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It's not all that bad looking to me personally except for the grill. If it's going to be so prominent they should at least make it look a little more classy instead of the cheap, plastic-crate look. A little brushed alunimum, etc. would make a big difference.
On the other hand...I still love my 99 M and have no desire to trade it in for anything else at this time. Down the road...who knows. If they brought out that Charger concept I would probably have a change of heart.
http://community.webshots.com/album/70492003xgKSmw
The last thing anyone needs is to be driving along and having a car load of bangers pull up along side and want your ride, or worse, you, because they think you're a rival banger dissin their turf.
I'll keep my very UN-gangsta like M, thank you very much.
Ruski - fastest shutter on earth!
My driver's door lock yells at me; I'll take apart the door. And I'll look into that seat bolt recall.
I like the new TH look, hate the 300C look.
i'm around, just haven't visited the 300m conference too much. just thought i'd drop in to see what you 300m folks are saying about the 300c....and, of course, figured i should submit my two cents worth!!
i can't say that i totally dislike the 300c, but i must admit too that it seems like a step backward both in functionality and styling.
There's been way too much of that lately with revivals of old TV shows and movies, in most cases badly done.
Now it appears it's happening with cars too. The 300C is by DC's own admission a return to the past, apparently because they ran low on fresh ideas to go into the future with. DC is trying to sell this thing to the public by telling us it's a modern classic. That's pure bunk.
Over the 10 model years the letter cars first ran none - not one - had a long hood and short deck.
If anything it was the other way round with the letter cars and most cars of that time period - long deck, shorter hood.
Not one of the letter cars was a 4 door until the M came along. And a hemi engine was only installed 4 out of the 10 years, the remaining 6 years had wedge engines. This is just marketing hype to convince the world the design is a good one and we should embrace it. Baloney.
I wouldn't mind owning a rear drive car, but would prefer one that leveraged current technology, not some conceptual throwback to 1955. Been there, done that. Sure, put some brand character into the product but don't just recycle a past design or thinking. The past belongs in the past and doesn't wear well in the present except as a short lived fad.
On another subject, I went to the dealer last weekend , and took a close look at the new PACIFICA, my impressions were , the looks are not bad, it has a lot of nice features, quality of the fit&finish is not improved over the 300m, and the interior seems very claustrophobic for such a large vehicle, and the front seats are very uncomfortable, also the engine(basically the same as in the 300m), is not up to the task of moving this heavy vehicle very well(it weighs at least 700 lbs more than the 300m).
Thanks in advance for any helpful hints you can give me on the basslink install.
Luck to all--Jack
I have driven 3, and do not agree with your observations.
SEATS: 10 way adjustable, plus adjustable pedals. I found a very comfortable position in minutes.
CLAUSTROPHOBIC INTERIOR: The dark interiog colors may make it seem so, but try one with the Taupe interior, seems much larger.
FIT & FINISH: All 3 examples I drove were superb. Body was tight & quiet, road noise minimal.
To each his own, however.
At the top of their luxury car list for depreciation loss was the 2001 300M, which lost 27.1% from 3/02 to 3/03. Further down the list was the 2001 Lexus LS 430 which lost 23.4%, as did the the Saab 9-5. The Mercedes C-Class lost 20.0%.
However, if you calculate the dollars lost from the WSJ table, the Lexus lost $12,512, the Saab $7,261, the 300M $6,276 and the Mercedes $6,213.
Again, this demonstrates that resale values are unimportant in buying a car. A car is basically a lost investment once you have purchased it -- therefore the less you pay, the less you will lose over the years.
If I were a Lexus LS 430 owner, I don't think I would be happy with my lower % loss vs. the 300M (23.4% vs. 27.1%) when, in fact, it cost me an additional $6,236 in value. That's double the depreciation of the 300M!
Just my point of view...
Also, anyone making 300M model kits or toys yet?
intrepidspirit-
You are a BRAVE soul indeed. I DID shudder a little when I read #3!! LOL..... Good luck.
llbean30-
IF I'm not mistaken, it was you who had the tranny fluid drain out. Happened to me too when my former 99 300M was 6 months old and I was 90 miles from home. Only thing is that I didn't know most of it had leaked out- while the car was sitting still for 3 days- until the following morning after I drove 90 miles home. Unless things have changed, you're only supposed to use CHRYSLER tranny fluid! Better check that out before something worse happens.
laurasdada-
Come on now. You KNOW where your money went!! Thank you says out state coffers! LOL....
ruski-
You had me going there for a second. I was wondering how you got to see a 300C in FL and I didn't! Then again, I didn't see you or fuzzywuzzy while I was there. I was even on the FL turnpike several times.
To all-
Off topic, but I'm interested in WHY you think the Thunderbird is going away again. I know that I most likely could find a T-Bird topic discussing this, but I don't know those people like I know most of you. Their opinions wouldn't mean anything to me. Forget that the car is small and a 2-seater etc. I know NOTHING about its reliability either. I'm just curious as to what you think is the real reason. I think it was overpriced and that's why sales slumped. Agree?
Thanks.
fastdriver
They also said that there were plans to re-introduce it again, based on retro '61 design.
http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=5965&sid=17- 3&n=156
Thanks for the link.
fastdriver
About the T-Bird -- I actually was looking at it at the time I got my 3rd M, as the prices have dropped to the low $30's. My wife found it hard to get in and out of and uncomfortable to sit in. And from the reviews I read, it came across as a car that is cool to be seen in and little else to recommend it. With 280 HP it moves well, but does not handle well. One reviewer said it is not to be confused with a sports car. And it has a high drag coefficient -- .38 compared to .31 for the 300M and .29 for the Intrepid.
I think it's starting to lose its nostalgia value which may have been it's greatest asset...
PS I would not put the Concorde, New Yorker, or Imperial name on the car. Non of them fit this design eather. MB B500 fits better (B for brick and 500 for how many they will sell).
In August/02 I recall seeing pictures of a 2005 Chrysler New Yorker. The article stated it was replacing the Concorde. It looked like a natural progression of the 300M, much more so than the 300N (or C). The hood, lights and grill were almost identical to the 300M.
I guess the biggest problem I have with the 300C is that it is NOT a 300. I might be more receptive to it if it were called something else.
BTW you can buy Hemi Engines here: http://www.hotrodlane.cc/
If only it was that simple.
The floor pan has to be redesigned, due to the entirely different (and increased) stresses from the front/rear drive train. I believe there are some test vehicles getting lots of miles on them at this moment that are made with custom designed frame/floor pans with M body parts stuck on to make it into a roadworthy car.
Resale Values: Quite obviously due to automobiles being consumer throw away goods. I am waiting for the economists to reclassify automobiles from "Durable Goods" to "Consumables". The day is drawing near when it will be cheaper to toss a car with a $2,000 repair bill and buy a new one. Witness television sets. Who would spend $150 to put in a voltage regulator on a $400 TV? Consumer goods are uniquely weird: the cheaper they get, the more they want to sell you long term warranties. Go figure that one out.
"With its new shape and noble proportions, the Chrysler 300C redefines the classic American car, while moving the Chrysler brand solidly into the premium segment," said Dieter Zetsche, Chrysler group CEO.
Dieter the Zieter is moving Chrsyler into the upper price point realms.....the 300C with HEMI V8 will be over $40M, easily. Any bets? I won't pay $40M for ANY car.
My point was: Maybe, at some point, interest in the Viper will fall by the wayside for any number of reasons. Will DC elect to continue it? Who knows, but I suspect when the next time comes to make the decision it will be more an econonic one with little emotion.
You don't hear much about the Viper anymore. This latest Viper has gotten nowhere near the ink in the motoring press the first one did, it's no longer a novelty.
And what about DC's involvement with NASCAR? I've yet to see anything that will be a suitable substitute for the Intrepid on the race track. If DC bails out of NASCAR, that will not really bode very well long term for the Viper. It signals that DC management places a lower value on this type of promotion and will probably elect to invest resources elsewhere.
No guarantee of that for sure, but this scenario has played out before in other companies with similar results.
I've been appalled because of some sense of brand loyalty to Chrysler Corporation. But that entity no longer exists. The 300C is simply a creation of DaimlerChrysler with the "Chrysler" name on it. 20% (at least) of the car is Mercedes Benz.
The issue is: At what level of MB content does the car stop being a "Chrysler" and simply becomes an MB by another name? Thats all the Crossfire is when you get down to it. And how long will it be before the 300 is in that same position if it isn't already.
We who own a 300M are actually the last to own a true Chrysler letter car - one that was designed and engineered by Chrysler Corporation - regardless of whose watch it was created under.
Great pix of the prototypes. I think I like the prototypes better because 1)trunk space is more generous 2) ride height is higher affording a better view of the road and 3) tough-guy trucker styling.
http://www.detnews.com/2003/insiders/0304/25/insiders-145858.htm
Curious to see how the 300C reliability will be i.e. speed senors, rubber window trim, flashing lights etc.
fastdriver
So having Mercedes parts on board may not be much of an advantage - maybe even a disadvantage.
Don't all you middle aged males get all tingly just thinking about that big V-8 and RWD in a modern automobile? And if the styling of the new 300 doesn't flip your switch, you gotta love the Magnum, right?
The first time I saw the 300C, I could not believe what happened. I don't own a 300M, but I know for sure that I will not be buying the 300C (N) any time soon. I really don't care for it at all. From the looks of it, the interior isn't that great looking, save the wood trim and the gauges.
I will miss the LH cars for their nice appearance. The LX cars have not shown me anything yet.
About changing out the engine. If needed a set of pp gears and other changes should help the current M stay right along with the C.
The 300M is my daily driver and fits me much better. The feature set for the money is WAAAY better than the t-bird but it isn't near as much fun on a sunny day. Somehow the sunroof just doesn't provide the same effect as lowering the top. :-)
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/2003- /naias/pontiac.g6/pontiac.g6.f34.500.jpg
http://www.edmunds.com/news/autoshows/articles/83142/page012.html