Hello everyone, I joined this forum because I've found a crossfire and Im thinking about buying it, but i wanted to get everyones thoughts on some stuff first.
a few details about the deal:
2005 crossfire coupe (limited?) with 22k, excellent condition all around, 1 owner. you can tell this car has been garage kept and well taken care of. theyre asking 16k for it.
Right now I own a 2001 ford ranger and a 1996 3.8l conv. camaro, and will have to sell both of these in order to buy the crossfire.

anyway, my questions are:
1. how dependable are these cars in general? any common issues that most of them have? This will have to be my daily driver and since it will be my only car i want something that i trust enough to drive on vacation and stuff like that.

2. Is there much in the way of aftermarket performance options (bolt ons and such)? I love to tinker with stuff like that so I feel like Im getting the most out of my engine.

3. Are repairs alot more expensive than usual due to the mercedes components? I was reading another thread about some people paying $100 or so for an oil change and that made me wonder.

Thanks in advance and sorry about the big wall of text!

 

Yes the oil changes can be expensive if you dont do it your self, the engine takes around 8.5 qts of oil with filter change. A lot of places have the Mobil one 0-40 on sale from time to time, so thats when a lot of us stock up on them @ $4.99 a quart, filters are around $15. The add on upgrades are not cheap either, since there is not a big enough market to bring the prices down or enough after market places that sell stuff for x-fires. Most parts though are cheaper through Mercedes than Chrysler. Now as far as being a dependable car these cars are fantastik, lot of x-fires out there now with 150k or more miles on them and no major problems, may even be a couple that have hit over200k in miles, do a thread search and read up, there are some threads with the most common of problems listed in them. I'm sure someone else will chime in and give you more. But all in all these are great cars to own and drive.

 

This is without question the most dependable car I've ever owned. I'm the original owner of my 2004 coupe now with 76K on it. The only parts I've had to replace were the crank position sensor and the EGR valve, both at around 30K/m. The dealer quoted $900+ for the repairs. Using the knowledge base of the forum (Great folks all) and the web for parts deals I was able to do the repairs myself for under $150. With the money I saved I started doing the limited mods available ... and that's where the expense kicked in.

The only other "real" expense will be the tires. Even cheap isn't cheap and plan to replace the rears often.

 

Snow in KS can be a problem. These cars can be difficult in snow. Not to many of us drive in snow.

 

Thanks alot for the replies so far. Im still on the fence about it, but im very relieved to hear about the dependability. My wife loves the car, so i think im gonna go test drive it again today.
Luckily snow isnt too bad here in KY and they usually have the roads cleaned up really quick.
If anyone else has any input on the matter please feel free to share your thoughts/opinions with me, Im all ears lol.

 

Mine has been a daily driver since 03. I still have it which speaks to whether or not I like it. It has been dependable and has never left me stranded. Well a couple of flats have left me by the side of the road but that still seems a small price to pay for this much fun.

A lot of the full season drivers have 2 sets of wheels and tires. High performance tires like Michelin PS2 can cause trouble even when it is not snowy or icy. Cold temps in the 50s will harden them up enough to cause some excitement. Living in KY you got to have a good set of summer tires. There will just be too many roads around there that will call you out. Get a set of all seasons to run while the temps are in the 40s.

Me and the copilot have taken many long multi-week driving vacations in this car. Makes you want to keep off the interstates and see some of the country.

Get the car then come see us all at Dragon the end of September.

 

I recently picked myself up a crossfire and absolutely love it! Especially after driving a mustang gt for a couple of years, I appreciate the xfire that much more (especially the gas mileage). Everyone is saying how expensive the oil changes are but I got mine changed the other day for $25. The only thing I had to buy separate was the filter and that was about $15. $40 bucks later and 8.5 quarts of leading synthetic later and I'm good for another 6k miles Tires are definitely going to be your main expense in my opinion. Good price on that car though

 

Do you think it is an alright price? used prices seem to be anywhere from 10k and up, while nada says around 15k and kelley blue book says 18k. I already know Im gonna be getting screwed on my trade ins, so I atleast want a fair price on the car.

 

If you're going through a dealer, you'll be paying quite a bit more than you need to. If you're relying on the trade-in, then you don't have any choice, though.
I've contemplated selling my car, which is a 2005 base coupe with just 12,000 miles and with a few nice upgrades (leather seats, fog lights, and an extra set of wheels), and would take $16,000 in a heart beat.
Are you looking to get into an automatic or stick?

 

the one I was looking at was a stick, and sadly it looks like i wont be buying it. They wouldnt work with me at all on the price or the price of my trade ins.
Thanks to everyone for the responses and maybe ill be back sometime in the future if one of these cars ever crosses my path again.

 

Sorry to hear. Hope to see you back on the site as a new owner soon enough

 

If you are looking for a NA there are TONS of them available. Just keep looking until you find the right one. If you want to go big & get a SRT, I can recommend a really beautiful one that Franc has available.

 

Just a question. If you ever have to take your car in to get fixed, where would you take it? Chrylser dealer? Mercedes dealer? Or maybe just a Euro Car shops?

 

Euro shop. Good luck finding a Chrysler dealer that knows much about these cars. I doubt any MB dealer would be interested and may just refuse unless of course you have your MB serviced there. That's assuming you also have a MB.

 

Depends where you live and if you are still under warranty. We are lucky here that at lease 2 of our CDJ stores have certified XF mechanics. My cars are still under warranty so they receive the qualified care of our local dealerships. I also live in a very XF heavy area. I see at least 5 XF's a day, not including my 2. Just yesterday I say a base roadster, aero blue SRT coupe x 2 (not the same car 2x), white coupe, red coupe, red roadster. Then there was my yellow roadster & graphite SRT at the house. The only speciality car we see more of around here is the Lotus - they are like little pests!

 

Thanks, i guess ill just have to keep my eye out for a good import repair shop. Runs great though now, and i expect now problems lol

 

Are you from Canada? If you give us your location we maybe able to direct you to a good service shop.

 

North East Kansas