Opinions wanted: 2000 Chrysler 300M or Grand Prix GT?

Got two cars to choose from. A pretty loaded 2000 Grand Prix (heated leather, sunroof, 3.8 non-supercharged engine), or a 2000 300M. Both have pretty close to the same mileage (well, kilometerage, since I'm in Canada).

My needs are commuting type driving, but I want to do it in style. :) Otherwise I'd be getting an Echo or something. About 35km (20 miles?) each way, on a freeway with average speeds around 80km/hour (50 mph). Very little stop-and-go. I've got two kids (8 and 6), but we've also got a mini-van, so I'd be the only person in the car 80+% of the time. But I still want 4 seats, if not 4 doors.

Any comments on reliability, being a daily driver, etc? I don't really plan on modding at all... I'm almost 40, so I think I'm past that. :)

Thanks in advance!

Clint

Reply to
Clint
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Well your asking the wrong group this question.. there all going to say the Grand Prix.. As for me I'm a Mopar fan. I think the 300m is very nice. I'm right now looking for a LHS the car looks hot. I love the looks of the front end. if the 300m has the 2.7L engine then don't buy it. you will be very pleased with the 300m on the hi-way.

Not sure if the Grand Prix has this option but I liked it. I was on a repo last year and picked up a Grand Prix, what I thought was cool & I found it to be very helpful was the speedometer reflected off the front windshield keeping your eyes on the road very neat option.

As for me being on this news group I'm driving a 98 Lumina right now, don't know why. Oh! I know why I bought the car as a parts car but ended up fixing it for my parents they like GM. 145k The car runs very good with the 3100 under the hood. as soon as I can sell it I'm going back to look for a 2000 LHS or Concorde LXi

Reply to
Colt & Brooke

If you want to do it in style, that eliminates the Chrysler. While not as bad as the new models, the style just does not seem smooth at all.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Well, I've also posted in the Chrysler newsgroups too. I want to get the two sides of the story... Who likes their car for what reason, and why they don't like the other.

It's been interesting so far! :)

And thanks for your input!

Clint

Reply to
Clint

You might want to read this if you're considering a Chrysler product:

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Especially the parts that relate to the 300, and the 2.7L motor. And as the other poster stated, stay away from that 2.7L motor, he's not joking. Take a look on ebay for all the cheap Chrysler vehicles being sold with blown 2.7 motors, there's plenty. And the 3.2L ("good") motor to replace it costs a mere $3k (plus labor).

But being as I own 2 Luminas and hopefully soon to be a Regal, maybe I'm a little GM biased ;)

-GV

Reply to
GlassVial

On Wed, 18 Apr 2007 05:01:36 +0000, a rock fell from the sky, hitting Clint on the head, and inspiring the following:

Well, I'm not a car fan, so there's my bias. IMO, get a truck.

If you insist on an compact car like the 300m or the Grand Prix, here's what I know.

The inappropriately-named 300m has the 2.7L V6. My mom had that in her Dodge Stratus. It wasn't a bad engine for a compact, but it certainly did not have 300 horsepower (as all 300-series cars are supposed to have) but it worked. Car ran fine until about 80,000 miles when it got smashed while parked in front of my house.

Except for being difficult to get into and really small inside - it is a compact after all - it was a decent car.

I also have friends with Grand Prix cars. My only complaint about them is the fact that they're even smaller inside than the Stratus.

Reply to
PerfectReign

I cant stand 300m's... The last 300m I was in it was about dusk and chryslers version of "twilight sentinel" was going nuts turning the lights on and off as I was passing trees. No delay to it at all like with GM's system. Very retarded operation which kinda reflects the rest of the car. Test drive them both, I think you find the GP rides and handles better. The only real issue that comes up on the 3800 is intake gaskets.

Reply to
Bon·ne·vil

300M never came with the 2.7

The 3.5 is/was the only engine available in the 300M and it is an excellent engine.

Reply to
aarcuda69062

The 300M is not a compact car. The trunk will hold almost as much as a small pick up truck.

Nope, never available.

Huh?

got smashed

Stratus is mid sized. The Neon is a compact.

Yup, hard to get in and out of, like most GM cars.

Reply to
aarcuda69062

Do you know who actually manufactured that engine, aarcuda?

Chrysler never made a crappo engine, in my memory at least. When they started buying from Mitsubishi they came under a lot of fire. Maybe Im wrong.

The only Dodge I have ever owned is my aging custom van with the 318 FI engine.

It has been VERY reliable, powerful, and reasonably economical. It is, of course, a truck chassis, and is not as refined as some vehicles, but a damn tough and good ride, it is.

Reply to
<HLS

On Wed, 18 Apr 2007 22:41:48 +0000, a rock fell from the sky, hitting aarcuda69062 on the head, and inspiring the following:

Right - compact.

a.k.a. - no leg room.

IIRC, it was.

No, the stratus is comopact, the neon is sub-compact.

The Concorde is mid-sized.

I spent two years driving a compact maxima - damn that thing was small.

Reply to
PerfectReign

I've driven a few GM's and experienced the same thing with the automatic lighting system. I say "no-thanks" to auto light control from *any* manufacturer!. Give me a switch only or I ain't buying!

Reply to
jcr

You're thinking of some other vehicle. My 98 Intrepid has enough leg room that if I put the drivers seat all the way back, I can't reach the gas pedal, and I'm 6 ' tall. The front seat in a Buick LeSabre can only dream of having that much room. I can't think of any other car that has as wide of a front door opening as the last generation LH car.

You remember wrong. Go to any on-line parts vendor and try to find engine parts for a

300M with a 2.7 liter V-6. Go on, I dare ya.

You reveal your lack of knowledge, the Concorde is smaller than the 300M by a tick, yet you call the Concorde a mid-sized and the

300M a compact. You can make up your mind any time now...

Nissans full sized car...

Reply to
aarcuda69062

AFAIK, the 2.7 was manufactured by Chrysler in the engine plant in Kenosha Wisconsin, a plant they inherited when they took over American Motors.

Except for the 2.7. yet, I have customers who have well over

100K miles on theirs with no failure. Won't happen is you use the cheapest Walmart oil and stretch the change interval to 7500 miles though.

Was used mostly Dodge vans at the last natural gas utility I worked at, very reliable!

Reply to
aarcuda69062

On Wed, 18 Apr 2007 23:49:34 +0000, a rock fell from the sky, hitting aarcuda69062 on the head, and inspiring the following:

I've driven the intrepid. It is seemingly roomy. Not bad for a mid-sized car.

Of course, my head still slightly touches the interior ceiling. At least I don't do that in my mid-sized Avalanche.

Well, only having driven a 300m once and never having driven the concorde, I only go by what I see.

I remember a friend of mine having a 300L. That seemed nice and full size to me. Roomy back seat, too!

lol! Yeah, right! I remember having to really fold down to get into that. :P

Reply to
PerfectReign

Sorry if you read that wrong, but what I was trying to say was read the parts about the 300 (series, there are several blips about it on that page) AND read the parts about the 2.7L motor. I didn't mean it to read as "see about the 300 WITH a/the 2.7L motor" :)

And yes the 3.2/3.5 motors are excellent (and expensive too).

PS. My aunt has a brand-new 300 series (not sure which sub-model offhand, if any) but it's been in the shop more than it's been on the road, and the stupid dealer won't lemon it (even though it's had the same problem multiple times)!

Just food for thought, not trying to bash Chrysler, just sharing what I've found and my family's experiences. In fact, I have a friend who has owned several Dodge Caravans/Plymouth Voyagers and he loves them.

-GV

Reply to
GlassVial

Actually the 300M is shorter than the Concorde. The 300M was also designed

to be exported to Europe and therefore the shorter length.

Reply to
Dave

I have ridden in a Concorde. The interior was nice enough and comfortable. My only complaint is that this car did not have a very elegant ride. It was almost smooth, almost quiet, almost responsive, but not great at any of those.

I had helped a local woman get a junker engine to replace the V6 in this Concorde. It had a catastrophic engine failure with relatively low miles.

If I were to judge all Chrysler vehicles by this one, I would probably buy the Grand Prix, knowing that that might present problems of its own.

Reply to
<HLS

Thanks for your opinions, all! I really appreciate you taking the time to do this.

Clint

Reply to
Clint

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