Chrysler 300/300C

tornado25

"The battery is in the trunk improve performance and "to defy convention"."
Heh. Hardly. Realizing the point about weight distribution has already been said, I did want to expand on the point about imagining a battery on the end of a pole. If you're going into a turn, do you want this brick on the end of your car or in the middle. The difference might mean the car lets loose at x-5mph instead of at x-mph. That's why in some cars, it's under the rear seat instead of the trunk, even. I hardly think an engineer is going to create a longer path for the electrons to "defy convention".

As for the glass/door ratio, I agree visibility is a primary concern, but since none of us have actually driven a production model, and those who dislike the design essentially are saying since it has less it glass, it MUST have poor visibility, perhaps we should reserve judgment. Personally, IF visibility isn't seriously impaired, I'd rather have steel surrounding me than glass. Plus, aside from helping to create a more even interface with other vehicles, I imagine the higher beltline would reduce side window ejections, too.

tayl0rd

snip-- "They'd like to have their cars be hailed as the hip choices of celebrities and pro athletes rather than be endorsed by the AARP for people with bad hips." --snip

Probably the reason for the product placement of the 300C in 50 Cent's video; which I have yet to see.

james138

Thanks for the photos. The 300 base does like nice without the chrome. Hub caps are also good looking. Do not like the Midnight Blue Pearl Coat, but the Cool Vanilla, and Satin Jade Pearl Coat, would look better to me. Notice in your photo that the inside of the car is a light color on the cloth seats. In the Chrysler 300 brochere, shows cloth in Dark Slate Gray and Medium Slate Gray Addison Cloth only. The Light Graystone for Cloth seats does look good, if this is the case. Does any one no if they actual offer cloth seats in a light color. Maybe the brochere is not complete in this information or change? Would be nice if the brochere showed inside the trunk where the battery is and what kind of trunk hinges are on the trunk lid!

tibbune

I was looking at the Ferrari 360, Jaguar XLK, Nissan 350Z, and Porsche 911 and noticed the misguided designers for those cars opted for high belt lines and smaller portions of glass on their doors too.

Wow, I'd never noticed how hideous these vehicles were until now!

What was Chrysler thinking? Don't they know Americans want Pacer-esque glass panes so large you could sail a Ford Festiva through them without a scratch?

Eh, on second thought, if I want the thrill and style of a large window I can always pull into a McDonald's drive thru.

fsmmcsi

I wonder how a 300 would look with the grill painted body color? Until I actually see one, I don't even know if this is a good idea, but do know that it would tone down the prominence of the grill.

bnet504

i don't know if this was posted before, but here's a 300 review

http://auto.consumerguide.com/auto/new/reviews/full/index.cfm/id/- 38054#engines

hotrodlincoln1

at the auto show in Atlanta over the weekend. It looks GOOD, at least IMNSHO. Now for the complaints:

1. They had it up on a stand where you couldn't touch it, ie get in and test the seats, check the visibility, etc. You could, however see into the trunk, and it is much bigger than I was expecting.

2. I do wish they would offer a manual transmission.

3. I also wish they had gone with a straight rear axle.

seminole_kev

But I absolutely hated the 300 in pictures. Well two weeks ago we had the local auto show and the 300 was there. (No we could not get into it either.) Anyway, I have to say that it looked much, MUCH better in person. One of the biggest differences I've seen from photo to in person from a car. It was in a dark blue (which is admittedly one of my favorite colors). In the flesh it is a very good looking car. Has a nice presence and even the big grill didn't look out of place on it.

The one caveat is that it was slightly elivated, so that could be part of it. At any rate, I went from absolutely hating it to being very interested/impressed. I've been mulling over the idea of picking up more of a larger, cruiser type of car and a V8, RWD 300C is very interesting to me. Big question mark right now is what the interior feels like.

Anyway, I have to admit to being very impressed by the 300.

setzer

The 300 isn't my favorite new sedan. But, I think it could go far for Chrysler. Even get them into the limo buisness. Chrysler is the only one out of the big 3 that are not in the limo biz. A Dodge Magnum sedan would also make a nice limo, but the 300 has more of the professional look and Dodge is more sporty.

jcz1

Did everyone who signed up already get theirs?

I got the one-page letter earlier (2 copies, actually), so I know I'm on the list, but no catalog. Maybe the mailman thought it was cool, and is still checking it out himself?

dale48

I received 3 one page letters. After hearing about the brochure on this board I called my dealer and picked one up last Friday.
I did not receive anything in the mail other than the 3 letters promising a March event (which my dealer says will be an April event.

fastdriver

dale48-

Sounds like- who's on first, what's on second! ;-))

fastdriver

bigmike5

Another great triump for the marketing department. If my local little dealer had a half dozen brochures out here in the sticks, then you should stop by your larger dealers and they should have them on hand by now.

dale48

Just checked the status of my car, hoping to move from D to D-1.
To my delight I was told it is "JS" Shipped to storage.
The CS rep said it should be on a rail car soon.
I told him rumor is they are stockpiling for a big release. He had to look up the code for a 300C and this was the first one he had checked for the status code.
He was also able to give me the complete VIN.
Can hardly wait. Oh yeah, wait a minute, I forgot its just a car.

tibbune

Dale, don't pop the cork on that champagne just yet. I called Chrysler last week and was told my car was in "JS", they even gave me the route it would be taking from Candada, thru Michigan, and onto Phoenix and they supplied the train carrier's name to boot. Needless to say, I was thrilled. But they couldn't supply a ship date.

Yesterday I called to see if the ship date had been established yet, and was told "Congratulations, your car is in D-1 status, it will be built any day now".

So either the guy who told me it was built was wrong, or this guy is. I'm not holding my breath, June is now looking realistic.

dale48

Thanks Tibbune,
I Hope you live in the Phoenix area, since your car is headed that way.
We are expecting 3-7 inches of snow in New York tonight not counting several inches of confusion furnished by DCX.
As for the Champagne, I gave up drinking for Lent.
I'm just hoping for a delivery about the time of the April 22 ?? event. Let me know if you get any more info on your car. Did you get a VIN? Do they issue VINs before they are built or after?

tibbune

My car was ordered back in December as a dealer allocation, it just happened to have enough of the options I want for me to buy it...and they'd better not be test driving it when it arrives! The order form itself has the VIN on it, though that VIN was not in Chrysler's customer service computers until late February.

Snow you say? Weird, I swam laps at lunch today...you mean it's not a pleasant 93 degrees everywhere?

intrepidation

Honestly, all this grille talk had me look up some desirable vehicles on collectorcartrader.com, and to me, 300C looks quite a bit like the 1958 300D. I'd like to buy one of each, but I'd have to win PowerBall, first.

Can't wait 'till some of the 300's are delivered so we find out how good/bad they really are!

Kelly
'95 Dodge Intrepid ES, 3.5L, 116K miles, a long-term keeper

stephen

I ordered my 300C January 13th. Today the dealer told me that it will not be built in March and it won't be built in April either.

The priority code is 99 and the order status is BX. Who at Chrysler would I call to inquire as to whether it will be built in May?

stephen

fastdriver

stephen-

Why don't you try Auburn Hills. Sometimes you get "better" results when you go to the top. Of course, my experiences with them was BEFORE DC layed off 30,000 people! Not sure who's left to answer important questions! Try 248-512-8383. That was for the executive offices. Maybe they cut down on phone lines too?

fastdriver

fastdriver

get out the tissues!! ;-))

I think he better watch out for that "light" at the end of the tunnel!

http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/zetsch18_20040318.htm

fastdriver

soozpk

To all those that placed their orders for a 300, why not compare the VON / VIN codes to see what we have. Something is definately wrong if Steve placed his order three days before I did, and his hasn't been built yet??? Hell, they've been building the 300's since mid-January, and started shipping them out on Mar 6th.

For what it's worth:

VON (Vehicle Order Number)--12157108 with the order date as Jan 19, 2004. VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)--2C3AA63H95H119551
Order Status--JS (Just Sitting)
Priority Code--99 (Whatever that means)

PS to Steve: BX ------ passed edit available for schedule
Also, you should have the Order Date. That will tell you the whole story. Perhaps it was the dealership that was dragging it's rear.

soozpk

Thanks for the article Fastdriver. I find fault with the statement ""The customer has to learn to accept a good price rather than shopping for the best deal". He apparantly doesn't realize that we play by a different set of rules here in North America. Remember, I balked when the dealer wouldn't abide by the "ten-percent rule". If I hadn't been a Mopar addict, I could have given my business to another manufacturer where the spread was much better.

fastdriver

soozpk-

I don't think they'll EVER get it! Our two cultures are COMPLETELY different!

fastdriver

fastdriver

soozpk-

I don't think they'll EVER get it! Our two cultures are COMPLETELY different!

fastdriver

fastdriver

soozpk-

I don't think they'll EVER get it! Our two cultures are COMPLETELY different!

fastdriver

intrepidspirit

deja vu all over again...and again...LOL!

stephen

My printout shows that the order date for my 300C is January 13th, the VON is 12111282. The dealer told me that other larger dealerships are probably are getting their orders scheduled ahead of mine because of their higher sales volume.

Even though my car was ordered by the dealer on January 13th, there's no room on the April schedule for it to be built!!

stephen

fsmmcsi

I would be surprised to learn that D-C would give a lower priority to a customer order based on the dealer. Don't they have a way to code it as a customer order, not just a car for the dealer's inventory? I could understand a lower priority on inventory cars for smaller dealers, but customer orders should be first-come-first-served.

stephen

There must be some reason that the Brampton plant won't schedule my 300C to be built within three and a half months of the date the dealer ordered it in mid-January. What could it be?

stephen

tibbune

It makes perfect logical sense for the factory to prioritize high volume dealers first and foremost, sorry to say. If you lived in say, Dirthole, Montana, and special ordered your vehicle last November...they still have to schedule shipping for it. Imagine, in the middle of a major rollout, they need to send a single truck with one car on it to Dirthole.

Not gonna happen. They need volume initially to get the buzz and the profits rolling, therefore the places that have performed well in the past get greased with vehicles first.

Similarly, whenever buying a car at a dealership, you should always deal with the fleet manager and nobody else. Out of all the people employed at a dealership, the fleet manager has the most pull, because he sells the most vehicles.

dale48

Soozpk Here is my detail:
VON (Vehicle Order Number)--12388853
I ordered Feb 16, 2004. $500 deposit
VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)--2C3AA63H15H133461
Order Status--JS advised by phone 3/18
Priority Code--?? How did you obtain?

Stephen, When I ordered my car the dealer told me they had ordered a couple for stock and a couple for customers. Unless your dealer had already placed orders for stock up to their allocation, I would agree with fsmmcsi above.

Based upon the info on this board I have very little confidence that my JS status is real.
If the info is correct mine was built 30 days after I ordered.
It wouldn't surprise me if they were telling different stories just to stall until the Marketing campaign starts. Did you order any options which might cause a delay?
I did not order a navigation system. Did you? Maybe they are short on them.
Anyway I will be happy when anyone on this board gets their car. I just want to be the first kid on my block to have one.

soozpk

Seeing that we're getting conflicting stories from both the dealerships, and DCX, as a member of the AFL-CIO, I sent off an e-mail to Brampton's CAW Local 1285, asking them to clarify how shipping is determined. Tibbune is correct in saying that they won't ship just one vehicle, HOWEVER, they will fill a truck with six vehicles and drop a couple here and there if it's along the way. If I get a response, I'll post it.

dale48

Stephen Tibbune makes a good point about Dirthole WY
Where is Beulah?
Is it at the far corner of the U.P. or close to a large city?

soozpk

No, I didn't think I ordered anything out of the ordinary, I pretty much ordered everything but the moonroof, and navigation system. The Priority Number was listed on the printout I receved from the dealer when the order went into JS status. It shows a 99, but I can't find anything on the net pertaining to that. I just may call those all-knowing people at 1-800-Chrysler today and ask.

I did post two things about causing delays up in Brampton. First there was a CN railstrike, then upon getting the 300 catalog, I see that the 300's were to get tire pressure sensors, but the catalog now states that the sensors will be available at a future date. If I remember correctly, DCX had that equipment listed on the website, but I think now it has been pulled......but did they adjust the price to reflect that???

soozpk

I called 800-Chrysler and was patched to another extension in reference to the staus of our Hemi C's. Mine is still in JS status, waiting to be shipped. Asked for an approximate shipping date, and he couldn't really say. I asked about priority code 99, and said that's just a generalized code to determine if it's a fleet unit.

As for your's Dale, it's "still being built".

stephen

Dale and Sooz,

I didn't order the Nav or the roof. Just power pedals, wood trim, sound group II, and protection group II.

Beulah is in the lower peninsula of Michigan on US-31 near Traverse City. Shipping wouldn't be an issue here, but the Detroit dealers hogging all the supply for the state might be.

stephen

stephen

I called Chrysler just now, and they looked up my order and said that it is on "material restriction" which means there is something they don't have - and won't have in March or April - that is necessary to build my car.

stephen

dale48

Thanks for checking on my car.
Any idea why they told me yesterday that it was JS?
Did they tell you it was D or D-1?
Dale

dale48

Must be short the walnut.

soozpk

He just mentioned that "as for the other VIN, it's "still being built", no status. It
could be in E-Framing, F-Painting, or G-Trim, not necessarily in D, which is
sceduled to be built. The thing is that, we, as buyers, expect answers in a viable,
straight-forward manner regardless if it's the dealership, or the manufacturer. Sorry
to say this, but the responses we get from either can't be trusted. I wouldn't mind
the wait if they simply leveled with me, and say exactly why it's sitting there in JS
status, and not being shipped. If it's to wait for other vehicles that are going
to my locality, just say so, but don't give me a different reason everytime....Geesh.

dale48

Soozpk:
At this stage I am pleased that it sounds like the actual assembly is under way and that it is not just "going to be built" some day like Stephen's car.
Thanks again for your time

fastdriver

soozpk-

"... but don't give me a different reason everytime..."

Get used to it. It's the DC way! It's only just begun! Sorry.

fastdriver

dale48

A fellow in my office said he saw a commercial on NBC last night featuring an unidentified Chrysler. He said he saw a car he had never seen but it looked good. I showed him the 300 brochure and he was pretty sure that was the car. Did anyone else see the ad or was he mistaken?

fastdriver

dale48-

I didn't see it, but it probably was the 300 if he said he never saw it before! With DC's "secret" advertising, WHO has seen it except people who are interested in cars and find the info on the net!

fastdriver

fsmmcsi

I don't know if it will make you feel batter, but when in college my brother, one sister, and me ordered a 1979 Trans Am 400 4-speed. The car was built in Van Nuys, CA, and we lived in St. Louis, MO. We kept calling, and found that it had been built, but without a rear axle! The rear disc brakes for the WS-6 package were new that year, and so they told us that they had move dit to storage with a forklift. When it finally came 4 months after the order, the hood bird decal was missing and the hood was adifferent shade of gold than the body, one front fender was yet anotehr incorrect shade of gold, it had the Chevy wheels, and there was a dent the size of a basketball in the right door.

I certainly hope everyone here gets their cars soon, and in good condition.

xmf314

The ad showing the 300 ran during NBCs Apprentice program last night. They showed various views of several vehicles, but just the front of the 300.

Since the 300 is about to blast off from the launch pad it's strange that DCX is not heavily advertising it. They made a mistake with the Pacifica with the poor ad campaign at it's introduction. So I wonder if we will see the same with the 300.

oedipus1608

They actually showed more than the front of the 300. Anyway, the 300 as well as the other vehicles in the commerical will be or already have been featured in their own commericial.

Here is the link to the new Commericals
http://www.adage.com/shared/includes/spotwin.html?vid=chrysler-in- spiration.asf&type=gar

stephen

Dale,

The wood is one thing I can do without, so I gambled that maybe the California walnut is still in California, and deleted it. Maybe that will change the order status next week, but I won't be holding my breath.

stephen

peder59

I called two local Chrysler dealers in the San Francisco Bay area today. One said they would get 2 x 300C's in about a month, and another dealer in Oakland said they were expecting delivery mid next week. I am on their call list.
I shall keep you informed.

I am as many other people on this town talk interested in the 300C. I have seen it at a show, but have never sat in one. I like the looks, I like the price, and if I fit comfortably with my 6'5" body, then I will buy one.

Peder59