hey forum,

im new and want to purchase a 2004 chrysler crossfire. The guy who is selling it has it listed for 5500$....kbb says 5200$ Seems reasonable will probably get him to go down a little hopefully. But my real question is, would it be worth putting money into this car at 90,xxx miles? It's be cool for my third car i have to acctually get something i like. My last two cars were kind of junk. So I have saved some money up to get a nicer looking one.

Eventually after saving I would like to wrap some things on the car like the handle and maybe back and top also the threads on side, and tint the windows and back lights head lights and last but not least put some new wheels on it....

The car overall is in fa-nominal shape! interior and Exterior. I believe an older person was driving it so it looks spectacular! Im just concerned with the milage if its worth putting maybe 3-4,000$ in it....And if i bounce off some of your guys's suggestions I can probably get a better idea. If its totally not worth it then ill just pick another car even though I would like to stick with the crossfire

hey what can i say ive never had a sweet car

thanks guys

 

This is all just opinion of course but I would put that money toward maintenance and keeping it running tip-top. You have to consider that if you keep it 7 years it will be a classic car and values could perk up a bit, but only if it's as close to stock as possible.

 

Everyone has been saying that crossfire usually doesnt need as much maintenance....aka nothing really breaks down? I'm sure your going to have replace little things (timing belt etc..) what were you thinking about when YOU thinking about when you said towards maintenance?

If your talking about oil changes, timing belts, break pads, etc... Are the costs average for the crossfire?

My main concern is just the car breaking down I guess......

RANDOM QUESTION::: Sometimes I go into places to get my oil change and their always suggesting that i need to get a new filter new this new that....little things that add up...This was on my 1996 cars that were ugly...never bought into it.....Are these guys trying to just make a profit or are they usually pretty right???? Cuz like i said I want my next car to be nice and well maintained....

thank you for the respond!!

 

Overall I'd agree rarely does Crossfire have a major problem but there are tons of quirky little things that need constant observation like the Relay Control Module, Crankshaft Position Sensor, O2 sensors, etc.

Nothing is "average" cost for routine maintenance either. Consider that it is a 13 year old MB SLK320. Oil is 8+ quarts of Mobil1 with a Mann fleece filter some places will charge $150 for that oil change. Transmission service at 80k miles would run you about $400. Brakes are expensive. Tires are performance rated and huge. Even the air filters (plural) and pricey.

I don't want to put a dime into mine cosmetically. I just want to keep it running.

 

Most of the maintenance is easy to average DIY. Oil changes are MUCH cheaper if you DIY from the top end. This forum is your BEST FRIEND if you get a crossfire. First thing I would suggest is download the service manual. There are HUGE amounts of help posts, search is your best friend when you learn how to search here.




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The mechanicals are rock solid. Usually if you have a problem it's a relay, sensor, or a control. NEVER go to a dealer without coming here first. Ask here and you can do most everything yourself. A oil change can be as low as $50 if you do it yourself. Mann filter on Ebay shipped $10, Mobile one Oil at Walmart about $40 worth. Check here.


https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...s-repairs.html

 

I paid 10 grand for my roadster with 130K on it. Worth every penny. I also have a Magnum with the same transmission with 225000 miles on it

 

Before you read this long reply of mine I'll make it easy for you and answer your question "Is it worth to buy a 90 thousand+ mileage Crossfire" straight away, the answer is it is but prices for Crossfires are comparatively dirt cheap so buy the lowest mileage one you can find so that no matter how many miles you add to it come resale time you'll be able to get more money. The Crossfire is for enjoyment and touring but you should also look at is an an investment, after all if you spend anything that nice over £1000 on it you should always look at it as a potential money earner.

I bought my XF about two months ago now with 82000 miles on the clock, it's been so fun to drive that I've already added 3.5k miles to it just joy riding during the weekends and mid week after work, whether there is rain, hail, sun, wind, it's been put to the test in all conditions and even though it's rear wheel drive boy does it handle well!!!

I'd say do not spend any money on it's cosmetics but follow the advice other owners gave of spending each penny on maintenance The only cosmetic thing I bought is a car seatpad because leather seats are unbearable when it's warm or hot. At 80k miles and above if you drive on very poor roads such as British roads you'll be looking at changing some parts of the suspension, probably the front suspension e.g. some ball joints, tie rod ends, shocks, and the steering stabilizer etc. If you buy a full steering link assembly complete with tie rod ends it's about £100 to £180 depending on the part you buy. Fitting it in and wheel alignment + tracking has been quoted at £160 at a local garage but I think it's a rip off as fitting in a new assembly and tracking/aligning the car surely can't take over an hour for a trained mechanic.

I bought this MOOG Rod Assembly MERCEDES-BENZ SLK ME-DS-4175 | eBay

Back to the point, I have had to change the steering stabilizer and the car makes a very feint knock when the steering is turning so I decided to change the shocks and fitted some Bilstein B6 shocks and now the steering link and rod assembly and ball joints. After that's done the front suspension should be alright another 80000 miles. I might get the control arms changed later on but I suspect everything will hold up.

In general you're looking at maintaining the front suspension probably every 60-100k miles and then the odd sensor that might need replacing if you're unlucky. I already keep a Bosch CPS sensor in the boot in case of emergency. You'll also probably spend about £90 on oil per year. I bought 10 litres of Triple QX 0w40 oil for my oil change for £70 on sale. (I hope it's as good as Mobil1 0w40).
Also you'll spend money on an oil filter once or twice a year depending on mileage and two air filters, adding about £25 in cost and you can change these yourself. Engine coolant won't cost much. For sensors generally buy Bosch or Mercedez branded ones. Bosch doesn't make any crapy sensors except for if it's the first revision of the sensor in which case it's common for the first revision of any sensor to have known "bugs".

The only other costs you will incur are interior or trunk light bulbs or external light bulbs if unlucky. My trunk light bulb, one of two that are on the trunk lip blew and I think it was causing my car alarm to go off, I replaced my car battery with one that has a lifetime guarantee so I won't have to buy another car battery ever as long as it's fitted onto the Crossfire. Also replaced my key fob batteries and the number 9 fuse and the alarm doesn't go on unexpectedly any more. lucky enough I bought a kit with multiple interior light bulbs and fuses years ago so it cost me nothing, that's another thing, when you have some money stock up on parts/tools that you might need in the future, it could save you in a time of need if you ever get broke.

My hood strut failed so I replaced it, cost me around £20 and it was a 1 minute DIY job. It's good to change the hood strut as a precautionary general maintenance thing as a lot of them do fail and you don't want to sever your spine or damage you or your mechanics head while the bonnet is popped open. The gas in them leaks causing them to be unable to carry the weight of the bonnet(hood) when they fail. I have commented on another thread about this but the brands you want for this part are Stabilus, Lemforder or Febi Bilstein, stay away from everything else.

And then the other costs you might incur every 1-4 years will be tyres and break disks, pads depending on your mileage and driving style, lucky for me my read break pads and discs where changed 8k miles ago but the front ones make sooooooo much high pitch noise continously when breaking at very high speeds that I've lost confidence in them. Besides that there isn't anything else you'll need to spend money on I think.

If you maintain your vehicle like this and use the correct oils/fluids and listen out for funny knocks/sounds and fix as soon as you can afford to then your car will probably run for 300/400k and that will take decades. You're better off having a high mileage mint maintained car than a low mileage shoddy maintained car but buying a car is always a gamble, you never know what **** the previous owner put the car through. In general most Crossfire owners are better than other car owners as they appreciate their cars so when buying second hand you don't have to worry too much.

I always say when buying second hand always budget £300 to £1000 to fix any gremlins that you will discover in the first 6 months and buy the time you do your 12 month service and beyond your car will be very trustworthy, reliable and dependable.

To summarise the servicing bit, if all things are perfect you'll be able to service your car yourself for about £180 per year with premium fluids/oils filters (not any mod kit type of stuff). If you're not a DIY person you can service your car at a place like Halfords for £275 every 12 months for a full service which includes all fluids changed, spark plugs etc http://www.halfordsautocentres.com/a...whats-included , Halfords has been very reliable for me, stay away from KwikFit the always make it a point to do a shoddy job.

I've owned a VW Golf 2002, Seat Ibiza Sport 2009, Vauxhaul Astra 1994, Audi A3 2008 1.9 TDI, Audi A3 2004 2.0 TDI and also driven numerous other cars long term. I'd say the most bullet proof car I ever owned is the Audi A3 1.9 TDI 2008 model, it was just so rock solid, sturdy, responsive, reassuring on long journeys, you knew the engine was just solid.

After reading this thread you might think the Crossfire is a money pit, it isn't but it can cost you a few hundred quid to get the car to a rock solid stage if it's second hand if there are any problems. Once it's solid it's solid for life.

After owning it another two years I hope it will be as solid as my Audi 1.9 TDI 2008 was, I'm sure it will. I love the Crossfire, it is unique handles very well in all conditions, the only condition I haven't tested it in is snow but it's been perfect in a hailstorm, heavy rain, mud and rain, bumpy uphill/downhill England country roads so I'd recommend it.

One more thing, this could be the deciding factor for you to buy. When it's a sunny weekend if you go out joy riding down the country roads or motorways you'll literally drive past dozens and dozens of Mazda MX5's (Miata's), Mercedes SLK's, Porsche 911's, Audi TT's, at least a dozen BMW Z4's but I can assure you in two months of driving I have only ever spotted one other Crossfire EVER! Drivers of "cool" hatchbacks will run away from you because your Crossfire will make their hatchback look like teenagers cars, old men will admire your style, young women in their 18-19's will think you're a sugar daddy, women in their 20's will be to confused about whether you're a footballer in a very expensive sports car or an average Joe so they will hate you, women in their 40's and up will admire your style. Boy racers will be gob smacked when they hear your exhaust making a deep tenor note between 5 to 40 MPH.

I say this car is already a classic even though it's still available in very large numbers. In the UK less than 90 are for sale nationwide even though there are probably a few thousand more parked in peoples driveways, taking this into consideration if I could go back into time I'd get as low mileage a Crossfire as I can get, less than 30k miles because prices are dirt cheap for Crossfires so a 30k mileage Crossfire will be cheaper or the same price as a 70k one, it's common for that to happen. Then with a low mileage one you could still add a lot of miles to it and cash in if it becomes a classic in the future, whereas if you buy one with over 80k miles, in 10 more years you'll probably have added another 100k to it which would decrease value. Because the Crossfires where selling for £35k brand new in 2004 when they came out and are now averaging £4k I'd say their price has dropped almost as low as it could go and now after five more years the price will start to increase sturdily.

 

If you begrudge an oil filter now and again then this car is not for you. Honda makes cars for those that care less about maintenance. LOL