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I said what the hey, and rode with him out to the dealer in Annapolis. Well, I knew there was a Chrysler dealer nearby somewhere, so I said let's go see if we can find it, and see if they got the new 300's in.
It didn't take long to find the dealer, and as he pulled in, I spotted a silver one. What I did next kind of embarrassed my buddy, and I dunno if he's ever going to go car shopping with me again! I just pointed at it, and like a little kid, shouted "MINE!!"
My friend, who's a high school teacher, made some kind of comment about my juvenile behavior, but I was out the door before he even stopped the car! Just to get on his nerves, I think I even blurted out "MINE" a few more times!
Anyway, this one was just a base model, with the 2.7. I think it stickered for around $24,500. It was silver with kind of a charcoal-ish interior. The salesguy let me sit behind the wheel and try everything out. Finally, I was able to lay all my fears about legroom to rest. Previously I'd been a bit worried because the specs rate these cars at around 41.8", whereas the outgoing Intrepid/Concorde/300M are 42.2". Might not sound like a big deal, but I wish my 'Trep had more legroom! So I was afraid these things would simply be too small for me. Thankfully, this was not the case. I was able to get the seat into a position that was perfect for me. In fact, it was so far back that the steering wheel was out of my reach! And I have long arms, so that's really saying something!
It does have a tilt-telescope feature, but in base models it's activated by a clunky lever that feels like it could get stuck or break. The 300C has power controls. The tranny hump does take a pretty big bite out of the footwell area...much more than the older RWD Mopars like my '89 Gran Fury or '79 New Yorker, but it was still good enough for my needs. Also, they may say that "Cab Forward" is dead, but the base of this car's windshield was at least as far away from me as my Intrepid's.
Admittedly, the interior is a bit cheap. Lots of hard plastic. In comparison, my Intrepid, with cloth and carpeting inserts on the door panel almost seems like a luxury car in comparison. There's no carpeting on the door panels (although I think they also dropped that from the Intrepid in 2002), and the carpeting on the floor is a really cheap grade, probably about on par with what's in my roommate's '98 Tracker. The seats were also made out of this weird cloth that made me think of outdoor furniture, or maybe what would be in a Jeep.
In the back, with the front seat set to where I'm comfortable, I could fit back there, but truthfully I think my Intrepid is more comfortable. The center spot in the 300 is also almost unusable, at least to my way of thinking. The driveshaft hump isn't a problem. In fact, while the tranny hump up front seemed pretty big, in comparison to RWD Mopars of years gone by, the driveshaft hump in back was pretty small. But the center spot is still poorly padded, and feels like it's raised up a bit, and the pull-down armrest really digs into my back.
The trunk's rated at 15.6 cubic feet, and has the spare tire stored underneath, like most FWD cars...or a Dart! It's not bad, but down considerably from the Intrepid's 18.4 (the Concorde is 18.8). But the seatbacks do fold down, to improve versatility. And the hinges are the strut-mount type, so you don't have those "gooseneck" hinges to mess with your luggage. The battery's in the trunk too, in the well with the tire. Much easier to get to than the LH cars, where it's buried in front of the right-side front wheel well, under the air filter.
Under the hood, the 2.7 looks like it's a bit more serviceable than it does under the hood of my Intrepid. When my Intrepid needed new belts, I didn't even attempt to tackle it myself...it was such a tight squeeze that I knew I'd end up with bruised knuckles and a bad attitude, and probably end up sending it to the repair shop anyway. With the 300 though, I might actually have the guts to tackle that job! Changing the oil might be a pain, though. I couldn't find the oil filter, but if it's in the same place that it is on my '00 Intrepid, then on this car, it looks like there's a big plastic cover you have to take off of the bottom of the car. It was most likely put there to improve aerodynamics.
While I was looking at this silver base model, the other 300 they had, a Magnesium 300C Hemi, came back from the test drive. It was pretty well loaded, with a sunroof. Nicer carpet...better than a Tracker, and about on par with my Intrepid. More chrome accents and the fake tortoise shell (I love reptiles though, so if it was made of the real thing I'd boycott it!), and leather really dressed up the interior.
I've been able to find a lot of nitpicks with the 300, but dammit, I want one!!
Oh yeah, they also had some Pacificas, and I finally got to sit behind the wheel of one, and adjust the seat to where I'm comfortable. At the auto show, they yank the battery cables, so you can't adjust the power seats. I was able to get comfortable in it. I kinda like 'em, but all of a sudden, I do have a lusting for a 300C! The Magnesium example they had, though, stickered for about $35,000. They are currently offering a $1000 rebate for current Mopar owners, but I think I'm going to wait for the 0.9% financing +4,000 cash back! ;-) Or just wait till they start hitting the used car market. I learned, first-hand, with my Intrepid how fast a new car can depreciate. I dunno if I want to go through that again!
But still, the only thing that's going through my mind is "MINE!!"
They also had a Viper, for only $80K, and a Crossfire.
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2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Driving behind it on the parkway... I felt like I was driving behind a car... you know a REAL car like from the day?
Also saw a black Solara convertible. It definitely looks better than the coupe.
Also saw an orange xB, which looked like it was being test driven, with window sticker and temp plate on it. I didn't like the color, plus the car had no rims! It looked like it was running on four spares. They don't even have factory wheels?
Regards... Vikd
Somebody mentioned awhile back on Edmund's that the Maxx reminds them of the old '83-86 Camry hatchback. I can really see that resemblance, except I think the Camry pulled it off a bit better.
Still, it's...interesting!
Regards... Vikd
The rear seat comments jibe well with my experience at the auto show, funny, I never did look at the trunk. I guess you don't get something for nothing.
Regards... Vikd
Vikd, let us know how the 6 hatch and/or wagon feel, in comparison to the sedan. In the past, I've notice that wagons are actually usually a bit tighter in the back seat than sedans. Like maybe they move the seat up just a bit for a bigger load area? Or maybe the fact that the seat now has to fold down has something to do with it?
The 6 does come with a stick. The only engine is the V6 though.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Saw my 5th Chrysler Crossfire on Sunday. It was white.
Oh yeah seen about 13-17 Mazda RX-8's so far since their debut. Not alot of them around.
04 Mitsu Galant where are you?
Finally saw a Pontiac GTO that was sold and not in a dealers lot. THe GTO was parked in a parking lot that I was going by yesterday. It was silver.
Yesterday though I swear I saw two Audi A3s. The first was a black four-door that I would have written of as an A4 Avant if I didn't see the black two-door hatch following right behind it. I heard that we are only getting the four-door version, but could this be a hint that the rumors are wrong?
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Regards... Vikd
who found it hard to keep down the Quiznos sub he just had for lunch... ;-<
There's a new Galant where I work. I am not blown away by it.
Wow, that must have been nasty, I certainly hope those were not factory options.
EEEWWWWW!
BTW, no, you can't get that crud from Caddy, you have to actually find someplace to get it...
Y'know, I don't think I've seen an RX-8 yet, except at the auto show. I've seen a new Galant or two...haven't made up my final opinion on it yet. It looks smaller in person though, than it does in the pics.
fintail/andre -- saw three '04 Galant's this morning parked side-by-side about three inches from each other in a Thrifty rental car lot...NOT a good start!
Regards... Vikd
And this on a brand new CTS of all Caddy's, unbelievable...!?
This is right on par with the blasphemy I was witnessed to last spring when I saw a brand new 911 Turbo S with ghost flames on the sides...!!!
Regards... Vikd
;-D Wow, gottahurt!
If anybody caught the Sopranos on Sunday, Frank Vincent was driving a red 1998-2003 Lincoln Town Car with a fake "continental kit." Tony was chasing him with the Escalade causing Frank to crash his ride into the back of a Boar's Head meat truck.
Regards... Vikd
Regards... Vikd
http://www.voguetyre.com
I actually kinda like the way their wire wheels look! But they are junk, though. In the '80s, they had problems with the wheels coming apart at high speeds.
-Andrew L
I think if the grill/headlight/bumper area wasn't such a mess I would be OK with that car.
I've seen the new E55 AMG, nice looker. As are the new SLs that are all over the place.
The new CLKs as well... a 4-5 year old 2004 CLK320 is more likely to be within my price range the next time I'm out to buy a car... :-)
Actually, I'm looking forward to seeing the new SLK when it hits stores...