Chrysler 300M

laurasdada · March 2002

You don't exactly get to make your own hours! Often times you are at the whims and fancy of psycho buyers/sellers. My mother was a successful realtor for years, but finally got tired of the strange hours/strange people. Why I remember years ago when Bette Davis (ok, I'm old) called our house screaming bloody murder...Ooops. Off-topic.

My '99 Platinum M has 34,000 miles. A few problems, but nothing to even remotely consider a lemon. In fact, for a domestic, first model year, Chrysler! I'm somewhat impressed by its record to date. Build quality, specifically panel gaps, is my biggest dissapointment. But I have no reservations in recommending this car to anyone interested in a roomy, fast, economical, great looking (and great value) sedan. I hope that DC knocks it out of the park with the N. I'll be looking again in 12-18 months...

dubbed · March 2002

does anyone know the part number for them from the dealer? an price guesses? if anyone knows please let me know and maybe on the mirrors too...
thanks in advance!!!!!!

tom
(dubs)
dubson300m@yahoo.com
phtrde1@aol.com

lonestarsled · March 2002

You missed out on a set on ebay, they went for about $80, have no idea about the rear view mirrors.

mrl859 · March 2002

I guess I'm the first one home. It went great!!! We had 11 cars show up. And the dealer had a FILTHY Special that we were able to climb all over. Apparently, some Bozo dragged a dirty hose across the hood and destroyed the black paint on the Special. OOPS!!!!!!!!! A round of applause goes out to SDMike for his efforts and organization. The meet came off without a hitch and was very well organized. Kudos to the Club for it's financial support. Overall, it was a great time. Pictures to follow soon, I'm sure. Thanks again, Mike.

beach15 · March 2002

Pat- What's the big secret? I know one of the other hosts (forget who exactly) has a MB M-class and is active on its forum. Top secret, huh?

Easyrider- Not even remotely close! Remember, I said "it's something not at all like a 300M". Keep guessing guys! It may still be a little while, but we'll most likely have it before the end of the month, hopefully in the next week sometime. Oh, the suspense...

beach15 · March 2002

Did Mike take a lot of pics? How was the weather out there? Oh, he's probably already at home getting the photos uploaded as we speak!

Hey sdmike, are you here yet?

sdmike2 · March 2002

MRL! You skipped out on us and went home? Shame, shame. We just had a very nice post-meet meeting at TGIF. Mmmmmm....those Jack Daniel's BBQ ribs were GOOD!

As mrl stated, the meet was a great success. Other than a 2 minute torrential downpour at the beginning of the meet the weather was perfect... 60s and mostly sunny (not sure if my face is sunburned or windburned). We had ELEVEN cars, and everyone in them were wonderful people! I want to thank the club for the financial support, and mrl and glennbp for helping out at the meet with some of the tasks. There were truly some gorgeous Ms there, including every color (I think) except dark green. Beach, you'll be distressed to hear that the most popular color was....steel blue!

There were plenty of dual exhausts, modified intakes (including a "plumbing job"), aftermarket wheels, SERIOUS audio systems, and one gorgeous lowered M that had all of the above.

Anyway, time to socialize with my family a bit, so I'll post the award winners and pictures later. Again, a wonderful time and a wonderful bunch of people. Thanks again to Bob Baker Chrysler for having us. Oh...blonda...glenn and I picked out the door prize that you won. We think you'll be happy.

More later!

M

sdmike2 · March 2002

We signed up (or re-signed) a member and even sold some club hats too! Time for me to go take a nap. Oh...if anyone does this themselves, make sure to bring snacks. I caught a couple people trying to chew into my Libby Fruit Cup paper weights.

sdmike2 · March 2002

Here are the awards given at the meet:

Road Warrior (highest odometer) - Jon & Nancy Hambleton - 75,000+

Longest Drive to Meet - Ron & Nancy Darling - 425 miles (actually third highest, but the other two won awards already)

Sharpest Car - Scott Sipes (lowered steel blue...nice!)

Most Mods (FrankenCar) - Michael Sylvia (with honorable mentions to Glenn Pollock & Scott Sipes!)

ok...here are the pics. I'll put some descriptions with them in the next few days. Answers to questions that are bound to come up:

1) That storage box is the old filter box in 300michael's M. With the hood scoop he doesn't use it except to hide things.

2) The car we're huddled around is an 02 special that the dealer rolled out for us.

3) We drove down the coast, across through LaCosta, and then back up to the hotel near the meet location. Nine of the eleven cars went on the cruise.

4) That's TGIF, and no, I don't know what glennbp was looking at in his hand. lol

http://www.ritchiefamily.com/car/carlsbad

ottowrkr · March 2002

Great pics Mike . I really liked the ones with all the M's in a row going down the road. What a sight that must have been. Would of loved to have been there , maybe next time. But I did wear my 300M club hat to work thinking about all you guys out in Cali.

sdmike2 · March 2002

I had thought about us all stopping along the ocean for a picture, but as others that were there can attest, the wind was blowing the sand across the roadway pretty fiercely! I thought if we didn't get out of there we'd get the sides of our cars sandblasted for free!.

You'll have a hoot this summer when the gang comes up for a plant visit. The first person to post an otto pic wins a prize.

ruski · March 2002

you probably are going to get the Infiniti G35. That's what I would get.

Acura TL-S is very nice but does not have that much torque. And all those transmission problems.

G35 produces 260HP AND 260 lbs*ft torque. Now that's serious power. Although not as much as the Grand Prix GTP makes - 280.

ottowrkr · March 2002

a pic of OTTO , nobody wants to see me. They want to see M's lots of them . Yeah ,looking forward to meeting all you M club enthusiasts .

sdmike2 · March 2002

I've been to the outer banks (Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, Cape Hatteras) several times but it's been a lot of years. The things I remember most fondly are the Hatteras lighthouse, the Wright Brothers monument, and playing in the sand dunes (ok, that was a LOT of years ago). I also have fond memories of drinking myself stupid with my cousin in our early 20s while a near gale-force wind collapsed our tent around us, and waking the the calls of rescue workers thinking we were dead. Well, we wern't dead, we just felt like it after the amount we drank! lol

Oh, you might also try hang gliding down there, or flying kites. Kitty Hawk Kites used to be (and probably still is) one of the biggest and coolest kite stores in the US. The dunes are also great places to get reasonably priced hang gliding lessons. http://www.kittyhawk.com/

Have fun!
M

silverbullet4 · March 2002

Mike, thanks for posting all the great pictures. Too bad I couldn't be there, but I enjoyed the pictures. Great looking cars! Looks like everyone was having fun. Was one of the attendees driving a Special? I thought I spied one in the pictures. (Not the one where everyone was gathered around)

Silver

sdmike2 · March 2002

No specials other than the one the dealer brought up for us. I think mrl mentioned this before, but some idiot drug a hose across the hood of the special and did some MAJOR scratch damage to it. It looks like they drug rusty metal pipes across the hood instead of just a hose!

Which car did you think might be a special?

videoman1 · March 2002

Mike,

Great pics. I'm glad the weather cleared up for you. None of the cars looked dirty at all. I guess everyone had time to get them washed

Speaking of which. I parked my M out in front of my house tonight (which is a very quiet and safe neighborhood) only to discover that someone (or a few kids) egged it.....ARGH!!! Luckily I went out to pick up some milk and discovered this incident before the eggs had a full night to cake on. So there I was in 25 degree weather at 11:30 at night washing my 300M. Man that water was cold. I'll see how good of a job I did tomorrow.

As for Nags Head, we went there a few years ago and yes, the dunes are nice and the Wright Brothers museum is nice, but the mosquitoes are large enough to pick up a small child. My poor daughter (age 3 at the time) had huge mosquito bites at least 3 inches in diameter on her back and legs. So if you go there, make sure you take some bug protection. Other than that, it's a nice place to visit.

sdmike2 · March 2002

I know what you mean about the hours. I guess what I meant was I don't want to be tied to an office again...or wear a suit.

I've already told my wife that my weekends are gone if I get into residential real estate, as that's when the offices are busy, the open houses are hopping, and when buying clients want to be driven around to see properties. I'm also not sure if I can afford the time to get up the learning/licensing/experience curve before running out of savings!

glennbp · March 2002

Here are some more pics to add to SDMike's super photo shoot.

http://glennbp.bizland.com/glenns300m/id5.html

scotian · March 2002

I didn't even know what taxes Pat was referring to until you mentioned it -- it didn't even register as a blip on my radar screen.

scotian · March 2002

http://public.fotki.com/Scotian/chrysler_300_hemi_c/

99_300m_ric_va · March 2002

Nice pics. Wish I could've been there, but it's a long drive between coasts. Everyone looked like they were having fun and their Ms looked great. At last years Wall meet, George Deane's 2001 Steel Blue M was the most talked about too. If they had that color in 99 when I bought my Platinum I would have been torn between the two colors.

Did you get any detailed photos of the special?

uxca300m · March 2002

Here's a tip that my local Zaino passed on to me that I thought was usefull.

"Check any towels carefully as most towels contain polymer fibers that scratch like hundreds of hypodermic needles. Do not assume that the 100% cotton label on the towel is telling the truth. The only way to check is to actually set fire to a rolled up corner of the towel. If you get a clean flame like a candlewick then it is 100% cotton. If you see black smoke and melted fibers, then you got one of the non 100%, anxiously waiting to scratch your paint type of towels. One person checked 130 towels all marked 100% cotton and discovered that 12 actually were."

Don't know how WalMart would feel about me torching their towels before I bought them put it does seem like a good precaution.

beach15 · March 2002

If I were going to buy a car, the G35 would be in 1st place on my list. I've heard nothing but raves about it and enjoyed exploring the one they had at the auto show. But is that what we'll be getting? In a word, NO. I'd love it though, but like I said, it's not at all like a 300M. Keep guessing!

At this rate, I don't think you guy's will ever figure it out! But I promise, more clues to come soon...

beach15 · March 2002

just started looking through the pics, but I too wish I could have been there. Just because our M hasn't turned out to be that great, doesn't mean I don't love to look at them! It's truly a sign of something special when there are owners as passionate as those who have 300M's! I still get that "feeling" when I'm cleaning or shall I say, pampering, the M inside and out!

pster · March 2002

Has anyone had this problem?: Yesterday, at 41K miles, my 1999 300M transmission all of a sudden started downshifting abruptly and hard into first gear just before the car slows to a stop. The AutoStick works, but will not downshift into 1st gear. Everything else on the car is working fine. Engine runs fine. Six months ago I had the speed sensor replaced as car was shifting rough and abruptly - the engine warning light came on the car went into its 2nd gear "limp mode". The warning light did not come on with this latest problem and car has not gone into limp mode. I spoke with the service rep a 5 Star dealership (same one that replaced the speed sensor) and is telling, prior to inspection of the vehicle, that I may have a bad transmission that might need replacing. Good grief. I am awaiting their tranny mechanic to look at it this coming week. Has anyone experienced this?

Phil

sdmike2 · March 2002

Nice pics! I'm glad you got a picture of the "eagle flames". Somehow I didn't get it. Did you get a picture of the plumbing intake?

wencao · March 2002

Most likely a sensor problem, mine was fixed at cost of $20.

pster · March 2002

There have been a few posts inquiring about a 300M diecast replica. I collect certain diecasts and I can say with a pretty high degree of certainty at this time that no manufacturer makes the 300M in diecast (at least not 1:18 scale). As far as I know, they don't plan too either as there are no future releases mentioned.

glennbp · March 2002

No, I missed the plumbing intake (the Frankenintake?). The 2 things that caught my eye most were Brenda's Ractive exhaust tips and that lowered with Intrax springs "M". I think I'll wait until my tips start to rust and then switch to the Ractive's. I can't make up my mind about the springs. Looks or vibrations... decisions... decisions!

sdmike2 · March 2002

Didn't Scott say he only had vibration problems around 75mph? Unfortunately for me that's what I'm normally doing. Scott says he only vibrates a second or two as he passes through 75. lol

Oh, and the Frankenintake title officially belongs to Scotian's airbox. The one we saw yesterday was a new one on me! Looked like a great solution though. He said the filter was the most expensive part of the system because the rest was $25 worth of 3" rough out plumbing.

sdmike2 · March 2002

If you read the Town Hall board on the G35 you'll hear a lot of gripes about it. Not anything mechanical, as the car has only been out for a month or so. Most of the negative comments are about interior room and general disappointment given all of the car hype.

fastdriver · March 2002

sdmike2-

Great pics! Thanks for posting them. Really looks like everyone had a great time. I. too, wish I could have been there. Did the owner/salespeople at the dealership come out to talk you? Did any customers come over to see all the cars and the different things you've done to them?

Glad the weather turned out nice and that all went well.

fastdriver

pat · March 2002

In your post uxca300m Mar 16, 2002 6:19am you asked me if a TH member could be banned from this group. That member had said some things about tax refunds that apparently you did not like. My post asking that we stop talking about that subject was in support of YOU.

I don't care if you talk about tax refunds and what you should do about them at all. It appeared to me that a poster had upset you, and since the subject was off-topic, I posted what I posted. If you want to continue it, go ahead. If I misunderstood your request to kick someone out of here, I apologize.

Please email me if you want to continue this. We shouldn't be taking up space and time here on this.

Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board

lonestarsled · March 2002

Any Carlsbad meet goers happen to catch what kind of wheels that Scott Sipes has on his M? I am presently looking at some Boyd Coddington wheels but I would really like to check out those wheels that Scott has before I make a decision.

sdmike2 · March 2002

I stared at them for a while, but I don't remember the type. lol! If you send me your question and email address I'll forward it to Scott. I don't feel confortable giving out his email address without permission but I'll pass yours on. Email me at mritchi1@san.rr.com

scotian · March 2002

uxca300m's "banning" comment had a noseless smiley at the end.

fuzzywuzzy · March 2002

Lets say it together..........
We do not have tranny problems, We do not have tranny problems

& we never will. BTW go over to RC & drive the 6 speed.....oh what fun

fedlawman · March 2002

I thought it was pretty obvious that ucxa300M was being facetious.

The 300M enthusiasts here are a lively and friendly group. Don't take everything you read so literally.

fastdriver · March 2002

To all-

Anyone watching the LIFETIME channel- Her Best Friend's Husband? The main character is driving a blue 300M. Looks like a newer model because the mirrors are painted. It's obvious that it doesn't have Zaino on it! ;-))

fastdriver

laurasdada · March 2002

A good looking group of people and cars! And as a New Englander nearing the end of (a non-winter, actually) winter, I'd like to thank everyone for wearing sweatshirts/jackets! When/if it hits 60 degrees in March here, t-shirts and shorts come quickly out of the closet!

Good luck with whatever you choose to do career-wise. I was "right-sized" in early '96. Changed careers. 20/20 hindsight, it was a "good" time to be "right-sized" and change careers. My current company went biz-casual a couple of years ago and it is my highest hope to never have to wear a "noose" again!

It might snow here tomorrow. Snow in March? In Boston? Nah, it'll never happen...

nc300m · March 2002

It seems you guys had a nice 300M meet. I enjoyed looking at the pic's but did not notice "Blonda" Ractive Tips. Did you get a close up of them? I would like to compare them to my 815's. I must say I have gotten a lot comments on mine, all positive. No one else here in North Carolina has a 300M with duals, that I have seen anyway. Are you guys planning an "East Coast Meet"?

sdmike2 · March 2002

Sorry, I had too much going on to get any specific pictures like that. I have to drop some stuff off at her place this week anyway, so I'll take my digicam and take a few shots.

Mike

blonda · March 2002

So what'd I get?

Looks like you guys had fun on the drive. Sorry I missed that part. It was really great to be able to meet everyone.

blonda · March 2002

My tips can sorta be seen on SDMike's photos 3013 and 3017 (it's the slate M). However, I did just buy this really awsome digital camera last night so as soon as I figure out how to download photos I'll post a better picture.

sdmike2 · March 2002

Well, since you had mentioned that you liked the Mcquire's (sp?) instant shine stuff we got you a three piece kit that included that, their leather wipes, and their car polish. I'll give you a call in the next couple of days to arrange a drop-off.

How was your shower? Is vacation over?

blonda · March 2002

The shower was, you know...a shower. Didn't get out of there until 5pm though so figured it was a little late to join up with you guys.

My "vacation" is still not over --- one more week. (My boss travels a lot) :-). Maybe I'll find time this week to get those Bosch plugs installed finally.

uxca300m · March 2002

Pat-I guess there was a misunderstanding. If you take a look at my post again you'll see that I had a

(smiley face) at the end of it as Scotian had mentioned above so my statement was just tongue in cheek. Anyway thanks for the support.

fastdriver · March 2002

This is interesting reading-

http://www.detnews.com/2002/autosinsider/0203/18/a01-442791.htm

fastdriver

kosh_2258 · March 2002

He's retired, needs to stay retired, and get used to the idea.

The success of Chrysler in the 90's was due to Bob Lutz, not Lee Iaccoca. In my opinion Iaccoca's decision to bypass Lutz was pure ego and jealousy. Iaccoca simply couldn't stand the notion that Lutz would get the credit for Chrysler's success and not him.

No doubt Chrysler would still be independent today if Lutz had been chairman. And he still got the credit for Chrysler's major comeback. So much Iaccoca and his inflated ego.

Chrysler 300M

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