Funny you should mention that control arm problem. One of the C's that I drove did that. Both myself and the guy that drove it after me commented that it seemed to want to pull to the right. I thought is was alignment or uneven tire pressure. I'm glad they found it early and are correcting it quickly. Thankfully, my car should be produced with the fix already in place.
Can you post a pic or two?? I also ordered the black and would love to see what she looks like. Also, could you comment a bit on the "Protection Group II." How does the rear parking assist work? Do you hear beeps through the radio system? Is there something visual happening around the rearview mirror? Also, do the Conti-seal tires ride any different from the regular Continentals?
One last thing - as you have been reading the owner's manual have you come across any info or features that made you think, "Oh cool - I didn't know that." If so, I'd love for you to share. Thanks...
Dale48 wrote: although I am eager to take delivery, the week wait may have saved me a grand.
That's the way I feel exactly, Dale. My dealer said that mine is in the Minneapolis area. Looks like both our early-built cars were sitting side by side in Brampton early on, and the forthcoming vehicles were parked way in front, so that's why they're the ones showing up at the dealerships first. I wish you the best of luck with your Jade Green machine, Dale. I think we did okay.
After all the back-and-forth, I made the plunge today. At the credit union sale, I put a deposit down on a car that's already on order. Had 3 options I didn't want/need (sunroof and nav, HID), but missing the U-Connect.
The credit union sale price was 500 under sticker. Not great, but not horrible for this point for this car. I got them to throw in the dealer-installed U-Connect ($300) for free, so I'm happy. Also plan to work my mom's concorde ownership to get me the extra $1,000 off, although that will take some fiddling with loans and titles, but it will be worth it.
No idea when it will be here. Blue, light interior, pedals, nav, sound group 2, protection group 2, sunroof, HID, plus dealer U-Connect for 37.2 before 1,000 loyalty discount. And it is already on its way. I can't wait!
Hard to believe the BMW 745 with 330ft-lbs @3600rpm felt stronger than the 300C's 390ft-lbs @4000rpm. Not to mention the bimmer weighs 300 or so more pounds than the C. Could be numerical higher gearing in the bimmer I suppose....
i remember the first time i drove a hemi ram...when i punched i was thinking, "what's the big deal?" didn't seem to be all that powerful to me...until i looked at the speedo and realized i was gaining speed like crazy...
as for the rear park assist (for the person who asked).. there is an LED indicator in the rear of the car visible through the center rearview mirror.. it lights up yellow the closer you get and then mutes radio and emits a tone when the red leds come on (within 12" or closer). I miss the front park assist my bimmer had but again, I will get by ;-)
Look at the incentives caddy has on CTSs right now. Yes, one can easily get a base CTS w/auto for $28k, maybe better. There are no extras on a 300 touring that would sway me to it over the cts. They both have more than I need. Furthermore, read my previous posts. I didn't compare the CTS to a 300c. Instead, I lamented the fact that I can't afford a 300c for what they are listing at. My point was, if you read the posts, that at or near the price point of a 300 touring, for me, a base cts w/auto is more appealing than a 300 touring, which the jury is way out on as far as quality/reliability, and bears the non-premium Chrysler name. However, if Chrsyler gives some $3k incentives (like caddy is doing now, at least in So-Cal), I may be in 300c territory and would absoulutely love one, or would even perhaps then consider a 300 touring at $23-24k and thereby save a few grand over the CTS. Boy, you sure are defensive over a hunk of metal. Sheesh.
seminole_kev - the LX cars use a computer chip mounted in each key as a security feature . The system is like the one used on the 300M . Every time you start the car the car looks for the code in the ignition key .
jameskk1 - SWEET . lets see a pic of that sexy HEMI engine ;-)
A word about that security key, If you simply make a copy of it, one without the chip, the vehicle will start, but dies out soon after. A replacement key for my daughter's Dodge cost 85 bucks from the dealership.
Excellent pictures! I wasn't sure about the magnesium color but it really looks great! Is that a Sheriff's car I spy in the background? Are you a member of the force or did you get pulled over already - come on 'fess up
I'm not defensive about since I have no plans to buy a 300 in the first year of production anyway. However, I don't see the prices you listed for the CTS as realistic for most people in Southern California or not. I looked on the CTS board and saw the post from the guy who claimed he purchased for $26500, but that included special "supplier" discounts as well as GM credit card rewards points applied to the deal. So, it looks possible to get one in the $28000 or less range only if you apply discounts (such as massive amounts of GM rewards points) that most people will not have access to. It will also be difficult to find a new CTS with no options besides automatic. I looked at the Cadillac web site and Carsdirect and they show a $1500 incentive for non-GM owners and nothing additional when a southern California zip code is entered.
Here's an interesting one, I forgot to post yesterday. I stopped by Koons in Tysons (Fairfax VA). They had a black Limited, but it had a Hemi C badge on the Rear. It was definitely not a C, no chrome, sticker said Limited. So, can these badges be bought separately, or is this a mistake from the factory that could be worth big money, like the upside-down airplane stamp?
I just spoke to my Dealer who spoke to the driver with my car. It will be at the dealer tonight or latest Monday and I can pick it up Tuesday at 9:00am. He said he didn't know a lot about the car but that he was going to a training seminar at the Meadowlands Wednesday. (I guess so they know something for the event)
Thanks for the photos - it is nice to see people with the cars at home. We should be proud of the engineers and business people who made possible this modern full sized car at reasonable prices.
kvilleboy - that's my wife's car, she is a Deputy Sheriff. I am getting a lot of questions about the color *Magnesium* of course.. I had originally ordered a black but the order was cancelled (long story) so I ended up with this color and I am glad because I have seen both side by side and the Mag is more upscale looking color. I still like the black too as it enhanced the chrome features of the car.
OK, last post on the point. In today's (4/17) San Diego Union Tribune, page I-3, a Caddy dealer has advertized 6 (six) CTS automatics for $28,308. MSRP $33,115, minus dealer discount of $2807, minus $1500 "non GM owner rebate", minus $500 "GM certificate." I have seen similar ads every weekend by various dealers in the San Diego, Orange County, and LA areas, for months. Now, I supposed the dealer could be lying in the ad today, and doing a bait and switch, but considering the prominent size of the ad and that 6 are advertized at this price, that would seem to be a big risk. Lots of hungry lawyers in SoCal. Again, I'd take a CTS over a 300 touring as this approx. price point, but with some incentives the 300 touring could be more attractive.
Question about magnesium: Does it have a green or blue tint to it?
I would like a car in charcoal grey, but I think the magnesium looks a bit too much like that funky mint green color. There was a black 300 Touring at the dealer that looked GREAT. Never thought I'd say that about a black car.
I've seen a photo of a midnight blue car, but that doesn't seem to suit the 300's techie-yet-art-deco appearance.
It is a bit more of a green/grey IMO, the blue doesn't show up (MUCH!!). With certain light there is a bit - o - blue, however. For what it's worth - they used the Magnesium on the show cars .... why? Cause it is awesome! Uhm, IMO.
Want a Caddy? Then buy one! And good luck on newspaper prices. Try it!!! Oh, Mr. XXXX that one JUST sold. But I have a .....
Stopped by to just look at a black 300C that was parked out front of the dealership, but ended up driving it as the Internet Sales Manager who I have talked to briefly happened to be the salesman who greeted me on the lot. Anyway.
Overall I was pretty impressed with the car. I don't have really anything against Chrysler, but they've never really wowed me since their 60's products. This is a new ball game though. I was impressed with the fit and finish and the interior is pretty nice for the price.
It handled pretty well although the steering could stand to be a little heavier. Just a little to light for what I like. Also, I think the marketing has gotten to me as it didn't feel quite as quick as I expected. Believe me it will still scoot, but just didn't quite "feel" as powerful as it is. I suspect part of that is from the rear-end's economy gearing. Still, more than enough to get me into trouble. Rode well I thought. Quite and composed but luckly enough engine noise gets through to be fun and not too sterile.
Overall I'm very impressed and I like the fact that this car can be equiped the way I personally would like. (RWD, good motor, a regular suspension as opposed to the air-ride or leveling suspensions which I do NOT want, also that I can get it WITHOUT a sunroof or NAV as I don't care about that either). Just nice that this car happens to be available equipped the way I would prefer.
Oh, I didn't really think the vision out was bad either, although I need to let my wife drive it (she is short) and see if she can at least see over the dash with the seat height raised up as the dash/hood is pretty high. Not a deal stopper, just would be nice if she could see out it if she takes it out once in awhile.
Salesman was much nicer than the other dealer. Was refreshing. Also was somewhat knowledgable about older cars as we talked about the '67 Jag I have. Actually knew a little bit about cars which actually I find less and less of at car lots. Go figure.
I'm about to order my 300c and was wondering if anybody has the car in the lava red and how does it look. I drove the car and love it this will be my first made in the USA since 1985. I'm buying the car with 1% less invoice with a plan my company has with chrysler. It took a few dealers to agree to do this because the mark up is so great anybody having the same problem.
Seminole_ken wrote: I need to let my wife drive it (she is short) and see if she can at least see over the dash with the seat height raised
When the dealer called to say that they had a 300 Touring in the showroom, I hightailed over there with my wife in-tow to see how "they" would fit together. (we ordered a C) As it turned out, the driver's seat was electric, but the steering column wasn't, and it didn't have power pedals. My wife is only 5'1", with big boobs, and proceeded to adjust the seat like our LeBaron. In this mode, the seat is "way-up high", and moved forward "to the max". Her chest just about touches the steering wheel in this mode, but in the LeBaron she's able to reach the pedals. In this 300 Touring, she couldn't reach the pedals at all, until she lowered the seat, but then couldn't see over the dash very well. We had ordered the power pedals, and my guess is most short individuals will require it.
Wow nothing but stares people asking what is that? My Blk 300c drew a crowd at the gas station today. 19 Gal. gas tank 89 octaine not 92 recomended,6 quarts of oil. I spent a few hours reading the owners manual last night this thing has all the bells and whistles. The manual even says during break in you should apply full throttle occasionaly while staying within the legal speed limit.
I was also interested in this color thinking it may be close a dark cherry. The salesman showed me a Grand Cherokee with the color lava red or molten red (can't remember which) and said it would be close to it. Well, I personally didn't care for the color at all. Sometimes it had a purple hue and other times a brown hue.
Then again, the paint color on the 300 may have a different formulation since the name of the color was not exactly the same.
I have been doing a fair amount of *light* driving with a few full throttles during the 300 mile breakin period and according to the car's computer, I am getting an average of over 18mpg.
The 300C's are made in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. Only one hour from where I live but the salesman says my Magnesium 300C will take 6 - 8 weeks for delivery. Go figure...I will go down and get it myself!!!!
guys, per the customer service action on the front suspension...here is a cut and paste from an ex chrysler engineer over at allpar...
The closer to neutral a car handles, the more quickly it is affected by road crown, etc., including ignorant drivers that are not used to less than 10 percent understeer in the suspension design. The more steeply crowned a road is, the more "pull" (which is not what is really happenning) there is to the low side. Correcting the tendency requires a change of basic geometry in the design. This is another case of ignorance being touted as "proof" of a problem.
anyway, my take on this is that the 300 is driving like it was designed to. however, chrysler is making some changes so that not everyone in their dog thinks the car is out of alignment and not driving properly due to the crowned roads so prevalent in america. or at least that's how i interpreted what he said...make sense? apparently the changes amount to dialing in more understeer...
Finally found a dealer that has a 300C in stock, and will let people drive them. It was the dark blue model. Everything was really nice. The power was very smooth. The car is very deceiving because the ride is quiet you don't realize how fast you are going. All in all exactly what I was hoping for.
The options listed were adjustable pedals, moonroof,sound group II, and of course the seemingly standard California $4000 dealer markup. Grand total was $38k and some change. Should be loaded for that price. Still searching...
"per the customer service action on the front suspension...here is a cut and paste from an ex chrysler engineer over at allpar...
The closer to neutral a car handles, the more quickly it is affected by road crown, etc., including ignorant drivers that are not used to less than 10 percent understeer in the suspension design. The more steeply crowned a road is, the more "pull" (which is not what is really happenning) there is to the low side. Correcting the tendency requires a change of basic geometry in the design. This is another case of ignorance being touted as "proof" of a problem."
OH BROTHER-SIX years later and DC or a FORMER DC "engineer" is STILL spouting this CRAP! I suppose this was the problem with the 99 etc. 300M's- IGNORANT DRIVERS!!! My 99 300M was the ONLY car I ever owned to experience this "wandering/pulling/drifting" problem until I SOLVED the problem myself! Drove the same roads after that with NO ""wandering/pulling/drifting"!! Was it MY imagination?
If this is how their "NEW AND IMPROVED" 2005 flagship model is STARTING out, God help those who put down their good money for MSRP and in some cases way over MSRP! What were the words to that song... when will they ever learn...when will they ever learn...
FWIW- Saw my first 300 this afternoon in Branford, CT as I was coming out of the car wash and he was coming out of the diner across the street. It was a greenish/grayish color. Have NO clue what model it was. Can't say it's a head-turner like the 300M's were when they came out.
How come some dealers seem to ignore the "notation" -HOLD FOR SHOW NIGHT- and others are selling/releasing them before the "official" premiere showing on the 22nd? Does it depend on who you know?
fastdriver - some cars are reserved for the premier night as marked on their sticker *hold for premier night* while others, like mine, are extra inventory to sell.. that is what most dealers are selling. fwiw - I paid sticker and not $1 over.. good dealer in Asheville, NC (Skyland Automotive).
The problem as I understand it is that because some Mercedes-based suspension parts are steel in the 300 instead of aluminum alloy used in the Mercedes, when the 300 with the steel parts is being driven East or West, magnetic pull of the North Pole will cause the car to pull just a little bit to the left or right.
What are the chances a stick will be available for this? I know MB doesn't make sticks. Only 1 is made & that's on a 4 banger. The x-fire SRT does not have one. So by this I would say the 300 SRT would NOT have one. MB just doesn't have a stick that will handle the power. Unless they can retrofit the SRT 10's truck manual into a 300.
FD, just what is the "fix" that you could do and DC couldn't? I recall you and others posting the problem on the "old" 300M forums, but the opinion seemed to be the tires. GY LS model or something like that. My '01 R/T has the same suspension and with Michelin I never had any hint of drift. The 300C has Conti tires, not sure what is on the other models of 300. Sooooo, if it is tires maybe the others have those dreaded GY tires, and (hopefully) my new 300C won't wander. Uhm, if it ever gets here. :-)
"FD, just what is the "fix" that you could do and DC couldn't?"
For 10 1/2 months I TRIED to get them to fix this pull. When nothing that they tried worked, then they tried the old- "they all do this, it's a characteristic of the car" etc. It was NEVER a characteristic of ANY other car that I had ever driven on these same roads so I wasn't about to accept that.
The problem WAS the tires, but all those genius "5-STAR" dealers, Madison Chrysler and Branhaven Chrysler AND the factory reps, NEVER even mentioned the tires!
It's all in my bio. Click on my name above. No sense repeating it here because I'll just get slapped on the wrist AGAIN by the hosts.
A major part of DC's problems is their "5-STAR" dealers who rarely live up to the standards set up at 5star.com. If Chrysler EVER sent out undercover DC execs to dealers throughout the country, they would see IMMEDIATELY what is going on and wouldn't be too happy. The "5-STAR" dealers are "monitored" by the factory rep- LOL whom the dealer wines and dines when they make their visits! Probably the same with the other big 2 in Detroit, but I never had to deal with any factory reps until I bought Christine!
Fastdriver has a point about poor customer service at some Chrysler dealers. DC should do a vigorous shake down of all the bad apples in their dealer network.
This is particularly important since - with the 300C - Chrysler will now be attracting people that are switching from brands such as Lexus and Infiniti, where customer service is regarded as quite good.
(Fortunately, two of the Chrysler dealers in the Buffalo area are owned by very customer-centric organizations.)
When I checked at my 5* this past Saturday and they still had no new 300's yet, I asked about whether, since they were also a Dodge dealer, they would have a new Magnum at the Premier. The salesman did not think so. This is strange given the fact that the Magnum and 300 are coming off the same line in Brampton. And, I think my dealer sells way more Dodges than Chryslers. Well, I will just have to wait and see what they have by Thursday. I just hope they don't get the base..er..Taxi model.
It's due to the fact that the 300 is the more popular model. Mopar seems to be concentrating on the 300 with it's advertising dollars. The BIG push now is with the 300, as they learned their mistakes from the Pacifica launch. Don't worry, the Dodge boys will have their day next year when they replace the Stratus, and hopefully a nice Hemi Charger R/T will come from it.
I have seen several 300s on the streets of Los Angeles in the last couple of weeks with regular license plates, meaning they are registered to owners. Since in California it takes about two to three months to get a license plate for a new vehicle I suspect these may be rental cars, because rental agencies get their plates immediately.
Although the styling of the 300 looks a little strange to me, I love the concept of Chrysler bringing back the large RWD big-engine American sedan so I would like to drive one.
Has anyone heard anything about 300s going to rental fleets?
the magnum is produced off the same line, but the 300 is the first one being launched per say...and far more of them (300s) have been produced so far. plus, chrysler doesn't expect to sell as many magnums as 300s...
"Since in California it takes about two to three months to get a license plate for a new vehicle I suspect these may be rental cars..."
TWO to THREE months? If you buy a new car and you never owned one before, it takes that LONG to get a plate. You don't get it when you register the car at the motor vehicle department that very day?
What if you owned a car and have a plate already. Don't you just transfer that plate to the new car?
I thought the motor vehicle dept. in CT was bad and screwed up. I think you need more help than we do! ;-))
Brampton has made only about 600 Magnums as of last week and have produced over 26,000 300's (all flavors lumped together). It appears that DCX is following their loose timetable and getting the 300's going first with a later launch date for the Magnums which, I assume, they'll start building in greater quantities this spring.
Re: tires. It seems the 17" wheels are getting some model of Goodyears but I don't remember the model. The 18" are Continentals; either with, or without, self-sealing capability. According to tirerack, and others, the Continental seems to be a relatively LOW mileage tire and, as mentioned before, only H rated.
Yes, it's true that it takes a very long time to get a license plate on a new vehicle here. There are lots of new vehicles running around without plates.
The only time you can switch a plate from an old to a new vehicle is if you have a personalized plate.
For those who care - the license plates go with the car, not the owner, in California. Old (black background with gold letters) plates in California are even valuable. People think it is a real feature to have an old car with old plates (e.g. a 1965 Mustang with the old plates).
Comments
just wait till the hemi gets broken-in...it'll be as fast as your old bimmer...:)
smitty,
that wouldn't be a recall; it'd be a CUSTOMER SERVICE ACTION...
Funny you should mention that control arm problem. One of the C's that I drove did that. Both myself and the guy that drove it after me commented that it seemed to want to pull to the right. I thought is was alignment or uneven tire pressure. I'm glad they found it early and are correcting it quickly. Thankfully, my car should be produced with the fix already in place.
Can you post a pic or two?? I also ordered the black and would love to see what she looks like. Also, could you comment a bit on the "Protection Group II." How does the rear parking assist work? Do you hear beeps through the radio system? Is there something visual happening around the rearview mirror? Also, do the Conti-seal tires ride any different from the regular Continentals?
One last thing - as you have been reading the owner's manual have you come across any info or features that made you think, "Oh cool - I didn't know that." If so, I'd love for you to share. Thanks...
That's the way I feel exactly, Dale. My dealer said that mine is in the Minneapolis area. Looks like both our early-built cars were sitting side by side in Brampton early on, and the forthcoming vehicles were parked way in front, so that's why they're the ones showing up at the dealerships
first. I wish you the best of luck with your Jade Green machine, Dale. I think we did okay.
The credit union sale price was 500 under sticker. Not great, but not horrible for this point for this car. I got them to throw in the dealer-installed U-Connect ($300) for free, so I'm happy. Also plan to work my mom's concorde ownership to get me the extra $1,000 off, although that will take some fiddling with loans and titles, but it will be worth it.
No idea when it will be here. Blue, light interior, pedals, nav, sound group 2, protection group 2, sunroof, HID, plus dealer U-Connect for 37.2 before 1,000 loyalty discount. And it is already on its way. I can't wait!
seat of the pants feel isn't always reality...
i remember the first time i drove a hemi ram...when i punched i was thinking, "what's the big deal?" didn't seem to be all that powerful to me...until i looked at the speedo and realized i was gaining speed like crazy...
I hope to be able to send a similar message soon. Sounds like you are the first on this site to have one home safely.
http://homepage.mac.com/jameskk1/PhotoAlbum24.html
as for the rear park assist (for the person who asked).. there is an LED indicator in the rear of the car visible through the center rearview mirror.. it lights up yellow the closer you get and then mutes radio and emits a tone when the red leds come on (within 12" or closer). I miss the front park assist my bimmer had but again, I will get by ;-)
jameskk1 - SWEET . lets see a pic of that sexy HEMI engine ;-)
I looked at the Cadillac web site and Carsdirect and they show a $1500 incentive for non-GM owners and nothing additional when a southern California zip code is entered.
He said he didn't know a lot about the car but that he was going to a training seminar at the Meadowlands Wednesday. (I guess so they know something for the event)
Question about magnesium: Does it have a green or blue tint to it?
I would like a car in charcoal grey, but I think the magnesium looks a bit too much like that funky mint green color. There was a black 300 Touring at the dealer that looked GREAT. Never thought I'd say that about a black car.
I've seen a photo of a midnight blue car, but that doesn't seem to suit the 300's techie-yet-art-deco appearance.
Please give me your thoughts on Magnesium.
Want a Caddy? Then buy one! And good luck on newspaper prices. Try it!!! Oh, Mr. XXXX that one JUST sold. But I have a .....
Overall I was pretty impressed with the car. I don't have really anything against Chrysler, but they've never really wowed me since their 60's products. This is a new ball game though. I was impressed with the fit and finish and the interior is pretty nice for the price.
It handled pretty well although the steering could stand to be a little heavier. Just a little to light for what I like. Also, I think the marketing has gotten to me as it didn't feel quite as quick as I expected. Believe me it will still scoot, but just didn't quite "feel" as powerful as it is. I suspect part of that is from the rear-end's economy gearing. Still, more than enough to get me into trouble. Rode well I thought. Quite and composed but luckly enough engine noise gets through to be fun and not too sterile.
Overall I'm very impressed and I like the fact that this car can be equiped the way I personally would like. (RWD, good motor, a regular suspension as opposed to the air-ride or leveling suspensions which I do NOT want, also that I can get it WITHOUT a sunroof or NAV as I don't care about that either). Just nice that this car happens to be available equipped the way I would prefer.
Oh, I didn't really think the vision out was bad either, although I need to let my wife drive it (she is short) and see if she can at least see over the dash with the seat height raised up as the dash/hood is pretty high. Not a deal stopper, just would be nice if she could see out it if she takes it out once in awhile.
Salesman was much nicer than the other dealer. Was refreshing. Also was somewhat knowledgable about older cars as we talked about the '67 Jag I have. Actually knew a little bit about cars which actually I find less and less of at car lots. Go figure.
When the dealer called to say that they had a 300 Touring in the showroom, I hightailed over there with my wife in-tow to see how "they" would fit together. (we ordered a C) As it turned out, the driver's seat was electric, but the steering column wasn't, and it didn't have power pedals. My wife is only 5'1", with big boobs, and proceeded to adjust the seat like our LeBaron. In this mode, the seat is "way-up high", and moved forward "to the max". Her chest just about touches the steering wheel in this mode, but in the LeBaron she's able to reach the pedals. In this 300 Touring, she couldn't reach the pedals at all, until she lowered the seat, but then couldn't see over the dash very well. We had ordered the power pedals, and my guess is most short individuals will require it.
Then again, the paint color on the 300 may have a different formulation since the name of the color was not exactly the same.
Also, word on the tire pressure monitoring system? Will they be able to retrofit the first lot of cars?
The pictures look just super.
Only one hour from where I live but the salesman says my Magnesium 300C will take 6 - 8 weeks for delivery.
Go figure...I will go down and get it myself!!!!
The closer to neutral a car handles, the more quickly it is affected by road crown, etc., including ignorant drivers that are not used to less than 10 percent understeer in the suspension design. The more steeply crowned a road is, the more "pull" (which is not what is really happenning) there is to the low side. Correcting the tendency requires a change of basic geometry in the design. This is another case of ignorance being touted as "proof" of a problem.
anyway, my take on this is that the 300 is driving like it was designed to. however, chrysler is making some changes so that not everyone in their dog thinks the car is out of alignment and not driving properly due to the crowned roads so prevalent in america. or at least that's how i interpreted what he said...make sense? apparently the changes amount to dialing in more understeer...
The options listed were adjustable pedals, moonroof,sound group II, and of course the seemingly standard California $4000 dealer markup. Grand total was $38k and some change. Should be loaded for that price. Still searching...
"per the customer service action on the front suspension...here is a cut and paste from an ex chrysler engineer over at allpar...
The closer to neutral a car handles, the more quickly it is affected by road crown, etc., including ignorant drivers that are not used to less than 10 percent understeer in the suspension design. The more steeply crowned a road is, the more "pull" (which is not what is really happenning) there is to the low side. Correcting the tendency requires a change of basic geometry in the design. This is another case of ignorance being touted as "proof" of a problem."
OH BROTHER-SIX years later and DC or a FORMER DC "engineer" is STILL spouting this CRAP! I suppose this was the problem with the 99 etc. 300M's- IGNORANT DRIVERS!!! My 99 300M was the ONLY car I ever owned to experience this "wandering/pulling/drifting" problem until I SOLVED the problem myself! Drove the same roads after that with NO ""wandering/pulling/drifting"!! Was it MY imagination?
If this is how their "NEW AND IMPROVED" 2005 flagship model is STARTING out, God help those who put down their good money for MSRP and in some cases way over MSRP! What were the words to that song... when will they ever learn...when will they ever learn...
FWIW- Saw my first 300 this afternoon in Branford, CT as I was coming out of the car wash and he was coming out of the diner across the street. It was a greenish/grayish color. Have NO clue what model it was. Can't say it's a head-turner like the 300M's were when they came out.
How come some dealers seem to ignore the "notation" -HOLD FOR SHOW NIGHT- and others are selling/releasing them before the "official" premiere showing on the 22nd? Does it depend on who you know?
fastdriver
stephen
Magnum board - no posts since the 14th.
300 board - 65 posts since the afternoon of the 16th.
I have no agenda pointing this out. I'm just curious.
"FD, just what is the "fix" that you could do and DC couldn't?"
For 10 1/2 months I TRIED to get them to fix this pull. When nothing that they tried worked, then they tried the old- "they all do this, it's a characteristic of the car" etc. It was NEVER a characteristic of ANY other car that I had ever driven on these same roads so I wasn't about to accept that.
The problem WAS the tires, but all those genius "5-STAR" dealers, Madison Chrysler and Branhaven Chrysler AND the factory reps, NEVER even mentioned the tires!
It's all in my bio. Click on my name above. No sense repeating it here because I'll just get slapped on the wrist AGAIN by the hosts.
A major part of DC's problems is their "5-STAR" dealers who rarely live up to the standards set up at 5star.com. If Chrysler EVER sent out undercover DC execs to dealers throughout the country, they would see IMMEDIATELY what is going on and wouldn't be too happy. The "5-STAR" dealers are "monitored" by the factory rep- LOL whom the dealer wines and dines when they make their visits! Probably the same with the other big 2 in Detroit, but I never had to deal with any factory reps until I bought Christine!
fastdriver
This is particularly important since - with the 300C - Chrysler will now be attracting people that are switching from brands such as Lexus and Infiniti, where customer service is regarded as quite good.
(Fortunately, two of the Chrysler dealers in the Buffalo area are owned by very customer-centric organizations.)
It's due to the fact that the 300 is the more popular model. Mopar seems to be concentrating on the 300 with it's advertising dollars. The BIG push now is with the 300, as they learned their mistakes from the Pacifica launch. Don't worry, the Dodge boys will have their day next year when they replace the Stratus, and hopefully a nice Hemi Charger R/T will come from it.
Although the styling of the 300 looks a little strange to me, I love the concept of Chrysler bringing back the large RWD big-engine American sedan so I would like to drive one.
Has anyone heard anything about 300s going to rental fleets?
the magnum is produced off the same line, but the 300 is the first one being launched per say...and far more of them (300s) have been produced so far. plus, chrysler doesn't expect to sell as many magnums as 300s...
"Since in California it takes about two to three months to get a license plate for a new vehicle I suspect these may be rental cars..."
TWO to THREE months? If you buy a new car and you never owned one before, it takes that LONG to get a plate. You don't get it when you register the car at the motor vehicle department that very day?
What if you owned a car and have a plate already. Don't you just transfer that plate to the new car?
I thought the motor vehicle dept. in CT was bad and screwed up. I think you need more help than we do! ;-))
fastdriver
Re: tires. It seems the 17" wheels are getting some model of Goodyears but I don't remember the model. The 18" are Continentals; either with, or without, self-sealing capability. According to tirerack, and others, the Continental seems to be a relatively LOW mileage tire and, as mentioned before, only H rated.
The only time you can switch a plate from an old to a new vehicle is if you have a personalized plate.
WOW! That's amazing! Don't you have enough prisoners to make them? Arnold better get busy. I never heard of such a thing.
fastdriver