- #26268 of 26363
-
Chrysler Quality a best kept secret
by coolrunning
-
Mar 17, 2008 (3:31 am)
-
|
There are a lot of misinformed and hard headed people out there that love to bash Chrysler. I have owned 2 Town & Country minivans, 2 300M's (a 1999 and a 2004 Special), and I now own 2 300C Heritage Editions. I would not have even considered buying these cars if they were not reliable. I used to be a Ford man until I got fed up with seeing my service writer about every three weeks on average. I went from a 1963 Galaxie (favorite Ford) to a 1976 Gran Torino (great car) to a 1985 Mustang GT (continual nickle & dime repairs) to a 1992 Mercury Sable (the worst car I ever owned). My love affair with Chrysler began with my 1999 Inferno Red 300M complete with 5 chrome 17" wheels, sunroof, and premium sound system with Infinity speakers. The H.O. 3.5L V6 and autostick transmission made the car complete. I loved cruising around in the leather cocoon of my M, and the best mileage I ever recorded was 30 mpg at 60 mph. I installed stainless steel fender and window trim kits that really accented the red paint and chrome wheels. I drove this car for 5 years and 70,000 miles. I had to replace the plastic visor clips once, and a cooling fan. The only reason I traded it off was to get my 2004 300 Special. It was the ultimate 300M, loaded with all the nice stuff. Dual exhaust, ground effects trim, two tone leather Special seats, HID headlights, 18" wheels (versus 17") and all the rest. I thought I would keep my 300M Special forever... and I would have, had I never drove a 300C with the HEMI. It is a shame they didn't keep the 300M and upgrade it until it had a HEMI under the hood. I saw a prototype from the Detroit Car Show in 2004 and it looked fabulous. It was stretched about a foot in front to fit the V8, and it was rear wheel drive. The project was scraped when the car mag writers whined that it "was the same old body with a big engine. Nothing new here." That gave the 300C a green light apparently. I didn't appreciate the body style of the 300C initially after driving the beautiful 300M so much. But, after some time it began to grow on me. It looks somewhat like a hot rod Mercedes, for half the cost. Since I missed my Inferno Red 300M, I fell in love with the first 2006 Inferno Red 300C I saw. That color was only available on the Heritage Editions then, but in 2007 you could get any 300C or 300 trim level in that color. I bought one for my wife, and had the best of both: A 2004 300M Special and a 2006 300C Heritage Edition parked side by side in the garage. Life was good for a while. Then, I realized the more I drove my wife's car, the more I loved that HEMI power. My 300M felt sluggish, and rode much lower to the ground. The seats felt unpadded and stiff and it even handled much less spirited. The thrill was gone! I had to admit, I had fallen fot the 300C..... 
|
- #26269 of 26363
-
Re: Commong Chrysler 300M Problems? [mnewelski]
by coolrunning
-
Mar 29, 2008 (7:41 am)
-
|
|
Replying to: mnewelski (Dec 26, 2007 11:44 pm)
I have owned a 1999 300M and a 2004 300M Special, running each of them for about 75,000 miles. (I currently own a 300C). The '99 300M required standard wear item replacements (brakes, belt, hoses, battery, etc.) and then one of the electric fans went out. I replaced both fans (complete assembly) for a bit over $300, since I had planned to keep the car. The right rear window stopped working just before I traded it off, but I had planned to fix that for about $150. My '04 300M Special was absolutely trouble free until I took it on a 2000 mile road trip. I got a check engine light, and the car would go into a underpowered "limp" mode. I was driving about 85 mph for several hours across Texas when this happened. I had to shut the engine off for a minute and then restart it to clear the problem. When I got it to the dealership, they found it was caused by a failing crank sensor. Even though I had an extended warranty, it was not covered! I paid over $350 for that repair. This is one of the reasons I quit buying extended warranties. I just put the money aside I would have spent on them and call it my long term repair money. So far, I am ahead. Basic maintenance (oil and filter changes, air filter changes, etc.) on any car make it a better owner experience by increasing the reliability of the vehicle. If you are considering buying one with high mileage, I would be most concerned with the maintenance records and repair history. If everything looks proper, you can usually get a great car at a bargain price. I bought my 300M Special for a little over $14,000 when it was 2 years old with 34,000 miles on it. The new car sticker on this car was $34,000 when I looked at it at the dealership showroom! I loved the car and the price! 
|
- #26270 of 26363
-
Re: 10th flat tire [naatz1]
by coolrunning
-
Mar 29, 2008 (8:09 am)
-
|
|
Replying to: naatz1 (Mar 10, 2008 4:54 pm)
I had a slow leak in one of mine and found it when Discount Tire submerged the wheel and tire underwater. It wasn't the tire or the wheel! It was a $2.00 valve stem that was leaking...
|
- #26271 of 26363
-
Re: front door speakers [vinny99]
by deidreschaef
-
May 20, 2008 (12:12 pm)
-
|
|
Replying to: vinny99 (Nov 27, 2004 9:55 am)
I have... and i dont even play my music that loud.. its very annoying now cuz i have to have all my sound in the back of my car.. do you know anywhere that i can find some new ones?? that would be great!! thanks Deidre
|
- #26272 of 26363
-
Re: 2000 300M [kylito]
by mortiz
-
May 20, 2008 (4:45 pm)
-
|
|
Replying to: kylito (Dec 02, 2004 9:18 pm)
I believe it is an awesome car... i love mine.
1)hmmm, i don't get snow where I live... can't help ya there.
2)Hasn't happened to me
3)That ticking noise is your lifters, check your oil level... it happens to me sometimes and when i get the oil changed and filled, it stops!
4)My temp controller didn't make any noise until I cleaned all of the dust out of it... The unit is fine, the motor that turns the fan behind the display is simply making noise and I have no problems with it other than a slight annoyance.
I noticed this is a very old post but it still might help any unanswered questions you may have...
peace and safe driving.
|
- #26273 of 26363
-
Re: front door speakers [deidreschaef]
by mortiz
-
May 20, 2008 (4:49 pm)
-
|
|
Replying to: deidreschaef (May 20, 2008 12:12 pm)
hit up your local chrysler dealership, front speakers will run you a bit, my best advice is to just replace them stock, thats what I did since I did not want to worry about overloading the amp or something along the lines of that... To upgrade your sound, which there really isn't much need for, you would need to revamp the whole car...
but if you do decide to buy aftermarket to replace them, depending on your particular model, they may be 2-ohm speakers.. watch out and good luck!
|
- #26274 of 26363
-
Re: front door speakers [vinny99]
by coolrunning
-
May 21, 2008 (8:11 pm)
-
|
|
Replying to: vinny99 (Nov 27, 2004 9:55 am)
My 99 300M had the same problem. The speakers didn't "blow", they simply rotted. They are mounted inside the door and every time i washed the car or it rained, they must have got wet. Over time, the rubber surround ring on both front door speakers rotted and the speakers sounded awful. I took it to the local car stereo shop and theyinstalled a set of Boston Acoustic replacements that actually sound better than the stock Infinity speakers. I love Infinity speakers and have lots of them in my home, but these BA speakers are much clearer and look better made. It cost me just under $200.00 installed, but I kept the factory radio/cd player. The rest of the speakers in the car are still fine. The BA speakers came with a half cup plactic shield that mounted over the back of the new speakers to protect them from water damage. Perhaps they knew something about the mounting location environment... 
|
- #26275 of 26363
-
Re: Laurasdada [easyrider300m]
by coolrunning
-
May 21, 2008 (8:25 pm)
-
|
|
Replying to: easyrider300m (Dec 29, 2004 12:21 am)
You are absolutely correct. The AWD 300C is a great value and you can get it with the same engine the 300M has. I opted for the 5.7L HEMI MDS V8 because I am addicted to the horsepower, and the fuel economy is not much different than the mileage I got from my 300M's 3.5L V6. The best HWY mileage I ever got from my 300M's was 30 mpg, and the 300C's have logged up to 27 mpg on flat ground at 70 mph. I highly recommend you shop for a Heritage Edition because of the extra nice interior, upgrades everywhere and a reasonable price loaded with navigation system, Sirius sat radio, cd changer, sunroof, 18 inch chrome clad wheels, HID headlights, premium seating, and on and on. I love them so much, I bought two exactly alike!
|
- #26276 of 26363
-
Re: front door speakers [coolrunning]
by mortiz
-
May 21, 2008 (8:30 pm)
-
|
|
Replying to: coolrunning (May 21, 2008 8:11 pm)
The originals should have had a full sheet of thick black plastic over the entire inside of the door to protect it from water, that sounds weird to me..... oh well.... i would just be worried if the new speakers were a different impedance, the may be putting stress on your system... if they seem to sound quieter for some odd reason that may be the case...
|
- #26277 of 26363
-
Re: front door speakers [mortiz]
by jw300m
-
May 22, 2008 (11:44 am)
-
|
|
Replying to: mortiz (May 21, 2008 8:30 pm)
Stick with the stock Infinity's....I replaced mine with Pioneer and then aftermarket Infinity's and they sounded like crap so I went to the dealer and purchased 2 6/34 front speakers for $150 I believe. Be sure to ask the employee selling you the speakers for a discount, and if they dont do it, ask to speak to the manager...their business is slow and they will practically sell anything for cost these days.
As for the previous comment about water damage to the front speakers...if water is getting in your door panel at such a high rate as to damage the speakers then you have another issue that needs to be addressed, but I highly doubt that is the problem. These speakers are known for not lasting too long, and as with everything else, they wear-out with use over time.
|
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Sedans 
