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Automotive News & Views I spotted a NEW (insert make/model) today!
5314 messages, Last post on Dec 03, 2009 at 3:55 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Just looked at a Chrysler 300 today (only had the base model which is not what I'm looking for). Since it wasn't the "C" version, I didn't bother driving it, but the car looks well put together and thought out. Salesman really turned me off though. Hopefully this was just a bad salesman, but wasn't a good start for Chrylser trying to change my image of them. Looking forward to giving the 300c a whirl. |
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but I sat in two 300's today. I hadn't planned on it originally...I was supposed to do some stuff around the house, but one of my buddies asked me if I wanted to ride with him to the dealer to buy a new headlight assembly for his '95 Grand Marquis. I said what the hey, and rode with him out to the dealer in Annapolis. Well, I knew there was a Chrysler dealer nearby somewhere, so I said let's go see if we can find it, and see if they got the new 300's in. It didn't take long to find the dealer, and as he pulled in, I spotted a silver one. What I did next kind of embarrassed my buddy, and I dunno if he's ever going to go car shopping with me again! I just pointed at it, and like a little kid, shouted "MINE!!" My friend, who's a high school teacher, made some kind of comment about my juvenile behavior, but I was out the door before he even stopped the car! Just to get on his nerves, I think I even blurted out "MINE" a few more times! Anyway, this one was just a base model, with the 2.7. I think it stickered for around $24,500. It was silver with kind of a charcoal-ish interior. The salesguy let me sit behind the wheel and try everything out. Finally, I was able to lay all my fears about legroom to rest. Previously I'd been a bit worried because the specs rate these cars at around 41.8", whereas the outgoing Intrepid/Concorde/300M are 42.2". Might not sound like a big deal, but I wish my 'Trep had more legroom! So I was afraid these things would simply be too small for me. Thankfully, this was not the case. I was able to get the seat into a position that was perfect for me. In fact, it was so far back that the steering wheel was out of my reach! And I have long arms, so that's really saying something! It does have a tilt-telescope feature, but in base models it's activated by a clunky lever that feels like it could get stuck or break. The 300C has power controls. The tranny hump does take a pretty big bite out of the footwell area...much more than the older RWD Mopars like my '89 Gran Fury or '79 New Yorker, but it was still good enough for my needs. Also, they may say that "Cab Forward" is dead, but the base of this car's windshield was at least as far away from me as my Intrepid's. Admittedly, the interior is a bit cheap. Lots of hard plastic. In comparison, my Intrepid, with cloth and carpeting inserts on the door panel almost seems like a luxury car in comparison. There's no carpeting on the door panels (although I think they also dropped that from the Intrepid in 2002), and the carpeting on the floor is a really cheap grade, probably about on par with what's in my roommate's '98 Tracker. The seats were also made out of this weird cloth that made me think of outdoor furniture, or maybe what would be in a Jeep. In the back, with the front seat set to where I'm comfortable, I could fit back there, but truthfully I think my Intrepid is more comfortable. The center spot in the 300 is also almost unusable, at least to my way of thinking. The driveshaft hump isn't a problem. In fact, while the tranny hump up front seemed pretty big, in comparison to RWD Mopars of years gone by, the driveshaft hump in back was pretty small. But the center spot is still poorly padded, and feels like it's raised up a bit, and the pull-down armrest really digs into my back. The trunk's rated at 15.6 cubic feet, and has the spare tire stored underneath, like most FWD cars...or a Dart! It's not bad, but down considerably from the Intrepid's 18.4 (the Concorde is 18.8). But the seatbacks do fold down, to improve versatility. And the hinges are the strut-mount type, so you don't have those "gooseneck" hinges to mess with your luggage. The battery's in the trunk too, in the well with the tire. Much easier to get to than the LH cars, where it's buried in front of the right-side front wheel well, under the air filter. Under the hood, the 2.7 looks like it's a bit more serviceable than it does under the hood of my Intrepid. When my Intrepid needed new belts, I didn't even attempt to tackle it myself...it was such a tight squeeze that I knew I'd end up with bruised knuckles and a bad attitude, and probably end up sending it to the repair shop anyway. With the 300 though, I might actually have the guts to tackle that job! Changing the oil might be a pain, though. I couldn't find the oil filter, but if it's in the same place that it is on my '00 Intrepid, then on this car, it looks like there's a big plastic cover you have to take off of the bottom of the car. It was most likely put there to improve aerodynamics. While I was looking at this silver base model, the other 300 they had, a Magnesium 300C Hemi, came back from the test drive. It was pretty well loaded, with a sunroof. Nicer carpet...better than a Tracker, and about on par with my Intrepid. More chrome accents and the fake tortoise shell (I love reptiles though, so if it was made of the real thing I'd boycott it!), and leather really dressed up the interior. I've been able to find a lot of nitpicks with the 300, but dammit, I want one!! Oh yeah, they also had some Pacificas, and I finally got to sit behind the wheel of one, and adjust the seat to where I'm comfortable. At the auto show, they yank the battery cables, so you can't adjust the power seats. I was able to get comfortable in it. I kinda like 'em, but all of a sudden, I do have a lusting for a 300C! The Magnesium example they had, though, stickered for about $35,000. They are currently offering a $1000 rebate for current Mopar owners, but I think I'm going to wait for the 0.9% financing +4,000 cash back!  Or just wait till they start hitting the used car market. I learned, first-hand, with my Intrepid how fast a new car can depreciate. I dunno if I want to go through that again! But still, the only thing that's going through my mind is "MINE!!" |
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Did you ask them if they'd have a New Yorker version done up for you with cushy, button-pillow red velour seats and a vinyl roof?
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| Just saw the 2005 Chevrolet Equinox at the Chevrolet Dealer and it was silver with the 17" wheels, it looked real nice, i saw one too at the Local Auto Show in my area and the car is very nice but the front is a little akward. Also saw the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible on the road. | |
| A Skyline from the rear ... looks exactly like a G35. | |
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almost forgot, they did have a PT Cruiser 'vert on the showroom floor at that Chrysler dealer I stopped off at on Saturday. Nobody was paying attention to it though, because of the 300's, I guess! They also had a Viper, for only $80K, and a Crossfire. |
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| Tonight I saw my first Cadillac XLR on the road. The roads were wet because of the downpours we've had all day, and it was dark, but I could still tell that it was an XLR. Between the darkness, the wet roads and dark color of the car, the scene looked like something straight out of an advertisement. The car really stood out, with the taillights looking especially distinctive. | |
| Local Pontiac dealer has had a GTO on the floor for a few weeks now. | |
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Came across a Chrysler Crossfire in a school parking lot today. Interesting looking beast. Certainly stood out from the vehicles around it. Haven't quite made my mind up about liking the looks or not... perhaps I'll see it in motion one of these days! PF Flyer Host Pickups & News & Views Message Boards |
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| ...I wasn't impressed. It's awkward looking from behind, certainly not on a par with the other 3ers in looks. | |
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