Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

1998 Chrysler Sebring Limited Convertible Runs, But Needs Work on 2040-cars

Year:1998 Mileage:161165 Color: Platinum /
  Two Tone - Blue/Tan
Location:

Kenilworth, IL, United States

Kenilworth, IL, United States
Advertising:
Transmission:Automatic
Body Type:Convertible
Vehicle Title:Clear
Engine:2.5L 2497CC 152Cu. In. V6 GAS SOHC Naturally Aspirated
Fuel Type:Gasoline
For Sale By:Private Seller
VIN: 3C3EL55H9WT295253 Year: 1998
Make: Chrysler
Model: Sebring
Trim: JXi Convertible 2-Door
Options: Cassette Player, Leather Seats, CD Player, Convertible
Safety Features: Anti-Lock Brakes, Driver Airbag, Passenger Airbag
Drive Type: FWD
Power Options: Air Conditioning, Cruise Control, Power Locks, Power Windows, Power Seats
Mileage: 161,165
Exterior Color: Platinum
Interior Color: Two Tone - Blue/Tan
Number of Doors: 2
Number of Cylinders: 6
Warranty: Vehicle does NOT have an existing warranty
Condition: Used: A vehicle is considered used if it has been registered and issued a title. Used vehicles have had at least one previous owner. The condition of the exterior, interior and engine can vary depending on the vehicle's history. See the seller's listing for full details and description of any imperfections. ... 

This could be either a great project car if you can do the needed repairs or it can be a great parts car if you have your own 1998 Sebring that needs some newer parts.
I've driven this car daily for about three years. The engine starts and runs smoothly and the transmission seems to shift smoothly as well. If I could do most of the necessary work myself I would definitely keep the car, but paying a repair shop to do the work would be fairly expensive. This car is fully drivable as is.

Here's what I've been told is needed:

  • Valve cover gaskets
  • Electronic Control Module in the steering column that controls the windshield wipers, turn signals, high beams, etc. The turn signals work, the wipers work, but the high beams cannot be turned off. Also when you use the right turn signal the intermittent wiper function engages.
  • Upper and lower ball joints and control arm on the driver's side.
  • New passenger side headlight assembly. I don't remember the exact reason, but the bulb does not light fully.
  • A new connector for the rear defogger. I'm told its common for these to come off due to the movement of the glass when the top goes up and down.
  • There are also two spots where rust is starting to appear.  The rear passenger side quarter panel and the bottom of the driver's side door.
  • The front leather seats cushions are ripped from 15 years of normal use.

Now for the positives:

  • As mentioned earlier the car starts and the engine runs smoothly. I've had oil changes done about around every 3k miles.
  • The transmission appears to be in fine working order.
  • The convertible top works perfectly and has no leaks. It is a cloth top that was installed in 2010 and looks like new.
  • Timing belt and water pump replace at 131k miles.
  • Power windows and door locks all work
  • Radio, Cassette player and 6-CD changer work perfectly.
  • Power steering works fine with no leaks.
  • All brake line tubing and rear brakes were replaced in 2011, including rotors
  • The alternator was replaced in 2011
  • A new fuel pump was installed in December 2012.
  • New tires in 2010. Approximately 25k miles on them.
Car is sold as is with no warranty of any kind written, expressed or implied.

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Auto blog

Fiat Chrysler's Marchionne is done talking about alliances

Sat, Apr 15 2017

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Fiat Chrysler Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne rowed back on his search for a merger on Friday, saying the car maker was not in a position to seek deals for now and would focus instead on following its business plan. Marchionne had repeatedly called for mergers in the car industry and a tie-up has long been seen as the ultimate aim of his relaunch of Fiat Chrysler, which he is due to leave in early 2019 after 15 years at the helm. He sought a merger with General Motors two years ago but was rebuffed. Only last month he said Volkswagen - the market leader in Europe - may agree to discuss a tie-up with FCA in reaction to rival PSA Group's acquisition of Opel. Marchionne told the annual general meeting in Amsterdam he still saw the need for car companies to merge to better shoulder the large investments needed, but said Fiat Chrysler was not talking to Volkswagen. "On the Volkswagen issue, on the question if there are ongoing discussions, the answer is no," he said. He added, without elaborating, that Fiat Chrysler was not at a stage where it could discuss any alliances. "The primary focus is the execution of the plan," he said. FCA has pledged to swing to a 5 billion euro net cash position by 2018, from net debt of 4.6 billion euros at the end of 2016 - an achievement that Marchionne has said would put it in a better position to strike a deal in the future. Volkswagen, which is still reeling from an emissions scandal that hurt its profits, initially spurned FCA's approach. However, CEO Matthias Mueller said last month the group had become more open on the issue of tie-ups and invited Marchionne to speak to him directly rather than with the press. Fiat Chrysler Chairman John Elkann underlined the message that finding a merger partner was not a priority. "I'm not interested in a big merger deal," he said. "Historically, deals are struck at times of difficulty ... we don't want to be in trouble." Elkann is the scion of Fiat's founder and top shareholder the Agnelli family. He has said in the past he was prepared to have the Agnelli's stake severely diluted in exchange for a minority holding in a larger auto group. "I believe the priority for FCA is to press ahead with this ambitious (business) plan despite the difficult environment," he said. FCA pledged in January to nearly halve net debt this year, as part of the 2018 plan. Doubts remain about its exposure to a peaking U.S.

NHTSA closes investigation on 4.7M FCA power modules, no recall

Thu, Jul 30 2015

FCA US hasn't had the best time with recalls as of late. Not only did the company recently agree to greater safety oversight and paid $105 million to the government, that came just days after hacking fears prompted a 1.4-million model recall campaign. However, a recent decision to close an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration means that the automaker doesn't have to worry about another major recall possibly affecting 4.7 million vehicles, according to the agency's report (as a PDF). Last September, the Center for Auto Safety petitioned NHTSA to investigate an alleged problem with the totally integrated power module (TIPM) on these FCA US models. The group claimed that a fault with the component could cause a variety of maladies, including stalls, not starting, catching fire, unintended acceleration, and airbag non-deployment. At the time, it also submitted 70 cases where this had reportedly happened. According to NHTSA, "no valid evidence was presented in support of claims related to airbag non-deployment, unintended acceleration, or fire resulting from TIPM faults and these claims were found to be wholly without merit based on review of the field data and design of the relevant systems and components." The agency did find signs of an issue with the fuel pump relay in some Jeep Grand Cherokees and Dodge Durangos, but FCA US issued recalls for the problem in September 2014 and February 2015. Without anything else to go on, the Feds don't think it's worth investigating this topic any more.

Fiat GIF-based ads make our heads spin

Tue, 17 Jun 2014

Take a good, long look at the image above. Don't worry, it's completely real; you're not hallucinating. Would you believe that's an actual screencap from an actual ad commissioned by Fiat that's airing on actual television? Believe it.
The commercials started as a series of animated GIFs from The Richards Group for Fiat's Tumblr page, according to Adweek. Chrysler's Chief Marketing Officer reportedly liked them enough that he had them cut into ads for TV. The result is a combination of Internet meme heaven that includes the above horse mask and "Deal with it," animation, experimental filmmaking, cats, a person in a bunny suit twerking on a Fiat 500 and more general bizarreness.
Whatever your opinion on them, you have to admit that the advertising is certainly attention grabbing. Imagine looking up at the TV form your tablet to catch a glimpse of this weirdness. If you don't like them, Fiat is even giving people the chance to do a better job. Its Tumblr is open to submissions of new GIFs, which could lead to some very inappropriate and potentially hilarious results given the way that the Internet often works.