The magazines say late 3rd or 4th quarter availability for the "essentially" MB E class AWD system which includes the 5spd auto as designed for the E class.
When you read about the MB connection, there are some weasel words however. It appears that DC doesn't want it to be claimed that the new Chrysler is literally an E Class -- perhaps "inspired by" the MB E-Class 4Matic system would make DC/MB execs more comfortable.
Still seems like a heck of a bargain -- but once again, the issue of qualtiy control and fit and finish seems to be peppering this thread.
I stopped and looked at a locked 300C, and it IS visually stunning.
soozpk - BELIEVE ME ;-) . The sub is in the rear parcel shelf beside the right 6x9 speaker. It does not need perforations , its a sub . I would put 1 million $$ bigones on it . You willing to take the bet
The speaker in the middle of the dash is for the center channel on the up level Boston Acoustics system. Joecanuk is right, sub woofers do not need perforations. They also can be positioned anywhere within a 5.1 channel system, because our ears cannot discern where low-frequency bass sounds are coming from. Subs are typically mounted somewhere in the rear, so I believe joecanuk knows what he's talking about.
The average running Max Wedge or non Hemi quad carbed big block was generally quicker than the average running Hemi. Hemi's were much harder to keep in tune.
Let's face it guys, today's musclecars are quicker than yesterday's musclecars. I can't think of any 30+ year old vehicle that can run with a Z06. That includes a L88 powered Vette.
One of dealers in here in upstate New York has 2 new 300's on his lot. Both base prices are the same, $26,770 (before destination), one is a Touring model and the other has a package that turns it into the Limited model. Salesman said that this is the way Chrysler is pricing them. In looking at the Edmunds' Price Guidelines they make no mention of this. Anyone want to guess what the story is.
The tests I've seen of the 300c show it running about 5.5s 0 to 60. Anyone have a reliable source for muscle cars of the 60s? I'd be surprised if any of them were significantly faster. The horsepower ratings of the era were grossly inflated. And, of course, braking and cornering were not the forte of cars of that era.
But if that's what you prefer, knock yourself out. Go to Barrett-Jackson and buy a vintage hemi, instead of slagging off the 300c. Should only set you back $50k - $100k, given the prices that vintage muscle cars are bringing these days...
I resently drove one of the 300C's. The car not only looks good but drives like a dream. I goosed the hemi at one point and the saleman and I both laughed at the amount of power this car has. If the quality holds up, this car will be really popular, even with the hemi. As an allraod owner I am somewhat leery of the RWD in the northeast. I look forward to seeing an AWD version. I might even consider it as a replacement for my allraod.
I'm not sure I'm in the right forum, is this old 60's car engine basics 101?? A little off topic.
kiefaber: that $26,770 is before the $625 destination charge for the touring. Be happy you don't live in Northern California, or you would have to add $5000-$11,000 dollars on top of that price to purchase one.
Went to my normal 5* this afternoon and the new car manager spotted me, brought me to his office and handed me the keys to a 300C and said take a drive. WOW!!! was I impressed. This car has loads of power and sure gets the looks. I am really impressed with the stereo system that makes the system in my M look and sound sick.
I took it out on the local freeway and then I realized there was no gas in it, so had to head back to the barn. If things work out I should have this car within the month.I am partial to Jade with the light interior. The only options I will add is the top of the line stereo system, and the safety package which has the side airbags and the back-up sensor system. I may go to the real wood steering wheel and shifter. I can't think of any other options that I need.
There are two commercials, one for all of the new Chrysler vehicles and another devoted to the 300. You can also find two racing games, one for several Dodge vehicles including the Magnum and a Chrysler version with cars including the 300.
I just found-out from my Dealership, after pushing them to call Detroit, that I am being penalized because I ordered my 300C too early (1/24/04). All of the initial orders on cars that have been produced are required to go through a quality control inspection, which will delay their shipment by at least 4 weeks! I now do not think I even want this vehicle and am about to cancel the order and find or order a replacement. Too Bad on you Chrysler.
Jason--You might be right, now I am not sure if it was the Eagle LS or the GA. Geez, I am getting old and the brain cells must be dying faster. My 93 Regal GS also had Badyears, and I may have confused or transposed the LS or GA to my M. In either case, I had mediocre but acceptable performance and treadwear out of the first set on the Regal GS, and horrible performance out of the second set on the M. 2 out of the 5 tires were bad, but it took multiple balancings, alignment checks and tech test drives to finally diagnose it as bad tires. Like many first year M owners reported on Edmunds. But checking the Tire Rack ratings by consumers I see that the Integrity is no bargain, except maybe for treadwear. If an alternative tire is available I would demand it.
Ordered 01/20/04 and it is here now. Pick it up in an hour. Sooo, Randy, maybe the info they gave you was bogus. Cross your fingers. The car and the deal are listed in the other 300C forum here, what is it ordering and buying forum?
I've been reading and lurking here for awhile but I haven't posted because I, in reality, haven't even put a deposit on the car.. though I will. Just like everyone's feelings (for the most part) of the 300C, I am on the same boat. I love this car and am moving up to the full size arena.
One thing I just want to say is that the "penalizing" thing is a bunch of garbage. The person who is buying doesn't get penalized. If anyone gets penalized (if it's true) is the dealer. They know when they can submit orders and car manufacturers enforce not to place orders in before the date because they will not be honored.
So if anything... if there was penalization involved, it would be towards the dealer. Of course, you end up waiting more because of the dealer's of following guidelines.
The dealer I went to said an order will take 4-6 weeks for delivery but they have been getting delivery for orders within 3 weeks period. Don't know how true it is, but I'm looking and highly considering this car. I need to move out of the midsize car and into full size; thanks to my 1 yr. old son whose almost 3 ft. tall... sheesh... ;-)
I'm reasonably certain about the use of the Eagle LS on the 300M. Curiously that tire was also used on cars ranging from the Neon to the PT Cruiser. Apparently the Eagle LS had better treadwear and ride characteristics than the GA. The GA was a better "all season" and handling tire. That would explain the relatively fast wear--and apparently soft tread compound. When my GA's gave up the ghost, I searched several options. I settled on Goodyear Allegras--available through Sam's Club. I've seen a similar tire called Integra from Goodyear. They were priced very reasonably for a 16" tire ($75/tire), were T rated, had a 560 treadwear designation (a 70,000 mile guarantee if I recall), rode better, handled slightly worse, and gave better fuel economy than the GA's. They have proven VERY capable in the snow as well. Sam's Club also has a replacement policy which I have had to use twice due to road damage. The tires have approximatley 56,000 miles on them and are still going strong. Now back to our regularly scheduled Chrysler 300 discussion..
> Both base prices are the same, $26,770 (before destination), one is a Touring model and the other has a package that turns it into the Limited model. Salesman said that this is the way Chrysler is pricing them. In looking at the Edmunds' Price Guidelines they make no mention of this. Anyone want to guess what the story is.
I noticed this too. kbb.com lists the Limited as a $2495 option package (26K) for the Touring model, but the Limited that I saw on the dealer lot was listed as a Limited model on the sticker, not as a seperate option package. They seem to be having trouble making up their mind about this.
They even filled up the gas tank! It is a quiet and nice ride. The leather seats are firm, which we like, and are slippery. Because so new? We had cloth in our R/T, and they were not slippery ... of course. The rear sensor system for parking is well done. Just a small dark block at the top of the rear headliner. It starts with amber lights that move inward until it decides ENOUGH, then turns red and finally a small beep. Not bad at all. The AS shifts are not as firm as the AS in my R/T, maybe it needs to learn my style? Haven't read the book yet, but the '01 R/T had a learning period. To say the C is awesome is a bit of an understatement. Turn off the ESP and hang on. It will not make you think of a big car then!
I was at my 5* dealer yesterday doing a deal on a Jade 300C, and was interested in a straight factory order, like I did on my 300M, and the dealer was told that all factory orders were finished last Friday as they had enough stock to satisfy customers needs wherever these cars are sold for the forseeable future. They also stated that delivery times should be fairly fast and I guess it would depend where you live and how many dealers are in the market place. I think we have 7 dealers within our area and a further 3 within a short distance of the city, so 3 weeks would not be unheard of according to DC.
They're probably filling "orders" via models already built and in storage/transit. They've built about 30,000 units already. I'm not sure how that factory is set-up (dual model production, or split) but they've probably started building Magnums as well, if not exclusively for now.
Question: How do you feel about the dark grey interior? I've been leaning toward white because the grey seemed drab, but I'm worried about upkeep. The car I drove was a Touring, however.
How do you feel about your choice of dark vs. light interior?
Three weeks does not sound too bad. I just went to a local dealer (Racine WI) who had three cars (a C, Touring and Limited). The salesman said that they where getting about 60 cars in mid May. That is only three weeks away. Also said that they would be getting their first Dodge Magnums about the same time...
Still I don't know how accurate any of this is. I was saying it was a shame that Chrysler is not doing the Touring version of the C, like they will in Europe, and that we'd be 'stuck' with the Magnum version of the car. He was trying to tell me that Chrysler will be bringing out a wagon version of the car as a 2006 model, in the Fall. Perhaps he meant Fall 2005, or was confusing Fall 2004 with the European version which will launch then. I don't know. I wish it was true - I have certainly complained to Chrysler about not doing a wagon version of the 300C for North America when one has already been designed - but I suspect it is not.
I did not test drive the car (did not have time being as I was at lunch and all..) but the interior looked nice. It somehow looked as big as I expected, but also smaller in a strange way. Not quite sure if that made sense. I am not sure if the interior is up to the quality of a comparably price ($35K) Audi A4 though. The Satin Jade is a nice color, but I was appalled at the quality of the paint job - major orange peel and rough over spray on the inside of the trunk lid.
I would wait for the AWD system to come out before I would buy anyway and would compare the car to the Magnum (I really would prefer a wagon but prefer the 300C over the magnum in looks) but the paint quality would give me pause for thought...
I was wrong on the factory orders, it is this Friday that the order closes. I put in my order this afternoon as there are no vehicles here in Canada with the options I want. I will have to wait 6-8 weeks for delivery. It would appear that only 10% of the 30 plus thousand are for the Cdn market, as we use Kms and daytime running lights etc.and apparently there are only 200 left in Brampton and none with my options and colour.
where did you get that name? :-) My car has med slate with dk slate. The carpets are dark grey, almost black, with medium grey seats. NOT totally dark grey! The seats are a VERY nice medium kinda color. Not so dark as the almost black seats. With the light interior, the carpets are very light, almost white, and I fear for soiling them waaaay too easily. I don't have my order sheet here right now, so I can't give you the exact colors, BUT BEWARE the light color. Looks nice but snow, rain, will make problems for that carpet!
orange peel is kinda hard to explain, but here goes. if you look closely at the paint on some vehicles...the paint will look sorta like the peel of an orange; or dimpled and wavy and not real smooth. however, if you run your hand across it...it will feel smooth. both of my vehicles ('02 supercrew and '03 accord) suffer from this...and from what i've seen it's fairly common on many cars/trucks. on my truck i can't see it unless i look down the side of the truck while parked in the shade. imo orange peel shows up better on darker colours. anway, hope that helps. i don't really know why it happens...maybe someone else can fill in those details. personally i've never seen it bad enough that it'd keep me from buying a vehicle...
Good luck on a 3 week order. It has nothing to do with how many dealers are in your area. I have over 20 dealers in my area, and was told a minimum of 8 weeks to take delivery. Could be a ploy for them to rake more cash in on the dealer added markups. "I can send you home today for only $8000 over sticker, why wait 8 weeks!"
I think the "orange peel" effect is just a characteristic of the relatively new, environmentally-friendly paints manufacturers now use. Not so much a quality/application problem, but rather a compromise made for the sake of the environment.
I have order a black 300c only because i can't find or talk to anyone that has seen a lava red car. If anyone is out there with that info get back to me . For the people who haven't driven the car yet all I can tell you is that it handles great. Alot of people are trying to compare this car to something its not. If you want a BMW,Benz, that can compares in size you need to buy one. You get what you pay for. This car has a good ride and more than enough horse power to do what need AND its priced at 34k, not 46k . In most cases people like myself trade out in 3 to 4 years. enough said I only hope this car takes 6 to 8 weeks to come. In my dealer has insured me that he will have the car. Does anybody have a way you can check on the car without going to the. dealer.
I order the car with the darker leather but I have seen the car in dark blue with the light color it looked great. i have a small child so its easy to keep the dark color clean. If you dont have that problem go with the light color. I think the leather offered in the Touring looks better but i ordered the 300c and you can't change it
>...the paint will look sorta like the peel of an orange; or dimpled and wavy and not real smooth. however, if you run your hand across it...it will feel smooth.
It feels smooth because there is a layer of clear coat sprayed over the paint.
> imo orange peel shows up better on darker colours.
Yep. "Metallic" paint with will help mask the orange peel a bit. Solid black shows it the worst.
> ...maybe someone else can fill in those details.
I've asked a few autobody people about this, and my understanding is that it's the result of putting the paint on thick and fast. A good paint job is labor intensive, and involves lots of cars sitting around taking up space.
As someone else mentioned, there may be environmental issues too. The car painting process has been changing to deal with this, and hopefully they will find some way to minimize the orange peel. Maybe an expert will happen by and answer our questions. :-)
It would also be nice if they could find some way to produce clear coat that can't be scratched with a fingernail...
You can always wet sand the paint if it has orange peel. It is not just the base coat that has it, but the clearcoat too. The base coat is put on very thin and the clearcoat is many times thicker.
This may not be of too much help. Before the 300's were at the dealer, I saw a trailer with 6 or 8 of them while in Kansas City. Two of them were Lava Red. I walked up to it, and all the while kept thinking they were brown. Yep, they kinda looked brown. It was a cloudy day tho and that might have made a difference. When I finally got up to the cars, I could see a bit of red in it. I would have to look at it again to make a decision. It was an unusual color and I might pick it just because of that. Seems like most of the 300's around here are that silver/greeny color. It's also nice but I think it will be too popular.
> The base coat is put on very thin and the clearcoat is many times thicker.
That's interesting. How many coats do they usually use for the base coat?
I know they put the clear coat on thick -- I've been able to repair minor scratches by using some sort of gritty polish (I forget the brand) and rubbing the area by hand. It takes forever, but it works.
I would guess (and this is just a guess) that DC is trying to limit the variables at first so as to have fewer things to go wrong with the launch and first year production. When they get everything sorted out, they will probably bring in more available colors.
*That* Motorweek was disappointing! They did something I've not seen them do very often, that is taking the mfg's numbers as fact, and running with it. None of their own instrumented testing. Bummer.
Maybe C&D's TV show will have their abuse shown, soon. 8-P
They also lumped the Magnum station wagon (hey, call it what it is) in with the 300, which isn't fair, IMHO. Wagons are *so* much more useful than "SUV's", but I fear they're not going to make a dent in Exploder sales. Figures.
I've yet to make it by the dealer, but can't wait.
Orange peel. Glad to see I'm not the only one noticing it getting worse on new cars. It's a cost thing more than anything else, though environmental 'friendliness' might be aiding it being as bad and widespread as it is. Speed = more money, as cars just sitting around costs bucks. To do a truly pretty paint job, the labor invovled isn't doing the paint, itself, but rather the preperation and the wet sanding between base coats. I doubt anyone has designed a machine which can do base coat wet sanding, yet, so we're stuck with OP for a while. I wonder how many hours it would take to remove the clearcoat and wet sand the OP outta the base coat, then polish the base and have the clear reapplied PROPERLY. Hurts to think about it. Never mind. Probably at least 120 hours.
Glad to hear the interior colors, the dark gray specifically, isn't morbid and almost black. I really like the concept of the dark interior, but growing up in Dallas, TX taught me better. Light interiors are your skin's friend. ;-) However, to me, dark is just, I dunno, neat.
The Los Angeles Times Auto Editor did a test of a base 300 which he rented. It is in today's issue. He said it was grossly underpowered and handled poorly. He hadn't driven the Hemi. His review was a real downer. He should have tested the Hemi first. The review is at this site: latimes.com.
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Is a Concorde with the same base engine "grossly underpowered." Does a base 300 weigh alot more than a Concorde? I have driven rental Tauruses with the base engine (which have even less HP) and they are not fast, but they are not grossly underpowered.
I figured that's where the 2.7L versions were destined. I had a Taurus rental a week or so ago and after typically driving a 50mpg Jetta TDI (with a chip I'll give you) I considered that Taurus grossly underpowered. I was happy to get back into my 4x4 truck which drives, handles, and accelerates better. When you get used to something having good power, it's easy to consider something grossly underpowered.
What do you expect from a ~4k lbs. car that has that size engine in it?
By the way, I didn't introduce myself the last time but I've be on edmunds for years now.. except I was on the Subaru side cause that's what I owned and my wife still has hers...
But, for me, it's time for change ;-)
Sorry about the poor introduction the last time.
Hope we can learn from each other and meet one day...
I got a quote from geico today of $1234 every 6 months for 100/300/300 and 500 collision deductable. No violations, accidents, claims, suspensions and married. What are the rest of you getting for insurance costs on the 300C?
DCX may want to play the game of advertising a low base price, but they run a real risk by allowing the base cars to go to rental fleets. People who rent a base 300 would be inclined not to give the 300C a chance. Allowing base or lesser models into rental fleets has always struck me as a stupid mistake by the car makers. They need to put their best foot forward and have the top of the line models in the rental fleets. At least the 300 Limited, although why not the 300C? Renters would then be wowed by the car and want to buy one.
Comments
When you read about the MB connection, there are some weasel words however. It appears that DC doesn't want it to be claimed that the new Chrysler is literally an E Class -- perhaps "inspired by" the MB E-Class 4Matic system would make DC/MB execs more comfortable.
Still seems like a heck of a bargain -- but once again, the issue of qualtiy control and fit and finish seems to be peppering this thread.
I stopped and looked at a locked 300C, and it IS visually stunning.
Any chance you work for Chrysler, joecanuk?
-- Mark
the average running Hemi. Hemi's were much harder to keep in tune.
Let's face it guys, today's musclecars are quicker than yesterday's musclecars. I can't think of any 30+ year old vehicle that can run with a Z06. That includes a L88 powered Vette.
But if that's what you prefer, knock yourself out. Go to Barrett-Jackson and buy a vintage hemi, instead of slagging off the 300c. Should only set you back $50k - $100k, given the prices that vintage muscle cars are bringing these days...
kiefaber: that $26,770 is before the $625 destination charge for the touring. Be happy you don't live in Northern California, or you would have to add $5000-$11,000 dollars on top of that price to purchase one.
I took it out on the local freeway and then I realized there was no gas in it, so had to head back to the barn. If things work out I should have this car within the month.I am partial to Jade with the light interior. The only options I will add is the top of the line stereo system, and the safety package which has the side airbags and the back-up sensor system. I may go to the real wood steering wheel and shifter. I can't think of any other options that I need.
http://superdave369.home.comcast.net/300C/300C.html
There are two commercials, one for all of the new Chrysler vehicles and another devoted to the 300. You can also find two racing games, one for several Dodge vehicles including the Magnum and a Chrysler version with cars including the 300.
Enjoy!
Dave
I've been reading and lurking here for awhile but I haven't posted because I, in reality, haven't even put a deposit on the car.. though I will. Just like everyone's feelings (for the most part) of the 300C, I am on the same boat. I love this car and am moving up to the full size arena.
One thing I just want to say is that the "penalizing" thing is a bunch of garbage. The person who is buying doesn't get penalized. If anyone gets penalized (if it's true) is the dealer. They know when they can submit orders and car manufacturers enforce not to place orders in before the date because they will not be honored.
So if anything... if there was penalization involved, it would be towards the dealer. Of course, you end up waiting more because of the dealer's of following guidelines.
The dealer I went to said an order will take 4-6 weeks for delivery but they have been getting delivery for orders within 3 weeks period. Don't know how true it is, but I'm looking and highly considering this car. I need to move out of the midsize car and into full size; thanks to my 1 yr. old son whose almost 3 ft. tall... sheesh... ;-)
When my GA's gave up the ghost, I searched several options. I settled on Goodyear Allegras--available through Sam's Club. I've seen a similar tire called Integra from Goodyear. They were priced very reasonably for a 16" tire ($75/tire), were T rated, had a 560 treadwear designation (a 70,000 mile guarantee if I recall), rode better, handled slightly worse, and gave better fuel economy than the GA's. They have proven VERY capable in the snow as well. Sam's Club also has a replacement policy which I have had to use twice due to road damage. The tires have approximatley 56,000 miles on them and are still going strong. Now back to our regularly scheduled Chrysler 300 discussion..
I noticed this too. kbb.com lists the Limited as a $2495 option package (26K) for the Touring model, but the Limited that I saw on the dealer lot was listed as a Limited model on the sticker, not as a seperate option package. They seem to be having trouble making up their mind about this.
I'm about to enter MONTH number four of delivery waiting joy.
Did they offer a bridge to drive the car on too?
Question: How do you feel about the dark grey interior? I've been leaning toward white because the grey seemed drab, but I'm worried about upkeep. The car I drove was a Touring, however.
How do you feel about your choice of dark vs. light interior?
Still I don't know how accurate any of this is. I was saying it was a shame that Chrysler is not doing the Touring version of the C, like they will in Europe, and that we'd be 'stuck' with the Magnum version of the car. He was trying to tell me that Chrysler will be bringing out a wagon version of the car as a 2006 model, in the Fall. Perhaps he meant Fall 2005, or was confusing Fall 2004 with the European version which will launch then. I don't know. I wish it was true - I have certainly complained to Chrysler about not doing a wagon version of the 300C for North America when one has already been designed - but I suspect it is not.
I did not test drive the car (did not have time being as I was at lunch and all..) but the interior looked nice. It somehow looked as big as I expected, but also smaller in a strange way. Not quite sure if that made sense. I am not sure if the interior is up to the quality of a comparably price ($35K) Audi A4 though. The Satin Jade is a nice color, but I was appalled at the quality of the paint job - major orange peel and rough over spray on the inside of the trunk lid.
I would wait for the AWD system to come out before I would buy anyway and would compare the car to the Magnum (I really would prefer a wagon but prefer the 300C over the magnum in looks) but the paint quality would give me pause for thought...
orange peel is kinda hard to explain, but here goes. if you look closely at the paint on some vehicles...the paint will look sorta like the peel of an orange; or dimpled and wavy and not real smooth. however, if you run your hand across it...it will feel smooth. both of my vehicles ('02 supercrew and '03 accord) suffer from this...and from what i've seen it's fairly common on many cars/trucks. on my truck i can't see it unless i look down the side of the truck while parked in the shade. imo orange peel shows up better on darker colours. anway, hope that helps. i don't really know why it happens...maybe someone else can fill in those details. personally i've never seen it bad enough that it'd keep me from buying a vehicle...
-- Mark
For the people who haven't driven the car yet all I can tell you is that it handles great. Alot of people are trying to compare this car to something its not. If you want a BMW,Benz, that can compares in size you need to buy one. You get what you pay for. This car has a good ride and more than enough horse power to do what need AND its priced at 34k, not 46k . In most cases people like myself trade out in 3 to 4 years.
enough said I only hope this car takes 6 to 8 weeks to come. In my dealer has insured me that he will have the car. Does anybody have a way you can check on the car without going to the. dealer.
It feels smooth because there is a layer of clear coat sprayed over the paint.
> imo orange peel shows up better on darker colours.
Yep. "Metallic" paint with will help mask the orange peel a bit. Solid black shows it the worst.
> ...maybe someone else can fill in those details.
I've asked a few autobody people about this, and my understanding is that it's the result of putting the paint on thick and fast. A good paint job is labor intensive, and involves lots of cars sitting around taking up space.
As someone else mentioned, there may be environmental issues too. The car painting process has been changing to deal with this, and hopefully they will find some way to minimize the orange peel. Maybe an expert will happen by and answer our questions. :-)
It would also be nice if they could find some way to produce clear coat that can't be scratched with a fingernail...
Have you looked at the color sample in the brochure? The other colors are close to the samples patches, so the Red should be too.
It is not just the base coat that has it, but the clearcoat too.
The base coat is put on very thin and the clearcoat is many times thicker.
Magnesium, Light Interior/Deep Jade upper trim, Protection Group, Navigation
That's interesting. How many coats do they usually use for the base coat?
I know they put the clear coat on thick -- I've been able to repair minor scratches by using some sort of gritty polish (I forget the brand) and rubbing the area by hand. It takes forever, but it works.
Why is the clear coat so soft, do you know?
Maybe C&D's TV show will have their abuse shown, soon. 8-P
They also lumped the Magnum station wagon (hey, call it what it is) in with the 300, which isn't fair, IMHO. Wagons are *so* much more useful than "SUV's", but I fear they're not going to make a dent in Exploder sales. Figures.
I've yet to make it by the dealer, but can't wait.
Orange peel. Glad to see I'm not the only one noticing it getting worse on new cars. It's a cost thing more than anything else, though environmental 'friendliness' might be aiding it being as bad and widespread as it is. Speed = more money, as cars just sitting around costs bucks. To do a truly pretty paint job, the labor invovled isn't doing the paint, itself, but rather the preperation and the wet sanding between base coats. I doubt anyone has designed a machine which can do base coat wet sanding, yet, so we're stuck with OP for a while. I wonder how many hours it would take to remove the clearcoat and wet sand the OP outta the base coat, then polish the base and have the clear reapplied PROPERLY. Hurts to think about it. Never mind. Probably at least 120 hours.
Glad to hear the interior colors, the dark gray specifically, isn't morbid and almost black. I really like the concept of the dark interior, but growing up in Dallas, TX taught me better. Light interiors are your skin's friend. ;-) However, to me, dark is just, I dunno, neat.
You must complete a short registration to get on the site.
Does a base 300 weigh alot more than a Concorde?
I have driven rental Tauruses with the base engine (which have even less HP) and they are not fast, but they are not grossly underpowered.
By the way, I didn't introduce myself the last time but I've be on edmunds for years now.. except I was on the Subaru side cause that's what I owned and my wife still has hers...
But, for me, it's time for change ;-)
Sorry about the poor introduction the last time.
Hope we can learn from each other and meet one day...