2008 Chrysler Sebring on 2040-cars

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Autoblog sell-it-yourself highlight: 2004 Chrysler Crossfire

Chrysler's Crossfire was the most fortuitous product of the Chrysler and Daimler-Benz merger when it launched, but also the most tormented. Clothed in Chrysler sheetmetal, the Crossfire sat atop a Mercedes platform and was propelled by an M-B drivetrain. The upscale vibe was obvious, while its outlier status on a Chrysler showroom dominated by minivans, was preordained. As Autoblog reported in May 2006, "production of the Crossfire [fell] from a peak of 35,700 in 2003 to just 12,500 last year. Introduced in 2003, the Crossfire managed about 28,000 sales in 2004, but less than 10,000 in 2005. Chrysler was so desperate to move Crossfires in late 2005 that it even engaged in a marketing stunt when it attempted to sell units on Overstock.com." Most specialized two-seaters (or 2+2 coupes) invariably run into marketing reality; once the novelty wears off, there is little sustained support for a small, impractical vehicle in modern America. Conversely, if looking for a recreational vehicle with a possible upside as an investment, you'll be hard pressed to find a more accessible example than the Crossfire. Our for-sale example, located in Randleman, NC, looks to be well maintained and has the preferred manual transmission. There are few credible guides for evaluating the price, but the $3,750 ask falls in line with a decent Miata of the same vintage and mileage. A buyer should remember that the Mercedes-sourced drivetrain of this era can be a financial swamp, but with a clean Carfax and pre-purchase inspection, Chrysler's Crossfire can provide real driving enjoyment. Related Video: Chrysler Car Buying Used Car Buying Ownership Coupe Luxury Performance chrysler crossfire

More 2015 Chrysler 200 photos surface

Just 24 hours after the first official 2015 Chrysler 200 shot made its way onto the web, a whole smattering of images have surfaced, courtesy of the folks at Motorward. Here, we can see the new Chrysler family sedan from every angle, including the interior, and might we say, she's pretty.
As we told you yesterday, the new 200 will be offered with either a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with 184 horsepower and 173 pound-feet of torque or a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 with 295 hp and 262 lb-ft. A nine-speed automatic transmission accessed through Chrysler's rotary shifter (mounted on a Volvo-style floating center console) will direct power to the wheels. We've heard that both front- and all-wheel drive will be available, and what's more, it's been said that the new 200 will be able to achieve at least 35 miles per gallon on the highway.
An on-sale date has yet to be announced, but the new 200 will reportedly be priced at $21,700, not including $995 for destination. Have a look at the new round of photos in the gallery above - the striking blue model above looks to be the sportier 200S - and stay tuned for the officially official stuff early next week... if not sooner.

10 automakers shack up in Detroit hotel to talk Takata airbags

Since Takata has decided not to take the lead concerning potential issues with its airbag inflators, the automakers have. Perhaps that's unsurprising, since it's the automakers, not Takata, that will take a beating on the dealership floor if consumers decide its models are a health hazards. The Detroit News reports that Toyota, Honda, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Mazda, BMW, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Subaru met in a hotel conference room near the Detroit Metropolitan Airport last week to sort out a way to understand the technical issues involved. So far, faulty airbag inflators have been ruled the cause of five deaths and 50 injuries around the world, but neither Takata nor investigators understands exactly why the inflators are malfunctioning. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently asked Takata to issue a national recall, Takata declined, citing a minuscule failure rate and the fact that it's still investigating the issue. Toyota and Honda then made an industry-wide appeal for "a coordinated, comprehensive testing program" that would pinpoint the problem inflators and get them replaced, and that's what the Detroit meeting was about. Numerous issues, however, will make this a long row to hoe: simply getting the parts to replace the nearly 20 million inflators in cars recalled around the world so far - even working with other suppliers - will take a years, but more importantly, no one knows if the replacement inflators currently being installed will suffer the same issue. Answers will hopefully come quickly with Takata, the ten automakers and NHTSA all independently investigating the problem.