Now, take this for what it is worth. It seemed like a strong sales pitch, but could have some truth to it.

I was looking at an SRT with 17K miles on it. So, it was a lease turn in, nothing wrong with it other than the fact that I could get a 'new' one for about $1k more.

The salesman of the 17K car said that all of those 'new' cars that have been sitting for 2+ years are giving people trouble with 'dry seals and gaskets', and will be a headache down the road.

Seems to me that he just wanted to sell his car instead of having me go elsewhere and pick up a 'new' one. Rightfully so, I suppose...but I'd rather the sales pitch be factual.

Have any of you recent SRT6 buyers had any seal/gasket trouble with these 'new' cars that are 2 or 3 years young? Any problems other than dirty paint, flat-spotted tires, and shipping plastic?

Thought I'd ask.

SQ

 

i'd take a new one... and it will have a full warranty if any problems shall arise.

and yes... it sounds like a sales pitch to me.

 

Unfortunately, you and I both know that the warranty is only as good as the dealers who can provide it. And, sadly, it seems rare to find a reputable Crossfire service center.

But, I agree to a point. With the new one, I'm buying a warranty.

I haven't heard of any crazy leaks or internal seal issues (other than the blue smoke thread). I'll probably just blow it off.

SQ

 

Coming FROM a salesperson, that is a total sales pitch...

Here's my main question...

A new one is only $1,000 more than a used one with 17K on it??? How much is he trying to get for the used one? Or is the new one stupid cheap?

I paid $21,000 for mine with 14K on it. That included the 8 year/80,000 Certified Warranty.

 

Ah Hemmm. Errr Ah Hemmm. Sorry, just had to clear my throat. I'd buy a Certified car with 3 years of warranty left on it from a well respected, family owned, SRT Certified, 5-star dealer that had been at the same location from 1962. And I'd make sure that the head SRT mechanic had been here for around 20 years and had taken all of the Crossfire training. Thats what my father did. Again, sorry, had to do it.

 

The 'asking' price was high on the used one at $24,000.
The 'asking' price on a new one is $25,000.

I figured I could knock a few grand off of each if I'm lucky. I think he just has too much tied up into the used one, and will be lucky to sell it for what he is asking. Especially if I can get a new one for just a bit more.

Stupid cheap? Anything under $29K is 'stupid cheap' for these cars, if you ask me...I'm really surprised more people aren't catching on. Picking up a SRT with 10 miles or less on it for $23-25K is a steal.

SQ

 

I wouldn't expect to get much if anymore off the new one. I would figure paying $22K for the used one is a decent deal. He's trying to sell you the used one because they will actually make a decent profit off it, where as the NEW one has had all the profit stripped out of it. The dealers are losing money to sell the new ones at $25K.

 

Unfortunately you are too far away. Dealing with a trade-in, long distance, is no fun. Especially when you only have a weekend to do it (or actually 1 day, because you guys don't work on Sunday).

The dealer with the new car I am dealing with meets the criteria. 5-star, long tenure with Chrysler, etc.

I found this used one, and thought for sure it would be significantly less than it is. Or thought it SHOULD be at least. Then again, there is a black SRT Roadster here that is listed at $35,999 with 9K miles on it also. The used salesman said that they bought a lot of jeeps that had been sitting on a lot for 2 years and had all kinds of issues with them. Regardless of whether this is true or not, the Crossfire is far from a Jeep.

Tod, Have you all had any issues with your 'new' cars yet? I assume not...it seems that the engine troubles on XFires is pretty much non-existent to date. I'm sure there will be some failures once the car has been out a little longer, but it seems good for now.

SQ

 

The new and used vehicles are at two different dealerships. He is just trying to sway me from going to the other dealer. He only has this one used car, where as the other dealer has 25-30 SRTs, most of them 'new'.

I don't mind spending the $24-25K asking price on these. They are well worth it. However, This isn't an actual new crossfire, it has been bought back and auctioned like 99% of the remaining 'new' SRTs out there. It only has 14 miles, so technically it is new...but I will be the second owner. From what I can tell after reading a post on this forum, The 'new' ones are being bought for about $21-22K from the Chrysler Auction. So, there should be some profit in them if they are selling it at $25K. I figure they spend no more than $800 to ship it. That leaves a good amount of room, even after paying to certify it.

I am leaving tonight to go to the dealer and check out the new ones tomorrow. I was debating on whether or not to stop at the other dealer wit the used vehicle (it is on the way). I will probably just pass, and go up there with the intent to purchase a new one.

SQ

 

ShawnQ,

I purchased a "new" inventory reduction SRT-6 and can only say the salesman is full of BS. He makes more profit or loses less money on the used car. That's his motivation; it will never be your best interest. Thats why they call them "USED CAR SALESMAN"

My SRT has no problems what-so-ever. All cars become two or three years old at some point. The used 17K SRT is also two or three years. Sitting around on a lot not being driven means you should change the oil and filters, check the tires to see if they sat on flat spots, look for any paint and headlight issues, etc...

All I can say is grab one of these "new" inventory auction SRT-6's and driveaway like you stole it.

I have a tendency not to trust used sports cars. You never know how they were driven unless you know the previous owner.

 

Haven't heard of any problems. Maybe we're just lucky?

 

I doubt it is luck.

If you were a little closer, you'd have two less Crossfires. It's good to see a dealer involved with the owners...too bad they aren't all as interested.

SQ

 

Sounds like you have done your research. All that is pretty close to accurate. I just looked up the latest wholesale Auction report and it looks like the last of the "new" ones have been auctioned off, as there haven't been many in the last 3-4 weeks. Previous to that, they were selling in the $21,500 - $23,000 range with no miles. Then add to that a $300 Buyer Fee, $450 - $650 Transportation Cost, $100 - $150 for reconditioning, $250 Dealer Servicing (oil, fluids, etc). Adding all that up means $25,000 is a good deal for you and dealer. They make a few dollars and you get a "new" $48,000 for a little more than 1/2 price. Damn, maybe I should have ponied up the extra $4,000... Oh well, I still have a better warranty than a new one...

 

Where can I view these wholesale auction reports? Or is it dealer access only?

SQ

 

If the dealer with the "new" cars is Bonham they are going to be hard to beat in the Texas area based on price (no idea about service) - trust me I searched every dealer I could find when looking for my SRT last July. Ended up taking the trip up to them because they had the best deal in about a 500 mile radius of Austin.

 

What do you guys mean by "new" SRT's? I thought the last year they were made was '05? Sorry, for the ignorant question. I just started looking to buy one. Thanks.

 

The '05 SRT6 was the only year offered to the general public (except for the dozen or so '06s that were offered to Chrysler employees). Many remained unsold either on the dealer or port of entry lots.

Last February Chrysler made the dealers "register" them so their warranty would start as of Feb '07. The "new" cars were pretty much all auctioned off by Chrysler and those are the SRT6s being referred to as new.

 

Patrick, you are correct - they have a lot of them right now.Haywood,

As far as I know, Chrysler bought back all of the remaining SRT's because they weren't selling at the dealerships (or didn't ship all of them). They then auctioned them off to dealerships.

So, there are several 'NEW' SRT6's at some dealers. However, they are not technically 'new' because the dealer bought them from Chrysler - therefore You or I would be the 2nd owner. Most of the In-Service dates on these cars are 2-27-07, so there is about 2.5 yrs on the factory warranty.

Checkout Bonhamchrysler.com for an example - several cars with less than 100 miles, all 'new' but being sold as pre-owned because you wont be the first owner.

SQ

 

One thing to keep in mind is that most banks will charge higher interest rates for a "used" car than a new car. That's too bad when buying one of those auction cars with only 100 miles on it. US Bank is currently running a car loan special that starts as low as 6.85% (5 years) regardless of new/used or dealer/private party sale. I'm in banking (not at US Bank) so I know that's a great rate right now. It worth checking out.

 

The SRT I bought from Tom Ahl left the dealership two weeks ago with around 50 miles on it, it now has around 500 miles on it. There are no leaks of any kind on the car and no evidence of any dried out gaskets on the car, door seals, hatch seals all that stuff is very pliable and like brand new.