I currently drive a 98 Chevy Camaro. I love the car and enjoy taking it to the drag strip (has a healthy shot of nitrous on it) as well as competing at my local autocross events. However, I'm looking for something new and love the look and feel of the Crossfire and the fact that it doesn't squeak over every bump and the interior isn't molded from a single piece of plastic as well as the fact that its got a bit more... class. I've been looking at the Audi TT, SLK, C4 corvette, and the Crossfire but really feel like I might give this car a shot. I'm thinking of going with a 2004/05 Coupe.

I have been looking into the known technical problems with this car and haven't found much mention other than expensive oil changes and tune ups as well as something about expensive tranny tuneups every 15k . So feel free to throw it all at me - from regular maintenance oil/brakes/tires etc to the more serious technical issues such as engine/tranny drivetrain, electrical issues and anything else I might encounter.

Any help would be much appreciated!

 

I'm waiting for HDDP's "read the @*&# forum" reply

 

Ive been going through the posts as well as used the search, don't see anything outlined or a FAQ of what new buyers should look for.

I'm sure it doesn't take that long to write out the general things to look out for on crossifres.....well at least I hope not

 

Why is it that people think that the Crossfire has "expensive oil changes"?

It uses more expensive synthetic oil, yes, but it also doesn't need to be changed that often so your annual oil change costs are really not much more than regular oil that needs to be changed more often.

Frankly, just working on dealer oil change prices and specified oil change schedules, the oil changes in my 300C costs more annually than my Crossfire.

As for other issues, I've had one electrical problem when I bought my car, it's documented on one of the first posts on this forum. Other than that, I've not had any problems with my Crossfire after that. (knock on wood)

 

Since I do most the work on my cars myself I'm not worried about the regular maintenance oil/brakes/tires but more about the engine/tranny drivetrain. Anything special I should look for when shopping for a crossfire? Timing chains/leaky rear seal/tranny gear/rear end weaknesses - that kind of stuff.

And whats this I heard about 15k tranny maintenance?

 

I love my 2005 Limited Roadster, take a look at the TSB section there a few gremlins that can be fixed under warranty. If the car you are purchasing is out of warranty, then they may be a bit expensive. Finding a good competent XFire Tech is a bit hard but not impossible. If you are looking for speed then take a look at the SRT6, 330 HP Supercharged MB AMG engine, the Limiteds are built on the old MB SLK 320/R170 platform 215 HP. All in all the Crossfire is a big bang for the buck at todays prices and the SRT6 is a really big bang for the buck.

 

Agreed. Spend a few min and do the math. It isn't that much more.

 

I haven't seen a lot of horror stories about the mechanicals of the Crossfire here. There's a rear end bug that causes the rear end to make a whining noise but that is fixable under warranty and I haven't heard of anyone's rear end flying off or anything. It's a misalignment between the rear end and the drive shaft from the factory.

For the most part the engine is good, though go fast parts are hard to come by. So if speed is your main thing, get the SRT-6 as you won't find much to help you scratch that itch for the base/limited model and the SRT-6 comes from the factory with a supercharged 330 hp, stiffer suspension, etc. etc. I haven't read a lot of horror stories here about people having engine difficulty.

Check your seats if you're going to buy one to make sure both the back and butt warmers are working. That seems to be a common failure.

I've had mine for several months now and I'm quite happy with everything about it.

 

Common problems ?

It seems like the seat heaters tend to go bad and a few folks have managed to burn up clutches. The M-Benz sourced replacement parts are going to seem pretty expensive compared to Chevy parts. Aftermarket speed equipment is pretty scarce/expensive. Start lurking on the M-Benz forums for some good leads. These are very throughly engineered and well assembled cars which provide a very balanced driving experience. Unlike domestic pony cars with their obvious weaknesses (e.g. brakes, chassis dynamics/handling and flexi/weak unibodies) performance mods have to be done thoughtfully otherwise you may lose more than you gain !

Slim

 

THe door rust issue is a big problem, pull back the weather strip at the bottom of the door. water stagnates there and causes rust.

 

I've yet to check on this but it does sound like a significant issue.

If I see something, I might bring it in before my 5 year warranty expires and see what they will do.

 

You will love the XFire.

Common complaints on the non-SRT models are non-working seat heater elements, fogged head lamp covers, rear hatch rattle (easyily adjustable), throttle lag (drive-by-wire - easily cured - if it bugs you buy a "Sprint Booster").

Think that just about sums up what seems to be the common ailments.

Overall the best, most fun car I have ever owned. I would buy another one in a second.

 

I've been searching around for PCM tuning options available for the base coupe, basically its all just a PCM flash and it seems pretty rare and expensive- is there any real laptop PCM programming software out there? I have HP tuners for my Camaro which allows me to play with the A/F ratio, timing, shift points etc and would love something like this on the xfire....

 

At this point its not available, ECU Chips from MB, RennTech, Startech and Brabus are expensive. Do a search for "Speed Innovation" they have ECU mods available , and are the only one thus far with proven dyno results.

 

My Dealer checked mine out for free under warranty.

I even pulled up the pictures from the "stop the rust" thread.
And I bookmarked this forum on thier service department computer.

 

The majority of us have purchased our cars new with at least a 3 year / 30K mile warranty. We are just now seeing cars out of warranty and have not yet heard the horror stories of out of warranty repair costs.

If you buy a used Crossfire out of warranty. Parts and Labor to repair this car will be EXPENSIVE! There aren't too many qualified technicians around for the Crossfire and many people on this forum have had lengthy repair times waiting for parts. EXPENSIVE parts and labor. This is not a back yard machanic car. It requires many special tools. Brakes and exhaust should be no problem, but anything beyond that requires special training, tools and a qualified technician.

The Crossfire is a GREAT car. Just be aware.... Sometimes you gotta pay to play.

 

All good things to know. Thanks for the information guys.

Fritzauf, I remember seeing your car on cardomain, it looks great! What rims are those?

 

So I just stopped by the dealership today, they have a white coupe with a 6 speed - exactly the car I want! Except its for 29k.... which I think is ridiculous considering locally they're as low as 17. The car looks amazing though, looks so much better in real life and up close than just seeing it in pictures/passing by.

Test drive on Saturday.

 

The real question is, will you be cutting the "camaro mullet" that I'm sure you've got since you own one?

Seriously, don't have anything to offer yet on common problems that I've experienced. Picking up my SRT-6 next Friday, but I did test drive one that had a problem with the I/C pump that seems to be a common problem on the SRT's, but easily fixed in or out of warranty.

 

29K ....you must be looking at a srt12 for that price lol.....i am looking at picking u a 2004 auto coupe for 13k. check autotrader.com friend

im looking at this one -----> http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...ice=&cardist=5