No traffic on the Crossfire?

well i was here for Crossfire opinions, but now I HAVE TO ASK what teh deal is. (I have 4 friends with 1999+ VWs (all Golf/Passats, no Jettas or bugs strangely -- all 4 are perfect, minus the one Golf (TDI) that recently got hit by a red light runner).

Hmmm - Is your middle name "Pie" or "the"?

Bill Putney (to reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with "x")

Fruit Pie the Magician wrote:

Well I bought a VW in the 80's. By the time I drove it home several of the lamps in the interior light package had vibrated out of their cheap fixtures. 3 days later the windshield developed a stress crack and the the dealer was unable to get a windshield in after serveral tries. Called the factory and was told it was a common problem and they would get on it next week. When I didn't hear from the guy I called back Wednesday and was told he was on vacation all week.

Jettas

well true. But I think I can make a differentiation or? why bother. One could argue that a review is a professional's THOROUGH opinion, though, which is how I think of it.

Review example: Of the five sedans tested, the Bumpmobile 2000 was the least comfortable on the road, with the Crapfastic Deluxe not faring much better.

Opinion: Man... that car's seats are s*it.

-FPtM

So basically two decades ago you had a bad experience. :-)

FPtM

According to Consumer Reports, VW repair record has not improved during the last 2 decades making my experience relevant to my decision not to buy another one of their products.

several

serveral

Jumping in here after being out-of-town for a while and catching up on some reading...

What I'm about to post might very well have been said already, but my

The Crossdresser (aka the Marlin) is being attacked because it most probably is DC's lame attempt to create a replacement for the 300-C concept of 2000. Notice how much the front of the Crossdresser looks like the 300-C concept?

I wonder if it's because it was conceived by FOREIGNERS

Tell you what. I won't complain about Daimler's German designers if they let north-american's design the Chrysler cars (and use what-ever parts *THEY* want) - ok?

The Cross-dresser is a dud because of it's seating and because it's under powered.

S*it, sure DC now has that German influence, but this post above sure sounds like the Nazi to me. Build that wall a little higher, just make sure to wall just yourself in and not the rest of us who just want a car.

A lot of people hate the styling of the Crossfire and that's fine, but aside from the original Viper, I haven't seen anything GOOD LOOKING from Chrysler in, hmm, how long? Probably before I was born, so there's not much styling-wise that's being "lost."

...and most things you touch every single day were designed by these rancid "foreigners" you hate and if that's such a bad thing, you'd better turn off that computer, get down the shotgun, uncomb your hair and close the door on the shack.

Here, here's a free calendar. Notice the year starts with a 2 now.

Why?

For most people, I suggest, all that matters is that the designers design cars that people will want. If they don't, people will go elsewhere.

If DC has made a mistake with the Crossfire, then it's a mistake that will show up in the sales figures.

To my simple mind it's all very simple.

If you mosey on over to the BMW site you will see a lot of moaning and groaning about the design of the new 5-series (lots of it from American contributors). Is that 'German' designers? No, it's Chris Bangle, an Englishman, I believe. If he has made a mistake, you will see it in the sales figures. Germany, USA and UK are the key markets for that brand. Do the opinions expressed in newsgroups (BMW, this one) reflect the buying population at large? Time will tell. Again, very simple to my simple mind.

As needs to be pointed out repeatedly, it's only a ruddy car.

DAS

--

Apparently Chris Bangle is American-born. Based on the petition "Stop Chris Bangle", there is a vocal group of BMW fans who feel he has "ruined" the marque. It's just another example of not being able to please everyone. According to reports, the sales figures have climbed.

-- Rickety

Rumor still has a 300C convertible coming. The Crossfire is not its replacement. Think of it as more a replacement for the Maserati TC, or even the Prowler.

Chrysler's design staff is still mostly Americans.

Who's going to pay for those "any parts they want"? Chrysler is losing $2 billion a year.

A 2-seater is intended to seat only 2 people. And the power is comparable to Mercedes SLK, or Toyota's MR2, or Audi's TT, to name 3 other 2 seaters.

...which will also be put down as being underpowered by several in this NG.

The basic issue is that for many contributors to this and other newsgroups is that if a car doesn't get to 60 mph in under 5 s it's 'underpowered'.

This is another example of the distance of the real world from the minds of these contributors... They just want to win the traffic lights grand prix.

Maybe I have been used to really underpowered cars but now I have a car with a 3.2 l engine (the same 218 hp one that powers/ed the SLK and is in the Crossfire) in a car that weighs more than the SLK and I get to way beyond the speed limit in next to no time, have lots of accelerator pedal travel left at 120 mph (it's frightening) and can overtake at 50 mph very quickly, i.e. the all-important acceleration 50 - 70 mph, is more than adequate.

Last year I rented an Audi TT 1.8-litre turbo. For various reasons it's not a car I'd like to buy, but performance isn't one of them.

However, I do believe that quite a lot 'ordinary' drivers read these NGs, thankfully. I recalla thread in the BMW group where somebody wrote in to say how well and fast he was able to overtake on a snow-covered road in his wonderful 5-series. The response was an avalanche of criticism about his irresponsible driving. The 'poor' chap sent in several posts defneding himself and saying that he had meant to emphasize the safety of his car etc.

DAS

--

Yea, sure. They'll bring back that concept (frame, chasis, et all) just to make one car model.

My we think we're clever don't we?

I've read reviews that say the seating is uncomfortable or not exactly ergonomic. Something to do with an interior frame member placed directly behind the seat.

I thought I had read previously that it weighed significantly more than 3000 lbs. I see now that it weighs in at between 3060 and 3090 lbs. Combined with it's rated 215 hp, that puts it at 14.3 lbs per hp.

MR2 and variants are go-carts.

Seems the TT, being heavier and having a rear seat, is not directly comparable to the Crossfire. I would think the TT's weight and small turbo-charged engine would make it sluggish off the line.

Since the Crossfire is mostly a re-badged SLK it's not surprising these specs are similar.

Conclusion: Toyota MR2 is a go-cart with a poor weight/hp ratio. Audi TT is either a light 4-seater or a heavy 2-seater with a typical weight/hp ratio. SLK is, under the sheetmetal, a Crossfire, with the same (or slightly worse) weight/hp ratio.

Sorry. If they're gonna put big fat 19" wheels on the crossfire then they should have given it a better weight/hp ratio than most 4-door,

The 2wd TT has 180 hp. According to kbb, it weighs 2921 lb, for a ratio of

If you think the TT has a real rear seat, try sitting in it. It's as much a

And the Crossfire is comparable to, or better than them, its competition.

I wasn't aware these were 2-seaters competing against the Crossfire.

Doesn't fit. Besides, they'd have to ship it to Europe for installation. And you might note, a Mercedes E320, with the 3.2 sohc V6, 221 hp, is faster to 60 than a 300M with its 250 hp. The Mercedes is heavier too. Lb/hp doesn't tell the whole story.

A Porsche Boxster has 225 hp. Does that make it not a performance car? Performance doesn't just mean 0-60. I know those educated to the 60s muscle cars still think so, but there's a lot more to performance.

Then you're ignoring the obvious. The Pacifica is domestic. The Crossfire is not. Black. White. Day. Night. Assembled in North America. Assembled in Germany. Powered by a Chrysler-designed drivetrain. Powered by a Mercedes-designed drivetrain.

Simple.

If that doesn't matter to you, then say so. I respect that. But pretending that the distinction doesn't even exist is just laughable.

Bangle is from Ohio. And I LIKE his 7-series. But then I'm not an old-time BMW fan, either :-)

I also like the new 7 series. Too bad it's so damn expensive.

It shouldn't matter. Companies produce vehicles where it makes the most business sense, not where it will soothe the most labor egos. Do you base the purchase of sneakers or your toaster or your on where it's produced or do you buy what style you like in the price range that you want? Why should a car be any different?

It's a global economy and it's not going away.

Cheers,

Yep, I do. I had a good source for American-made shoes up until just a short while ago, and then the company (Dexter) was sold, and production moved from Maine to China. Rats!

I tend to favor cars that are built in my own neighborhood. As I sit, I'm 2 miles from Sterling Heights assembly, for example. I bought my Duster when it was being produced there (Stratus/Sebring now). I bought my Horizon when it was built at Jefferson Ave. Assembly (site of the Grand Cherokee now.)

I will accept a Canadian substitute, like my Intrepid and my Caravan. I avoid Mexican-produced and Japanese-produced like the plague. I can't afford the German stuff. (Nor would I want to.)

I actively try to avoid Chinese-made products. I'm not always successful, but I *do* look, and if there's an option, I take it. It's hard to avoid when shopping at places like Walmart, however.

Says you.

--Geoff