We Did It! We bought a Chrysler Crossfire!

"Porsche was my first word" (porschewasmyfirstword) 09/20/2017 at 19:07 • Filed to: None

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Clickbait dog is clickbait dog!

We did it! We bought a Chrysler Crossfire. One like this, our car still at the dealer but the online-ad is already offline.

Dealer was very nice and open about the typicel rust issues, but we have budget left to fix that.

Driving was amazing. Smooth power delivery and shifting (automatic, because mother), well maintained wipers (little hint if the original seller cared about his car, was equipped with standard radio as well, another hint and I don’t like looks of aftermarket radios). All the gimmicks worked.

It has just 85k on the clock and I managed to squeeze in new winter tires (actual were almost done) in the tight deal (similar models are a tad cheaper but with almost double the miles.) It’ll get a new safety and emissions inspection as well which is mandatory every two years. So I can be sure everything safety related is in good working order, no bushings, bearings or wheel bearings are something alike is done or worn out too much. I have also 1 year warranty.

Car will be the commuter car for my mother when she retires in two years (she visits Britanny at least three times a year, so after retirement she’ll need an additional long distance cruiser which gets her out at destination more relaxed than at starting point after the almost 700 miles and 10 hours of driving). Eyeing a Mercedes CL600 Facelift. We try to find a cherry at the point of deepest depreciation and keep it mint (or bring it back to) until it’s a searched after classic. Accounts for both cars of course. Otherwise it would be impossible for us to afford such two cars).

Until retirement the Crossfire will be the weekender and my/our fun car. I find it pretty quick for a just 218 hp (0-60mph in 6.4s, limitited to 155mph). Yes, the tranny needs a second to find the right gear but overtaking on b-roads is no problem at all.

Now I look forward to drive it about 700 miles to Britanny in three weeks for a three week vacation. Dunno yet where to put my 5mm full wet suit because of the tiny trunk.

Just had the first (hard) surfing lessons this summer, and hope to learn to read the waves better and manage to fully pop-up. Hope to get up to 10 days in the water (refurbishment in the house is also on the to-do-list, so I don’t expect too much.)

Sorry for bragging but it had to do it somewhere and my friends in Germany are all asleep, it’s 1:00 a.m. here now.

Poor little Bettie the Beagle will have to sit between the legs of the passenger for the journey (thanks god she likes that.)

Milky > Porsche was my first word 09/20/2017 at 19:18

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Congrats! Get ready for pooping dog pics.

I like that interior, mine is sadly gray/black.

interstate366, now In The Industry > Porsche was my first word 09/20/2017 at 19:18

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Get caught up in it!

CaptDale - is secretly British > Porsche was my first word 09/20/2017 at 19:24

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Neat

E90M3 > Milky 09/20/2017 at 19:29

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Like anyone would make a joke like that.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Porsche was my first word 09/20/2017 at 19:30

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Chariotoflove > Porsche was my first word 09/20/2017 at 19:32

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That’s good clickbait.

Congrats on that car. The interior color makes it look positively elegant.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Porsche was my first word 09/20/2017 at 19:48

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Enjoy! Now tell me about this CL600 so I can crush your dreams... err... I mean help!

Textured Soy Protein > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 09/20/2017 at 21:26

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I’d this the part where you tell him to buy a 500 instead?

Textured Soy Protein > Porsche was my first word 09/20/2017 at 21:28

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Where is this Britanny you’re referring to? Do Germans spell the region in France with only one ‘t’ instead of two? And why are you saying distances in miles if you live in Germany?

boredalways > Porsche was my first word 09/20/2017 at 22:17

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Good doggo is good.

Congratulations. Which model year?

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Textured Soy Protein 09/20/2017 at 22:56

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Only if sticking to a realistic budget is an issue!

A 55 would be a good option too. Or if the car he’s looking at is new enough I wouldn’t worry too much.

Porsche was my first word > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 09/21/2017 at 04:17

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Enjoy! Now tell me about this CL600 so I can crush your dreams... err... I mean help!

Yeah, I know all the horror stories. But I did my homework (studied all pages of the manual. didn’t find a COMAND manual online, unfortunately. But I know how to reprogram the sun roof if the batterie was disconnected and how to test the ABC). The two dealers took each step back when investigated the two cars we saw so far because I could tell them more about their car then they self knew.

And we have a specialized but free Mercedes shop right around the corner.

So far non of the described horror issues occured (at any car I had, and I had a few, and as I said, we try to cherry pick. You can be wrong, but fingers crossed, I never was until now.

If the car wasn’t meant for the long stretch journey to France only it would be a no brainer. Don’t buy.

On the other hand my I want my mom to drive savely to France and back when she’s 80 years old. I see nothing else but a luxury car that enables her to do that. So S-Class, Phaeton, A8, XJ are all on my radar. But they depreciate even if you buy them at 6,000$. The CL no more. I already see fewer and fewer good examples.

Most of the times you can tell from a phone call if a car is any good. If there is no service record or just one key I just don’t look at the car.

Plus one year warranty in Germany even on used cars. Otherwise I would never take the risk. And no more than 70,000 miles on the odo. There will be maybe another 50k in 10 years, a distance the car should manage easily. Plus no-franchise Mercedes specalist 100 yards away.

So the Jaguar XJ dream died because of Mercedes convinience.

If it was for me I’d be in a world of trouble.

Plus: I studied depreciation a lot on certain cars. And the C215 will go down in value still a little bit, but then the rotten tomatoes will be sorted out and prices will go up. Not enough to make 911-money of course. but enough to egalize the additional cost of maintenence. It’s a specualation, I know, but I was always right with the cars I bought with (reasanable) dream budget like BMW Z1, Z3, SLK 1, Audi TT (gray with makssin leather and the more powerful motor demands a 50% premium over comparable models know. Not 5 years ago), Alfa RZ/SZ, it’ll happen to the Fiat Coupe and Barchetta as well as to the MGF. Every BMW M of course.

So I’m pretty sure we just don’t sink the money.

Porsche was my first word > Textured Soy Protein 09/21/2017 at 04:18

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I’d this the part where you tell him to buy a 500 instead?

Way enough of a engine, formidable car. But heavier depreciation and not much less fuel consumption. Insurance ratings for my mom are so low it doesn’t matter.

Porsche was my first word > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 09/21/2017 at 04:22

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Only if sticking to a realistic budget is an issue!

This. There will be enough left to fix the ABC. Most daily wrenching like oil change and even brake fluid or spark plug change I’ll do myself.

A 55 would be a good option too.

It’s definitely on the list! It’ll be the better car probably. But 12 cylinder ...

Porsche was my first word > Milky 09/21/2017 at 04:25

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Congrats! Get ready for pooping dog pics.

Haha, didn’t know that. Not the greatest angle of the car I admit.

I remember when it came out the Crossfire got a lot of hate.

But it aged well IMO and I LOVE the slight art decó-touch. But it’s at least not a MEH-car.

Porsche was my first word > Textured Soy Protein 09/21/2017 at 04:27

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Where is this Britanny you’re referring to? Do Germans spell the region in France with only one ‘t’ instead of two?

Nope, they spell it Bretagne like the French do. So I get confused sometimes like with safe/save and life/live.

And why are you saying distances in miles if you live in Germany?

US forum (though very international. It’s about 1.100 km

Porsche was my first word > boredalways 09/21/2017 at 04:35

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Good doggo is good.

Oh my god we are so happy, she’s gold. We looked into the different breeds (had some from the shelter, all had definitely their charm but all were difficult to say the least.) And it had to be right-sized for my mom. She’s almost 70 and can’t handle a 60lb dog anymore.

We read a lot about how difficult Beagles are (kind, but mind of their own) but my mom fell in love so a Beagle it would be. She is 3 years old and the most relaxed dog ever. Mom walks her at least an hour a day, often 3 times a day.

Then there is 20 minutes turmoil right before sleeping time but that’s it. Rest ist mostly sleeping or taking a five minute stroll through the garden now and then, sunbathing a little bit. It’s almost as she was in her elder days.

The only thing you can’t do is ignore the doggo for more then 3 days. Then hell breaks loose.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Porsche was my first word 09/21/2017 at 19:30

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Sounds like you’ve done your research and are as careful as can be. That’s all I really want when I tell people about these things.

I don’t suggest doing plugs yourself unless your mechanical skills are high and you’re very careful.

Just so you know, we just built an $18,000 USD quote on a C215 CL600, and couldn’t even diagnose all the issues he had without doing a few grand with of work first. I’m just about to start work on a $12,000 USD repair order on a R230 SL65. Most of that money is in parts, and they’re not that easy to work on. V12's are nuts. But our V8's are excellent.

Porsche was my first word > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 09/22/2017 at 14:42

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we just built an $18,000 USD quote on a C215 CL600

You work at a dealership?

I don’t suggest doing plugs yourself unless your mechanical skills are high and you’re very careful.

I’m very, very careful and very torque wrenchy. I even losen the plugs (glowplugs so far) with such torque wrenches just to know if they were tightend correctly (you know if you have to tighten something to 20 and I can’t get it lose with 25 then’s something wrong and I’ll have to think about a different approach).
Before I do work myself I do as much (or even more) research than for buying the car.

The V12* really about depreciation. I expect the V12 to be the more desirable car (in most eyes) than the V8 (wich wouldn’t argue about if it’s the better engine or not). Powerwise the V8 is way enough.

I hope to egalize the maintenance cost by appreciation (right car at the right time and a lot of patienceand knowledge). If I wouldn’t charge all the hours I put into research I could easily pay the repair cost at a shop.

But it’s a hobby, I don’t charge, we don’t need the car every day so I can take my time (and ask for advice).

*though things have changed a little in the last days. We had a nice leasing offer for an Audi A4 Avant so there is no pressure to get a long journey car for my mom. It’ll be a problem again in 3 years. Then the facelifted V12 should be at the lowest point of depreciation. And this engine has 500 PS instead of 367 and although 367 is pretty much they are comparibly easy to handle. But 500? For a 75 year old lady? And I have the turbos to worry about which the non-FL models lack.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Porsche was my first word 09/22/2017 at 16:05

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Yup.

It’s not the plugs themselves so much as getting to them. You need to be extremely cautious removing the ignition coils, and the are brittle vacuum lines, wiring, etc. Plus the charge air coolers need to be moved out of the way, which isn’t hard, but you still need to be very careful doing it.

As far as using a torque wrench to unfasten things, it really isn’t that accurate. Fasteners stretch and corrode over time, which can and will alter torque. Then there’s breakaway torque versus continuous torque. I’m not saying it’s a bad idea to do, just that it isn’t necessarily an indicator of proper assembly.

Porsche was my first word > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 09/23/2017 at 06:37

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Yup.

Did we have a short comversation bout if it’s a real AMG a Russian pulled to the mud?

As far as using a torque wrench to unfasten things, it really isn’t that accurate. Fasteners stretch and corrode over time, which can and will alter torque.

I know. It was just an example how carefully I handle things (where corrosion heat and stretch are in play I usually know and leave to feel). If it’s to far off what it should be, think again instead of using more force instantly. It takes a bit more time but not overall in the end. And most of the times it’s cheaper to work smart than hard.

Often I had the same problem repaired in a faster time than a friend with a similar one because I took my time to think. On a few ccasions brute force was the solution though.

And there are bolts and fasteners were it just doesn’t matter. If they break I just buy new ones.

You need to be extremely cautious removing the ignition coils, and the are brittle vacuum lines, wiring, etc. Plus the charge air coolers need to be moved out of the way, which isn’t hard, but you still need to be very careful doing it.

If I would do that kind of things (which I’m confident I’m able to) I studied the shop repair manual over and over again, take pictures of the right order and how it has to look, which torque has to be applied and which grease (or not) and such things.

There are thing I definitely leave to the Pro’s. It’s not that I think I’m a wrenching god (actually, I do, but not a very educated or experienced one ;-) There are a lot of lessons to be learned and tools are missing. Anyways I learned how to unassamble/reassamble a shock/bike fork/mountainbike suspension and tune it for better performance. So there is a little understanding I hope. On top I had two friends who worked at DLR Robotics (it’s kind of Germany’s NASA who told me l a lot about wrenching (one of them “invented” internet radio”). They built this robot (the beginnings are about 15 years ago), if you are interested. Video below).

Love that geek talk!

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Porsche was my first word 09/23/2017 at 10:23

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cute dog and new ride looks clean

Porsche was my first word > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 09/23/2017 at 11:01

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cute dog

Thank you! She is the nicest ever. Want’s to friends with everyone, even the mail man

and new ride looks clean

Well, there is a lot of rust around the wheel arches (was a symbol pic, not the actual car). But that was to be expected and already accounted for in the budget. On the other hand it has a low milage, engine and transmission seemed sound, brakes and rotors seemed almost new. Every gimmick worked, AC was cold, no wobble under hard breaking or sudden manouvers, precise through fast corner (as precise a Crossfire aka SLK can be, I know from experience how a new SLK320 Mk.I should handle, it isn’t a Z3 or Boxster), no jerk in the auto under any circumstance I could provoce during the almost one hour test drive, no play in steering wheel, no swaying on bad roads (which would indicate worn out dampers). Everything seemed honest and the dealer made no fuzz about the rust issues.

It’s a good base to start I think/hope though it needs a tad more than a little TLC as soon as possible.

We paid a little over minimum price because it was located around the corner (said that there were only three cheaper examples sold by dealers* in Germany, all at least 300 miles away).

If you spent two days to look at a €1,000 cheaper car with double mileage located at the other end of Germany (we happen to live in the very west corner, just ten miles to the border of the Netherlands) you are not really better off. And you don’t even know if the cheaper car is any better or you made the way for nothing.

Paint will be done as soon as we are back from vacation by a pro. The interieur will be cared off and a underbody inspection is due as well.

If everything is done I’m sure we have a €10,000 car. And it’ll never depreciate anymore. My mother and me will drive every now and then so it won’t develope issues from too long standing around.

*remember, dealers in Germany have to give a one year warranty even on used cars. So buying private was out of question for me. If the motor explodes on the way to Brittany in three weeks the dealer has to put in a new on (as long as it wasn’t our fault like driving with no oil in it). If the transmission just falls out of the car guess what, the dealer has to fix it. Wear and tear on the other are excluded for obvious reasons.