Want to see a Crossfire with a hole in it? Of course you do.

[Jesda]

The car is no longer mine so its not my problem, but the destruction is interesting. The magnetic clutch on the twin-screw supercharger took a dump, spewing bits and pieces and putting a nice big hole in the engine cover. Fortunately, the hood is okay. The whole repair will likely cost a bit under ten grand.

Its sitting at a Chrysler dealer in Wichita KS right now. They had to call in a "Crossfire expert" from Denver because the repair diagrams didn't match the car.


You can thank AMG and Mercedes-Benz for their German engineering. The only part that's excellent on this car, the Infinity sound system, was supplied by Chrysler, so they get a cookie, but none of the Chrysler dealers know how to service this vehicle, so they lose a cookie.

Oh, and the car has 44,000 miles.

[93coupe]

Ten grand?!?!? Holy s***.

God damn that is one ugly vehicle.

[Jesda]

I think it looks great. Its too bad it was significantly shortened to fit the SLK platform. It was supposed to have proportions more similar to a Viper.

[lino]

I'm glad that car is out of your life (especially now) and I hope I don't see another one any time soon. I never was a fan of that vehicle.

Kind of people that drive that car:

[Jesda]

Most of the owners are men in their 40s and 50s earning six figures, as well as their wives. Its also who Chrysler's internal marketing materials explicitly targeted. Same with the Miata -- mostly married middle aged men, but with lower incomes.

They think their cars have some degree of collectibility, and maybe they do because they're odd and orphaned, but for now they've depreciated badly. As a result, most of the examples out there have under 20,000 miles and get driven once a month. They never get to experience how flawed MB and AMG's engineering is. AMG SLK32 owners have the same issues, but with better dealers servicing them.

It really is a shame, because its an amazing road trip car with outstanding seats, a 0-60 time of 4.8 seconds, an impressive sound system, and a smooth ride. Not worth the trouble though.

[Loki]

Glad you got rid of that before it could do that to you. Is it even worth 10 grand? I'm not familiar with what they're worth.

[Jesda]

That particular one is still worth 14-18k


"Dieter, why does everything you touch turn to s***?"

[Chaotic_Warlord]

Is it true that if you get a flat tire on a crossfire you HAVE to take it to the dealer because tire shops don't carry tires for it due to the odd size and width?

[Jesda]

The rears I bought last year (recently replaced) came from a used tire shop in Tampa. They had four in stock at that 19" size, three different brands, so it doesn't seem like its a dealer-only thing.

I imagine it would be hard to find that size if you had a flat in the middle of, say, Gillette WY. I guess the tire would have to be overnighted from TireRack or something.