I'd like to rectify that I might have been a bit too harsh. The better the weather, the more I started to enjoy and have fun with it! But, as others point out, maybe this isn't the best of choiche for daily driving, and a better choiche for weekend cruising. Simply because the car doesn't fully meet my wishes and demands doesn't automatically mean it's a bad car.
@@sg-yq8pm it's a mercedes slk320 or slk32 amg if you get the srt-6 version. With a manual transmission that mercedes never dared to do. There is a lot of good about these cars.
Kudos to you--being willing to adjust an opinion is a good quality. Just came upon your vids today and am very impressed-they’re informative and entertaining (it’s not easy to be both.) Looking forward to seeing each of them.
To the person who pointed out that Chrysler made some cherry nice cars and still does from Hellcat to Daytona Etc I will just add Imperial. A car that was the Rival to the Lincoln Continental and the finest Cadillac in other words the royalty of American cars.
When the Crossfire came out, I went to test drive a manual transmission one. It wouldn't go into 2nd gear. This was a brand new car. Dealer tried, and he couldn't either. That told me everything I needed to know about this quality merger of two automotive giants...
Yo Diggity Dog. I owned a 2005 Xfire Roadster from 2019 until this year, so for 4 years. Bought it at 33K miles & sold it at 45K miles and made $4,000 in the process. Gotta love our crazy car prices! Anywho, I did ALL my own maintenance so I'll throw you a couple bones. 1) The interior door pulls are wrapped (not plated) in a shiny metallic "tape", for lack of a better word. The seam runs North to South in the center of the pull facing the door, where you can't see it. Every time "you" grab the door-pull your fingers run across that seam and that gradually starts to pull it up and it begins flaking off with the ragged bits happy to give you a bleeding cut. You can remove the door-pull by prying off the front cover and removing 2 screws leaving the door-panel undisturbed. Take the pull to a plating company. Have them remove the wrap-coating and chrome-plate the entire part like they should have done in the first place. 2) Almost *EVERY mechanical part* is 100% the same as from a 2004 Mercedes-Benz SLK320. I advise right now to forget that the car says 'CHRYSLER' on it as they stopped carrying most of the parts in 2020 and the 1 mechanic who was trained to work on it at each dealership is long gone. Any 'Indy' German car repair shop will work on it. 3) If the ride is truly unacceptable to you there is an easy fix. Buy the 17" wheels that came on the SLK320 and sell your 19" Xfire wheels. The 17" tires have much more sidewall on them giving much more flex going over bumps.
I have a convertible manual Crossfire. I've had it 15 years. It's done about 50,ooo miles. It has never let me down ever. The fuel consumption is very good. On a run taking it easy I've had 49mpg at 50mph. Town driving 28-30. Normal motorway driving about 4ompg. It will go 0-60 in under 6 seconds and goes off the clock flat out. The engine is bullet-proof. And still everywhere it gets parked in the summer when it's polished people take a picture as they don't know what it is. I bought it when it was two almost three years old for £9500. The car has been dynamite. Bought it for my wife. Was going to the showroom to buy a Mercedes SLK at more than twice the price with higher mileage. My wife seen this in the Chrysler showroom opposite and that was it. Changed from continental tyres to Avons on advice of some guy I spoke with in Las Vegas. Transformed the ride and handling on UK roads. All my other cars are Mercedes and which I don't recommend. 15 years trouble free motoring. Just an alternative point of view. 😊
I'd been eyeing the Crossfire for years. Then again, I've got a stupid infatuation with some of the Daimler-Chrysler offerings; the Crossfire and Magnum (and by extension, the 300 by default) are two of my favorite vehicles. After that, everything is all about how quirky / cool something looks. Solid review. Keep it up, Ed; you're quickly becoming one of my favorite creators on YT.
It's a shame the Magnum didn't survive when the Charger/Challenger/300 got updated; the design and material quality took such a big step with the LD 11+ cars versus the 05-10 LX platform cars. An LD-platform Magnum (yes that surely includes all the Hellcat stuff) would've been mega.
Even my 2001 Pontiac Bonnevilles both have automatic dual zone climate control. Dang. Get a better car, haha. You certainly don't need very much money to do so. I paid 1200 for one, 3000 for another. Get a Bonnie!
I bet that red blue dial has better resolution than going a whole degree Celsius anyway. Hes saying "what if im not happy at this much blue" but what if 18 is too hot and 17 is too cold.
@@awesomeferret Well a 2000+ Bonneville is a Cadillac Seville/Deville with a Pontiac wrapper. So yeah it's a cut above the average sedan in features/content.
Great review, I used to be a technician at a Dodge Chrysler Jeep dealer and we would always call them "Cross-dressers." Your assessment of it is spot on, lukewarm attempt that was really forced on them by Daimler management.
I was a Mercedes technician and always wondered what Chrysler technicians thought of the Crossfire. The first generation SLK (R170) were terrible vehicles, definitely one of the worst Mercedes ever made.
That's what happens when you allow peacounters and marketing freaks to decide on products: fancy junk with lots of show biz. And they're doing it to Mercedes too.
@@andrewweltlich9065 We had very low opinions on the crossfire. About the only good thing they had (and one of the few good things Mercedes gave Chrysler) was the 722.6 transmission.
@@Dwendele We had no problems fixing them, there is really nothing complicated about them. The only thing that I could see being an issue now days is there is an adapter with a programming card for the Chrysler DRBIII so it can communicate with the Mercedes modules. A lot of them could be damaged now or missing and dealers wont get new ones.
I briefly dated a girl that owned a Crossfire. I drove it a few times, and it was fun to drive. And she pointed out to me that it was a Mercedes more than a few times. I enjoyed driving the car, definitely, but I would not say that I was very impressed with it. But, needless to say, I never let her drive my sw20 MR2 in turn.
Rather liked it myself. Always wanted "compact" luxury, and hand-me-downs from Benz ain't such a bad place to be. What is bad is Benz's upkeep and reliability. Not that Chrysler was any great shakes in this department, but at least repair costs would have been more reasonable.
I've had mine for a long time and I love it. It's a head-turner for sure and it's SUPER fun to drive. However, all if the issues you mentioned are definitely true. Another drawback is that it is extremely difficult to find parts and mechanics that are willing/able to work on them. Repairs can get very expensive very quickly. It's a unique car though, and definitely has a cult following. It's best suited as a back-up fun car rather than your main vehicle.
Take it to a mercedes mechanic. I love mine as well. There is nothing like it. It's planted, handles like it's on rails, and looks good going down the road. An under 10k enthusiasts car bargain.
I think you hit the spot... I enjoy it more on a sunny day on the backroads than on my daily commute (unless the sun shines). And I'll admit this is not the most straight forward choice for a daily driver.
I have actually been looking at T-birds! Especially because they do come with floaty suspension. However, they are heavy, thirsty, expensive and above all, rare over here so getting replacement part sis a challenge... unfortunately.....
@@douglasb.1203 Not sure I agree. I have a 2002 T-bird -and- a '05 Crossfire. The Crossfire has a MUCH better stereo, more trunk space, much better steering and tire-grip on the road, and a faster 0-60 mph time. It's also 50% more fuel efficient on the highway. The Thunderbird by contrast has softer seats, and two proper cupholders.
I had a first-generation SLK for 9 years and let's just say its interior quality wasn't much better than the Crossfire. By the time I totaled it last year, all the paint had flaked off the center console, the metal "gate" surrounding the automatic shift lever had popped out and was only being held in by friction, the headliner sagged to the point where I had to just rip it out, both the glove compartment and the center console storage lid wouldn't stay shut, and the roof leaked all over the passenger seat when it rained. If anything, the cupholder situation in the Crossfire, however janky, was vastly preferable to that in the SLK whose placement at the top of the dash would cause condensation to leak all over the stereo on hot days (I got into the habit of keeping paper towels in the car at all times). Oh, and that cupholder broke too. Funny thing is, I still miss that car. I didn't find the suspension harsh at all and had no problems taking it on 8+ hour road trips (when it didn't break down, mind you). I cried like I'd lost a pet after I cleaned it out for the last time and took the plates off it. Still, I never saw the point of the Crossfire in general. Like, why buy an SLK without the SLK's main party trick?
I recently had a conversation with my Dad, who's a mechanic. I made him laugh when I sent this to him... Words German engineers have never heard: Durable Serviceable Economical Words German engineers live by: Precision Snobbery
My sister in California, USA daily drives her Crossfire since she bought it new. This year the computer went out and the car was dead. Chrysler wouldn't fix it and Mercedes wouldn't fix it. She finally found an independent mechanic that specializes in European cars that put a junkyard computer into it to get it running again. She still loves it.
Doh! Too late... he already put a Xfire junkyard computer into it. The smart money takes the intake manifold off the equivalent SLK and the SLK computer for a quick bump in power! Lovely how Benz didn't want the Crossfire to be just an uglier, crappier version of the SLK, but also chose to hobble its (insufficient) horsepower too...
Chrysler got stuck with so many of these they offered them to employees on a very cheap lease to get them on the streets. I was the beneficiary of one of those leases - I was glad to experience it and was glad when it went away...
Ah yes, the Prowler. Sadly it was another 'looks good on paper' car but failed in the market. It came with the same V-6 as this Crossfire did instead of a proper V-8. It also had awkward front design due to the need for a bumper and fender over the front wheels
I had a 2004 coupe with the Manual Transmission, was really fun to drive and sounded great. But as you said in the outro, I got tired of driving it daily, it rode so stiff and rough… and the Manual was NOT geared for heavy traffic either. So I had it 12 months and got rid of it. I don’t regret owning it though, it was fun, unlike any car I’ve ever owned, and I miss it sometimes. It’s on odd one, but I’m glad they made it.
As a 308cc owner for 10 years (and a printer), my impression is: “LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO DO NOT HAVE A CONVERTIBLE IF YOU CAN AFFORD ONE”! XD Nice ride, Ed!! Cheers from Brazil!
i have not had a convertible since I owned a 2009 BMW 3 with twin turbos and a six-speed manual transmission. Traded it in 2012. I've owned 11 convertibles, my favorite being a 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass. In Florida there are two months a year when you rarely have a top-down day - July and August. Modern cars allow you to use the air-conditioner with the top down so I used the BMW even then. I want another convertible but right now I have other things to concentrate on.
Well Ed, I say that as long as you keep making videos as good as this one, it will not be long before you can upgrade to a car that will impress you more. I am anxious to see what that car will be. Keep up the good work bro !
That is a Chrysler trait. The body make them look like a higher class car, but cheap out on the little details. Back in 2002, I wanted a convertible, and was comparing the Sebring with a Toyota Solara. They looked similar, but the Solara was just more refined, it could have been a Lexus model.
Nearly bought one of these back in 2019. Passed up on it for a Mazda 3 6 speed. 120K miles later I think I made the right choice. Really enjoy your videos!
I like the crazy crossfire, makes me smile whenever I see one. I went the 350z route in 2003, and later the TT route - awesome review as always - cheers from Brisbane
Oh, Ed. 😔 You're the only person I know (sorta) who actually traded down. That Hyundai was a much better car. Oh well, at least you have a convertible for the summer, and this was again, another great video! 👍
The plastics on the DaimlerChrysler-era cars were... woof. The sun visors could draw blood if you weren't careful when moving them. This entry from Edmunds' Inside Line blog (I miss them!) about their long-term 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan says a lot: The interior quality of our long term 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan is so disappointing, it's difficult for me to put it into words. But I'm going to give it a shot. This van feels like it was designed and assembled by apes. Apes that were pounded mercilessly by bean counters to get more cost out of the poor resulting van's interior... Apes that have never been in a Honda Odyssey. Apes that have no respect for their customers. Apes that have no problem sleeping at night after selling people a plasticy, poorly put together crapmobile for the ridiculous sum of $40,200. If I spent that much of my hard earned dollars on this van, the first thing I would do is drive it head long into a bridge abutment. Sure, I'd probably be dead. But at least I wouldn't have to drive it anymore. Or pay for it. And remember, I haven't once complained about the Caravan's nonexistent brakes, or its apparently missing rear suspension, or its 4.0-liter V6 which feels and sounds like it's full of rocks. No, I'm only talking about its interior, which is seemingly without a soft surface, a properly aligned panel or a single switchgear that delivers a pleasing tactile sensation. Hey, what do you want for $40K? Quality? Instead the Grand Caravan feels like Dodge just doesn't care. Like the company has given up. Take the Caravan's shifter for instance. You must use it every time you drive the car, so it should feel good right? Common sense. But the Caravan's shifter doesn't feel good. It feels like one of my five year old's art projects. It crashes into Drive with such a junky clatter you'd swear Dodge forgot to install some bushing or some little piece of something that's supposed to make it not feel that lame. But Dodge didn't forget. Instead the company left it out to save money. Even the little + sign on the shifter has already jettisoned itself. It seems our Detroit Editor Dan Pund wiped it off with the tip of his index finger by accident when he was doing a bit of cookie crumb removal. Pathetic. Guess somebody at Dodge realized the permanent ink would have cost extra.
The worst thing is the interiors were better before Daimler got involved. I was just a kid when they were new, but to this day I have such a soft spot for the Concorde and 300M. Beautiful inside and out. But by the mid 2000s every Chrysler/Dodge suddenly had a hard, cheap, light gray plastic interior. It was sad to watch happen.
Lol who fucking cares what elitist mags say and why would you believe them? Car & Driver, Motor Trend, JD Powers and all their ilk have been anti-US cars since the late '60s- it's an unspoken agenda. Only with bribes would an American car get a pass. Don't clutch your pearls this is facts. Cultural Marxism is very real. And the Dodge Caravan's interior was phenomenal, I owned a 2006 so the hysterics about shit level interior is just someone talking out their ass.
I had a 2005 limited roadster for 16 years. Loved it!!!! So much fun to drive..Fast, beautiful looking, and I never had a mechanical issue with it. It packs a lot of power!!! However, the cup holder is useless, I bought a side cup holder that fixed that problem and yes the interior was Tinfoil looking 😂 but I was the second owner and the price was right…This was my summer car. I finally sold her when I got too old to get in and out of it 😢.
I always thought the strakes in the hood hearken back to the 1930-whatever Chrysler Airflow. There is an air of Art Deco about the aesthetic...particularly the font of the "Crossfire" badge. And after all, they DID build The Chrysler Building.
Looked at this car in Australia back in 2005. The price was so out of touch with the competition the cars rotted away on the forecourt until they were trucked back to Brisbane. Kias interiors looked more upmarket.
I was always intrigued by the Crossfire.... an American version of a European roadster. I always wondered - Cool design, but how does it drive? I've seen several reviews on them... all of them were mixed. Ed, nice to see you get some screen time for a change. The camera loves you! 😀
Thank you Ed. You were honest and I hope you will get the car you want for your next car. It is interesting how they took out content for Chrysler and left it in for Mercedes Benz. They I guess were not going to be upstaged. It was not a merger of equals. You were to the point and entertaining as usual.
Did anyone else get the distinct feeling we were watching a new version of Top Gear? Seriously... Bang-up job, Ed! Also... Answer your damned emails. Lol.
A lot of the things you don’t like are pure Mercedes-Benz of the period. I used to own a 1999 C-Class saloon. It had the red-white-blue climate temperature dials with no numbers. It had the same turn signal and cruise control stalks with the wipers switched by twisting the end of the turn signal stalk. I found them easy to use. I much preferred the cruise control stalk to steering wheel buttons on everything I drive now. The transmission W/S setting is pure Mercedes-Benz. According to the driver’s manual I had, S is ‘Standard’ and uses all five gears. W is ‘Winter’ and deletes 1st gear so you start off in 2nd gear, supposedly to reduce wheel spin on ice and soft snow.
Living in Michigan, I’ve seen a few of these around. But almost none in recent years. Glad to see a review to see what I was missing as a kid. Thanks, Ed!
I've never driven one, but I like the looks. Especially back. Very, very few cars looks good from the back. I also like the looks of most of the Chrysler lineup, though I've heard they are not great cars as such.
My dad is retiring this year and accordingly bought a Crossfire a few months ago. I'm not sure why, but at least he got it for half of what they usually sell for. The first time I sat in it I immediately opened the cup holder by accident. Its also quite a snug fit for tall people.
I always adored the design of the Crossfire and the Porsche 928, two divine vehicles that seem to have fallen out of favor. I just love the way it looks -- the rear end is very voluptuous. I look forward to your review of this sexy set of wheels.
You should look for a 2003-2005 Ford Thunderbird. Jaguar platform (including engine), so parts should not be a problem over there. Certainly will have the boulevard ride you want.
Great video Ed! Fascinating to see your honest review of this car. I remember this car being launched and thought it looked great at the time…. 😂 looking forward to seeing your next one!
I had a 2004 Crossfire, and that " satin nickel finish " or whatever they called it was HORRIBLE. It was so bad in fact that, it was peeling on my driver door pull, and I had sliced my fingers open a couple times before I finally gave up and used electrical tape around the doorpull. That being said, it was a super fun, unique interesting car, and I really enjoyed it. Mostly because it was rare to see another one.
0:51 what happened with Mercedes and Chrysler was NOT a “partnership” or “Merger of Equals”, it was a hostile takeover in all but name because DaimlerBenz was floundering in the late 90s and they saw all of the success that Chrysler was having (they launched 6 completely redesigned or all new platforms in the span of 4 years ranging from minivans to halo sports cars) and saw the 1 billion dollars in profits that Chrysler was saving for a rainy day and immediately started talks with Chrysler’s CEO at the time Bob Eaton. Once the deal was done, the German engineers and management started to treat Chrysler engineers as “inferior” and proceeded to decontent Chrysler’s products and funnel large amounts of cash into the German half of the company. Once the damage was complete in 2008, Daimler proceeded to dump Chrysler’s hollowed out husk where it was bought by hedge fund Cerberus Group. Then after the bankruptcy proceedings in 2009, Fiat bought Chrysler from Cerberus Group nursed it back to profitability with the redesigned lineup in 2011.
Kudos for your explanation of the center crease! I owned a 2001 SLK 320 S1 and I do recognize both the interior and the engine. BTW, also the Merc had those non-numbered climate control wheels. However, the S1 SLK 320 car was striaght from the Malaise-Era of Mercedes and mine had problems from Day 1, including (from new) water pump and electrical issues. Also, the retro- illuminated orange numbers on the white guages were invisible in daylight - whose idea was that? I hope he was fired.
I am a new subscriber and found Ed’s evaluation to be spot on. I fell in love with the crossfire back in 2005 when I was a hihh school drafting teacher and coached young aspiring automotive designers in design competitions in Pittsburgh, PA. I was sorrly disappointed when I test drove one and realized how cheaply made they were. The designer of the beautiful body deserves a shout out, though. Eric Stoddard graduated from a school in Pittsburgh’s sister city, Cleveland, Ohio.
Yup, sums it up. Dad has had an 06' automatic since new. 100+k mi odo. Roof actuators need replaced; doesn't retract. Spoiler actuators recently also stopped functioning; won't retract. Head gasket needed replaced around 80k. Blower motor doesn't work properly since 70k. TPMS sensors stopped communicating with computer almost a decade ago. They have been replaced but still light remains on; none of the local tire shops can get it corrected. So, yeah, expect expensive shop bills if you want one
My ex had one from new, put 30,000kms in 3 years then traded it for a R32 Golf. The interior was cheap and rattly, although I didn't mind the seats it had the tan interior. The thing could be a handful in the wet if you were trying to hustle it. The transmission was slow and kinda clunky, it was rather thirsty too. But if the weather was right and road was flowing it was nice. Didn't mind driving actually rather liked but was happy to get back in my VW Bora V6 4motion which didn't feel cheap was comfortable and actually handled well.
Every time I see a Chrysler Crossfire I am forced to sing that song from the commercial for the game Crossfire in the 90's. It was a dumb game but a had catchy commercial where the only lyric was "Crossfire" then a slightly higher pitch "CrossFiiiieeerrrrrrr!!!!"
I had a Crossfire Roadster for a few years (in our Dutch climate) and I really LOVED it during Summer. Never saw so many thumbs up, although before that I drove a Ford Cougar and after that a Infiniti EX3.7. But during Winter the Crossfire was and absolute disaster. In snowy conditions it wouldn’t even leave the parking spot. 😂
This guy has very little knowledge and didn't research this car and what it was meant to be a bit. I have owned both a 2004 NA Coupe and recently found a Crossfire SRT6. That car has 354 HP and a supercharged V6 engine hand built by AMG. With another $1,000 of tuning my car puts out over 430 HP, which is known as the Corvette Killer. It beats most cars on the drag strips still today 18 years later. Driving a Crossfire is unique and I constantly get people who come up, walk around the car and compliment me. It draws more attention than my 911. The mechanics are literally bullet proof. The M112 and supercharged M113k engines are bullet proof. Some of the best Merc has ever built. The styling is so much more sophisticated than any car on the road today. What vehicle has so much detail, curves and shapes? That said the suspension on the SRT6 is a little stiffer than the NA Coupe/Roadster as they have always been meant to be a grand tourer with quick get up and go. Hence the motto "Autobahn meets Route66". The best part about these is the incredible value. I bought a real AMG with 25K miles for $14,000. You can't find anything similar for that price. And when you actually join the Crossfireforum.org, which btw is the best car club I have ever been a part of with a library of information there might be 4 issues that can come up with Crossfire's. All of them can be fixed by yourself without putting the car on a lift for less than $100. And two of them for free by removing a piece. This is hands down the most fun car I have ever owned and it's a total sleeper. Don't look any further and don't listen to people like this guy who seems to have not done any due diligence or research on what this car is. PS the fact that suspension is a little bit stiffer, simply means you can feel connected to the road more. Only downside was the steering as it's the old recirculating ball steering but you get used to it. Besides that I have been a fan and will continue to enjoy the car that everyone just checks out and find "sexy" when I pull up anywhere. It's a beautiful car with the highest quality standard and built in Germany by Karmann. It shows in all the components after 18 years. The paint was a specialized multi layer paint and is so sturdy there is no fading or cracking even after all these years of my Coupe sitting in the Florida sun. Don't believe what you hear, check into them and hopefully purchase one. It will provide you with a perma grin. And for the OP to even compare this beautiful, unique hybrid between American styling and German engineering to his boring and totally run off the mill vehicle that looks like any other cheap Japanese/Korean car is a disgrace. But I'm sure this comment will be deleted cause the truth hurts.
I bought a new Dodge car in the 1990s. It was so cheaply made. A ton of things broke on it, including the transmission. The 6 cylinder engine only had 3 cylinders working, so the engine had to be lifted to change the spark plugs! The driver side door handle broke. The passenger side lock broke. The sunroof cover broke repeatedly. I had to put about 12 different batteries in it because they would die quickly. Such a money pit. I hope your Chrysler car does better than my Dodge did. I will never buy another vehicle made by the Chrysler corporation again.
Hi Ed, that car doesn't come with automatic climate control, so no temperatures are used. It's basically what in the US would be called manual A/C that happens to allow temp adjust on both driver and passenger sides.
you said EVERYTHING that needed to be said at 1:24 of the video. i had just started my 3rd year in Chrysler Corporation when out of the blue, everyone in the plant (i worked in a tool and die build plant) was herded to the cafeteria and were subjected to a dog and pony show that at first glance looked as if things might be good! part of the daimler benz organization. it didnt take long to realize that our $9 Billion dollar cash reserves were converted into Deutsche Marks and we were left holding the bag of left over parts and designs. the next 9 years were tough. then being dumped off to the venture capitalists at Cerberus. then spun off to 'New Chrysler' or whatever they called it and then bankruptcy where Obama forced us to partner with Fiat. then FCA merged with PSA in France and be part of Stellantis... i wish Bob Eaton had never met Schremp....
I have always liked the styling on these and the colour is lovely. It looks in good condition. I just hope it doesn’t rot away like the Mk1 SLK, I have never seen so many really rotten ones. And the interior is really bad for quality. It’s such a shame. I totally get why you got it for the design. Great review
I bought a black '05 6MT convertible brand new. It looked cool. With the top up, it looked like the Batmobile. But it was impractical and like you said, uncomfortable. The seats had little cushioning. I found the power very underwhelming and the power band felt truck-like. The exhaust was too quiet. It didn't feel sporty at all. I did really like the way the shifter clunked through the gears. It sounded and felt quality in that respect. I'm surprised you didn't mention that big, balky handle needed to lock and unlock the top.
So many people dumping on Ed's choice here. But if any of you have done any used car shopping lately, it isn't about going out and finding something as much as something at a local yard showed up and the price was right and it was in good condition. Compared to all the bloated suvs and pickup trucks at most used car lots, this is pretty neat. Drive it for a couple of seasons and trade it in on something else.
As somebody who owns more than one FCA product and has a soft spot for older Mopars, I say eff Daimler. The "merger" was a disaster...by the time the Crossfire came to market Daimler had pretty much bled Chrysler dry of money and resources. It showed in their products and there was basically nothing they could realistically do about it. Sergio Marchionne and FIAT saved the company and I'll always be grateful for it.
Chrysler products have had cheap, plasticy looking dashboards/instrument panels since 1968. But, I always loved the look of the back of the Crossfire hatchback, it was classic and different.
It’s the all American roadster! Except for the parts that aren’t which is most of it. Love the Crossfire, and it’s a good choice Ed! Bold given others would choose stuff like the Z4, TT roadster, Boxster and countless MX-5s.
10:00 one thing not a lot of people know is that with most Chryslers you can turn off the traction control but not the stability control. Only on the SRT’s can both be turned off
I had a neighbor that had a Crossfire convertible. He was very proud of and belonged to a Crossfire owners club. I think they look ok, but having been burned by two Chrysler products already, I steer clear of them. Though I have been tempted to buy a final year Challenger with a Hemi and 6spd manual.
Ed, love your choice of Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Fire. No, Carl Palmer was not on the version we all hear on the radio but yes he was on the video version wearing something from the future by Slipknot 😂 and took Arthur Brown's keyboard player Vincent Crane to form Atomic Rooster and Emerson Lake and Palmer arrived sometime later 😅
I've got an 01 Mercedes slk320.... Pretty much the same car. Hopefully, the Crossfire doesn't fall under the same security system issues as mine has. I've got a "start fault" that has been diagnosed as a security cutoff. ONLY fixable by a mercedes dealership.... $800-$1000 dollars to just put it on there lot to be fixed. Been told it's a 5 minute fix. But ONLY fixable by mercedes6
I learned to drive on a dodge magnum, (a chrysler 300 wagon) and every other car I have driven either had the cruise on the wheel, or no cruse at all. I never knew the setup was strange until now. That being said, I think you would like the chrysler 300 as a car. It has slightly less interior shortcomings, rides like a cloud, and has all the power in the world (with the V8) And it was cheap! Great review, look forward to more in the future.
That clip from Arthur Brown Fire… I saw Arthur Brown in concert 4 yrs ago with Emerson Lake and Palmer. I totally forgot I’d seen that show until your video😂😂 Man, I was hammered! Also, interesting video.
My 08 Chrysler 300C has a nanny traction control and I learned that to turn it off completely, the car has to be moving at least 15 miles per hour and you turn the key to the start position, while moving, for something like 10 seconds. You'll know it's deactivated because the stability control and traction control lights will come on.
Classic Chrysler/Dodge interior of the era; swaths of chintzy grey plastics, electroplated faux metal finishes, creaky squeaky moving components, and panel gaps that make Ford cringe. Though whenever I see the fastback I'm always reminded of Clarkson saying that in profile it looks like a dog parking his breakfast.
Get a Tesla! I have 2. I owned lots of cool cars as a young man for instance 1st car at 16 was 79’ Celica, 2nd car at 18 was 72’ 240Z 3rd Datsun 69’ 2000 Roadster. A bunch of my former and current cars are in the Pedersen Auto Museum in So Cal. If you haven’t been there please do yourself a favor. I love your Channel. Keep up the great work. Thank you Ed✌🏻
Yes, you said it right at the end of the video. Its a good car to step in to convertibles. But this small rear spoiler is very cool. The slk doesn’t have it.
In America we don’t need to close our cupholders. We just need them to get bigger. I remember being surprised by the overall “Chryslerness“ of the switchgear on A 2012 SLK. Mercedes did get some thing out of the merger!
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I'd like to rectify that I might have been a bit too harsh. The better the weather, the more I started to enjoy and have fun with it! But, as others point out, maybe this isn't the best of choiche for daily driving, and a better choiche for weekend cruising. Simply because the car doesn't fully meet my wishes and demands doesn't automatically mean it's a bad car.
It's a Chrysler, which doesn't automatically mean it's a bad car, but does mean that it probably isn't particularly good.
@@sg-yq8pm it's a mercedes slk320 or slk32 amg if you get the srt-6 version. With a manual transmission that mercedes never dared to do. There is a lot of good about these cars.
Kudos to you--being willing to adjust an opinion is a good quality. Just came upon your vids today and am very impressed-they’re informative and entertaining (it’s not easy to be both.) Looking forward to seeing each of them.
If it is so bad, why did you buy it? 🤣 Don't forget that Chrysler once brought us the Dodge Charger Daytona. 🚗
To the person who pointed out that Chrysler made some cherry nice cars and still does from Hellcat to Daytona Etc I will just add Imperial. A car that was the Rival to the Lincoln Continental and the finest Cadillac in other words the royalty of American cars.
When the Crossfire came out, I went to test drive a manual transmission one. It wouldn't go into 2nd gear. This was a brand new car. Dealer tried, and he couldn't either. That told me everything I needed to know about this quality merger of two automotive giants...
PT Cruisers had terrible manual shifters as well... it's just not a US thing.
Enough said! Hahahaha
I'll take things that never happened for $300 Alex
The car simply didn't wanted you to drive it.. next driver xD
Yo Diggity Dog. I owned a 2005 Xfire Roadster from 2019 until this year, so for 4 years. Bought it at 33K miles & sold it at 45K miles and made $4,000 in the process. Gotta love our crazy car prices! Anywho, I did ALL my own maintenance so I'll throw you a couple bones.
1) The interior door pulls are wrapped (not plated) in a shiny metallic "tape", for lack of a better word. The seam runs North to South in the center of the pull facing the door, where you can't see it. Every time "you" grab the door-pull your fingers run across that seam and that gradually starts to pull it up and it begins flaking off with the ragged bits happy to give you a bleeding cut. You can remove the door-pull by prying off the front cover and removing 2 screws leaving the door-panel undisturbed. Take the pull to a plating company. Have them remove the wrap-coating and chrome-plate the entire part like they should have done in the first place.
2) Almost *EVERY mechanical part* is 100% the same as from a 2004 Mercedes-Benz SLK320. I advise right now to forget that the car says 'CHRYSLER' on it as they stopped carrying most of the parts in 2020 and the 1 mechanic who was trained to work on it at each dealership is long gone. Any 'Indy' German car repair shop will work on it.
3) If the ride is truly unacceptable to you there is an easy fix. Buy the 17" wheels that came on the SLK320 and sell your 19" Xfire wheels. The 17" tires have much more sidewall on them giving much more flex going over bumps.
I have a convertible manual Crossfire. I've had it 15 years. It's done about 50,ooo miles. It has never let me down ever. The fuel consumption is very good. On a run taking it easy I've had 49mpg at 50mph. Town driving 28-30. Normal motorway driving about 4ompg. It will go 0-60 in under 6 seconds and goes off the clock flat out.
The engine is bullet-proof. And still everywhere it gets parked in the summer when it's polished people take a picture as they don't know what it is.
I bought it when it was two almost three years old for £9500.
The car has been dynamite. Bought it for my wife. Was going to the showroom to buy a Mercedes SLK at more than twice the price with higher mileage. My wife seen this in the Chrysler showroom opposite and that was it.
Changed from continental tyres to Avons on advice of some guy I spoke with in Las Vegas. Transformed the ride and handling on UK roads.
All my other cars are Mercedes and which I don't recommend.
15 years trouble free motoring.
Just an alternative point of view. 😊
I'd been eyeing the Crossfire for years. Then again, I've got a stupid infatuation with some of the Daimler-Chrysler offerings; the Crossfire and Magnum (and by extension, the 300 by default) are two of my favorite vehicles. After that, everything is all about how quirky / cool something looks.
Solid review. Keep it up, Ed; you're quickly becoming one of my favorite creators on YT.
I have no idea why I love the Magnum, but man it’s such a cool car imo
Magnum was a nice riding, useful car!
They should rerelease the Magnum
@@smileymalaise cars are mostly dead, unfortunately. But it's not like I don't drive an SUV myself...
It's a shame the Magnum didn't survive when the Charger/Challenger/300 got updated; the design and material quality took such a big step with the LD 11+ cars versus the 05-10 LX platform cars. An LD-platform Magnum (yes that surely includes all the Hellcat stuff) would've been mega.
I don't think I've ever been in a car where the digital thermostat was anything more than a red/blue dial in disguise. Love your show, Ed!
Even my 2001 Pontiac Bonnevilles both have automatic dual zone climate control. Dang. Get a better car, haha. You certainly don't need very much money to do so. I paid 1200 for one, 3000 for another. Get a Bonnie!
I bet that red blue dial has better resolution than going a whole degree Celsius anyway. Hes saying "what if im not happy at this much blue" but what if 18 is too hot and 17 is too cold.
The Geo Metro had something similar to that.
@@awesomeferret Well a 2000+ Bonneville is a Cadillac Seville/Deville with a Pontiac wrapper. So yeah it's a cut above the average sedan in features/content.
Great review, I used to be a technician at a Dodge Chrysler Jeep dealer and we would always call them "Cross-dressers." Your assessment of it is spot on, lukewarm attempt that was really forced on them by Daimler management.
I was a Mercedes technician and always wondered what Chrysler technicians thought of the Crossfire. The first generation SLK (R170) were terrible vehicles, definitely one of the worst Mercedes ever made.
Can those dealers fix a Mercedes slk? Like, computer issues? Or do I REALLY have to take to Mercedes?
That's what happens when you allow peacounters and marketing freaks to decide on products: fancy junk with lots of show biz. And they're doing it to Mercedes too.
@@andrewweltlich9065 We had very low opinions on the crossfire. About the only good thing they had (and one of the few good things Mercedes gave Chrysler) was the 722.6 transmission.
@@Dwendele We had no problems fixing them, there is really nothing complicated about them. The only thing that I could see being an issue now days is there is an adapter with a programming card for the Chrysler DRBIII so it can communicate with the Mercedes modules. A lot of them could be damaged now or missing and dealers wont get new ones.
I briefly dated a girl that owned a Crossfire. I drove it a few times, and it was fun to drive. And she pointed out to me that it was a Mercedes more than a few times. I enjoyed driving the car, definitely, but I would not say that I was very impressed with it. But, needless to say, I never let her drive my sw20 MR2 in turn.
Rather liked it myself.
Always wanted "compact" luxury, and hand-me-downs from Benz ain't such a bad place to be.
What is bad is Benz's upkeep and reliability.
Not that Chrysler was any great shakes in this department, but at least repair costs would have been more reasonable.
@@quintessenceSL Cheaper to buy a generic accessory piece to cover the problem than genuine Mercedes replacement parts.
@@quintessenceSLMy benz is over 200,000+ miles.
I've had mine for a long time and I love it. It's a head-turner for sure and it's SUPER fun to drive. However, all if the issues you mentioned are definitely true. Another drawback is that it is extremely difficult to find parts and mechanics that are willing/able to work on them. Repairs can get very expensive very quickly. It's a unique car though, and definitely has a cult following. It's best suited as a back-up fun car rather than your main vehicle.
Take it to a mercedes mechanic. I love mine as well. There is nothing like it. It's planted, handles like it's on rails, and looks good going down the road. An under 10k enthusiasts car bargain.
I think you hit the spot... I enjoy it more on a sunny day on the backroads than on my daily commute (unless the sun shines). And I'll admit this is not the most straight forward choice for a daily driver.
Ed, your next car after this has to be a 2005 Thunderbird. A comparison between those two would make for a great video.
Thunderbird is so much better
I have actually been looking at T-birds! Especially because they do come with floaty suspension. However, they are heavy, thirsty, expensive and above all, rare over here so getting replacement part sis a challenge... unfortunately.....
@@EdsAutoReviews The late model T-birds ride on the DEW98 platform which is shared with the Jaguar S type if that makes parts availability any better
@@douglasb.1203 Not sure I agree. I have a 2002 T-bird -and- a '05 Crossfire.
The Crossfire has a MUCH better stereo, more trunk space, much better steering and tire-grip on the road, and a faster 0-60 mph time.
It's also 50% more fuel efficient on the highway. The Thunderbird by contrast has softer seats, and two proper cupholders.
I had a first-generation SLK for 9 years and let's just say its interior quality wasn't much better than the Crossfire. By the time I totaled it last year, all the paint had flaked off the center console, the metal "gate" surrounding the automatic shift lever had popped out and was only being held in by friction, the headliner sagged to the point where I had to just rip it out, both the glove compartment and the center console storage lid wouldn't stay shut, and the roof leaked all over the passenger seat when it rained. If anything, the cupholder situation in the Crossfire, however janky, was vastly preferable to that in the SLK whose placement at the top of the dash would cause condensation to leak all over the stereo on hot days (I got into the habit of keeping paper towels in the car at all times). Oh, and that cupholder broke too. Funny thing is, I still miss that car. I didn't find the suspension harsh at all and had no problems taking it on 8+ hour road trips (when it didn't break down, mind you). I cried like I'd lost a pet after I cleaned it out for the last time and took the plates off it. Still, I never saw the point of the Crossfire in general. Like, why buy an SLK without the SLK's main party trick?
Wow, a friend of mine got one gifted to them new, it made it to 2009 before getting scrapped out
That was an awesome gift back in the day.
That legendary chrysler+Mercedes-Benz build quality after the warranty is gone is something to behold
I recently had a conversation with my Dad, who's a mechanic. I made him laugh when I sent this to him...
Words German engineers have never heard:
Durable
Serviceable
Economical
Words German engineers live by:
Precision
Snobbery
My sister in California, USA daily drives her Crossfire since she bought it new. This year the computer went out and the car was dead. Chrysler wouldn't fix it and Mercedes wouldn't fix it. She finally found an independent mechanic that specializes in European cars that put a junkyard computer into it to get it running again. She still loves it.
Doh! Too late... he already put a Xfire junkyard computer into it. The smart money takes the intake manifold off the equivalent SLK and the SLK computer for a quick bump in power! Lovely how Benz didn't want the Crossfire to be just an uglier, crappier version of the SLK, but also chose to hobble its (insufficient) horsepower too...
I loved mine, same spec as yours. What I liked most was that they depreciated very fast and I got it at a reasonable price.
Chrysler got stuck with so many of these they offered them to employees on a very cheap lease to get them on the streets. I was the beneficiary of one of those leases - I was glad to experience it and was glad when it went away...
Sounds like my last boat...
I always liked the look of the Crossfire and credit to Chrysler in these years for putting out some interesting cars like this and the Prowler.
Ah yes, the Prowler. Sadly it was another 'looks good on paper' car but failed in the market. It came with the same V-6 as this Crossfire did instead of a proper V-8. It also had awkward front design due to the need for a bumper and fender over the front wheels
@@leonb2637
I disagree. Liked the fenders.
I had a 2004 coupe with the Manual Transmission, was really fun to drive and sounded great. But as you said in the outro, I got tired of driving it daily, it rode so stiff and rough… and the Manual was NOT geared for heavy traffic either. So I had it 12 months and got rid of it.
I don’t regret owning it though, it was fun, unlike any car I’ve ever owned, and I miss it sometimes. It’s on odd one, but I’m glad they made it.
I more I hear about these, the more I'm happy with my NB Miata/MX-5. Hard to drive without smiling and the roof's down whenever the rain's absent.
As a 308cc owner for 10 years (and a printer), my impression is: “LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO DO NOT HAVE A CONVERTIBLE IF YOU CAN AFFORD ONE”! XD Nice ride, Ed!! Cheers from Brazil!
I could not imagine life without a convertible!
@@danmccarthy4700 With the UK weather, a convertible is nice for about four weeks a year :)
i have not had a convertible since I owned a 2009 BMW 3 with twin turbos and a six-speed manual transmission. Traded it in 2012. I've owned 11 convertibles, my favorite being a 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass. In Florida there are two months a year when you rarely have a top-down day - July and August. Modern cars allow you to use the air-conditioner with the top down so I used the BMW even then. I want another convertible but right now I have other things to concentrate on.
Well Ed, I say that as long as you keep making videos as good as this one, it will not be long before you can upgrade to a car that will impress you more. I am anxious to see what that car will be. Keep up the good work bro !
It's a shame the Crossfire is such a piece of junk. It's a sharp looking car.
The rear of the car doesn’t match the styling of the front. Square versus round.
To you. I think they're ugly
Ok Chrysler misfire 🌧
That is a Chrysler trait. The body make them look like a higher class car, but cheap out on the little details. Back in 2002, I wanted a convertible, and was comparing the Sebring with a Toyota Solara. They looked similar, but the Solara was just more refined, it could have been a Lexus model.
Junk? I had one and loved it. It wasn’t junky at all.
And the 1st gen SLK is still one of my dream cars.
Great looks that harkens back to pony cars, but with a modern touch.
Nearly bought one of these back in 2019. Passed up on it for a Mazda 3 6 speed. 120K miles later I think I made the right choice. Really enjoy your videos!
Nice car you found
I like the crazy crossfire, makes me smile whenever I see one. I went the 350z route in 2003, and later the TT route - awesome review as always - cheers from Brisbane
Oh, Ed. 😔 You're the only person I know (sorta) who actually traded down. That Hyundai was a much better car. Oh well, at least you have a convertible for the summer, and this was again, another great video! 👍
The plastics on the DaimlerChrysler-era cars were... woof. The sun visors could draw blood if you weren't careful when moving them. This entry from Edmunds' Inside Line blog (I miss them!) about their long-term 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan says a lot:
The interior quality of our long term 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan is so disappointing, it's difficult for me to put it into words. But I'm going to give it a shot.
This van feels like it was designed and assembled by apes. Apes that were pounded mercilessly by bean counters to get more cost out of the poor resulting van's interior...
Apes that have never been in a Honda Odyssey. Apes that have no respect for their customers. Apes that have no problem sleeping at night after selling people a plasticy, poorly put together crapmobile for the ridiculous sum of $40,200.
If I spent that much of my hard earned dollars on this van, the first thing I would do is drive it head long into a bridge abutment. Sure, I'd probably be dead. But at least I wouldn't have to drive it anymore. Or pay for it. And remember, I haven't once complained about the Caravan's nonexistent brakes, or its apparently missing rear suspension, or its 4.0-liter V6 which feels and sounds like it's full of rocks. No, I'm only talking about its interior, which is seemingly without a soft surface, a properly aligned panel or a single switchgear that delivers a pleasing tactile sensation. Hey, what do you want for $40K? Quality?
Instead the Grand Caravan feels like Dodge just doesn't care. Like the company has given up. Take the Caravan's shifter for instance. You must use it every time you drive the car, so it should feel good right? Common sense. But the Caravan's shifter doesn't feel good. It feels like one of my five year old's art projects. It crashes into Drive with such a junky clatter you'd swear Dodge forgot to install some bushing or some little piece of something that's supposed to make it not feel that lame. But Dodge didn't forget. Instead the company left it out to save money.
Even the little + sign on the shifter has already jettisoned itself. It seems our Detroit Editor Dan Pund wiped it off with the tip of his index finger by accident when he was doing a bit of cookie crumb removal. Pathetic. Guess somebody at Dodge realized the permanent ink would have cost extra.
The worst thing is the interiors were better before Daimler got involved. I was just a kid when they were new, but to this day I have such a soft spot for the Concorde and 300M. Beautiful inside and out. But by the mid 2000s every Chrysler/Dodge suddenly had a hard, cheap, light gray plastic interior. It was sad to watch happen.
Lol who fucking cares what elitist mags say and why would you believe them? Car & Driver, Motor Trend, JD Powers and all their ilk have been anti-US cars since the late '60s- it's an unspoken agenda. Only with bribes would an American car get a pass. Don't clutch your pearls this is facts. Cultural Marxism is very real.
And the Dodge Caravan's interior was phenomenal, I owned a 2006 so the hysterics about shit level interior is just someone talking out their ass.
You are propably only one person on Earth who could made me watch a review of this car
It was so funny when you spoke about the interior I could easily hear all kind of cracking noises from the interior when you even slightly moved🤣
I had a 2005 limited roadster for 16 years. Loved it!!!! So much fun to drive..Fast, beautiful looking, and I never had a mechanical issue with it. It packs a lot of power!!! However, the cup holder is useless, I bought a side cup holder that fixed that problem and yes the interior was Tinfoil looking 😂 but I was the second owner and the price was right…This was my summer car. I finally sold her when I got too old to get in and out of it 😢.
I always thought the strakes in the hood hearken back to the 1930-whatever Chrysler Airflow. There is an air of Art Deco about the aesthetic...particularly the font of the "Crossfire" badge. And after all, they DID build The Chrysler Building.
Looked at this car in Australia back in 2005. The price was so out of touch with the competition the cars rotted away on the forecourt until they were trucked back to Brisbane. Kias interiors looked more upmarket.
I was always intrigued by the Crossfire.... an American version of a European roadster. I always wondered - Cool design, but how does it drive? I've seen several reviews on them... all of them were mixed. Ed, nice to see you get some screen time for a change. The camera loves you! 😀
Thank you Ed. You were honest and I hope you will get the car you want for your next car. It is interesting how they took out content for Chrysler and left it in for Mercedes Benz. They I guess were not going to be upstaged. It was not a merger of equals. You were to the point and entertaining as usual.
Did anyone else get the distinct feeling we were watching a new version of Top Gear? Seriously... Bang-up job, Ed! Also... Answer your damned emails. Lol.
A lot of the things you don’t like are pure Mercedes-Benz of the period. I used to own a 1999 C-Class saloon. It had the red-white-blue climate temperature dials with no numbers. It had the same turn signal and cruise control stalks with the wipers switched by twisting the end of the turn signal stalk. I found them easy to use. I much preferred the cruise control stalk to steering wheel buttons on everything I drive now. The transmission W/S setting is pure Mercedes-Benz. According to the driver’s manual I had, S is ‘Standard’ and uses all five gears. W is ‘Winter’ and deletes 1st gear so you start off in 2nd gear, supposedly to reduce wheel spin on ice and soft snow.
Living in Michigan, I’ve seen a few of these around. But almost none in recent years. Glad to see a review to see what I was missing as a kid. Thanks, Ed!
I've never driven one, but I like the looks. Especially back. Very, very few cars looks good from the back. I also like the looks of most of the Chrysler lineup, though I've heard they are not great cars as such.
My dad is retiring this year and accordingly bought a Crossfire a few months ago. I'm not sure why, but at least he got it for half of what they usually sell for. The first time I sat in it I immediately opened the cup holder by accident. Its also quite a snug fit for tall people.
I always adored the design of the Crossfire and the Porsche 928, two divine vehicles that seem to have fallen out of favor. I just love the way it looks -- the rear end is very voluptuous. I look forward to your review of this sexy set of wheels.
Same two vehicles for me too
Oh yeah, Pontiac Solstice too
The 928 is a serious engineering piece de résistance, the Crossfire is a badge engineering/marketing mistake.
You should look for a 2003-2005 Ford Thunderbird. Jaguar platform (including engine), so parts should not be a problem over there. Certainly will have the boulevard ride you want.
"finds potholes in the road you couldnt even find with a magnifying glass" sounds like my '10 volvo v50 . thanks for your car content ! always awesome
Great video Ed! Fascinating to see your honest review of this car. I remember this car being launched and thought it looked great at the time…. 😂 looking forward to seeing your next one!
I had a 2004 Crossfire, and that " satin nickel finish " or whatever they called it was HORRIBLE. It was so bad in fact that, it was peeling on my driver door pull, and I had sliced my fingers open a couple times before I finally gave up and used electrical tape around the doorpull. That being said, it was a super fun, unique interesting car, and I really enjoyed it. Mostly because it was rare to see another one.
My right handle came off, the ashtray I had to super glue it shut the tires wore out too soon, but I had for 12 years.
0:51 what happened with Mercedes and Chrysler was NOT a “partnership” or “Merger of Equals”, it was a hostile takeover in all but name because DaimlerBenz was floundering in the late 90s and they saw all of the success that Chrysler was having (they launched 6 completely redesigned or all new platforms in the span of 4 years ranging from minivans to halo sports cars) and saw the 1 billion dollars in profits that Chrysler was saving for a rainy day and immediately started talks with Chrysler’s CEO at the time Bob Eaton. Once the deal was done, the German engineers and management started to treat Chrysler engineers as “inferior” and proceeded to decontent Chrysler’s products and funnel large amounts of cash into the German half of the company. Once the damage was complete in 2008, Daimler proceeded to dump Chrysler’s hollowed out husk where it was bought by hedge fund Cerberus Group. Then after the bankruptcy proceedings in 2009, Fiat bought Chrysler from Cerberus Group nursed it back to profitability with the redesigned lineup in 2011.
Right--he's saying that ironically.
Kudos for your explanation of the center crease! I owned a 2001 SLK 320 S1 and I do recognize both the interior and the engine. BTW, also the Merc had those non-numbered climate control wheels. However, the S1 SLK 320 car was striaght from the Malaise-Era of Mercedes and mine had problems from Day 1, including (from new) water pump and electrical issues. Also, the retro- illuminated orange numbers on the white guages were invisible in daylight - whose idea was that? I hope he was fired.
"A friggin Crossfire..".
Yep. Says it all.
As my uncle, who worked for Chrysler's for 40+ years put it..."How do you say Daimler-Chrysler?
Daimler.".
I am a new subscriber and found Ed’s evaluation to be spot on. I fell in love with the crossfire back in 2005 when I was a hihh school drafting teacher and coached young aspiring automotive designers in design competitions in Pittsburgh, PA. I was sorrly disappointed when I test drove one and realized how cheaply made they were. The designer of the beautiful body deserves a shout out, though. Eric Stoddard graduated from a school in Pittsburgh’s sister city, Cleveland, Ohio.
Yup, sums it up. Dad has had an 06' automatic since new. 100+k mi odo. Roof actuators need replaced; doesn't retract. Spoiler actuators recently also stopped functioning; won't retract. Head gasket needed replaced around 80k. Blower motor doesn't work properly since 70k. TPMS sensors stopped communicating with computer almost a decade ago. They have been replaced but still light remains on; none of the local tire shops can get it corrected. So, yeah, expect expensive shop bills if you want one
Finally a review about one of my favourite cars, the SLK roadster !
I love this channel and man because it is rad to see a non USA opinion/view of our US car market
Congratulations Ed on your new daily driver!!! 👍👍🙂
The Crossfire is the kind of car everybody tells me not to buy, and I still want to buy
My ex had one from new, put 30,000kms in 3 years then traded it for a R32 Golf. The interior was cheap and rattly, although I didn't mind the seats it had the tan interior. The thing could be a handful in the wet if you were trying to hustle it. The transmission was slow and kinda clunky, it was rather thirsty too. But if the weather was right and road was flowing it was nice. Didn't mind driving actually rather liked but was happy to get back in my VW Bora V6 4motion which didn't feel cheap was comfortable and actually handled well.
I have a 2008 Saturn Sky---so I understand your feelings on the "cruiser". Novelty car--yes!!
I love your reviews. Glad you are starting to go into some live action reviews 👍🏼
Every time I see a Chrysler Crossfire I am forced to sing that song from the commercial for the game Crossfire in the 90's. It was a dumb game but a had catchy commercial where the only lyric was "Crossfire" then a slightly higher pitch "CrossFiiiieeerrrrrrr!!!!"
I have the SRT-6 one and it's honestly been really good to me. I don't think I'll ever get rid of it.
Holy crap I'm early! Hello ed, I'm glad you also like that car as much as I do!
In two words - stinky Backfire.
They say the deepest emotion is a combination of love & hate. :D
I had a Crossfire Roadster for a few years (in our Dutch climate) and I really LOVED it during Summer. Never saw so many thumbs up, although before that I drove a Ford Cougar and after that a Infiniti EX3.7.
But during Winter the Crossfire was and absolute disaster. In snowy conditions it wouldn’t even leave the parking spot. 😂
This guy has very little knowledge and didn't research this car and what it was meant to be a bit. I have owned both a 2004 NA Coupe and recently found a Crossfire SRT6. That car has 354 HP and a supercharged V6 engine hand built by AMG. With another $1,000 of tuning my car puts out over 430 HP, which is known as the Corvette Killer. It beats most cars on the drag strips still today 18 years later. Driving a Crossfire is unique and I constantly get people who come up, walk around the car and compliment me. It draws more attention than my 911. The mechanics are literally bullet proof. The M112 and supercharged M113k engines are bullet proof. Some of the best Merc has ever built. The styling is so much more sophisticated than any car on the road today. What vehicle has so much detail, curves and shapes? That said the suspension on the SRT6 is a little stiffer than the NA Coupe/Roadster as they have always been meant to be a grand tourer with quick get up and go. Hence the motto "Autobahn meets Route66". The best part about these is the incredible value. I bought a real AMG with 25K miles for $14,000. You can't find anything similar for that price. And when you actually join the Crossfireforum.org, which btw is the best car club I have ever been a part of with a library of information there might be 4 issues that can come up with Crossfire's. All of them can be fixed by yourself without putting the car on a lift for less than $100. And two of them for free by removing a piece. This is hands down the most fun car I have ever owned and it's a total sleeper. Don't look any further and don't listen to people like this guy who seems to have not done any due diligence or research on what this car is. PS the fact that suspension is a little bit stiffer, simply means you can feel connected to the road more. Only downside was the steering as it's the old recirculating ball steering but you get used to it. Besides that I have been a fan and will continue to enjoy the car that everyone just checks out and find "sexy" when I pull up anywhere. It's a beautiful car with the highest quality standard and built in Germany by Karmann. It shows in all the components after 18 years. The paint was a specialized multi layer paint and is so sturdy there is no fading or cracking even after all these years of my Coupe sitting in the Florida sun. Don't believe what you hear, check into them and hopefully purchase one. It will provide you with a perma grin. And for the OP to even compare this beautiful, unique hybrid between American styling and German engineering to his boring and totally run off the mill vehicle that looks like any other cheap Japanese/Korean car is a disgrace. But I'm sure this comment will be deleted cause the truth hurts.
I bought a new Dodge car in the 1990s. It was so cheaply made. A ton of things broke on it, including the transmission. The 6 cylinder engine only had 3 cylinders working, so the engine had to be lifted to change the spark plugs! The driver side door handle broke. The passenger side lock broke. The sunroof cover broke repeatedly. I had to put about 12 different batteries in it because they would die quickly. Such a money pit. I hope your Chrysler car does better than my Dodge did. I will never buy another vehicle made by the Chrysler corporation again.
Hi Ed, that car doesn't come with automatic climate control, so no temperatures are used. It's basically what in the US would be called manual A/C that happens to allow temp adjust on both driver and passenger sides.
you said EVERYTHING that needed to be said at 1:24 of the video.
i had just started my 3rd year in Chrysler Corporation when out of the blue, everyone in the plant (i worked in a tool and die build plant) was herded to the cafeteria and were subjected to a dog and pony show that at first glance looked as if things might be good! part of the daimler benz organization. it didnt take long to realize that our $9 Billion dollar cash reserves were converted into Deutsche Marks and we were left holding the bag of left over parts and designs. the next 9 years were tough. then being dumped off to the venture capitalists at Cerberus. then spun off to 'New Chrysler' or whatever they called it and then bankruptcy where Obama forced us to partner with Fiat. then FCA merged with PSA in France and be part of Stellantis...
i wish Bob Eaton had never met Schremp....
I have always liked the styling on these and the colour is lovely. It looks in good condition. I just hope it doesn’t rot away like the Mk1 SLK, I have never seen so many really rotten ones. And the interior is really bad for quality. It’s such a shame. I totally get why you got it for the design. Great review
Hell yeah! Ed's gonna tell us about ALL the quirks and features up in here!
I bought a black '05 6MT convertible brand new. It looked cool. With the top up, it looked like the Batmobile. But it was impractical and like you said, uncomfortable. The seats had little cushioning. I found the power very underwhelming and the power band felt truck-like. The exhaust was too quiet. It didn't feel sporty at all. I did really like the way the shifter clunked through the gears. It sounded and felt quality in that respect.
I'm surprised you didn't mention that big, balky handle needed to lock and unlock the top.
Thanks for the video. Really entertained me.
Hope you didn't hurt yourself in that crash.
To be fair, in 2005 it wasn’t common for a car in that price range to have a digital temperature setting.
Congratulations for getting the Crossfire. I always thought the convertible looked cool and especially in that color. Enjoy the summer drives!
CONGRATS ED!!!
So many people dumping on Ed's choice here. But if any of you have done any used car shopping lately, it isn't about going out and finding something as much as something at a local yard showed up and the price was right and it was in good condition. Compared to all the bloated suvs and pickup trucks at most used car lots, this is pretty neat. Drive it for a couple of seasons and trade it in on something else.
As somebody who owns more than one FCA product and has a soft spot for older Mopars, I say eff Daimler. The "merger" was a disaster...by the time the Crossfire came to market Daimler had pretty much bled Chrysler dry of money and resources. It showed in their products and there was basically nothing they could realistically do about it.
Sergio Marchionne and FIAT saved the company and I'll always be grateful for it.
You have to admit that Chrysler did learn how to make a good multilink rear suspension and they use the mercedes e key in all their modern cars.
I quite like the styling of the hardtop version.
Chrysler products have had cheap, plasticy looking dashboards/instrument panels since 1968.
But, I always loved the look of the back of the Crossfire hatchback, it was classic and different.
This is definitely one of the cars of all time.
Much happier to watch this honest appraisal than a video about the great cars Chrysler has made this century; that video would be 13:19 shorter.
The Crossfire was my attainable dream car as a child
It’s the all American roadster! Except for the parts that aren’t which is most of it.
Love the Crossfire, and it’s a good choice Ed! Bold given others would choose stuff like the Z4, TT roadster, Boxster and countless MX-5s.
Ed I have followed you for some time now and it's been fun watching you develop, This was your funniest with a euro-demuro flavour! keep it up homie!
I think it was Jeremy Clarkson that described the rear of the Crossfire like a dog taking a dump! I could never unsee that since 😂
I can see that now too! Pretty accurate description!
lol yes and in a later episode when he drove the roadster wound up eating his words about it later on.
Me too!
10:00 one thing not a lot of people know is that with most Chryslers you can turn off the traction control but not the stability control. Only on the SRT’s can both be turned off
This, the first gen Mercedes CLS and the 90s Jag XK8s were my favorite cars growing up. I definitely have a thing for smooth lines
Dude I just want you to know that one day we will come for you and it will be a good thing. YOU ROCK.
My favorite car. I love that it is an Slk, and that Dyson designed it
This is a really weird coincidence, I just finished replacing all the brake pipes on a cross fire today. I hated every second of it.
I had a neighbor that had a Crossfire convertible. He was very proud of and belonged to a Crossfire owners club. I think they look ok, but having been burned by two Chrysler products already, I steer clear of them. Though I have been tempted to buy a final year Challenger with a Hemi and 6spd manual.
Ed, love your choice of Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Fire. No, Carl Palmer was not on the version we all hear on the radio but yes he was on the video version wearing something from the future by Slipknot 😂 and took Arthur Brown's keyboard player Vincent Crane to form Atomic Rooster and Emerson Lake and Palmer arrived sometime later 😅
I've got an 01 Mercedes slk320.... Pretty much the same car. Hopefully, the Crossfire doesn't fall under the same security system issues as mine has. I've got a "start fault" that has been diagnosed as a security cutoff. ONLY fixable by a mercedes dealership.... $800-$1000 dollars to just put it on there lot to be fixed. Been told it's a 5 minute fix. But ONLY fixable by mercedes6
I learned to drive on a dodge magnum, (a chrysler 300 wagon) and every other car I have driven either had the cruise on the wheel, or no cruse at all. I never knew the setup was strange until now.
That being said, I think you would like the chrysler 300 as a car. It has slightly less interior shortcomings, rides like a cloud, and has all the power in the world (with the V8) And it was cheap!
Great review, look forward to more in the future.
Wait.
U learned on a Magnum?
For me....there is no car that rings my bell like a Magnum for cool good looks.
I had 2 black ones. What color was yours?
It was a silver 2005 R/T, my dad bought new and has dailyd it for the past 17 years. I've bought my own car now, not nearly as fast as the magnum.
Reminds me of Hermann Goerings 1937 Mercedes 16 roadster, without the elegance and craft
Great review. Very observational impressions. Good luck! I hope you enjoy it… for what it is. Cheers.
That clip from Arthur Brown Fire…
I saw Arthur Brown in concert 4 yrs ago with Emerson Lake and Palmer.
I totally forgot I’d seen that show until your video😂😂 Man, I was hammered!
Also, interesting video.
My 08 Chrysler 300C has a nanny traction control and I learned that to turn it off completely, the car has to be moving at least 15 miles per hour and you turn the key to the start position, while moving, for something like 10 seconds. You'll know it's deactivated because the stability control and traction control lights will come on.
Classic Chrysler/Dodge interior of the era; swaths of chintzy grey plastics, electroplated faux metal finishes, creaky squeaky moving components, and panel gaps that make Ford cringe.
Though whenever I see the fastback I'm always reminded of Clarkson saying that in profile it looks like a dog parking his breakfast.
Get a Tesla! I have 2. I owned lots of cool cars as a young man for instance 1st car at 16 was 79’ Celica, 2nd car at 18 was 72’ 240Z 3rd Datsun 69’ 2000 Roadster. A bunch of my former and current cars are in the Pedersen Auto Museum in So Cal. If you haven’t been there please do yourself a favor. I love your Channel. Keep up the great work. Thank you Ed✌🏻
Hello Ed. I really like the very short clip of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown song. Good job.
Yes, you said it right at the end of the video. Its a good car to step in to convertibles. But this small rear spoiler is very cool. The slk doesn’t have it.
I just got back from a local car show where they had a Crossfire, as well as a 1950s Packard and a 1929 Studebaker. I think you would have liked it :)
In America we don’t need to close our cupholders. We just need them to get bigger. I remember being surprised by the overall “Chryslerness“ of the switchgear on A 2012 SLK. Mercedes did get some thing out of the merger!
And Chrysler learned how to make a multilink rear suspension and how to make the new E-key that every modern Chrysler uses today.
Yes, I hope you can make some more car review videos soon!