Hello! I am new to the crossfire family, well, about to be, for weeks I was looking into buying a Audi TT coupe, but it rattled and I just didnt like the interior that much, I recently took a look into the Crossfires and I must say they are amazing! I am about to purchase a 2004 Crossfire with 85,000 miles, and I wanted to know A. Is that alot of miles for a crossfire? How bad is the maintenance on them, and are they reliable? If I go on my own insurance it will be 300 a month, is there anyway I could get more reasonable insurance, For ex, going on my parents insurance, and I will be trading in my toyota corolla so I will be making monthly payments on it, thank you!

PS: im 18 years old, perfect driving record. I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE CROSSFIRE WHEN I SAW IT!!! THANKS!

-Jarrett

 

Jarrett
You need to answer quite a few questions before a helping hand can be extended with your decision on a Crossfire:
1. Buying from a dealer and the type of dealer (Chrysler)?
2. How many previous owners?
3. Stick or Automatic?
4. Proof of previous maintenance, is it current?
5. Tires in good condition 8/32 or better tread?
6. Location of the car, Northeast, South?
7. Coupe or Roadster?
8. Headlights look foggy?

Maintenance Costs:
1. Oil Changes at a dealer $120-$150 w/Mobil1-8 Quarts
2. Premium Gasoline
3. Mileage is an issue, since near future maintenance costs will be high, such as transmission Fluid Changes
4. Tires are expensive $150-$300 each, depending on brand name

This is a Mercedes Benz SLK with a Chrysler body, so the related costs are in the Mercedes cost class. The insurance is totally related to your age, if living at home, stay on your Dad's policy as an occasional driver if possible.

These are just a few of the items related to you posting.
Good Luck,
Dennis

 

thanks Dennis, it is raining this weekend, when I go down to the dealership to get all of the information I will let you know!!

 

get a carfax, alot depends on the previous condition although these cars are pretty solid, That being said, if youre not mech capable repairs add up FAST. Oh, learn to pray cause it helps with the HUGE c-pillar. On the positive side, they turn heads and have a fun/handling factor thats off the chart!

 

I would never put an 18 year old in this car. Why? Not for the reason you think. The cars have zero support from Chrysler or Mercedes. Parts are hard to come by. You need to be mechanically inclined in order to maintain the car properly, hell just to change the oil. I have raised 3 sons. I love the XF's I have, but I would never suggest one for my sons. Many your age owns them, and are getting by, and if you still want one, I would stay away from the early model 04's....they seem to have the most breakdowns. Now, the positives, is this site. All you need to know to keep her running is on this site. And plenty of support from the forum members. I just tell it like it is. Good luck either way...

 

wow thanks! um, what is a C pillar? LOL and I think I would rather have a crossfire over an Audi TT sounds more reliable!

 

I have a 04 Crossfire, bought it 3 years ago and absolutely love the car. As far as maintenance goes the oil change is expensive compaired to other make and models of cars. As far as the age of the car, like I said mine is a 2004 with now 82000 miles and still a dream to drive. Oh i also had to have a headlight changed and that cost 130.00 at the Chrysler dealership. The crossfire is a great car, and like the other post stated, it is a mercedes, so expect everything to be expensive to repair and maintain.

Good luck with the Crossfire.

 

I have had a very different experience from other respondents. Changing the oil is no different for me than any other car I have had. Its a breeze, you need 8 qts of Moblil 1. Mercedes parts are EVERYWHERE on the internet. The drivetrain is proven and reliable. The engine should be good for at least 200,000 miles. If you do a site search you will find many owners with over 100,000 miles already. I have had great luck at Chrysler dealers with Crossfire- trained technicians in Burlington, VT and Melbourne, FL. These cars are fun and dependable. Good Luck!

 

wow! thanks! its good to know that this is a reliable car, of course I am aware of the normal routine maintenance but thats fine, Im glad to know the engine should do me good after 200k miles!

 

yeah, and they are the sames ones looking for help when theirs finally takes a dump....changing the oil is quite different than any american car, and one wrong o-ring and you dump oil on the front of motor, and have one hell of a mess kid. Like I said, no false promises here, this car is a great car but will require more maintenance than a whole host of other cars out there. My sons at 18 didn't have the time nor the money to maintain a car like this, and would venture to say, that still applies today in their mid-twenties. Good luck with your decision...but, read through many of the threads dealing with repairs and maintenance before you decide whether to take on a crossfire. I'm not talking routine maintenance. RCM, CPS, are just a few things to research. If you do, we will all be here for you, it's your $$$$ to spend, and spend, and you get the picture. I know times were different when I were you age, but starting school, relationships, job, and the busy day to day activities you enjoy don't leave much time for a car to be down, or without car for very long. A car at your age is "life" support. Choose wisely.

 

Jarret,
If this car still had the 3-point star on the hood one would say "it's a lot of miles but these things (Mercedes Benz) go forever. The maintenance is however high end but as Doc said "it's all on this forum". For such a high tech car it is actually fun to work on if you take your time, go step by step and most of all get ahold of a Crossfire shop manual on CD. All the info in here on this forum but I like the CD just seems easier for me when I need to look up something.
All in all I love this car, I had a 2004 originally and loved it ithout any troubles. I have also owned Audis and niether are cheap to service so if it's between these two cars... Welcome to the forum!

 

Wow thanks! do you know what things I should be looking for, or ask the dealer before I buy?

 

thank you! I will research that now, How much a year do you think I will need to put into the car maintenance wise?

 

Was wondering if you can tell me the Chrysler Dealer you use in Melbourne, Fl.

Eventually I'll reside in the Orlando area, and Melbourne may be my only option for quality Warranty work on a Chrysler extended (if I cant find one closer).

I took a 6 year/80,000 mile Preferred Warranty from the Dealer, figuring if I have any issues with the top, it will come in handy (it's bumper-to-bumper with a $100 deductable).

(That's assuming one can find a decent Chrysler shop in your area...LOL...)

Thanx...

 

Try Advantage Chrysler in Leesberg, Fl They have one mechanic that only works on Crossfires and Vipers.

 

Got it bookmarked...

Thanx...You Da Man...

 

I own a 2005 n/a.... 18 years old as well. I've only had it since mid-October so.... (4 1/2 months?)

Just did my first oil change in it two days ago, and it was a BREEZE. Oil filter is RIGHT in front...get a set of Rhino ramps to drive up on and a crawler to get underneath and you're set... Only downside was the price of Mobil-1. No issues with my car AT ALL, granted it only had 25k on it at date of purchase (31k now)

Absolutely love it, wouldn't trade it for the world. And with THIS forum's community behind ya, everything's all right.

Thanks to our community, hope all goes well, and cheers to another (future?) Crossfire owner!!

Regards,
Eric Henderson

 

I say go for it. If you love the car sometimes you gotta say to hell with the risks and go for it. I'm 22 years old and had very little mechanical experience until I started buying cars that required a lot of hands on help and actually decided to start learning. I gave up a good car because I was too stupid to pick up a book, (1993 Mistubishi 3000GT) it was a good car that I eventually sold because I didn't learn how to fix it. I now own a 1982 Datsun 280ZX Turbo and it gives me fits but I'm getting good at fixing it and other cars, and recently I started learning about my week old (to me) Crossfire. The costs can be high, my first set of new tires is gonna cost me over 800 but I feel it's worth it as I always wanted one of these cars. Hope things work out for you with the purchase.

 

I talked my son into a Crossfire instead of a motorcycle -- wasn't that hard. We found a very nice, low mileage coupe 2 years ago and it has been problem free. It goes to local indie shop (once a year for oil/filter change; once to replace front brake pads with Disc Italia ceramics). He is a little scared to drive it much, which is a GOOD thing. He now has it in Tallahassee at college. BTW, neither he nor I could afford collision so all he has is liability. Another motivation to be exceedingly careful. I've been reading about Crossfires with 150-200k miles so at the rate he is going, he should be driving it for the next 40 years. PS - He "owns" the 2007.