First off I wanna say hello and Merry Christmas to everyone on the forum. Now it's time for my introduction . My name is Cody and I live in Culpeper, VA. I just recently began looking for a new vehicle and came across the crossfire. I plan on either trading in my 99 Chevy Tahoe, or selling it to buy a crossfire. After a bit of searching I came across a black, 05 crossfire for what seems like a great price at a near by dealership. I have a few questions which I'm hoping that the crossfire community may be able to help answer and I'd greatly appreciate any advice about what areas to focus on while looking over the vehicle. I'm a fairly tall and husky fellow at 6'2" and 215lbs; I've read reviews across the web about how it is a little cramped (to be expected) but what I'm really interested in, is how comfortable it is over the occasional 3-4 hour trip. The majority of my miles will be my 40 mile round trip commute to work; of course that may turn into more of a 50-60 mile round trip if the car is even remotely close to the joy I get from riding my motorcycles. I might go to the dealership tomorrow to look at this car (and possibly buy it) , so feel free to sell me on all the great things this car has to offer.

-Cody

 

Welcome to the forum! Others who have your build seem to fit fine, but I'm sure that they will chime in. A convertible will give you a little more headroom. The power seats are adjustable and you should be able to adjust as needed. If you are looking at a base model, it will have cloth seats and I hear that you would have more headroom with that.

As far as comfort, it is a fairly comfortable drive. I have driven my Crossfires from Colorado to North Carolina numerous times and have no problems. On the longer trips, I get out and stretch every so often.

For the bang for the buck, you cannot beat the Crossfire. After nearly four years of ownership, I still get looks as I drive and look forward to driving it when I can. You might look at an SRT-6 model as well as these have the supercharger and will get you from 0 to OMG in hurry.

 

Hi Cody, welcome to the forum, and Merry Christmas.
I too am 6'2" tall and weigh in at 215 lbs.
I purchased my 04 brand new off EBAY, and I was very concerned when I went to pick it up (9hrs away) that I wasn't going to fit.
The salesman showed me a trick with the power seat, and I discovered that by sitting in a more upright position (than I was use to in other cars) that I had enough room and was still very comfortable even on long trips.
I've spent more than 12 hours at a time behind the wheel many times in the last 7 years and never got out of the Crossfire feeling cramped.
Just spend a few minutes adjusting the power seat, and I'm sure you will be able to find your "sweet spot".
Good Luck

 

Thanks for the info! I wasn't aware of the possibility of the cloth seats allowing more head room; that would definitely be ideal. The crossfire I'm looking at is an 05 base model for $7000 with 93k miles on it. I figured I'd treat myself to a nice sports car for a change. I'm not as interested in the convertible model due to the lack of trunk space; it has to hold a golf bag every now and then. As far as the srt-6 goes, I'd love to have one but I can't seem to find one in my price range. The wow factor of going 0-OMG in a hurry can easily be contained to my 07 kawasaki zx6r that goes 0-60 in about 3 seconds flat . I'm considering the crossfire due to it's elegant styling matched with a smaller engine that has more than enough power for my commuting, low insurance rates and outstanding gas mileage compared to my 12mpg highway tahoe .

 

That's exactly what I wanted to hear! I know the car would take some getting use to and I actually prefer a more upright seating position. I've had back problems for a while and sitting upright relieves the strain so it's a win-win.

p.s. Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone!

 

Welcome Cody to the "permagrin" club. It would be great if you could post the listing for the car you're planning to look at, or at least post the Dealer name and location, so we might be able to see the listing and check any pics. Sometimes, if enuff pics are posted some of us, can spot potential problems.
As far as golf clubs are concerned, really not a problem for 1 set in a bag, but you might have to remove the driver and other "long" clubs and put them in separately.
If you have a golf buddy in the car with you, forget about 2 sets. BTW .... I seem to remember that the base models do not have electric seats, and therefore can't be adjusted as completely as the "limited" model. I'm sure someone will chime in to either confirm this, or correct me.
Good Luck .......... and Happy Holidays

 

Here's the link to the car I'm looking at. Unfortunately the pictures aren't very large. I expect the car to have some wear and tear considering the mileage. I have found a few others in my area, the limited ones seem to sell for around $10k-11k. The linked car is for sale in a wholesale lot and has a clean carfax. At the low price of $7k or roughly $8k otd it's hard to pass up if it doesn't have any problems. I've seemed to grow fond of this black one opposed to the silver ones as well. I've been doing my research and I do believe I came across information about the base models having a manual seat adjustment.

 

It is a BASE model and does not have power seats..... but that is why you get more headroom with it.....just some minor cosmetic differences from the LTD models... the NA gets very good gas mileage if you want it to... plenty of power and fun... welcome and good luck with the purchase....


The pics look good... although I did think it had body damage on the passenger side for a minute...then realized that it was reflections of the buildings...

 

That could be pictures of my car! I have a 2007 base coupe. The only thing I see in the pictures is that the glove compartment door looks a little cockeyed. Make sure you check at the bottom of the door panels for bubbling or rust. By the way, after 34000 miles, no problems on mine - I hope you have the same luck! Take Care and Merry Christmas!

 

Welcome Cody ! From the Blue Grass State .I:m 6 " 3 about 220 and have had mine for Six years and fit fine , That nice looking base and notice it black, one of the fast color of all in the Crossfire , Now some will tell you that not ture but we know different LOL !!!!! Good Luck in your find of one of Best little sports car on road for the money

 

Haha, go team black! Every vehicle I've ever bought has been black oddly enough. It's not that I'm especially partial to black vehicles but obviously black makes them go faster; it's simple physics . I am dieing to go test ride this car tomorrow; I have to convince a friend to ride there with my in case the trade in value of my tahoe is too low. Hopefully tomorrow afternoon I'll pull in the driveway with a nice crossfire.

 

Thanks for pointing that out; I didn't pay much mind to the glove box until you mentioned it. As far as the rust, I'll definitely keep an eye out for that as well. My main concern is the condition of the exterior; the pictures make it look great but I know small imperfections can easily be hidden at that distance. I'll be going over every inch of the car to ensure I find as many as I can for haggling purposes. If my trade in value is high enough, I'll pay cash for the car and hopefully haggle the price down even further.

 

Noticed the online ad said "tilt wheel". Don't believe it, no XF has a tilt wheel, although all do have a "telescoping" wheel.

( My glove box door was crooked also when I bought mine - found someone had had that panel off for some reason and not put it all back together correctly. )

 

I noticed the tilt wheel description as well, luckily I've been practically non stop researching this car for a few days now so I realized it only has the telescoping steering wheel. Directly under that it states that the "DEALER IS NOT RESPOSIBLE FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS", haha.

Are there any mechanical issues I should be looking for while test riding it? Please keep in mind this car has $93k miles on it, so any suggestions on mechanical parts of the car to look at would be greatly appreciated. I always get butterflies in my stomach when buying a vehicle, I've always gone with my gut feeling and it's treated me well so far . I'm just hoping this car is in good shape and doesn't break down on the drive home . I can't afford to have that happen.

 

Hey Live2drive .... a couple of things I noticed .... the Carfax states that oil and filter were changed at "Midas" at about 90000 miles. You'd best change that oil and filter out to be sure. Use Mobil 1 0-40, and a "fleece" oil filter, and best done by someone familiar with this car, or by yourself. Easy to do by searching here. Also, their listing states a tilt steering wheel. NOT!!! The wheel only retracts, in and out.
Make sure you get 2 key fobs from them and that they work. I think the base model has the same alarm system that the other Crossfires have, and there fore when the "panic" button is pressed the alarm should sound like siren, and not chirp like a "cricket on crack".
I guess one thing to remember, is that these "wholesale dealers" generally no nothing about these little jewels, and I wouldn't take their word with much credibility. Best to come in with about as much knowledge as you can. Just sayin ........

EDIT: See.... other guys caught that "tilt" wheel thing before me. Kinda lets you know that there are people here that are observant, and willing to help. DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS Even if you think they are stupid ...

 

Thank you all so much for helping me out and being so nice. I'll check on the alarm for sure; I've read some mixed reviews about this dealership online but most of them are from back in 2009. I'm hoping that the dealership doesn't know much at all about this car because I'd love it if I could haggle them down. The crossfire really peaked my interest since I first saw it and I never thought I'd be able to afford such a luxurious sports car. I do understand that this vehicle has that american specific look with the heart of a Mercedes, which obviously has it's pro's and cons. Good quality and great looks with high cost maintenance are my expectations.


A few more questions: Are the tires on the car all-weather tires? They sure look like it to me but I'm no expert on tires. I'd most certainly need the all weather tires seeing as this car will be my daily driver all year long. Also, the pictures seem to show quite a bit of wear on the steering wheel, is this normal on the XF? Hopefully I can go see it in person tomorrow, otherwise it may be another 3-4 days before I have an open schedule. It might be the camera playing tricks on me, hopefully it's just dust on the steering wheel; the condition of the interior will be make or break for me. In the 12th picture of the vehicle, what do the far left and far right buttons control? They have no icons so I figured I'd ask before assuming they are extra.

 

Welcome aboard!.. Even if this one doesn't pan out as the one.. sounds like you've been bitten! LOL. "Tilt Steering"..oh you ment telescoping.. look really dissapointed and get a $200 "were sorry" discount.. Sounds like you've done your homework thoroughly, cost of tires..pay attention to front and rears on the inside edges of the treads...plug change recently or any maintenace records..dirty oil = $75 (app.) oil change right off the bat do-it-yourself style...just a few bargaining tools..oh..and is the manual tranny due for fluid change at this point anyone? ..and just noticed "extended warranties available"... if the price isn't the cost of the car might be worth looking into.. 2 keys? as they are a bit more pricey than a Chevy's.. LOL.
Best of luck to you with it !

 

Blanks, because you don't have heated seats.

Tires look like A/S , but they'll be marked on sidewallls as such. Hopefully they are all the same brand and type.

 

Haha, Mrmiata, I like the way you think . I can handle the current price of the car, it's the haggling that will really determine whether or not I can afford a few mods if I buy it .

Hmm, I should have noticed that it doesn't have heated seats, thanks for pointing that out. They would definitely be a plus but I've lived without heated seats for the majority of my life, I think I can deal with it.

 

You have gotten a lot of good advise here. I would like to add that two golf bags are no problem. been doing it for years. You will have to take all the long clubs out and of course they can't be staff size bags, but regular size bags are fine. I have taken many 3 or 4 day trips with two sets and clothes for two.

Good luck with your search and be patient. If you find one some distance from where you live you can probably have a forum member give the car a first look and test drive for you.