Congrats on the new car and such a fine colour choice as well

I remember getting mine for the first time, heck i had never sat in a crossfire before buying one, and i bought it even before seeing it in person. And it was such a satisfying surprise to myself. Such a awesome car.

Just like you, i purchased my low milage SSB from an older fellow, i didnt even try to haggle on the price, i thought it was fair for a 5800 mile car, he was super helpful with getting the paperwork ready, and over all i am super happy with everything.

Enjoy it, and take care of it. I give mine a good once over every friday after work. Its actualy a fun car to clean, untill you get to the wheels.

 

Congrats on the SRT.

Within the last week, another forum member, with much the same attitude as you, came on and told us he had his SRT into a 5 star SRT/Crossfire certified dealer for over a week and they could not figure out the intermittent power losses and it was throwing no codes.

I am not exaggerating - 10 minutes later a member diagnosed his problem (IC Pump) and shot him a link to a website with the part. Dealer quoted him 3-4x, and this is the norm.

I am not advocating wal-mart brake jobs, but many of us that are here and informed will either do the work ourselves, or have a mercedes/euro shop we trust do reapirs.

My local dealer wanted over $500 for my steering stabilizer, I paid $35 and installed in about 20 mins. I am not about to burn money like that....

Good luck out there, I have no doubts you will enjoy the SRT

 

I'll probably go in exactly the opposite direction for brakes. I'm thinking Hawk high performance street pads along with Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT tires. I'm used to high performance tires and brakes and I don't mind cleaning brake dust weekly. It takes 15 min if you don't let it build up.

 

I can see why they knocked 700.00 off the price after looking at your ride it's the WRONG COLOR BLUE , lol ! but still its a Nice ride Congrats.....

 

you will soon forget all you know about that Hondually in due time....and never look back, especially after you upgrade the brakes and tires...and catch the HP bug....

 

I remember that exchange and that's why I joined this forum. This car is somewhat rare and there's a lot of knowledge worth mining in Crossfire owners who have no financial interest in my repairs. And I'm not a completely naive noob. I won't get taken to the cleaners very often.

But, on the other hand, I don't mind paying a service tech a decent premium even for stuff I can do myself. I want these guys to be around when the "big one" comes. It's sort of an unspoken contract. They know they get all my service business. Tires (install), brakes, belts, fluids, tuneups, etc. and they generally don't take advantage. And they know they might get my new car business as well.

I don't yell at them when they forget something and I chat them up about cars or the weather or the economy or middle school soccer. I've always had good experience with dealer service shops. I get loaner cars without asking for them. I can get an appointment pretty much any time I ask.

Still, if I thought I was getting screwed, I'd have no problem buying parts like a IC pump and doing it myself or going elsewhere.

 

keep the s2000 as a daily. I want one soooooooo bad.

 

I have and had friends who own dealerships. When ran properly, they are cash cows. The service adviser will make you plenty of money. Smile, agree with you, give you a loaner, get you a cup of coffee, wash the car, and smile all the way to the bank. When I come in, it's write up what I have already diagnosed, and keep their mouth shut. My Chrysler dealer is on his 3rd service mgr in a year. He let the good service writers go...the dealership is a joke, overpriced cars, overpriced labor, and they have attitudes, which gives me an attitude. If it weren't for warranty work, he wouldn't be working...I have a private mechanic, and two other privately owned shop I use. Unless it is warranty work, a dealership will never touch a car of mine.

 

I know. It is/was my daily for three years. I love the car but I bought it to drive. Around here I crawl. It's just not fun clutching a few hundred times on my way to work. And it is noisy as hell. I just know I'll never find another car with a shifter this slick or a roadster with a chassis this stiff and a suspension this good. And top down drives to and from work in the S2000 are/were my way to unwind spring/summer/fall. But between the clutch, UV exposure, and hearing damage, I'm ready to move on to another fun car. And frankly, the S2000 is a 10 year old design. It really is starting to look a little dated even though mine is an 08. I think the Crossfire is much nicer looking and fun to drive in a different way. And the Crossfire has lots of stuff the S2000 lacked...Nav, Homelink Transmitter, Power Seats, Torque, Telescoping Wheel, Anonymity (nobody knows these cars), Dual Climate Controls.

I will miss the S2000 but I've eaten my fill. I've experienced every aspect of a great roadster from trailing throttle oversteer, to power on tail out corners, to tenacious grip on roads like goat paths with the wind in my hair and the sun beating down. I look forward to the SRT-6.

 

well doc, you just said it...on the other hand, my 5* dealer has been in business over 50+ years. very little turnover, same family, same sales staff, same service manager, etc. they even have an old desoto sign in one of the bays. i've had to pay very little out-of-pocket and i feel exactly how spud does. a little bit of knowledge and tact goes a long way (like not being ashamed your car has a chrysler badge on it...fiat dino, anyone?)

 

Dude, you sound bitter. Did a dealer run over your dog? Run off with your wife? Fail to run off with your wife?

 

Nobody would run off with Doc's wife.... he has a badge and a gun(or 2)....

 

Dude they have been in business 30 years bad rap and all. I even worked there part time to try and help him out. But when you don't Grady your employees well they leave. Glad you have an old dealership still in business of taking care of it's customers. Sure isn't like that around indy.

 

Dude they have been in business 30 years bad rap and all. I even worked there part time to try and help him out. But when you don't treat your employees well they leave. Glad you have an old dealership still in business of taking care of it's customers. Sure isn't like that around indy.

 

DOC, your repeating yourself.......

 

Internet stut stut stutter.

 

Hey it just dawned on me.....

Chrysler kept the exterior of the SRT-6 very clean. It's not festooned with SRT badges on every body panel like some of the more pedestrian SRT offerings like the 300, Challenger, Charger or the Neon. I guess they didn't feel the need to advertise their manhood on this car or more likely the marketing guys felt it wouldn't be well received by the car's target market.

At any rate, I like it. Just the Crossfire name on the rear and the Chrysler winged emblem front and back. If people don't know what the car is (and few do) it's sort of a mystery with it's unusual looks and lack of badging. The big wing and fat rear tires give a hint that it may pack a punch but it likely leaves most people wondering what the hell it is.

 

Well, the S2000 was returned to Honda today about three weeks ahead of my official lease end date of May 9th. My wife was whining about 5 cars clogging up the driveway so, I decided to forego another 1,000 miles on the Honda.

After dropping off the S2000, it was off to the Connecticut DMV for a few hours of excruciating pain. But the SRT6 is now registered and insured.

After the DMV, it was off to Town Fair Tire for new rubber. I went with Dunlop SP Sport Max TT's in the OEM sizes. The Dunlop's seem a bit noisier and a bit harsher than the OEM Conti all season tires they replaced. But they also seem a lot stickier with more direct steering response.

LOL, I read all the reviews of the SRT-6 where journalists characterized the SRT-6 suspension as punishing and I was therefore expecting some horrendous ride quality. I suppose all things are relative. Compared to my reference point which was an 08 S2000, I'd say the SRT-6 is roughly similar. Which is to say, the way I like a suspension setup. I hate dive, squat, and body lean. So, the the SRT-6 meets my expectations extremely well. I took my wife out for a twenty mile joy ride tonight and even she pronounced the ride quality as very good for a high performance car.

My 50 mile comparison to the S2000.......

• I'll miss the laser sharp steering and suspension of the S2000, the SRT-6 simply doesn't have the same degree of communication.
• I'll miss the near race car song of the 8,200 RPM redline of the F22C engine.
• No manual transmission will ever surpass the Aisin unit in the S2000.
• Dropping the top on a sunny 70 degree day is just.....wonderful.
• Driving in heavy traffic in a roadster with zero sound insulation is just.....miserable.

But.....

• The SRT-6 has plenty of absolute grip.
• I won't miss the high noise levels. The SRT-6 is simply more refined.
• The SRT-6 engine is so smooooth and quiet compared to the frenetic Honda I4 engine.
• Torque is wonderful. Anywhere in the rev range. Ahhhh!
• The AMG 5 spd auto is an excellent transmission in its own right. And stop n go traffic will be much more livable.
• I have power seats, nav, heated seats, dual climate controls, telescoping wheel, homelink transmitter, fog lamps, and better storage capacity.
• The SRT-6 is way cooler to look at.
• My SRT-6 cost me $4,200 less than a buyout of my S2000 lease.

All decisions are tradeoffs. I'm feeling pretty good about this one.

 

Thank you for an excellent post

Mike

 

Thank you for an excellent post

Mike