we not working on zeroing out our personal debts I assure you it wouldn't be hard to get the missus on board. She really likes it too.

 

The top is $800 or so delivered to your door from the UK. Install prices vary from free to $1500 depending on how gullible you are. You have two installers near you that do it for $300.
Job takes 90 minutes or so. Mine was done for free at the Eureka Springs meet.

The bad top will lower the price $2000-4000. People just do not want to deal with it.

 

Whoa.... That is way less then I was thinking. Where did you find it installed for $300 and where can I get it for $800?

Ahhhhh Found the install video. It actually doesn't look all too bad.


I dropped the top and left it half open so I could investigate the back window a bit there's about a 4 inch section that has separated from the glass soooo... Top definitely needs replacing Shame too.... I got all the lint and crap off of it and it was starting to look pretty good.



Interior cleaned up pretty good. Amazing what a good cleaner and vacuum can accomplish.




The one flaw I found was a passenger side storage net was stretched out. Not sure if thats fixable or not. Or how common/uncommon that is.


And last but not least (So far) The Steering feels a bit heavy and doesn't return to Zero very quickly. I've never had a crossfire before and I'm assuming this isn't normal?

 

Talk to these people for a top. There are two guys near Dayton, Ohio and a guy in Pennsylvania and a traveling guy from South Carolina who can install it.
But there are countless DIY videos out there as well.

https://www.car-hood.co.uk/chrysler-hoods

 

Yeah, that looks to be jut under $1000 Shipped. Still better than what I was thinking.

 

I replaced the elastic on the storage nets on my limited roadster. Bought a roll of 1/8” black bungee from Amazon, pulled the door panels, threaded the new bungee thru and tied off the ends.