Can't comment on the '99-'00 300s, but my '01 is as solid as anything I've ever driven (including 2 BMW 3 series, 1 Camry and 1 Accord.
Comparing it to the wife's '99 Avalon, it is much more solid. The avalon is quieter, but there are plenty of little squeaks and rattles. Of course, the 300M is a ton faster and handles way better.
I live in the Midwest (where we've had our share of cold weather this winter).
No squeaks, rattles and it's solid as a solid chunk of brass.
Just turned 40000 miles in my 99 300M. Other than a window regulator, the car has been perfect. No squeaks, no rattles. It wants real bad to go real fast, but around here,not a good idea. The service manager said these cars have been good from day one.
I don't say the car is perfect, but if Chrysler were to disappear, I don't know of any sedan in this price range that offers its combo of features.
The damn dealer called me today and after going through the car, he couldn't "reproduce" anything that I told him. Both he and four other workers took my car out for a drive and said that it made not one noise, drove perfectly, and there were no workmanship flaws--BULL!!! Well, it doesn't really surprise me, I was never that confident after it took another Chrysler dealer 5 visits to finally fix my Voyager.
Whoever commented on my topic of the car being slow--thank you. I consider slow to be a car that is just adequate getting off the line--I really don't think to consider your car fast you should have to punch the gas while already going 60+ mph--certainly not where I live. I really do like the car however, and that's why I bought it. Advise from this board also swayed my decision a by a considerable measure.
I'll just have to live with my $32,000 car that really has issues a $10,000 one in the year 2001 shouldn't. I really wish my car would have been as trouble free as everyone else's here.
just as i expected, there is nothing wrong with the car, it's the owner that has the problem, told you they couldn't fix buyers remorse :~)
seriously i don't understand why they wouldn't at least attempt to fix it, chrysler pays them to honor the warranty...every time i've went to the dealer with a problem they were as eager as i was to get it fixed. i really don't understand the, "we can't duplicate the problem" philosophy. there has to be a know it all here who can shed some light on this for me ???
I drove 45 minutes and then spent another half an hour being told that nothing was wrong with my car. Yeah right, that's why after I left the entrance of the parking lot, the dash started making even worse rattling sounds, the seat motor still sounded like it was dieing, and the door lock was not fixed. I was told that my car was driven over 60 miles by 5 different Techs on the road, on really bump roads, and half on/half off the road. The said none of them heard anything but now the paint is probably even more chipped up from flying over gravel and dirty roads.
They fixed absolutely nothing, even a visibly loose panel that they looked at a few months before. I am not happy with this car, their pathetic service, and would never buy or recommend another 300M. I told them this and they just got mouthy with me.
Racefan9- There is something clearly wrong with my car, others who have ridden with me agree. I am not nuts or making anything up like you and your mouth think. I will be doing whatever I have too to fix my problems.
hi, I been reading the posting for about 6 months now. And I am going to pick up my 300M on saturday.Its a 01 cinnamon with sandstone int everything but php I live in northern calf. So I be back
Had the same problem with my trans am. Had to take service manger on ride with me to point all the problems with the car. Take him somewhere and after that if he says there is no problem leave him there. Good luck
Well, I did it. I just pulled the trigger on a 2001 Acura 3.2 TL after much deliberating. I honestly preferred the 300M, but in the end the Acura was just cheaper. I got a lease quote of $370 per month for 42 months with 15,000 a year. I only spent $1400 out of pocket. That blew away anything that Chrysler could do. I was a longtime lurker and I just wanted to thank everyone here for their input and help, and I will hopefully be buying a 2004 300N or Hemi C!
find a streach of road near a dealer that makes the rattles, rattle. Then have the service manager take a ride with you so that, you can drive the same strech and produce the same rattles.
enjoy your souped up honda cracker box just think you could have got an accord ex and saved a few more grand...i know the navigation system is worth the extra $$$
i painted the brakes on my Ram with the black, leaves a nice slick finish, now i think i'm ready to do the m with the red, gonna make it look like a porsche, i noticed the m's brakes were painted black from the factory, mine aren't that dirty with on 7k. so i'm gonna get a good degreaser to clean them up and tape off everything with some blue tape, it doesn't leave any glue behind, and spray away, i'll keep you posted and of course there will be pics, speaking of pics i want to see the 18's.
1gta-Welcome to the group! Pa-Hope you enjoy your Acura. It's a good car and you'll be happy with it. Race-No, I don't think it's crappy, give me a little bit more credit than that! Besides, what difference does it make what I think? The important thing is that you are happy with it. I hate that the Z lightened it up and you had to do that in the first place, but I'm glad you got it back to the way you like it.
Goto my site. I have a few pics of the rims, but not on the car. I finally got my camara back, only to find out they deleted any pics that were on the card. They are at the bottom. Please keep me posted, & can you give some details on drying time, painting time, etc.
I said it before. Save yourself the stress. Goto the dealer with a positive attuitde. Like others have said, Drive your 300M over roads that cause the rattles with the service mananger. Prove to him there are problems. Show him any problem with the interior. Don't just drop it off with a list. Most dealers will act like that. The key is showing them what is wrong. And demananding they fix it. They are there to service you! Not the other way. If all this fails, try another dealer. You have to treat some dealer's like a child. With you leading the way, & telling them what to do. Make suggestions, as to what it could be. If the dash rattles, suggest they look at it for loose pieces etc. You have control of what happens to your 300m. Not the dealer!
They do look good on the car. As soon as my tires get in, next week, I'll put them back on, & take pics. One thing though, on the car they don't look like 18's. Maybe because it had 17's. If the 300M came with 15's, I'm sure I'd notice the difference. I have the black paint. I also have the red. Let me know which looks better with the silver color of the car.
Pa32tl1 - It's a nice car and a worthy competitor to the 300M. Enjoy your new ride and come back to visit. We don't hold grudges here.
Beach15 - sounds like you need to find a dealer who takes his 5* rating seriously. Is this the dealer where you bought the car? There are good and bad service managers, just like everything else. Sorry this experience is souring you on your 300M, but hang in there and you will prevail.
the TL is not a worthy competitor, it's a honda accord, a mid size not a full size, when are you people going to stop comparing mid-size rice burners to the full-size north american 300m...it's a joke!!!
we can't be all things to all people we own the best north american car ever built, stand up and defend its name!!!
Does anyone have advise as to using snow cables on a 300M? The dealer recommends "spider tracks" however, they are $300 and I'll probably never use them again since I live in Southern Cal. The manual say no chains!
Rogor2K: I will still lurk here, and keep you updated on news I get from "the other side". Thanks again. Dustinewton: I hope I am happy. Like I said my first preference was the 300, but I think I made the right choice. Race: Remember, I am on your side. I still love the 300, it was pure economics that drove me to the TL.
Thank you for your advise. I'm driving to the Sierra's and they say a foot or two of snow this weekend. This usually means "chains required". Maybe I'll take my Porsche, it has four wheel drive, it's just not as comfortable and roomy as the 300 and it doesn't look good stuck under an SUV.
I live in Cleveland, Ohio and run pirelli winter/ice snows on steel wheels from Tire Rack. The set of four cost me only $500 mounted and balanced delivered to my door. They cut right through snow and stick to ice. This car does better in winter than my Grand Cherokee.
I caught a ride home the other day with a co-worker. He has the new 2 door CL. I hate to say it but it does have some better quailites. NOW i'm not saying it's a better car(don't yell at me Howerver it is quiet. Very little wind noise, You can't hear the engine. The quailty of the interior was pretty good. But it is designed this way. The 300M is more sport. I still wouldn't buy the Honda, err Acura, but it's worth pointing out.
you're asking for it man ok i'll admit i have owned a Honda in the past a 96 accord with the four banger, i had to have it because i was commuting to near AL from ATL, it's amazing what a woman can make you do, on the plus side there is nothing like getting 32mpg. would i do it again no it's way too small for my 6'5 230lb steel frame!!! as the yahooligans say "i'm donning my flame retardant vest"
Just started reading the posts here & on Yahoo. I was actually looking for an aftermarket site & came across these forums. Just my luck!! I own a '99 Candy Apple Red M, approx 24,400 miles, ordered new from the dealer & after reading some of the issues, happy to say the car has been problem free. I will definitely communicate w/ some of you re: the aftermarket accessories you've added (already a fan of racefan9, rogor2k, fuzzywuzzy & anyone else whose got the guts to get this car to the next level). Good luck to all & happy motoring! It's really one of the best auto's out there.
It figures, I just ran out of warranty. I'm sitting at about 40K on the odometer. I have a 2000 300M. I thought it might have been a chip in the windshield (which I replaced), but the water seems to be in the same spot. It occurs only after rain. The spot is located right about where the passenger floor mat hits the transmission well, about even with the stick when in Park.
It's the Front Strut Caps. It took me six times to visit the dealer. On the sixth visit, I had information, gleaned from this site, about a Technical Service Bulletin on the front strut caps. The Dodge Intrepid they gave me as a loaner car had the same little rattle. (Low speeds, sort of sounded like a coffee pot percolating)
So this moron at the 5* dealership looks at me and asks me, "how'd you know about that?"
Needless to say, I've been sending his department lots of business. I'm telling any LHS, 300M, Concorde and Intrepid person I can find.
These guys have made it so difficult to deal with at times, that I'm about to sell my 300M and get something else. (Now I wish I had bought that extended warranty)
The niceUPS man delivered the California walnut burl dash kit to match the '01 300M w/Luxury group today. I hope to install it over the weekend and will report on the installation and results.
Comments
Comparing it to the wife's '99 Avalon, it is much more solid. The avalon is quieter, but there are plenty of little squeaks and rattles. Of course, the 300M is a ton faster and handles way better.
I live in the Midwest (where we've had our share of cold weather this winter).
No squeaks, rattles and it's solid as a solid chunk of brass.
Just turned 40000 miles in my 99 300M. Other than a window regulator, the car has been perfect. No squeaks, no rattles. It wants real bad to go real fast, but around here,not a good idea. The service manager said these cars have been good from day one.
I don't say the car is perfect, but if Chrysler were to disappear, I don't know of any sedan in this price range that offers its combo of features.
Ed
Whoever commented on my topic of the car being slow--thank you. I consider slow to be a car that is just adequate getting off the line--I really don't think to consider your car fast you should have to punch the gas while already going 60+ mph--certainly not where I live. I really do like the car however, and that's why I bought it. Advise from this board also swayed my decision a by a considerable measure.
I'll just have to live with my $32,000 car that really has issues a $10,000 one in the year 2001 shouldn't. I really wish my car would have been as trouble free as everyone else's here.
seriously i don't understand why they wouldn't at least attempt to fix it, chrysler pays them to honor the warranty...every time i've went to the dealer with a problem they were as eager as i was to get it fixed. i really don't understand the, "we can't duplicate the problem" philosophy. there has to be a know it all here who can shed some light on this for me ???
They fixed absolutely nothing, even a visibly loose panel that they looked at a few months before. I am not happy with this car, their pathetic service, and would never buy or recommend another 300M. I told them this and they just got mouthy with me.
Racefan9- There is something clearly wrong with my car, others who have ridden with me agree. I am not nuts or making anything up like you and your mouth think. I will be doing whatever I have too to fix my problems.
we're satisfied with edmunds and all the town hall monitors :~)
http://www.properautocare.com/fb-1k.html
i bet Dustin thinks it's crappy, and black shoe polish would probably work better right Dustin???
Tandee
Pa-Hope you enjoy your Acura. It's a good car and you'll be happy with it.
Race-No, I don't think it's crappy, give me a little bit more credit than that! Besides, what difference does it make what I think? The important thing is that you are happy with it. I hate that the Z lightened it up and you had to do that in the first place, but I'm glad you got it back to the way you like it.
Goto my site. I have a few pics of the rims, but not on the car. I finally got my camara back, only to find out they deleted any pics that were on the card. They are at the bottom. Please keep me posted, & can you give some details on drying time, painting time, etc.
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1280600&a=9485515
Service...that's the word my grandaddy used when I asked him what that bull was doing with that cow...
Beach15 - sounds like you need to find a dealer who takes his 5* rating seriously. Is this the dealer where you bought the car? There are good and bad service managers, just like everything else. Sorry this experience is souring you on your 300M, but hang in there and you will prevail.
ErikV.
we can't be all things to all people we own the best north american car ever built, stand up and defend its name!!!
Dustinewton: I hope I am happy. Like I said my first preference was the 300, but I think I made the right choice.
Race: Remember, I am on your side. I still love the 300, it was pure economics that drove me to the TL.
Any ideas?
So this moron at the 5* dealership looks at me and asks me, "how'd you know about that?"
Needless to say, I've been sending his department lots of business. I'm telling any LHS, 300M, Concorde and Intrepid person I can find.
These guys have made it so difficult to deal with at times, that I'm about to sell my 300M and get something else. (Now I wish I had bought that extended warranty)
Hop in my Chrysler, it's as big as a whale and it's about to set sail!
I got me a car, it seats about 20
So hurry up and bring your jukebox money
Didn't think us younguns knew that
I'll make the next question harder. First one to 5 points wins a fabulous 300m treat from yours truly. So, stay tuned. (Tryin to liven up da place.)
Sorry Fig, gotta be quicker next time.