I love this car and I saw 2 of them today. I'm looking at used ones and obviously they will have some wear on them because they are not brand new so I'm over that. My concerns are that if anything happens/malfunctions I have to take it in and wait for the parts to come from Germany, I can only imagine the run around I might get from a dealership...

Does anyone have any reccomendations to look for when I'm looking at these used cars?

As anyone had problems with dealerships/their cars?

Sorry if I'm reposting, just curious. Thanks

 

Use the forum search feature. We have all had some minor and major issues with dealerships. You can find very low mile cars with warranties for not much money. You mostlikely will get the run around from Chrysler dealers if you can even find one that has a good, certified Crossfire tech.

 

If it's a 6MT, make sure you don't get one with the 1st/2nd gear shifting problem. Gear shifting to 1st and second should be flawless with no grinding noises.

If it's an automatic, make sure you don't get one with the pretty much unfixeable 1st/2nd gear "pop-out".

Many automatics will have a seal leak at some point, which is an easy fix but be ready for it.

Parts take about 1 month to come from Germany.

 

See I test drove one today and I noticed that the 1st/2nd gear was a litte iffy. I was at around 40mph and pushing 5000rpm in an automatic! This car needed lots of new parts and the mechanic told me the truth, that it hadn't been prepped and it would take a minimum of 10 days for it to be truly ready.

The 2nd car I looked at had just been washed and the trunk had water underneath the mat and the front mats were damp, is this a seal leak? I found a service invoice inside the car and wrote down the name and number of the previous owner so I'll have to give him a call.

 

Um...unless the mechanic is some kind of freaking genius, and maybe even if he is, he probably won't get the thing fixed in 10 days. I haven't heard of this problem, however.

If a used car needs lots of parts, it means it's been driven HARD and those cars you avoid, no matter what make or model.

Not sure about this one.

The basic rule about buying these cars is this. There are some problems that are common with all cars. 95% of the time you will get a good one and it will make you very happy. Even repairs are not that expensive because nothing really expensive breaks. Just little stuff that you can find fixes for on this forum.

But that other 5% is when you get a lemon and boy will you get the whole damn lemon tree with it.

 

Thanks...

Reviewing in my mind the first car (which I test drove), the original owner was HUGE. The seat was as far back as possible and was WORN--could it really be that bad in 30k miles? He also wasn't very careful, the door sill is completely carved up and he left a nice head imprint on the headliner.

Seems like the things I find that are wrong with the car are easily replaceable or fixable, if I get them to my number, I'll be a proud owner of an '04 Black coupe.

 

don't buy it if your going to use it as a daily cruiser, this is a weekend car, and yes the dealerships will f*** with you and give the run around. and don't pay more than $12,ooo used

 

Maxwell, why would you not suggest a 2004 XF as a daily driver? They are great cars as daily drivers. I am not looking at the XF as an investment, even though I do think the SRT's will more then likely become a collector car in 25 years. I want to enjoy them for what they are, awesome cars that loved to be driven and that I love too drive.

 

Also check for rust under the door weatherstripping if you can.

Some are pretty bad.

 

I and my son love it as a daily driver, why buy one and park it......LOL

 

it's kinda tough to haul around co-workers or pick up equipment and supplies in durring the work day.
Get a clean used Tahoe for the weekdays, shouldn't cost more than $5000 due to high gas prices now.

$12k for the crossfire and $5k for the Sub or Tahoe, now you have, comfort, utility and style for a grand total of $17k

 

You can not find a used crossfire here for 12,000 unless it is approaching 100K miles. Average around Dallas, TX is about 15,000 - 16,000 for a 2004 with 20K to 30K miles.


Also be prepared to spend a lot of money in tires ($800 a set of 4), the front and rear tires are diffrent sizes and the tires can not be rotated front to back. This leads to replacing the tires frequently.

The other expensive item is oil changes about $100 a pop, the car takes 8+quarts of oil. The price of the oil changes doesn't bother me, because you can go longer between changes since it uses synthetic.

Last note this car runs on 91+ octane which means super unleaded here in Dallas.

If you are okay with the fact you will spend more on these items, then you will not regret your purchase. The car is an absolute blast to drive.

If you are uncomfortable you can always purchase a warranty that includes a rental car.

 

Where I am in New York, nothing goes for 12g's. But I'll pay something close to that and because I'm working with a Chrysler/Jeep dealer I'll be getting great value for trade on a Jeep.

I don't know what Tahoe (year/mileage) goes for 5g's but I do love the new ones.

How would you reccomend I check for rust???

Thanks for the feedback guys.

 

I paid 16,500 out the door (taxes included) for a 2004 with 24K and a 6 years 72K bumper to bumper warranty with a $50 deductible. It looks brand new and everything was in excellent condition. Everyone who has seen it thinks it is brand new.

I don't believe in buying a car I have never seen or driven off ebay. I don't believe in flying to the other side of the U.S. and takeing the chance on not purchasing the car. That is just me. Other people are okay with those things and for me the piece of mind was worth paying a little more.

 

Can't believe I overlooked your post, NY is the exact same with pricing and I don't think I'm gonna regret this either. I'm starting to get excited.

 

You should look around. New England has many Crossfires that are within driving distance. Don't settle for some beaters!

 

I wouldn't buy the first car.

The second car, still bothers me. You could always go to a car wash and test it our with a high pressure washer. I have had dealers accomidate me with wacky requests before.

I would keep an eye on autotrader.com and cars.com

It took me a month of looking before I found "the one". Don't be afraid from walking away from a deal. Nobody is selling cars right now.

 

The high pressure washer was a good idea, I'll detail you guys over the weekend.

 

I use mine as daily driver except when it is icy or snows (I also have a 5.9 Grand Cherokee for fun in the muck). I have almost 15,000 om my XFire and drive it every day!

 

How do you only have 15k on a daily driver? I have almost 13k and mine sits in the garage most of the time.