hi i am looking to get a crossfire in the near future, am currently driving a PT cruiser convertible which i have had since new and has been very reliable, have been reading on US forums about a few niggles namely alarm problems, back window falling out of roadster, vacuum pipes to locks leaking, has anyone over here experienced any of these problems, anything else i should look out for apart from the obvious when your buying a second hand car...thanks in advance....chris

 

Hi Chris,
Here in the UK we have not heard of or experienced any of those issues. I suggest that you could check out our web site www.ukcrossfires.co.uk where you will find a wealth of information for UK owners, including buyers tips. Please contact us through the site if we can be of any assistance in answering any questions to help you find the right car. Also you will find information about our UK Crossfire meets planned for this year.
Cheers
Steve

 

Hi Chris, I currently have a very nice roadster for sale....

2004 CHRYSLER CROSSFIRE ROADSTER AUTO BLUE *GORGEOUS* on eBay (end time 25-May-10 13:40:55 BST)

I'm quite reluctant to let it go as it's a really nice car. I've been hoping that I could get a member of my family to buy it!! Only selling as I now have an SRT-6 and I can't drive them both! I'd be happy to cut a deal for a good home!

Oh, and no signs whatsoever of the issues you've mentioned, or any other issues for that matter!!

Regards, Andy.

 

hi andy..very nice xf, but i am looking to px my pt when i find the right car cant be bothered with trying to sell privately, i know its not financially the best way but for me it takes the hassle out of buying my next car....chris

 

We are in week three of owning an 04 Xfire - and we drove many miles to find the right one. I would recommend you test drive as many as you can before settling on a purchase and carry out all the usual checks you would when getting a new car.

I found that the auto was better for us - so my wife can drive too - and went for the half grey leather interior - which for some reason makes the cab feel bigger.

Look for rust and paint loss under the bonnet areas, back wings near the wheels and inside the boot lid there are some plastic lugs that settle down the boot lid, some of the cars we saw were really rough in this area. Check the bottom of the doors too for rust or paint chips up the door sill - they are big doors and some cars we saw were very chipped in this area.

Check the tax as some cars fall in the higher tax bracket due to emmisions I believe - which could add to running costs that you werent expecting - its around £180 a year difference if money is an issue.

I have been using ours for daily work commutes and she is running more economically than my BMW but you foget about the fuel as soon as you drive one.I dont find her underpowered at all and I just get a grin every time I drive her, no one seems to know what kind of a car she is - even had people think its a kit car or an Aston - which is funny.

The forum has taught me loads already and there are some cool users willing to help - even getting my cabin mats sorted - which came yesterday - was simple having had advice.

I think Andyd's roadster is sweet, looks the business................very tempting....I can see a matching pair for the wife so to speak.

Good luck with the hunt, you wont be disapointed.

 

Chris, thanks for the reply and good luck with your search. Once you've found it you'll be driving for weeks without seeing another Crossfire!!

Agree with Mighty Quinn on the Auto box, but there seems to be a group of the US guys who prefer the manual so try and test drive both and see which is best for you. Also check electric seats work in all directions. Apparently the cables in the seats are quite short and can work their way loose if the seats are moved a lot.

Regards, Andy.

 

thanks for replies guys am leaning towards auto roadster in black but not ruling anything in or out.... no big rush want to find the right car for me, or should i say us...

 

Re: Mighty Quin’s road tax comment: The tax bracket relates to the date the car was first registered (not emissions). The cut off date was some time in March 2006. Any Crossfire that you buy that is registered before that date has a lower road tax charge. (Check the exact date on the DVLC site.) We missed it by a week with ours and it cost us just shy of an extra £200 to tax.

Our Xfire has had none of the problems that you referred to. Just had it serviced and MOT’d last week at a large independent dealer and the total cost was £222,02, so it is actually quite cheap to run - until you need tyres or the like.

 

I believe that the tax brackets will all be aligned eventually anyway and they will all cost the same to tax.

Tyres - use Blackcircles.com - I found them to be good value. This reminds me - my rears need changing pretty soon.

I thought the car would be more costly to keep going, but so far, it’s costing about the same as my last car. It helps as I take it to the garage I trust (an independent), and they worked on my last car.

 

Hi Chris
Bought my roadster nearly 3 years now and no problems associated with your concerns. So far only done around 13,000miles. Only extra costs have been an uprated stereo system so i can plug in my ipod and new rear tyres.
I bought an auto based on many comments suggesting this was better 'mated' to the engine.
I would also add the roadster is a beautiful looking car, mainly when the hood is down, you will no doubt be noticed wherever you drive it.
The problem with the black paint job though is its swirl mark appearance its very difficult to get rid of them.

 

The cutoff date is 23 March 2006, so anything before this is cheaper - for now......

 

Come and spend an afternoon with me and I'll get rid of the swirls.

 

my last three cars have been black, they look so good when all polished and sparkly

 

Getting rid of those swirl marks is a pain and then some. I suppose im intrinsically lazy and it would be nice to shampoo it, rinse and dry. But no, you need special polishes, loads of elbow grease or possibly one of those hateful battery buffers where the circular pads always spin off! No doubt a black crossfire is fantastic in a gleaming condition but after all that effort the rain arrives!

 

went to look at a 56 reg.black manual roadster yesterday, it had a cream and black twotone interior and looked very sharp, on the test drive the gearchange between 1st and 2nd seemed very notchy if that makes any sense it was quite an effort to change gear compared to my PT cruiser is this normal ? wife wasn`t impressed and now wants an auto, also the roof mechanism seemed quite noisy compared to my PT which is very smooth and quiet, although there are a lot more bits to open and shut on the XF roof, so it looks like the search has been narrowed (as ordered by she who must be obeyed) to an auto coupe in black or blaze red..onwards and upwards as they say....chris

 

The 1st to 2nd gear change is notchy on mine when the gearbox is cold but goes once warmed up. Can't comment on the roof as mine is a tin top.

 

Hello xfchris. Me thinks we may have met before! Hope all is well.

If you have questions about the Xfire, you've definitely come to the right place. Look forward to seeing you up at Billing in August if not before.

Cheers.

 

I have found the gearbox needs to warm up too. Once it's running, the changes are nice and smooth. I've found changing gear in my Crossfire a very effortless experience.

 

thanks for replies guys, the car was warmed up as we had to wait for the owner to come home, it was only 1st to 2nd all the other changes were sweet, and hi lissxf yes indeed we may have have met before

 

Hi, just looking to sell mine, but to answer some of your questions I have done 61k miles and only had one of the rear cats go, which was fixed under warranty. They aren't cheap but I am reliably told the two rear cats aren't required to pass the MOT and can be bypassed, probably sounds better too !

Other than that, no problems, and yes I am replacing with another Crossfire !