2004 Chrysler Crossfire
The 2004 Chrysler CrossfireThe Crossfire. No, it's not the new cleaning
product from Billy Maze or new fast cooking oven from Ronco, but a new
car from DaimlerChrysler. The Crossfire is the first car design between
Daimler-Benz and Chrysler since the merger in 1998. I have to admit that
I was really looking forward to this car. A stunning looking coupe (or
coupe' as pronounced in Europe), with American design and German engineering,
the car comes almost fully equipped with the only options being a choice
between a five-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmission and all
season tires or performance tires. Standard equipment includes heated
leather seats, power windows, speed control, Infinity 240-watt CD stereo
with dual subwoofers, dual-zone temperature control, four-wheel anti-lock
brakes and a really cool deployable rear spoiler. Oh and I almost forgot
the other option, matching luggage with the same styling groves as the
ones on the hood. What's under the hood? Only a 3.2-liter 90-degree V-6,
18-valve SOHC engine that produces 215-horsepower that is connected to
big 19-inch wheels in the rear and 18-inch in the front. The Crossfire
does not come with a spare tire, but does come with a Tire-pressure Monitoring
System and a Tire Fit System, which is a can of aerosol tire sealant and
a small compressor. This is to help with maximizing cargo space in the
trunk. The Tire Fit System is not new in the car scene, it has been used
by BMW, MINI and Mazda just to name a few. This head turning 2-seater
coupe comes with a $34,495 MSRP price tag that includes the $875 destination
charge.
I went down to the local Chrysler dealership to see when they would get
this great looking coupe. They said it could be as soon as a couple of
days. The sales guy took my name and phone number and said he would give
me a call when one came in. After a week with no word, I decided to stop
in anyway and see if the car had arrived. It had (and him not calling
me doesn't bother me, maybe he got busy or lost my number?). So there
I stood, gazing at it like a deer in headlights.
The lines on the car were striking and sexy. And inside? To be honest,
small would be the word that best describes the inside of the car for
this guy. However, once I got the seat moved back to fit me, it did not
seem that small; the dash, the gauges and buttons all looked familiar.
Since I had looked at the Mercedes-Benz SLK earlier I noticed that both
it and the Crossfire have the exact same dash, gages, cruise control lever
and buttons. The only differences I could see were the radio and the glove
box. The SLK is hard top convertible, which makes it look more like a
coupe then a convertible, so the trunk area is different when you compare
the two cars. (You can read more about the SLK in a future article) Then
I looked at the price, $35,570 with an automatic, $695 for Anti-theft
system and paint and fabric sealant, then $5,000 for AMV (Adjusted Market
Value). For a total cost of $41,265. My first thought was, well, unprintable.
My second thought was "Doesn't this already have an Anti-theft system
from the factory?". Then I started thinking, for that price, I could almost
buy the Mercedes-Benz SLK with an automatic. Yea, it only has a supercharged
inline-4 that has 192-horsepower vs. the V-6 215-horsepower. But I would
gain a really cool hard-top convertible. So I guess the question is, "Is
the Crossfire a cheap Mercedes-Benz Coupe or an expensive Chrysler?"
My opinion is that this could be a big boost for Chrysler if the name
of the game is selling cars. This car is not for everyone. It sets low
and is not going to be comfortable for really tall or large people. And
if dealers are tacking on 5 grand just because it's new and they want
to make an extra buck or in this case, 5,000 extra bucks, then Chrysler
might not sell as many as they hope. (I've even heard of some of the larger
city's adding $10k to the price!!) However, as the car ages, you should
see the AMV fall off and start selling at or below MSRP, according to
Kelley Blue Book online. I would like to point out that there are too
many other cars in this price range that I think I would rather look at
that have proven reliability, proven quality and look just as good going
down the road. For $35,000 you could buy a Mercedes-Benz C-Class, a BMW
325 or a Volvo S60. Or, if you want to compare coupes to coupes, a fully
loaded Mazda RX-8 is less then $32,000 and a Nissan 350Z starts at $27,000
for the base and goes to $35,000 almost fully loaded. And don't get me
started if you want to compare cars at the $41,000 price range.
But that's just this man's opinion, prove me wrong.
I've put this article to the side for about a month to see what would happen
with the Crossfire at our local Chrysler dealership. I've driven by there
a couple of times and it always looks as though they have had the same 2
cars. In fact, they were twins, same color with the same options. This last
time I drove by, I notice they got some more cars in other colors with other
options. I was hoping that since they got some more in, that maybe they
had changed their ways. Well unfortunately, it doesn't look like it. Just
to see what other dealerships are doing with this so called "first limited
run of cars", I called a Chrysler dealership in Altus, OK (Note: I called
alway over to Altus, OK because the Chrysler webpage said they had one and
knew that they would not be affiliated in any way with the dealership here).
The nice man in Oklahoma told me that he had one and at the price I would
expect, MSRP or about $35,570 with automatic transmission. I called our
local dealership and ask the same questions and I got the answer of $40,000.
He asked me what price I've been quoted by other dealers and I told him
MSRP. And basically got him to admit he would sell me the car at that price
rather than lose my business. I also found out they have sold only of these
2 cars and the first one sold off the truck when it arrived. I'm guessing
they are moving more slowly than anticipated. I wonder why?
So the lesson here is wait a month or longer: the dealership will come
around to your terms. I would also like to mention that most salesmen
don't like it when you are really honest and just tell him that you'll
take your business elsewhere before pay a penny over MSRP. A 225 mile
drive to Altus with $25 for gas and maybe $75 for an overnight stay is
a lot cheaper than paying $5,000 over MSRP.
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2004 Mazda RX-8
The Mazda RX-8 has something unique that no other car manufacture has:
a rotary engine. "What's that?" you might ask. Have you ever seen a mouse
running in a wheel? No, it's not that. It's a motor that uses a triangular
shape rotor that spins inside the motor case instead of traditional pistons
going up and down. Confused? Don't worry, I've seen many cutouts and I
still don't completely understand how it works. But I can tell you is
that because of its small size, when compared to a V6, it has a lot of
horsepower, is physically smaller and lighter, has fewer moving parts,
and can be placed lower in the car. Which translates to an evenly balanced
car with quick, sports-car handling. The RX-8 has a 1.3-liter RENESIS,
2-rotor, rotary engine that produces 238 hp and 159 lb-ft of torque. That
is a little over 183 hp/liter! The car closest to that performance is
Honda's S2000 2-seat roaster at 120 hp/liter. Just as a comparison, the
Ford Mustang Cobra has 85 hp/liter.
So, what is a Mazda RX-8? Some believe it's a sports car, some believe
it's just another coupe, some believe it's just different. It's really
a 4 door coupe...kind of. A traditional coupe has two doors, however the
Mazda has 4...well, kind of. The RX-8 has 2 regular doors and 2 "half" doors
that can be opened "suicide style" when the regular doors are open. Which
gives you easy access to the back seat and makes it easier for your friends
to get in and out because there is no center post, also known as the "B"
pillar. On short trips I'd say you can fit 4 adults, but really, the back
is mostly for short people and a place to toss your gym bag. You can see
hints of the rotor theme in the cockpit style interior; it echoes in the
headrests, on the manual gearshift, and in the center console. With nobody
sitting behind you, there is plenty of legroom and I didn't feel crammed
in the seat like some other coupes I've driven. I really like the look
of the dash with the analog gages in three separate large dials in front
of you behind the steering wheel, but I really liked the large rpm analog
gage with the digital readout for speed in the center dial. That just
adds uniqueness to the dash that I haven't seen in awhile.
And what about cost, ride, speed? I went down to the Mazda showroom to
see what I can found out. The RX-8 comes in two models, a 197 hp 4-speed
"Sport AT automatic" with paddle shifts on the steering wheel and a 238-hp
"short-throw" 6-speed manual. There are three optional packages, a Sport
(include in the 6-speed), Touring, and Grand Touring Packages. There is
a long list of options as well, from MP3 player, to car cover, to rear
wing spoiler, to 18" wheels, not to mention the Appearance Package and
Rotary Accent Package.
The salesman was friendly (but aren't they all?) and I test drove the
6-speed manual with the Touring Package and Rotary Accent Package. The
rotary engine makes a completely different sound from a piston motor,
and that sound goes all the way up to a 9000 RPM redline. The car was
quick, maybe too quick; I was doing close to 80 while shifting gears when
I realized I still had a few more gears to go and needed to slow down.
One down side I could see was that the RX-8 really liked being in the
4,000 to 5,000 rpm's range, which might be because of the low 159 lb-ft
of torque rating. The RPMs seem way too high and surely can't help gas
mileage; with low torque the car might seem sluggish unless you really
put the gas into it before you dump the clutch. Speaking of the clutch,
it seemed like it needed to be adjusted because I could not get a smooth
transition between first and second gear, compared to other Mazda manual
transmission cars I've driven. The salesman agreed and mentioned that
you almost have to "speed shift it" to make it feel smooth. The price
for automatic model starts at $25,700 and $27,200 for the 6-speed. Add
$3,900 for the Grand Touring Package that includes leather 8-way power
seats, heated front seats with power lumbar support and heated mirrors.
That brings the total to $31,834 with the Rotary Accent Package ($139)
and Fabric Protection and Glass Etching ($595) that the dealer added.
What is fabric protection and glass etching? When I think of glass etching
I think of great crystals from Tiffany's, not an add-on to a car. This
is obviously another attempt to get more money out of me when buying a
new car. The idea behind the glass etching is anti-theft, if the car is
stripped this glass etching can't come off and will be traced back to
your broken down car. I've seen do-it-your-self kits for $30 on the internet,
so take my advice when you see this, try to ignore the added sticker by
the dealer and tell the salesman that you only deal with the manufactures
sticker. This only works as long as the "dealer add on" is the only thing
added. If they add window tinting, gold plating and 19" wheels at the
dealer, then that tactic will not work. If they give you a hard time about
not wanting you to pay for that, ask them questions about it, like "What
brand of Fabric Protection do you use?" or "Can I see the product you
use?". They sometimes will start stepping backwards when they realize
you can play the game, and will start taking things off the price.
My opinion about the Mazda RX-8: buy it!!! It's a great little coupe,
fun with a unique engine and priced right when comparing to its competitors.
It has a great warranty: 48 months or 50,000 miles (which ever comes first),
plus all the electronic goodies like Dynamic Stability Control (DSC),
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD).
However, because of the size of the car it might not fit some larger people
and because it is more like a sports car, I wouldn't give this to any
high school kid. And if you're thinking about making this your everyday
ride, look at the trunk to see if it has enough space, because the back
seats don't fold down. If you are really interested in the Mazda RX-8,
just make sure when you're haggling, it's over the price of the new car,
not the dealers attempts to fleece you!
But that's just this man's opinion, prove me wrong.
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2004 Nissan Maxima
The 2004 Nissan Maxima has something for everyone looking for a sedan
in the $30,000 range. It comes in two models, the 3.5 SE and the 3.5 SL
models. The 3.5 SE model is more for the sport crowd with 6-sp manual
transmission or 5-sp automatic and 18" wheels with the base price starting
at $27,590. The 3.5 SL model with a base price of $29,540, is more for
the luxury people with a 4-sp automatic, 17" wheels, Premium Audio Package
and Sensory Package, all part of the standard equipment for the SL model.
Nissan offers 5 packages: 3.5 SE Premium Audio, 3.5 SE Sensory, Driver
Preferred, Journey and Elite Packages. The 3.5 SE Premium Audio Package
($1,000) contains a 320-watt digital Bose audio system, 8 Bose speakers
and speed-sensitive audio volume. The 3.5 SE Sensory Package ($2,350)
has Leather-appointed seats along with heated front seats, heated outside
mirrors, 4-way power front-passenger's seat and digital compass in the
rearview mirror. This package also includes the 3.5 SE Premium Audio Package
items. The Driver Preferred Packages ($3,500) includes High Intensity
Discharge bi-level xenon headlights (3.5 SE only), rear spoiler (3.5 SE
only), power folding outside mirrors with memory functions, driver's seat
entry/exit system (only on automatic models), driver's seat power lumbar,
heated steering wheel, power tilt and telescoping steering column with
memory function and two-position driver's seat memory system. This package
also includes all 3.5 SE Sensory Package items on the 3.5 SE models. The
Journey Package ($5,500) contains Nissan's Navigation System with GPS
DVD-ROM atlas with a 7" LCD color monitor with compass display.
This package
also includes all the Driver Preferred Package items. The Elite Package
($6,400) has two rear passenger bucket seats, heated rear seats, rear
center console with dual cup holders and storage underneath, rear windows
with one-touch auto-up/down and anti-pinch feature, power rear sunshade
with front and rear controls, and rear center console 12-volt DC power
outlet. This package also includes all Journey Package items. This is
a long list of packages that would be hard to beat even in the more luxury
car names like BMW or Mercedes-Benz. The standard equipment that all models
share is the 3.5 liter V-6 that gets 265 hp and 255 lb-ft. torque while
getting 20 mpg in town and 27 to 29 on the highway, depending on transmission.
Both models also come standard with a sky-view sunroof, but you can get
a regular sunroof as an option. Even with this long list of options and
standard equipment, it's still might be hard to get over the conservative
styling of the new Maxima with the "high eye-brow" look, that seems to
be the norm not only from Nissan but also from Toyota and even BMW. I
believe this is a love it or hate it design, but once behind the wheel,
you might just get used to it.
What did I think about it after the test drive? This is where the story
will get a little strange. I had really high hopes for this car after
reading about all the cool options. Only high-end cars have heated steering
wheels, or heated rear seats. I really like driver's seat entry/exit option
that moves the seat back and the steering wheel up and out of the way
to make it easier for you to get in and out. I also liked the thought
of 265 hp and the look of the dual chrome exhausts tips and 18-inch wheels.
When I really hit the gas to get on the access road to the Loop, the car
really did get up and go. I thought it moved pretty good for its size.
But once on the Loop, I settled on a speed, and I thought the steering
wheel was going to fall off. It shook, and shimmied and, well, shook some
more like it had a flat tire. It didn't, it just violently shook in my
hand. Luckily for me I had a friend with me and I let him drive back to
the dealership. This gave me a rare opportunity to ride in the back seat
and I was pleasantly surprised by the legroom I had. I only wish it had
the Elite Packages so I could have tested the heated back seat, but it
didn't. When we traded seats, I didn't tell him about the steering wheel.
I wanted to see if it was me, or the cold, or what was making the steering
wheel shake so badly. After the test drive I ask my friend and he did
notice something, but since he kept on the access road and he didn't notice
it as much as I did. From the time I traded seats with my friend, I didn't
want anything to do with the vehicle. I had a bad taste in my mouth and
I just couldn't wash it out with milk and cookies. The Maxima had everything
I was looking for, good power, good seat, and cool options but it also
had lack of detail from the dealership. The dealership called a few days
later and was asking about the car. I told him about the steering wheel
shaking and he told me that there was a car where the tire was still over
inflated from shipping. So one tire was at 30 psi. and the other at 50
psi., which would explain the shaking steering wheel. But this tells me
that someone missed the checklist and detail is everything or we wouldn't
return the order at Mc.D's because we ordered it with super-sized fries,
not regular size fries.
So my opinion on the car right now is not favorable
and it's not the car's fault. The 2004 Nissan Maxima is most likely a
great car for the entry-level luxury sedan or sport sedan with great horsepower
and lots of options. No one is perfect, but when looking for a new car
you also have to look at the dealership.
But that's just this man's opinion, prove me wrong.
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