Hello,
My name is Karen, and I am buying a 2005 Crossfire from an estate of a man we knew. The car has not been driven for 6 months and has 21,000 + miles. The Grandson started the car and my husband and I took it for a test ride and it drove like a dream. What should I be concerned with?

Any and all help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Karen

 

What is it?

Coupe or Convertible?
Manual or Automatic?
SRT or N/A (Limited/Base)?


The SRTs and Convertibles have specific items that you should be looking at. Aside from them, ALL of the cars can develop rust in the doors, pulling the gasket away at the bottom of the door will reveal if there is a problem. I've owned three and never seen this issue.

There are a lot of little things that go wrong but none of them are worthy of passing the car up.

The automatic transmissions leak until (or unlesss) the electrical connector has been resealed, seems like they all came with a leak and once it is fixed, it is fine. The fix is not expensive.

The Convertibles tend to drop the back window glass out - the ten year warranty expired on most last year.

If it still has a white "VARTA" battery, it needs a new battery. NOW.

 

Thanks for your quick reply!

It is a convertible, limited edition, N/A, automatic transmission, color is white with white and black interior.

It has a loud exhaust muffler which he added on, and along with the car, the owner's wife is giving me three OEM exhaust systems as well as the original wheels. The wheels which are on the car now are 19".

I will check the battery when I pick the car up Thursday.

Thank you so much.

Kareen

 

Well, with those miles, being so low, it IS a garage queen and may have some little issues. Stick around here and ask - do NOT take the car to a Chrysler dealer for ANYTHING.

We can help you (or who ever you hire to work on it) to get thru little things that come up.

 

Hello pizzaguy... This is MrCheapwrench... Karen is my better half. She has wanted a Crossfire for some time and this one became available. It will not be a daily driver, but a special time car. I am an old-time shade tree mechanic... see my username... so this will be a valuable forum. Thanks in advance for all of the knowledge that is on this forum.

Andy

 

You are the exact kind of person that should own one of these cars. The person who depends on a dealer is cursed when it comes to these cars. The person who relies on a local garage is in a better place - but one who does most of the work him/herself is who should own one!

We can help with most anything that comes up. I had one as a daily driver and miss it - but it's also fun having another Garage Queen.

 

Thanks pizzaguy! My husband, Andy, services all our cars, and, have never taken any of them to a dealer to be repaired, except under warranty.

I am so excited to own this gorgeous car, and I know I will enjoy every minute behind the wheel. I'll have to hide the keys from my husband!!!!

This is a great forum and one which I will enjoy learning from. Thanks pizzaguy!!

 

Ok, so now order one of these and put it in the trunk down there with the Jack - trust me.
You will need it can they are impossible to find locally. *Trust me* I have carried one since 2010, used one myself and sold one to a guy who was stranded.
https://www.germanautosupply.com/sto...sensor-95.html

Trust me......


Oh, and save the dates:
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...ave-dates.html

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

pizzaguy,

Thanks for the crank position sensor info. I will definitely buy one.

Karen

 

Welcome to our forum. As pizzaguy has already stated, lots of helpful information throughout the forum. Probably isn't anything that becomes an issue that hasn't already been solved by an owner.

We sorta have a 'garage queen' also. Typically use our XFire for weekend getaways or special road trips. Bought our Limited Coupe in 2008 with only 1500 miles on ODO (original owner thought it rode like a sports car - DUH!). Now it has just over 18k on the ODO and rides like a sports car!

Enjoy,

 

XFires also have a steering damper on the front suspension. It's really just a cheap shock absorber, costing about $15-$20 depending on your supplier (lots of available sources for this part throughout internet). I consider it essentially the same as any other routine maintenance item, like changing the oil. In fact for me, an oil change is about every 2 years and I typically replace this steering damper also. I'm under the car's front end draining oil and might as well replace the steering damper.

I've attached a reference document that covers recommended oil for the M-B sourced engine. Most folks use the fleece filter ($10-$11), but those that use the paper filter (less costly) also get good results.

Again, Enjoy

 

Welcome to the forum from another garage queen.

 

dedwards0323,

Thanks for the useful info. I'll be taking your advice.

I'll be getting my gorgeous car in a couple of days on Thursday and can't wait. The test ride my husband and I took in it was absolutely wonderful.

Karen

 

Mackel,

Thanks for the welcome. I know the Forum members will have so much to offer about my 'new' Crossfire!

Karen

 

Wait - I know our engines require 229.3 - does 229.5 also apply? I cant find a reference to 229.5 anywhere - the reason I ask is that there are some oils on 229.5 that I can get easier than 229.3.


And what is the 229.51 thing all about? I thought .51 applies to diesels only.
Wha'ts the story here?


DAMN, I've had mine for a year, I bet it has the factory steering damper on it, too. HOW could I overlook that?
But I dare you to find one under $30 these days - seems like the $20 price is history.

 

The 229.3 & 229.5 oil grades per M-B were listed as suitable for the M-B model years of 1998 thru 2004. Since the XFire is based off the SLK-320 platform from this era, these oils are suitable for the 3.2 liter V6 in our cars. The 229.5 (per M-B) was formulated for model years beginning with 2005 (but could be used as a replacement for 229.3) and has an extended operating range - oil changes could be pushed out. M-B also stipulated to accomplish this, the fleece-type filter had to be used. I'm guessing that using the paper-type filter meant you had to change the oil per the 229.3 spec.

The 229.51 spec, like the 229.31 spec, was suitable for diesels. These are essentially 'low-ash' content oils to reduce particulate emissions. But unlike the 229.31, the 229.51 oil is also a 'long-life' oil with extended oil change intervals. And 229.51 is also acceptable for gasoline engines.

The Mobil 1 Euro Fomula 0-40 oil shows up on essentially all the listings.

Been awhile since I bought a steering damper. Bought 3 or 4 some time back when they were around $15 per.

 

Here's link on eBay (hardly use that site anymore) for around $30 (free shipping)

Link for a damper by Stabilus (might be better quality)


But I will agree with you - looks like the going price is approaching the $40-$60 range.

 

There is also a strong & active Crossfire Owners group in Texas. Look for them in the regional section of the Forum website.

Later,

 

dedwards0323,

Thanks for the info on the Crossfire owners group in Texas which I'll be searching for on the Forum website.
I'm looking forward to driving my 'new 'Crossfire'!!

Karen