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Chrysler 300M
26385 messages, Last post on Nov 19, 2012 at 5:58 PM
You are in the Chrysler 300M Forum.What is this discussion about? Chrysler 300M, Sedan
#6134 of 26385 Second-Hand Post for Bluestreak by rogor2k
Jul 09, 2001 (2:28 pm)
Notes from driving a different 300M:
Hello all;
I don't have the time to get on-line to this system much anymore, but had a
recent experience I thought I'd share. If you want, you can write me at
andrewp
thenorth.com since I won't likely have time to log in and read any replies. I've asked Rogor to post this to the Edmund's forum or to the website
on my behalf.
I live in Maine, and my Steel Blue Pearlcoat 2000 Chrysler 300M has seen me
though its first cold, slippery winter in the style to which I'm quickly
becoming accustomed. My 'M' doesn't have a hole in the roof, and it doesn't
have the performance handling package. Its a plain Jane right down to its dark
gray/charcoal interior leather. That said, its been a delight to own and drive.
I know all about driving this tiger in the snow, the rain, and the cold. I can
tell you stories of long winding roads in the deep fog or the heavy traffic of
Boston. What I couldn't, until recently, expound on was the merits of this car
on the open road. We don't have much of that wonderful wide open road that
those of you out west are pampered on. Time for a road trip.
Having family in Flagstaff and Phoenix Arizona, and a convention to attend in
Las Vegas led to the perfect pursuit of some really great roads. I'm
particularly fond of that stretch of I-17 between Cordez Junction and Black
Canyon City -- and lets not forget SR 89-A from Flagstaff to Cottonwood, through
Sedona, then up through Jerome and over Mingus Mountain into Prescott. These
are the roads of my youth, and the opportunity to take them on in a truly fine
car -- not the ancient Chevy Vega that I drove at 16 -- could not be missed. In
Las Vegas, on the last day of the convention, I tipped a guy at the local Dollar
Rental to hold a 300M for me. When I got there, to my delight, he'd found one
that even looked much like mine. Not many get the opportunity to drive a car
just like their own, but subtly different, for several hundred miles at "highway
speeds". Note the emphasis on that last word. There are some comparisons I
thought I'd make that others may find useful if considering one of these fine
cars.
First, this was a 2001 so it had a couple of visible differences -- the clear
tail lights and the chrome door trim. It also had a hole in the roof and a
light tan leather interior -- neither of which I cared much for. It did not
have chrome on the shifter, so I suppose it was a later model '01. It also did
not have the cheesy wood on the wheel -- thank goodness. I did miss the chrome
on the window buttons, and as I'd mentioned, I think it looks better with the
dark gray interior. I was surprised to find that I actually liked the chrome
around the door though.
One thing I noticed right away when I got in was that the brakes were touchier.
These definitely required a lighter touch then my own. The ride was a bit
stiffer and later-- when I checked -- I saw the Michelin tires. I'd guess this
had the PHP which surprises me for a rental agency. The only I know of to have
confirmed this would have been to attempt to exceed 122 miles per hour and sadly
the opportunity just didn't present itself. I actually found the seat a little
different, but perhaps that's because my 200 pounds hadn't forced it into the
shape of my backside yet.
That first night was the drive though the winding roads over the Hoover dam.
Sadly there was too much traffic to make much fun on that stretch of road, and I
nearly had to bail out off the left side of the road when attempting to pass
someone and getting a bit too close to some oncoming traffic. Yikes. Later
that night though, I-40 opened up before me as I got within a couple of hours of
Flagstaff. I-40 through there is a four lane highway with each side separated
by several hundred yards of open desert. The road winds through the mountain
passes in the high desert at 7000 feet with a posted limit of 75 mhp. I can
tell you that 85 miles per hour on that road -- a speed the cruise control held
perfectly -- can be a little quick at night. You're passing large trucks doing
just over half your speed as your glide around corners with only the headlights
to tell you which way the road will turn next. The car performs so perfectly
that its strictly one hand on the wheel even in the tightest corners. The only
hard part was the constant shifting of focus between the curves coming at you at
85 and the trucks "coming at you" at a relative speed of nearly 40mph. Passing
a truck with that kind of relative speed while coasting through the corners of a
high mountain pass can be challenge at night. I made it from the Las Vegas
airport to Flagstaff in almost exactly 4 hours -- and that's with three stops
(food, fuel, and a 'haircut').
The next day was the drive to Phoenix I'd been so looking forward to. The plan
was AZ89-A down Oak Creek Canyon into Sedona, then up through the switchbacks
into Jerome and over Mingus Mountain to Prescott. Finally, into Cordez Junction
and down to Phoenix on I-17 though Black Canyon City. Sadly, I'd heard about
heavy construction on 89-A and its was raining those giant desert deluge drops
complete with massive 'Frankenstein' lightening so I opted to just stick to I-17
all the way down. I waited out the bulk of the storm at a "Sonic Happy Eating"
place in Verde Valley, then hit the road again. Hooray! Clean and dry once I
hit the Sunset Point rest area, so those amazing curves carved into the
mountains would be dry and smooth. Never has anyone been so happy to see a
sign reading " |\ 7% Grades next 11 miles. Trucks - Vehicles pulling trailers
use lower gears" as I was as I dropped the autostick into 3rd gear and hit the
accelerator. Here's where it gets weird. The PHP/300M combination performs so
well, that there is no safe speed to take those curves at which it becomes a
challenge. At anything over 85, you're climbing up on people so fast you end up
having to brake into curves -- a definite no-no (scares the tourists) and a real
pain the backside. Yet, 85 on that road isn't even a challenge to the 300M.
Its like driving your father's Oldsmobile Delta '88 at 55. I found myself
wishing that I didn't have the PHP on this rental just so it'd be a bit more
interesting! The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful, as anyone who drives
in Phoenix can tell you. Getting home though -- sure was nice to get back into
Bluestreak, even if she is a plain Jane.
#6135 of 26385 Audi A4/S4 VS 300M by seeburg222
Jul 09, 2001 (2:31 pm)
Thanks guys for the info. Avalanche, it was definitely a late model one. As I recall, there was no 'A4' script on the trunklid like I've seen on others. There WAS an odd, blue and red, slightly triangular medalion between the left tail light and licence plate that had 2 letters or numbers in it that I couldn't make out. I wonder if it was an S4. Anyone know where I could find a pick of one? I looked at the Audi website and couldn't find anything. Especially a rear shot that shows the decklid. Thanks alot!#6136 of 26385 Ahah!!!!! Was an S4!!! by seeburg222
Jul 09, 2001 (2:36 pm)
I finally just found the Audi USA sight and has pics of the S4. Thats what it was!#6137 of 26385 S4 by sdmike2
Jul 09, 2001 (2:42 pm)
From the Audi site: "With 250 hp at 5800 rpm and 258 lb-ft of peak torque from a low of 1850 rpm through 3600 rpm, the S4 has power. Gobs of it. Where and when you need it. Forget about turbo lag. The S4's got pull-away power in every gear and 0-60 acceleration in a brisk 5.9 seconds. Wow."#6138 of 26385 hey guys! by phases78
Jul 09, 2001 (3:45 pm)
sorry i havent been on the past couple days, my son was visiting and i was spending all my time with him..well the M is still outstanding! i got my new club card in today too. i still get tons of questions everywhere i go and continue to turn heads left and right. i could never get enough of that. i think this one turned more heads than my white one (untill i put on the duals, lol ppl looked cuz it sounded so cool). i love this car. however, heres the bad news...
july 14 to july 31 ill be in the field...
august 5-9 in field, and august 14-31, field
im not looking forward to this at all.... HOPEFULLY, by the end of this week, ill have the duals on my car, the tint on there, the wood kit and basslink on the way! i hope, but, its going to be a LOOOONNG hard week getting ready for the field time...
#6139 of 26385 S4 / Stopping odomoter by hatax
Jul 09, 2001 (3:58 pm)
Heh, I guess I wouldn't feel bad if I got beat by an S4, that's kind of a hot little car. =)Awhile back someone mentioned that they had found a way to stop the odomoter, I checked that out, and while it works good, there are 2 annoyances that I could overcome if I felt so inclined to do. =) Namely the fact that the gauges go dead, no biggie, but the AC blower stops blowing and you can't open the sun roof. =( That's kind of depressing. So... If anyone else has done this or experimented with it... Heh, I know I know, it's a bad thing....... Just one of those people who has to mess with stuff if it can be messed with. =)
#6140 of 26385 S4 by ruski
Jul 09, 2001 (3:59 pm)
does have a special red and blue and silver badge that looks like slanted rectangles / / / /#6141 of 26385 Rogor by beach15
Jul 09, 2001 (4:09 pm)
That post from bluestreak would be a terrific thing to post over on the Aurora/LS/300M board, to tell a story of how the 300M is such a spectacular automobile (and to get back at all those snotty LS drivers who think their Ford crapmobiles are so great!). It has gotten very active over there since yesterday and there appears to be some pretty strong opinions. I think I'll copy and paste it over there myself and be sure to state who it's from.#6142 of 26385 Clockface Mod by beach15
Jul 09, 2001 (4:25 pm)
Finally, I snuck out tonight and got the clockface put in the wife's M. This time it only took me one try and no hurt fingers!! I used both a credit card and a metal file type thing to pull up on one corner. I then slipped my fingers under that spot and started to pull, applying pressure sideways. Click, one snap popped out and then the other. I took it out and unplugged the power cord. Took the clock apart (the easiest part and slid in the clockface. Voila, here's the finished product:
#6143 of 26385 Beach15 by 99_300m_ric_va
Jul 09, 2001 (4:45 pm)
Get Some Wood Trim for that tri-vent/clock section!I'm so used to mine, I forgot how plain I always thought it was. My opinion anyways, which you might not share. :<)
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