Allen-

I finally bought one. I sold my 2G TL-S because I wanted a sportier feel. I went to look at a 2005 Crossfire 6spd. in black. I just wanted to see what they are like with the 6spd, but then I saw one in Alabaster white.

I ended up buying it. Its a 2006 with 13,XXX miles on it. It was an older gentlemans car. He hurt his knee and couldn't get in/out of it anymore so he traded it for a Cadillac DTS. They traded it in that morning, and I test drove it that afternoon.

It is in extremely good condition and pretty much stayed in his garage its entire life. He called and asked if we could look for his garage opener that was still under the seat. lol

Overall, I really like the car. It does have a stiff ride, but it wasn't so bad to make a deal breaker. The Mercedes 3.2L engine is pretty good. The car feels faster than what it really is. I was surprised at how quick it moves despite such a low hp rating. The most impressive thing is probably the insane grip this thing has. I have yet to get it off track. The 19" wheels on the rear put a damper on acceleration but the handling advantage is worth it.

Before purchasing I looked it over really good and noted that the existing tires were good, but didn't notice what brand. I didn't care to notice until we got a tiny amount of snow recently. I was taking it easy and all was good until I tried to turn right to merge onto another highway. There is a slight height difference in the two, and when you merge, you kinda go up and onto it. Mid-turn I gave it some gas to merge and traction control lights went crazy. I finally get to my destination and get out to check what brand the tires are....... and they are Michelin Pilot Sport? Pilot Sport 2s? Whatever they are, they say Pilot Sport on the side. Maybe I have found why grip is insane?

Anyways, I know that the car wasn't universally loved, but I'm in love. I like it alot. It does have the built-in navigation, which is a let down. Instead of a screen, it has a small screen with arrows and an audio voice tells you how to get wherever your going. Interior is nice, heated leather seats, Infinity sound system that rocks, pretty much everything.

My favorite gizmo is probably the speed-sensitive spoiler that comes up at 61mph. I thought it was just for looks and it was going to be flimsy. Its not. You can push down on it and the whole car will move. Its weird getting on on-ramps and you keep seeing something move in the rearview mirror.

2006 Chrysler Crossfire Limited w/Navigation

teranfon

Looks good. Especially in white.




Terry

phee

iTrader: (5)

i dont like these. but nice new car

Costco

Congrats, that thing looks brand new! Always wondered what the Crossfire was like. Enjoy it!

charliemike

Congrats Allen ... Definitely make this the "Allen's Crossfire" thread so we can keep up with how it's going and what you're doing to it.

I don't recall another Crossfire on here since I started posting here regularly.

I always liked the SRT6s too ...

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

nice car man congrats

Allen-

Thanks! Thats partially why I liked it so much when I saw it. Seen them on the internet, but never seen a white one on the street. They are always black or silver. My white definitely gets some stares. On my home after picking it up, I got a thumbs up from a guy on a motorcycle.

Allen-

Sure, I'll probably make another with a correct title. The SRT-6's are insane.

I don't know if I'll do anything to this one. There is a piece for the rear I want. It is a diffuser that fills the spaces on either side of the exhaust. It has strakes like the hood and is finished in the silver color that matches the wheels, door handles, and windshield surround.

I'm not looking forward to changing the oil. 8 quarts of Mobil 1 and the filter itself is like $15. Tires are expensive too, but you gotta pay to play!

Allen-

Your MS3 is looking good! A friend has a '10 M3 2.5 hatch with 6-speed in that crazy electric blue color.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Crossfires were always a slick looking car. I like the rear spoiler too.

SuperTrooper169

iTrader: (2)

So it's an automatic? I thought it would be manual when you said 6 speed.

Congrats on the purchase. Sounds like a really fun car to drive. Enjoy it!

d-townhakuzo

I am totally not a fan of these...but gratz!

Allen-

The one I originally went to look at was a black 6spd. I didn't even think about buying it, I was just curious about the drive with the 6spd.

I then saw the white one, which is automatic, that I ultimately purchased. Didn't even drive the black one.

dallison

nice

paz840

iTrader: (2)

Congrats

EuRTSX

Congrats! She's a beaut!

te3point5

pretty impressive interior for an American car, but maybe that's the German side of it.

Shift_Acura

Congrats! Nice pickup

neuronbob

I love Crossfires. Nice pickup! You are right, they were not very loved by the masses, but it was a great car nevertheless. Enjoy in good health!

mrmako

Nice pickup.... the white is ok. Not my cup of tea for that car. Black FTW.
I would think the handling should be very good, as those are old CLK's in Chrysler clothes. Keep us up to date on reliability, as this my be a 3rd or 4th car whenever I get back to that side of the world.

platinumex

I've always liked Crossfires. I understand them not being many peoples cup of tea, but for me that's a plus. She's a beaut!! Congrats on the purchase.

lifetimeofwar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sowmf0Iu7GY

I don't agree with all of Jeremy's points btw. Just thought it was funny. Congrats nevertheless.

knight rider

iTrader: (1)

Wow. I've seen those guys bash cars before but never as bad as they did there.

I don't care what they say though. I've liked the Crossfire from the first time I saw it. The aesthetics IMO are fantastic. I knew it was far from the fastest sportscar but for those who wanna look cool driving down the street, this is the one.

Shift_Acura

Who cares what clarkson says...he also made fun of the G37 coupe but we love it here in North America.

If I remember correctly he really liked the Crossfire convertible....

Shoofin

That's purty nice!

invisiblewar

I always like the design. I dont understand whats so ugly about them. Probably one of my favorite modern chrysler designs.

Ive seen about 5-6 srts on the road in the last week or so.

Allen-

I just thought I would update this thread since I've lived with the Crossfire for a little while now.

The car has been faultless. Not one problem. The only thing bothering me right now is a rattle in the rear cargo area. I think its the latch on the rear hatch and there is a TSB out to fix the issue. I'll look into getting it fixed.

I had my first RWD scare the other night. I've never owned a RWD car before, and now I know why there is a rocker switch for WINTER/WET and SPORT modes. Around 1:20AM at an intersection turning left. It had been raining all night, and I never use the WINTER/WET mode as I thought it was unnecessary. Metal pedals + wet bottoms on shoes = acceleration disaster. And there I found myself spinning through the intersection, rear tires roaring, ESP lights blinking, and all! I was kind of scared that I might have messed something up with all the roaring the rear tires were making as I was sliding sideways. After the car stopped I found myself facing the wrong way in the wrong lane. I was extremely happy that no one was coming and consider myself lucky on that one. WINTER/WET mode all the way in the rain now!

I'm happier with my choice everyday. I've picked up more differences from my TLS now that I've had it for a while. Gas mileage has been good so far. My first tank averaged 25, second 21, third 23. I don't even bother to look now. The Mercedes 3.2L is a fantastic engine. Plenty of torque for use. In my old TLS if I wanted to speed up on the interstate, it seemed like it would constantly downshift to 4th. You ease down on the pedal in the Crossfire and the engine pours out some power and the car pushes forward with no downshift. Even when using cruise control, in my TLS if you pushed ACCEL it would downshift and run hard. The Crossfire doesn't downshift at all, just speeds up. This car is a mover for such a modest hp rating. I'm guessing its the gearing in the transmission, but it can definitely get out of its own way if needed. The engine has a different sound too. The Acura 3.2 sounded sweet and swung easily to redline. After 4,700 it turned into a screamer. The MB engine doesn't change sound much, but after 3,700 it starts running harder. It has a lusty smooth sound until redline. The Crossfire has much more engine braking than my old TLS too. You let off the gas going down hill and the car will slow itself. I now no longer suffer from neck-snap. In my TLS, the engine was extremely weak until 2,300rpm, when it got it shit together and took off. This produced an annoying neck-snap in stop and go traffic. The MB engine is much smoother, just gas and it goes. No more neck-snap!

Transmission shifts are smooth and fast. Much faster than the Acura unit. Only during parking-lot speeds while coasting then gas does it lunge. Manumatic feature is much better too. Just pull the shifter to the left and it will immediately downshift 1 gear. From there on you can work it left and right to go through the gears. It doesn't shift from 1st to 2nd by itself either. Only during WOT at redline will it shift itself. Anything less than WOT and you have full control. Hold the shifter to the right for 3 seconds and it goes back to automatic. If you want to pass, hold the shifter to the left for 3 seconds and it will automatically downshift to the best passing gear for your current speed. Very easy to use and works well enough for me, considering I hardly ever use it.

Another thing I've noticed... GERMAN SUSPENSION TUNING > OTHERS. j/k, but I can tell a difference. I'm not a german snob now, but I understand what magazines and you guys are talking about. I never understood when they said you don't feel the "bump harshness." I get it now. The body of the car just moves over the bump, you never feel the crack/defect in the pavement. The car never slams into a bump unless its really large/deep. The car is very composed and the ride is smooth. Body lean is in check and you just sail on through the curves. It is incredibly easy to speed through curves in this car. Grip is insane. 18X7.5 for the front and 19X9 for the rear. I just keep blabing on about this car. Can you tell I'm in love? SIDE NOTE: There is no spare tire for this thing. There is however an air compressor and a can of sealant stuff under the rear cargo tray.

The interior is comfortable with excellent fit and finish. The pieces are put together so tightly. The MB seats are nicely contoured with good bolstering. The steering wheel telescopes for a good driving position. The seat heaters are serious stuff. They get hot, and hot fast. Especially on HI. No joke. They will burn your ass. I'm relatively tall, 6'2", and can fit in it nicely. There is plenty of headroom as the headliner has a dome-like shape and my head never touches it. The windows aren't the best for McDonalds runs, but that isn't good for you anyways. My only real complaint is the windshield. It is really short and since I'm tall, if I pull up too close to a redlight, I can't see when it turns green. Before buying I read reviews that complained about the complexity of the radio system. It is complicated at first. Now I can whiz through the various menus and customize pretty much anything. It saves different preferences for bass/treble/balance for different modes like CD, FM, AM, Nav. voice, etc. The Infinity system sounds pretty good too with plenty of bass. There are speakers behind the seats and if you crank it up enough it will give you a nice vibrating massage. It took me a little while to get used the window switches being on the center console. Now when I get in other cars I don't know how to roll down the window. And there are these weird "parking lights" that illuminate the lights on the left or right side of the car. I was told it was for when you park on the street people can see the car? Something like that. I don't really know, nor do I care.

I've got a few mods in mind, mostly factory accessories. I need to get my windows tinted first. lol There is a rear diffuser I want for the rear that fills in the gaps on either side of the exhaust. I'm also thinking about some lighted sills. I'm searching around for a good price though because they are $499 from MB. It lights up CROSSFIRE in a soft blue. The debate continues about getting an exhaust system. Want the sound, don't want the drone. Want the sound, don't want the extra attention. Looking on Crossfire forums, alot of guys are using parts off of various Mercedes'. Alot of airboxs(?) from other Mercedes models. Alot of MB wheels fit too. There is even a Crossfire with a 4.2L(?) Mercedes V8 from a 2002 CLK. He is still using the 3.2L automatic transmission with no issues and has been driving it like that for a while. There is also a Crossfire with a 6.1L HEMI from a Magnum SRT-8. Its automatic too.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed/satisfied with this car. I get stares and thumbs-ups all the time. Most people that see the car don't even know it existed. Its usually a "Wow! Who makes them?" There aren't many around here, but a family friend has a Saphire Blue Limited 04 like mine but without nav. I actually know the woman that bought the 05 Black 6spd. that was beside mine on the lot.

I would recommend it to anyone that wants a sporty but comfortable, fun to drive two seater. I'll try to upload some more pictures when the weather quits being bipolar and I can get out to take some more.

/endofupdate. Discussion and questions welcome.

TL_Captain

How fast were you going? If speed was low and ESP was on, I'd be surprised that you ended up facing the wrong direction. Maybe you have 4 bald tires?

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

Congrats, and I'm glad you enjoy your car!

Allen-

I was stopped, then when I went to turn left I gave it too much gas which sent the tailend spinning around. It seemed like it happened so fast. lol I think I thought I was on the brake but really kept giving it gas. Either way, it was really scary. Definitely freaked myself out.

Allen-

Thank you, I certainly am!

Allen-

Just thought I would update this thread with some new pictures.

Allen-

And a crappy cell phone picture, but I thought it looked cool. lol

Sarlacc

looking good

Allen-

Thanks Sarlacc!

Allen-

Overall, the ownership has been great.

The oil changes and tires are expensive, that's about it. You cannot rotate the tires so when one wears out, you just gotta get another. The rear PS2s are about gone. Having no spare gets risky on long road trips, but other than that the car has been solid. Not a single problem.

A neat trick I learned is that if you are turning the key to start it and don't hold it to the "on" position long enough the car will continue to crank even though you've moved the key back to the run position. Most other cars I've driven stop cranking if you turn the key back too quickly.

Allen-

215hp.

MTEAZY

Crossfire drivers always cut me off

Allen-

MTEAZY