04/04/2018
CAR OF THE WEEK
Chrysler Crossfire
The Crossfire uses the Merc SLK mk1 chassis, which is no bad thing, and was styled by Chrysler, coming as either a roadster or coupe. It also uses the Merc 3.2 V6 engine which produces 215 bhp though there is also the SRT-6 which is a supercharged version and produces 330bhp. 0-60 in 5 seconds.
Bold American styling, Mercedes underlings and an “in your face” name, what more could the American car buying public ask for? Well it certainly seems they were askance of something as the Crossfire only ever sold roughly 46k units in the US over 4 years of sales, which is a tiny amount for a country like the states where 7.5 million cars were sold in 2004 alone. So what was the issue? Well a look at reviews in America of the Crossfire when it came out can be described at best as cool, many criticised the interior quality and the handling which, when you consider the iffy quality of most of the cars coming out of America at the time, is quite surprising. What makes the Crossfire's poor sales even more surprising is that Chrysler sold some 116k PT Crusiers in 2004, a car that is.. er, well lets just say that I drove one once and that is 25 minutes of my life I am never going to get back!
My only conclusion is that, although styled and sold by Chrysler, it was basically a Merc SLK underneath and was built in Germany to boot, and it seems to me that Americans still considered it a Mercedes. Should that be a problem, well yes as I get the feeling that most Americans, whether consciously or not, place higher expectations on European cars than they would their home grown ones, and as the Crossfire is to all intents and purposes a European car, even if it is styled for the American market, it got reviewed that much more harshly. Either that or it was just too expensive...
As for us UK buyers, well, with only 3429 left on the roads of Britain the Crossfire certainly has far greater rarity value than the SLK that it is based on, and if the American styling is your kinda thang then it makes for a pretty enticing buy. And if you like to DIY those gear changes then the news gets even better as one third of them come as manuals. Reports from owners suggest that the car is proving pretty reliable but they are quite a devoted lot so maybe not the most unbiased of sources. Plenty of low milers around and prices are also very keen at the moment, so go on, get yourself something a bit left field.
So to round up, it has reasonable handling, reasonable performance, reasonable reliability and distinctive looks. Its a taste thing but they certainly are looking pretty good value these days, except the SRT-6 which will cost you the best part of £10k.
http://www.checkthespec.co.uk/mot/WR54DXY
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2007-Chrysler-Crossfire-SRT-6-JUST-ARRIVED-STUNNING-CAR/112695344874?hash=item1a3d2a7eea:g:810AAOSw6NhZuCih
