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Everybody Hates Chrysler... Will It Ever End?
Mention the brand Chrysler, and for me, it brings back memories of slinging metal down the highway, pitching 300s and Town & Country minivans to those with a sense of flair to go along with their practicality, or, well, lack of funds for what they really wanted- something else.
Even with the then-new 300C, a manager, who sold them in America's Golden Automotive Age- the 1950's and '60s told me- "Chryslers were always Cadillacs for cheap people..." And, looking back on 300s, Imperials, Dynasties and New Yorkers- he may have been on to something.
Historically, Chrysler vehicles were America's innovation brand, much like Honda is to Japan, and Mercedes-Benz is to Germany. Now, before you start slinging insults- Chrysler really was once known as quite the engineering company, bringing out a whole laundry list of dynamic firsts thoughout history. But that's just it. It's history.
CNNMoney.com published a story entitled "Chrysler: Check Engine Now" and it got me thinking of the excitement and the vex that has been the troubled automaker.
Bottom-line, their product pipeline is weak, so is their public perception.
While Dodge Rams, Jeeps and Minivans with Sto-N-Go seating that folds flat to the floor is decent... It only goes so far, especially in this ultra-global, highly competitive marketplace that, not only has expanded- but it's also improved.
Look at the Korean makes, Hyundai and Kia. Ten years ago, you wouldn't even think of them, now, they're remarkable players in their niches.
Chrysler has some niche brands- look at Jeep. But one brand is not enough. Not anymore.
There are a lot of cars guys waiting to pounce Chrysler dealers when the Fiat 500 hits.
But, for those of us who remember the initial frenzy that was the PT Cruiser, being cute, small and different only goes so far.
It's a fad.
And if it's one company that has exploited fads, it's Chrysler.
The American in me, hopes they can survive for the next generation of car nuts to appreciate all the good they've done- at least for a little while.
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Jeep is overpriced and tip happy imo.
The old Fifth Avenue (80s) and some of their minivans were good. I detest the new management.
You could be right, but out here on the steppes of west Texas, there is no substitute for Jeep. None.
An editorial? Come on guys... Facts make ZH.
Relax. It's a Friday afternoon and you'll have plenty of time to get screwed over by the machine come Monday. And BTW, as of now 36 people enjoy reading and commenting about cars. That's a fact.
Hemi.......reason enough to keep them around a bit longer.
Neh...Hemispherical heads are a standard to Jap and Ger V8s. Nothing special about the Hemis...
The new Chrysler Hemi is actually a semi-hemi. A true hemi wouldn't yield high enough compression without piston domes, and flat-top pistons provide a better burn, so Chrysler squared off the dish. It was all a marketing ploy.
Chrysler is dead. They have zero R&D budget and it shows. Driving a Chrysler, Dodge, or Jeep is like being in a time machine, destination 2000 A.D. Their products are around a decade behind their competitors and their labor costs are so oppressive that they're interior design is done on the cheap. Poor performance and poor, often uncomfortable and ugly, interiors means poor sales.
A couple of comments on the incompetence of Chrysler:
Undoubtedly, Ford has been the only of the Big 3 that has risen to meet the threats against it. GM, while still displaying an extraordinary degree of incompetence, at least has started making better, more reliable cars. But Chrysler cars still SUCK! Have you actually driven a Dodge Charger? Let's just say it looks better than it drives.
Chrysler had a huge opportunity when the SUV craze started 15 years back, as they owned the dominant SUV brand, Jeep. It was so dominant that all SUVs were called "Jeeps" and nobody used the term SUVs. Well they blew that opportunity.
American Auto Industry=piece of shit ( no offence my beloved Mericans, but when you got Bugatti, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maybach, Mercedes, BMW, McLaren, Alfa Romeo, Bentley, Aston Martin, RR etc; Cadillac and all other Merican brands just equal piece of shit; IMO )
Sorry, the 'Vette will always be the biggest bang for the buck, and with the weak USD no one will be able to afford Maybach, Lambo, etc.
Yeah, it's a friggin shame that GM couldn't trickle down weight-saving engineering designs from the Corvette to sedans.. There's NO REASON they couldn't have a full-size sedan at about 3500lbs with fibreglass/plastic panels and aluminum instead of lazy, cheap iron castings..
The Ford GT, although piece of shit, is still a very awesome piece of shit. Also, Ford is pretty big in Europe. (of course Ford Europe is a not-so-parallel universe to it's American parent)
Ford GT was created for one purpose and one purpose only; to be a rival to Ferrari when te old man Enzo refused to sell a stake in the company to Ford back in the 60s. Fors tried to mimic Ferrari, but it failed, and did so quite good. The newer version of GT is kind of boring and it juggles something in the area of 35 l/100 km ( combined traffic ); which is IMHO, pretty retarded given the big difference in EU roads and American ones. And Ford Europe is just a nominal term, it has pretty much nothing in common with Ford USA when it comes to reliability, driving characteristics and overall quality. Oh, but Elenor is still one of my favorite cars ....
I was referring to the new GT actually, kinda forgot about its predecessor. Didn't the old GT win a couple big prizes? I understand that the new GT isn't very good MPG wise (or very good at anything else) but when you want to go +200MPH on a straight line in a badass looking machine (personal opinion) then mileage isn't much of a KPI. Plus, it's pretty cheap compared to others, right?
Living in Europe, so I've had plenty driving experience in Fords. My parents have 2. Driving my mom's 1.3L Ford Ka through Germany, steering wheel shaking at 160 km/h, getting harassed by Audis trying to pass me on the left lane, awesome.
Living in Europe, so I've had plenty driving experience in Fords. My parents have 2. Driving my mom's 1.3L Ford Ka through Germany, steering wheel shaking at 160 km/h, getting harassed by Audis trying to pass me on the left lane, awesome
LOL; i know the feeling very well; i had an AUDI 80 back in the days and i remember when all the upgraded cars started to show up on the roads; it was fucking scary; and i still had it back in 96 and the feeling of a shaky steering wheel, while driving 160 kph; its what EVERY driver should go trough. And yeah, Ford is a beast on the road, as long as the road is perfectly straight ..
Exactly. Two-lane road, driving on the right, waiting for the right moment to "jump" to the left out of the truck lane (bright blue halogens in the mirror), shifting from 5 to 4, gunning the pedal, hoping not to rearend into that M5 on your back.
It IS fucking scary :)
My son was conceived in the back seat of a 1970 Dodge Charger when both the car and I were way past our prime.
The back seat was still in good shape though.
CD, comment of the day - Marla has your prize.
Cheers,
Pigpen
Personally, I would like to see all three makers survive/thrive. How about another "pony car" war. Mustang, Challenger, Camaro, all battling for stoplight supremacy. I know many on this sight probably don't connect - that's OK. This kind of stuff brings pride to a lot of Americans. That, and flushing all the fucks that need to be flushed (preferably with extreme prejudice -hopefully). This country wants it's pride back. "America, Fuck Yeah"!
The muscle car era was awesome. Hi-test gasoline, drag racing. Cruising the city loop. Fags rolled up in your sleeve. Bein' cool. I had the local hot rod pickup truck.
Thanks for the memories.
"Fags rolled up in your sleeve".------Those poor gays suffered so much in the past.
I was waiting for someone to comment about those poor guys.
Doesn't anyone spell check and edit?
I guess not.
"Being cool"= Not possible
I connect. Love "Vanishing Point" (and the car chase in "Bullitt").
On that note, we need more naked chicks on mopeds.
I think exactly the opposite. The American car companies seem to keep trying to bring back the muscle cars -- witness the revised T-birds, Mustangs, Camaros in relatively recent years. I suspect that the car companies think back to the 50s and 60s (and maybe to some limited extent the 70s) and think it was those cars that made them great. But what made them successful back then was making good cars that suited their target demographic, which is largely the baby boomers. The boomers grew up and became more interested in snob appeal than outward machismo. Hence the market for Beemers, Mercedes and Audis. Same for the classic con job of Acura, Infiniti and Lexus -- which are basically an equivalent Honda/Nissan/Toyota plus some leather and wood on the dash, for a 20% premium. But my point is that's what the boomers want. If the American companies had put out any well-made cars that successfully conveyed some form of elitism, then I suspect they'd have done better. But I admit that's a tough task, because the foreign-ness is part of the cachet.
I agree. Times have changed and the auto companies didn't offer what sold, for various reasons. Your points are valid ones.
I just had a little blast from the past. Still don't hear well thanks to those days.
Everything said here is valid. But come on - can't this country get back to building something that a guy can be proud of? Yes.
I say enough with the cartoonish retro muscle machines, enough is enough. I mean come on, the new Camaro looks just like a cartoon.
I don't know how nice of a brand Jeep is -- they have horrid resale value. But I guess if you're comparing it to the rest of the Chrysler line. Great for those looking to get one pre-owned, though.
Side note - I rented a Dodge Charger when I was in LA a few weeks ago. Base model, I believe. Not a bad exterior, but arguably the worst driving experience of my life. I felt like the chassis was from the 1980's.
It basically was. R&D at Jeep went south years ago. While everyone else was figuring out how to make trucks ride softer like cars but still carry a load when needed, Jeep pumped the macho image of a hard ride in an effort to avoid spending any money on actually improving the product.
Sad!
This is all too common. I have been in R&D for years, various companies, automotive related, and many times the R&D budget got cut in support of that oh so important earnings report. Easy and quick place to cut. In the long run, I'm not convinced this is a good thing. Penny smart, dollar stupid.
I have a 2007 Grand Cherokee. Far superior to the 2001. To much Mercedes in it, but that isn't all bad.
The 1995 Grand Cherokee was one of the best American Cars ever built. Wish I had kept mine & just maintained it. Wouldn't trade the 2007 at this point though. Very nice & well built. Engine (NOT the Hemi) is an 8 cylinder. Purrs, just like it should.
Wouldn't drive anything else.
Screw Chrysler and Obumbler Motor's never will I buy either.
I've owned Fords, Chevys, (never Chrysler, never will). My Honda Accords and Toyotas are in another league as far as build quality and maintenance are concerned because they last forever. Throw in the Government Motors stuff and I wouldn't touch the big 3 cars with a ten foot pole. JEEP, they are worse than the big 3, no wonder they have no resale.
When will Detroit stop talking about BRANDS and focus on Products ? Millions spent developing, marketing, and selling us on being warm and fuzzy about brands eventually becomes meaningless when not supported by product. Ultimately, a brand is the cumulative public perception of the product. Once corporate resources shift to promoting brand, unsupported by product, death is at hand.
Pimps and dealers love their 300c's - that's how they roll.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTxlci0Vpm4
I raise you a Volvo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlTvSUCCqPo
Yes mom, today I learned what it means to Ghostride the Volvo.
the American in me wants to see Chrysler dead & cremated already so we can finally start to build something new & productive out of its ashes.
The LX platform (Chrysler RWD full-size) uses suspension components from Benz S and E class cars but may have been tuned intionally for the Chrysler products so although Chrysler didn't do the R&D the component provider (Benz) did.
The problem though is that LX was based on the older LH platform which was a total piece of crap. The reported number of problems with LH cars was astronomical.
Those of us who read Consumer Reports figured that out some time ago.
Well, with the 2nd gen Viper GTS (1996-2002) they arguably made one of the coolest American cars ever.
agreed
Chrysler never figured out that, "We've changed everything. Again." and "completely redesigned" are not what people want.
American auto makers haven't sold cars in 20 years, they sold deals: 0% for 72 months, sign and drive leases, $5000 cash back. Who would have ever bought one of their craptasic cars without financial seduction? Here is a business model for you: ignore the consumer, cut r&d, saturate the market with 30+ franchises per major metro and hope your product held hostage to foreign oil does not have a price spike.
Sign me up!!!!!!!!!!!!!
+100
My Caliber is sweet.
My Horizon was crap when it rained and my Intrepid had a junk transmission and a messed up air conditioner, both later in life.
My (early 1990s) Corolla couldn't run on the interstate and run an air conditioner at the same time without the temperature gauge going up.
My Vega was followed by a gas cloud.
If you got 50,000 out of the Vega aluminum engine, you were lucky. And 40,000 of those miles left the aforementioned smoke cloud.
Steel sleeves? We don't need no stinkin' steel sleeves
God damn, you had me laughing so hard with your "Steel sleeves? We don't need no stinkin' steel sleeves" my eyes started to water.
I bet you less than 1 in 10,000 will understand your reference to steel sleeves.
It seems like yesterday that I read the article in Motor Trend about the debut of the NEW Chevy all aluminum alloy engine block (and for the first time in a mass production aluminum engine, no steel sleeves) made with a miracle Alcoa alloy (something like TZ 570 or some silly number) that eliminates the fear of premature cylinder wall wear caused by the pistons. If I remember correctly, the piston rings were also super duper special as well.
The article went on and on about this new harder than nails alloy by Alcoa and how it would revolutionize the car industry in America. It brushed aside critics warning that it wouldn't work and Chevy had the makings of a disaster on its hands.
Of course, they were right about the disaster and the rest, as they say, is history. Knowing Chevy and Detroit mentality, I'm sure everyone involved in that debacle was promptly promoted to the top.
Chrysler products always had superior handling. Remember the torsion bar. The 2.7L V6 is the best engine on the US market. 200 horsepower, power up to max RPM 6500 is smooth and doesn't peter out at the top end of the tach. The engine is still tight with no leaking gaskets. It still idles smoothly at 111000 miles. This is my old 2002 Concorde. Big roomy, huge storage in the back, average 21-22 mostly city driving. And I can keep up with Beemers and Benzs on the Merritt Parkway here in CT. One 45 mph curve in Greenwich, I can take at 70mph, with confidence and control.
I seem to remember the original Plymouth Barracuda and Dodge Challenger were not known for their Great handling! Maybe with a bit of expense in aftermarket suspension goodies, but stock they were only good in a straight line.
A friend had a 70 Challenger and hated its handling. My 70 Pontiac Firebird Formula 400 would run circles around him. But then his had a big block 383, mine had a small block 400. Lot of weight bias difference there.
Don't take this the wrong way; it's not an attack, just an observation.
Which Chrysler product, save for the Viper and Talon GTS? Maybe STR-4 as a close 2nd or 3rd place? I could care less how many Internet forums you've read that a Neon on MT's will pull 1.0G on a skidpad, at best they handle "adequately". Torsion bar, you mean that piece of stamped sheetmetal they put between the wheels so their engineers wouldn't have to get all headachey trying to actually engineer a proper independant rear suspension? Mechanically your engine should operate "as new", and if it didn't you should be suffering from a pisser case of post-purchase anxiety. 200hp at the crank from a 2.7L V6, at 6500rpm's or otherwise, isn't something I'd be bragging about (my 2.0L I4 does the same at 8k, which I'd argue is at least a podium position for best engine - that title goes to none other than GM's LS7).
I'm sure your T-rated 225mm Tiger Paw's with enough profile to make Big Foot insecure and guarantee any hope of steering feedback as lost are more than up to the task of digging their Lee Press-ons into the gently-sloping and freshly-paved tarmac. Don't get me wrong, I don't doubt your car is nice, fun to drive, or worth it for you, but dude...let's not go there, there's a vast crevace of performance separating Chrysler from even a lowly BMW 3-series. The Job Cost Approved(c) Monroe Struts and 150lb coil springs suspending the 65% of the weight and 100% of the drivetrain of your nose-heavy and understeer-like-a-pig-prone car are the NJ Guido's Freshman 40 beer-drunk slut girlfriend to BMW's Asian, slightly dorky, but would look decent if she put some makeup on, maybe hit the gym a couple times a week, 3rd-year biology major, fuckbuddy.
You got very lucky with your 2.7, it is arguably one of the worst engines ever produced by Chrysler. Failure rate on 2.7's is very high and probably contributed to Chrysler's poor reputation.
Holy sh#$!!! You beat me to it! No offense to the poster who spoke kind words on the 2.7, but to be honest you must have a horseshoe up your tailpipe. Fixing Detroits' abortions is what I do on a daily basis to earn my meager existence, and I'm here to tell you that the 2.7 Chrysler engine is well known for only making it 30k-40k miles before oil sludge restricts its poorly engineered, undersized oil galleries, and creates a grand mal seizure of the moving parts. Sorry sir but I can't help but point out a few more glaring issues: A Concorde with a 2.7 is scarcely able to get out of its own way let alone keep up "the pack". Smoothness? It's a 30 degree v6, which is inherently smooth regardless of make. 111,000 miles an achievement? Wow. Yesterday I had to replace brakes on a 91 Honda Civic whose owner drives it through construction sites practically like a pickup truck. Beats the tar out of this poor little thing. Poor care, poor maintenance, and yet this rice-burner is pushing 400,000 miles with no external leaks or lack of performance. Even my GM Twin-Cam 2.4 is still alive after 216,000 miles and this motor is considered to be "not the best".
As for domestic vehicles in general, I have seen REMARKABLE improvements over the past 7-10 years. Especially from the GM camp. As a long time basher of Detroit junk, I will have to admit I'm impressed their recent offerings, although I believe it's too little too late. One exception to this is Chrysler/Jeep, who without question leads the world with the WORST quality pieces of crap the market has ever seen. Don't take my word for it....ask anyone who works on them.
The Chrysler 2.7 ranks right up there with the first gen GM 5.7L diesel in my book, and I'm a diesel fan, so it's hard for me to admit that, but the 2.7 was abysmal.
I work for a privately held metal recycler with salvage yard subsidiaries and they frequently get perfectly nice 1998-2002 Intrepid / Concorde sedans with junk 2.7 engines. Resale on these vehicles is horrible if you have one, even if it runs.
I agree 100% with this article. GM and Chrylser are shit companies that should have been obliverated. It makes me want to puke that my tax dollars went to bolster up these inefficient companies that make cars no-one wants to buy. There are too many car companies! If I had the balls to own Ford stock, I would have been so pissed that the government bailed out GM and Chrlyser, as it would have made Ford all that more competative and profitable. How long do we have to wait before GM and Chrylser go bankrupt again? Will Americans and Canadians finally revolt when the government decides to give them a "2nd" bailout? I am so tired of this manipulation......it's everywhere.....from cars to the Hal9000 bouying up the market. Capitalism in it's truest form should be allowed to prevail!
Ok here is a winner for you. late 60's early 70's Dodge Dart with a slant six. From what my motorhead uncle told me, those things wouldn't die. That was the hand me down 1st car for a lot of kids. Hey uncle Neal, I never had the chance to tell you to kiss my ass for trying to hand that piece of shit, run forever roach, down to me. Sorry, unfinished family business.
Slant sixes were indeed indestructible, but their distributors were driven with a freakin' nylon gear. What good is a tank of an engine if the distributor gear is in the oil pan?
I am sure there was quite an aftermarket for metal distributor gears! First thing I would have done.
I cannot recall what car it was, but some vehicle I had in the past had a plastic gear on some thingamajig. Replaced it with a metal gear before the plastic disintegrated.
Scratchin head here, cannot recall the car or part! :-(
Probably Ford (Mercury) Capri Cologne built V6 which had nylon tooth timing gears. Timing gears are great as there's no chain, but Ford thought the engine was too loud with solid aluminum gears, or some bean counter wanted to save a couple bucks.
Now I recall, it was a motorcycle. 1972 Suzuki GT-750 Water Buffalo. Three cylinder liquid-cooled two-stroke, used a plastic gear to drive the water pump impeller. But there were after market metal gears available, I replaced mine before the plastic unit stripped, causing the after affect of overheating and destroying engine.
My sister drove from Syracuse NY to Norwich Connecticut in a Dodge Dart with the slant six.
I guess I should mention that her oil light went on 20 miles outside of Syracuse and she drove the remaining 300 + miles without stopping (she was afraid if she stopped she would get stuck) to even look under the hood.
I happened to be home when she pulled in. She came in, kissed mom and me and then casually mentioned that she "thought" she had a problem with the car.
As I neared the car I could hear popping and creaking as something very very hot slowly cooled off. When I popped the hood, this blast of extremely hot air hit me in the face. The exhaust manifold and the exhaust pipe were cherry red and the entire engine was smoking and creaking. I left the hood up and walked back inside.
The next morning I tried to start the car but it was seized up good and solid and the dip stick showed no oil at all. I pulled the drain plug and maybe half a quart of sludge came out.
I grabbed my half inch drive and a 7/8 socket along with a 6 foot length of steel pipe, placed the socket on the crank shaft and after 10 minutes was able to break the engine free. I filled it with oil, got it running somehow and then after 10 minutes stopped the engine and drained the oil. It was black and thick.
I headed down to the auto parts place and picked up three oil filters and a case of oil and spent the rest of the day running new oil and oil filters through the engine until the oil stayed clean.
My sister had never checked the oil in the year she had the car. She had simply run it out of oil. She ran that car and engine for another 3 years of college and 2 years at her first job and then sold it for $200. I still shake my head in amazement when I think about what that engine was able to take for abuse and still keep on ticking.
C'mon. We all know this was theft in the making. Mopar rules. Hedge funds strip-mine assets, then remorph.
Off topic but I was in Knoxville, TN yesterday on business and I passed a Hummer/Saturn dealership on I-75. It had a huge sign outside in front of the beautiful new dealership:
"50% off all Hummers".
I thought, I wonder if all hummers are half price?
http://instantrimshot.com
When in my teens and early 20s, I drove two Pontiac Firebirds. An orange 1970 Formula 400 with the twin-scoop hood, 400 small block and Muncie M22 Rock-crusher tranny. And a silver 1978 Trans-am. Still miss both of them to this day.
In 2000 I bought one of the Ford SVT F-150 Lightnings, ya know, roots supercharged v-8 hot rod truck. Put different pulleys on the crank and blower to turn it faster. Johnny Lightning Ram-Air intake, aftermarket exhaust, chip on the ECM. One fast m-fin truck. Had to sell it in 2002 when I got layed off from my job. Still miss that SOB as well, but not the gas-mileage.
At this point my hot-rod days are over. I cannot see gas getting cheaper, only more expensive. So I'll let others have the fun, I'll keep driving my 98 V-6 Ford Ranger.
But those sure were the good old days.
Jeez, did a typo on the captcha, dang it all!
American car industry began to fail when it moved it's
R & D, materials, design, and other costs and investments from the balance sheet to the income statements, Inventory to Labor and all of its attendant perks. That includes managment salaries and perks as well.
Gypped the product fatally to pay for the union contracts and management giveaways.
Used to know guys on the line who purposely sabotaged vehicles. Like waiters spitting in customers' food.
Fuck 'em.
Here is where I stand on Chrysler (and GM fro that matter). yea, I have a lot of great memories from a lot of great cars over the years. But fuck me dry (or put sand in the vaseline) if I ever even consider buying another vehicle from either of these 2 government propped disasters. After the way the secured creditors were screwed out of their rights by the government, for the principle of union support, they can suck potatoes out of tailpipes for all I care. Let them rot. I'll buy Ford or foreign.
Absolutely! Could not agree more. Hope they go down in government-sponsored flames.
The next American made car is in the making. It will be an LPV sold at Walmart....not shittin ya.
I have a few concerns about hybrid technology.
1. Do the fuel savings offset the retail cost for the hybrid technology?
2. If the "green" movement is so concerned with cell phone batteries in land fills, what will they say about batteries the size of shipping pallets?
3. When the warranty runs out on a hybrid battery how many customers will be willing to spend $5,000+ for a battery to keep the car running?
We should learn from the Europeans and adopt common rail diesel.
Battery technology is what will make this industry explode.
MIT has a battery research division that has been creating breakthroughs for a few years like the latest:
"New virus-built battery could power cars, electronic devices"
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2009/virus-battery-0402.html
Also keep an eye on ex-SAP exec Shai Agassi's company
http://www.betterplace.com
His concept is a drive-thru battery station similar to a fuel station. Your cars battery bank is quickly swapped out.
Your investment and support in alternatives will starve the oil beast and bring that bitch to her knees.
--OhMy!
I have a few concerns about hybrid technology.
1. Do the fuel savings offset the retail cost for the hybrid technology?
2. If the "green" movement is so concerned with cell phone batteries in land fills, what will they say about batteries the size of shipping pallets?
3. When the warranty runs out on a hybrid battery how many customers will be willing to spend $5,000+ for a battery to keep the car running?
We should learn from the Europeans and adopt common rail diesel.
This year Consumer Reports wasn't able to recommend any Chrysler product. In some ways it is impressive that Chrysler can be consistently bad year after year; that takes real effort. I mean, even if you only fix problems as the creep up, the product is bound to become better, but not Chrysler. I really don't know how they do it.
When my very late flights drop me off and I stumble to the rental-car counter, they invariably only have Chrysler products left; I cringe in agony. Regardless of the model, they are uncomfortable with illogical and poorly assembled interiors. To top it off, they also always have wickedly bad blind spots.
Ford and GM have improved quality dramatically, but I will -never- buy a Chrysler product, even if given to me for free.
Chrysler had its moments, but the company is dead in every possible way.
Have to jump in here.
From 1993 to 2002 I owned one of the first Jeep Grand Cherokees made ( a Laredo with the 4.0 liter inline six.)
I drove that sucker for 360,000+ original miles on just regular maintenance and only got rid of it because the cloth interior didn't match the durability of the rest of the car (some cigarette burn holes which showed foam and couldn't get rid of certain smells) -"better half" said it had to go.
The guy I sold it to has had to put a new torque converter in it but is STILL DRIVING IT ..I see the car every so often.
The replacement - a 1998 Cherokee with the same 4.0 liter engine and a 5 speed manual is the LS daily driver - only modification? a new radio with CD/MP3 for the iPod. Runs like a top purrs like a cat, burns no oil and the A/C will freeze you alive in 110F heat.
Best news? Bought CASH for 5K in 2002 from private owner.
Better half? Drives a 2008 Caliber she calls "cute".
Chrysler - no snob appeal, but like MOST American Cars, lasts 4ever if you just take care of it ...and, I've been doing my own "regular maintenance" since I was 16.
KptLt Laughing Swordfish
9er Unterseeboote Flotille
to anyone deluded enough to think that Chrysler make anything other than pieces of shit just ask yourself why Americans are the only people who buy them ?
In the end Ford will be the only survivor (of the Detroit 3 that is)
test
Problem with Mopar - and most American brands until this crisis made them wake up - is that they tried to unload so much dolled-up sh*t to the public. The Mustang II, the Chrysler LeBaron (what a travesty of a great name), latter day GTO, etc. Point is each gimmick car dilutes the brand until it's a joke. The only serious car worthy of respect Chrysler makes now is the Challenger, but one ain't enough.