I daily drive my Crossfire. It's far from perfect in every way, but it's mine. When it breaks, I'm the guy that fixes it. I do the maintenance myself. I enjoy driving it, I enjoy looking at it. Sure, it's old and not up to modern standards, but it makes me happy. Isn't that what being a 'car guy' is ultimately about?
Exactly my friend. There's a lot to be said for a car you can fix yourself, and doing that also means you end up bonding with the vehicle I find. It is what it is, and I like it.
*_The Crossfire has one of those timeless exterior design. Even today I get people asking about it and how new is it, that's why i bought mine. Fun to drive and a great car club community was created right from the get go. However, Mercedes sure did a number on the Crossfire buyers when they divorce with Chrysler. At that point, no MB dealership would work on them and Chrysler only had a handful of mechanics who were trained on these cars so owners were left to figure out how to fix and maintain these cars quick. The creation of the Crossfire Forum was the lifesaver to the ultimate survival of the car. Now, there are multiple Facebook group out there with members creating events and tech days where they help one another on maintaining and repairing these wonderful sport cars and the reason why I created a Crossfire how to chanel on RU-vid_*
Well said and the Crossfire us a visual work of art! Just lower it a bit and add nicer wheels the car looks just as current today. I’m a lil bias to the SRT6 coupe because I like power BUT I don’t like the big rear spoiler…
All except for the fact that the narrator doesn't vary his pitch -- every sentence goes up and down at the same place as the previous -- and subsequent -- sentences. This makes for a sing-song cadence, that I find quite boring; I fell asleep twice during this vid, and finally had to move on.
I remember my first time seeing a Crossfire. It was here in my town, at night, and I swear it was before the car had officially gone on sale. I followed it for miles just to get a better look at it. I thought it was a great looking car then, and I still do today.
As an American of German descent and a fan of both companies, I was excited when the "merger" occurred, but German arrogance ruined it. Daimler gutted Chrysler of it's capitol and sold off what they couldn't use. I believe that without the "merger", Chrysler would have been a stronger company and we would have gotten a better Crossfire out of it.
The American automobile industry would have been better of with Ford and Chrysler becoming the big two. With them in play Congress would have let GM die in 2008, which they deserved to, GM gets carved up by Ford and Chrysler and more jobs would have been saved.
My brother had one. We went out for a meal, on leaving the restaurant he passed me the key. I drove very cautiously; on his constant urging I floored it on a straight desending road! It was amazing, around 140mph in no time......!
I had a Chrysler Crossfire stereo as a kid. The wheels held the speakers, the bumped slid out to allow a CD to be inserted, and there was a switch to turn on the headlights. Wish I hadn't gotten rid of it!
I've owned a 2001 SLK and two 2006 Crossfires Roadsters and loved all of them. Just about every time I drive them I get comments from passers by about how awesome they look, and when I tell them it is a 16 year old car they can't believe it.
I own a 2005 Crossfire and except for the expensive repair every two years (car now has 200k miles) I’ve generally enjoyed it. It also has the best sounding stock car stereo I’ve ever heard, and I’m very particular about such things.
@@tommurphy4307 Hy home stereo gear is Rega, Clearaudio, McIntosh, Vandersteen, Magnepan etc. so I have known for 40 years what good hi-fi is all about.
I have one for some years as my second, 'fun' car. I wanted a car that was separated from the mass. Needed to have V6 or V8. Proven technology. And along came the Crossfire. I've since customized it - made it more '20ies, changed exhaust, K&N, maintained it well. Every time I take it out, people really like it. At first they have no clue what it is that's coming their way, especially since it doesn't look like a standard Crossfire. Sometimes people still don't when it's gone. But they still hear the deep roar for several seconds. It ticks all the boxes for me and I won't be selling this puppy any time soon, that's for sure. The bang for buck is unparalleled.
We were working on a job at Heathrow Airport in the early 2000s near the car hire depots. Three or four times a day one of these would come screaming past with some crazily grinning Hertz employee clinging on to the steering wheel...
@3:00 great summary of what brought together Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler. That partnership *should have been* an amazing success. Your video brings back the optimism that prevailed at the time. I have seen stories about what went wrong and why the partnership didn't work - but it still seems like it should have been great.
I had one of these brand new off the showroom floor with the cranberry read leather. Loved it, bit got a deal on it. $0 down, $0 security deposit, 24month lease and ONLY $400 a month. Only car I ever leased and glad I did. It sank like the titanic I'm value. But I enjoyed it and it was a head turner back then. Oh I had a srt6
Must say it’s not a car I’ve ever been a fan of - I’ve always found Chryslers a bit chintzy for my tastes (I’m still bitter about the Chrysler/Lancia badge engineering too……) - however, you can’t deny that the Crossfire is bold, and different.
@@lash9400 I’m from the US so my Lancia knowledge is mostly from racing games, but from wiki research, the last I checked, they’ve just been making the Ypsilon for a long time.
Can't explain how extremely irritated I get whenever I see a Chrysler Ypsilon, sure the Lancia Ypsilon is nowhere near what they were producing at their peak but it's still a Lancia, and it's like Chrysler is just trying to wipe the name out.
Nice vid! I have had my Xfire for 16 years, its a 2005 Limited Coupe, which I bought as a 1 year old used car with only 2700 miles on it. I was going to buy a Honda s2000 but found that the xfire was a much more practical car. You can put a ton of bags in the back, golf clubs etc. It's not a sports car exactly, but has plenty of get up and go to put a smile on your face. It doesn't have rack and pinion steering but is brilliant to drive into corners. You sit just in front of the rear wheels so the driving experience is just fantastic. It uses a lot of parts from the SLK 320 and has the M112 engine, so there are parts available to make repairs. I've had some simple things to repair on this car but all in all its been amazingly reliable. Since Chrysler and Daimler broke up at the end of the production of this car, our community has never really enjoyed manufacturer support but with a great Xfire web community and the great people at the Mercedes Forums, you can get help fixing almost any issues with the car. As far as the often repeated Jeremy Clarkson quote on the Xfire styling, just consider the source. I wouldn't ever consider Clarkson a paragon of good taste. To this day I always have people come up to me wanting to talk about this car, it's been quite amusing.
I always thought the Crossfire was a good looking car, and its rarity made it even cooler. I remember a few years back an SRT-6 challenged me to a quick race in my Z06 on an empty road one night, and it performed pretty well. I gave him a big thumbs up and remember thinking "they should've made an SRT-8 version"
Love it or hate it that car got your attention. Very bold lines even for today. Brings a smile to my face when I see one now. Many mopars out there that are not boring.
I always thought the Chrysler crossfire was fantastic, I remember my neighbor buying one new in 2006 in a stunning iceblue, in east Anglia we have alot of us military bases so Chrysler was a big seller, crossfire's were very common where I lived like the 300c, voyager and neon especially! I never really realised how successful they were or how much Mercedes tried to bury them 6ft under. I own a 2012 Chrysler/Lancia Delta a FCA product of course ! (Chrysler left the UK in 2014) Very good car, great build quality and a quirky factor for sure, wish they would've stuck around tho the art deco styling is really unique , much preferred it to a SLK and would love to see their vehicles today!
That is incredible to hear as an American, even though I dislike most American cars. One thing I loved about living in London was the LACK of those cars! 🤣 I'm now back in Chicago and you'd be surprised how many RHD imports I see from the UK. There are MGs, Defenders, Triumphs, Austin Minis, and the odd British Leyland car.
I bought an 04 brand new. Never had any issues with the car at all. I liked it for it was very unique at the time. Fun to drive and always got asked about it. After 3 years sold and bought an 05 Volkswagen Phaeton. Amazing car I still miss.
A few things, when the "merger" of Daimler-Chrysler came together, people were wondering what the group would be called. The folks inside Chrysler said "the "Chrysler" is silent", and they were right. I was lucky enough to be one of, if not THE first person to have a Crossfire in Detroit. (Thank you Dr. Z) I loved that car! I had a few Corvettes before the Crossfire, and the Crossfire was a lot more fun. The only real downside to the car was, it could, and did get stuck in an inch of snow (not a good car to have for your main driver around Detroit) When the presenter talked about the smallness of the boot, he wasn't kidding! When the first Crossfires we sold, they came with its own set of three-piece luggage, that was designed to all fit together (It was actually decent luggage; I still have/use it) Overall, it was a great toy, if they still made them, (especially living in SC now) I'd have one in a second.
Just the clarify, the 6-Speed Manual was actually sourced from Mercedes and built in Germany as well, but it was used primarily in Jeeps first. It would eventually be used in some Mercedes ML applications.
The NSG370 used in the Crossfire is an odd duck. It was originally a Getrag design developed for Mercedes Unimog trucks, and Daimler didn't want to share it with BMW, so they purchased the design to manufacture it themselves in Stuttgart. And then... they decided they didn't really like it all that much, so they kicked it over to Chrysler, because fuck Chrysler, right? That pretty much sums up the entire Daimler-Chrysler merger. "Hey, we wanted your Jeep Division. We don't want to pump any money into Plymouth, Dodge, Chrysler, Eagle or Mitsubishi, so we're killing Plymouth and Eagle, and Mitsubishi can go to hell. We'll spin Ram off on its own so we can kill Dodge, and when people stop buying the PT Cruiser, we'll kill Chrysler. Then it will be Daimler/Jeep-Ram. Until all this is finished, the only parts and components available to you will be chassis and drivetrains handed over from your sister brands. Here's this shitty six speed we don't like, go nuts! Guten tag, scheißekopft!"
@@RockandrollNegro Now it's being prized by AMG owners wanting to do a manual conversion because it's designed to bolt right up to a M112/M113 bell house and can handle the power.
Another great video, with great insight beyond the car itself. I've had a bit of soft spot for Chrysler for a long time. It was doing so well in the '90s! The takeover by Daimler should never have happened. If Lee Iacocca had made Bob Lutz, then working for Chrysler, his successor as CEO instead of Bob Eaton, maybe the "merger of equals" would have been prevented, and the Plymouth brand would still be with us, along with a very different line-up from the Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth/Jeep quartet. We'll never know. It is a source of sorrow for me that since the divorce, Chrysler has been a shadow of its former self. At least there seem to be some good things on the horizon within Stellantis. The Crossfire concept car, in my eyes, looked better than the production car. More exciting underneath as well. Daimler and Chrysler were two company too different to get along, fighting like an odd couple, to build a car that never delivered what the concept promised. It sums up the "merger" in its slow death. Perhaps its name was an omen, as it got caught in the cross-fire.
I have 2005 CrossFire SRT6, and it´s amazing car, enough power and toque...and its look great...it is no mass product...it is unique car...i love it...352hp...
Wasn't it Chrysler who also bought Rootes Group UK and Simca Talbot France? Which also both ended going nowhere in quite a few years. Their european adventures in last century always ended i a lot of loss. Oh, and couldn't they just have taken the legendary 1980ies E class extendable wiper and made it park in the middle? That would have been awesome!
@@jackdough8164 Indeed. In Europe it was known as the Simca, then Talbot, Horizon. Just like the Plymouth version of the Omni. I was born and raised in Germany. My dad always bought cars from the same dealership. As a child, I wondered why the brand changed from Simca to Talbot to Peugeot over time. When I came to the United States, I found out about the Chrysler bankruptcy and that they sold their European operation. That was my lightbulb moment with regards to this topic.
I had an 06 Drop head. Drove it down to Monaco from Manchester (England) it got as many looks as some of the much flasher stuff. Have to say I really liked the car. Tempted by an SRT one in the future.
My sister still daily drives her Crossfire. Recently the computer went out. The Chrysler Dealer wouldn't fix it and the Mercedes Dealer wouldn't either. She finally got it fixed at an independent shop.
I had similar with mine, it was an easy fix that I found on a US owners site, just needed old solder removing and resolder in place....done. Mine kept cutting out and would not restart.
@@LEgoiste bro , i bought a NEW Crossfire in 2004 , TOTALED it in 06 lol ( not MY fault !! ) bought another NEW one in 06 , still have it and love it , 80,ooo mile just started doing what you said , cuts OFF while driving , sometimes restarts sometimes doesnt !! sometimes restarts 24 hours later , any specifics on which solder and where or website info would be greatly appreciated
@@jochenpeiper6797 Sure it's the RCM, RELAY CONTROL MODULE . If I recall correctly it's encased in a black box, just take it out clear off the old solder and resolder. Honestly couldn't be easier and the problem went away, apparently Chrysler dealerships back then charged the earth and still never fixed it. Like I said it was on a post on the Crossfire owners site. Good Luck and enjoy!
@@LEgoiste thanks man , took the Crossfire to local shop here on Padre Island , that has a good reputation , they said it was not '' throwing a code '' and were not sure where to go from there !!!! wish i had my 1973 Lotus Europa BACK !!! had NO COMPUTER and ran FINE !!!
I've owned both a manual and an automatic Crossfire. I can confirm the manual was not very nice. For me, the Crossfire is a great looking car, and it always had people asking about it. The thing that lets it down in a big way is steering feel. The recirculating ball steering from the SLK is hopeless at giving the driver any accuracy and therefore confidence. However, if you drive it more as a point and squirt car then it can be quite fun, and the v6 makes a lovely sound.
I love the fact that the styling of the Crosfire was "different" Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson described the looks from the back as like a dog having a dump. I can see his point. I actually like the styling though and its a great alternative to the SLK of the day!
To Eric George from Nygel Miller. The motoring programme that has proved durable and professional over the time, is FIFTH GEAR, and not TOP GEAR, or it's offensive juvenile presenters! Like a dog from the back, having a dump? I'd say actually, that IS an accurate description - of Jeremy Clarkson himself!
Jeremy Clarkson always been a hater of american cars. If you notice, mostly all Porsche cars looks like a dog taking a dump as well. So, what's the point! For me, after almost 20 years it still looks way better than many newer cars out there!
I have an SRT6. 0-60 in under 5 sec. because of the Supercharger. Awesome car. A real sleeper. People are shocked when you run away from them with this car. And the value is increasing.
Chrysler Group’s head of styling at the time, Thomas Gale is probably one of the most underrated stylists ever. Every car that came from the Group made me want one! Sadly woeful quality, some engineering bloopers and poor manufacturing (an American blight) hung over those brands and Daimler’s dead hand over the company killed the creative drive that defined the Group at the time effectively dooming its future growth. I don’t believe it ever returned
totally agree, the biggest issue with (US) big three, they are plagued by either bad timing (usually too late), and/or poor cost cutting choices. GM and Chrysler have had some amazing cars that flopped due to timing or cost cutting choices.
@@JustJay1281 if they would only STOP MAKING JUNK we would be a lot better off. something never heard in a nissan or toyota service drive- "don't park it in the garage until after we do the warranty work."
@@tommurphy4307 I mean, from a reliability standpoint, I'll take some American cars, like many ford's, over most Nissans all day long. Chrysler isn't great, but the other American brands are pretty good now. They followed a similar path to Kia/Hyundai imo.
I love my '07 Limited 6 speed manual crossfire more than any other vehicle i've owned. It still turns heads every time i drive it. being a 6 speed it will drift every turn as long as you have a steady hand. I have borla exhaust, cold air intake, and the amg throttle body and let me tell you brother, that combo wakes the beast up! if you hammer down getting on to the highway you're at 110mph before you even realize it. my only complaint is the extreme lack of parts in OEM or aftermarket. oh yeah the only drink holder in the car is for a can of RedBull.
The Crossfire design draws heavily from the 95 concept Chrysler Atlantic with it's central spine line going through the car both externally and internally. The Atlantic itself was inspired by the art deco style of the Bugatti Atlantique. As a follow on I didn't know about the 4 door saloon I always assumed it was the Chrysler Firepower concept. Great video, I loved my Sapphire Silver Blue convertible always put a smile on my face when you say behind the wheel and heard that heavy thunk of the door closing, the seating position being nice and low. Happy days, sold it on only because I got a new job with a company car. Would gladly have kept it for my Son's to drive. Always got lots of attention as know one knew what it was.
And here is me at a certain age lusting over a mk1 Granada 3 litre ghia coupe in green thesedays.They were the car I wanted as a kid when I grew up.A mk2 2.8 ghia comes a close second.
Not just the Crossfire, this video is like gazing back to a time when car designs tried to be interesting, different and eye-catching. What a shame so many journos' and car buyers are mesmerised by certain German car badges, and their very dull looking grey/black cars these days. I applaud Crossfire owners!!
Bought one new in 2005 for approx. 14.000 € under the list price. It was a coupe with AT and painted in sapphire silver blue. And it was a great fun machine - pretty fast and and a true eye-catcher on the road. Anyway, not all people liked the desgin and many referred to it as the "pooping dog" due to the rear end. Sold it in 2010 for a new Chrysler 300C Touring, which also was a great car.
There was one in my village in Ireland, always got a 'not sure should I like it' look outside the local shop- very eccentric car 😊 and the owner was probably too.
@@shaydevlin5557 chyrsler and mercedes just could not work together .i mean this car is the example because this was a good car and slk was also not sporty instead more like a baby sl
Imagine making a spicy version of your sports coupe with over 100 HP more than the base version and just offering it with an automatic gearbox...really astonishing.
I remember visiting the MBUK warehouse just after the Daimler Chrysler 'divorce'. It's safe to say the people of MB didn't view the marriage with much fondness
Most disastrous merger in automotive history. Chrysler was on top of the world in the 1990s and they had hit after hit on their hands. They also had the coolest cars on the road between the tough looking '94 Ram, as well as the Viper and Prowler. The Neon meanwhile was quick for its time and its DOHC 2.0L engine is still class competitive in power output to this day. I would've loved to see what they could have done on their own instead of dying on the vine and being starved of resources by Daimler, being given decade old leftover scraps.
I really quite like these things It's no thoroughbred, but a smart and different boulevard cruiser and I think they are quite cool. It very rare for a production version to look better than a concept, but to my eye, the production version has better overall proportions, and the sweep of the rear side window is a vast improvement. Shame they strayed so far away from the concept interior but those are the realities of platform sharing and costs, but the Crossfire has a much more inspiring interior than Mercedes SLK. I really don't need a road car that can lap the ring in 8 minutes, if I wanted to drive fast then Id do a track day, so if it's not the last word in performance and handling, does it really matter as long as it's fun to drive. I certainly see me spending time with one soon, and I'd contend that it may become a modern classic.
I purchased a Crossfire while they were practically giving them away. First and probably last brand new car I've ever purchased! The Chrysler service departments literally hated the car and clearly had no idea what they were doing when it came time to do even basic service. Fortunately the on-line Mercedes community was very helpful. I'm 6'4" and never really fit into the car well. The massive bulkhead behind the seats prevented me from actually adjusting things to be comfortable driving the thing for more than two hours at a time. But I LOVED the way it drove. Fantastic cornering once I installed B.F.Goodrich performance tires. A Magnaflow exhaust made the engine sound really sweet too. I replaced the restrictive airbox/engine cover with am AMG spec Mercedes intake which was a simple bolt-on and produced good power too. I enjoyed driving that little beast for five years and got a nice price when I sold it to a petite young woman who fit the little coupe perfectly !
the 300C or the Dodge Challenger are also cool stories. Shares old E-class underpinning and was in production until last year I believe. I remember secretly liking the 300c , especially with all the aftermarket stuff people put on them. Came with an estate version which you could get with that 6.1l V8.
I have the base manual version, it’s blown a serpentine belt and misfired because of a bad crankshaft position sensor. Fixed it all easily myself and have had no issues since
While I never thought the "merger of equals" was very equal or a good idea, it didn't take long before my thoughts had been solidified. What's left of Chrysler is kind of a joke. I thought the whole idea was foolish. Sure, ok with the right chemistry it could have worked well. But this is Daimler we are talking about here and this mess could be easily blamed on them. But I mainly blame Bob Eaton for even considering the idea. Eaton being no Iacocca.. at all. In many ways he doomed the brand to stagnation and later Fiat solidified it. If it wasn't for Jeep, Chrysler would be dead.
To me this was the spiritual successor to the Volkswagen Corrado VR6: Both were build by Karmann. Both have an adjustable rear spoiler. Both have a 6 cylinder engine. (different config though) Both are a coupe. I almost bought one after I sold my Corrado, but it was too expensive at time.
I owed a blue convertible standard transmission version for 15 years. I regret selling it. I loved this car. It's a shame Chrysler and Mercedes didn't continue that direction. The Crossfire was great on trips, around town, or putting the top down on a spring day, driving the "blossom trail" outside Fresno, or up the road to Yosemite for the day. One of my favorite over 50 years driving.
I really appreciate this wonderful channel and all your great work so much. 🤩 Can't thank you enough. 🙂 Love and my best regards from the "Harz Mountains" in Germany... stay safe! ✌️ 🇺🇦
I have a black 2003 with fabricated sports exhaust and a remap. Here in UK a lot of people do not know what it is. Its a bloody hoot of a car. I had a 230SLK but this feels completely different. Its raw and like a mini muscle car. Its manual, light, and although around a modest 230bhp it goes pretty fast. I have had it over 4 years and its on 125k miles but i have no intention of ever selling it. I didnt buy it for anyone else i brought it for me. I really love these forgotten cars and they represent great value.
Minor correction: Actually, the 6-speed manual is not a Chrysler part. It’s the standard Mercedes gearbox you could also get in the SLK 320 (however most of them were ordered with the optional 5-speed automatic, the manuals are pretty rare). But thanks for another very interesting episode! I’ve always liked the Crossfire‘s exterior design. So much sharper then the SLK‘s and a true eye-catcher. Unfortunately the recirculating ball steering box taken from the SLK (or W202 chassis respectively) and the interior trim with so much cheesy silver plastic was a bit of a disappointment.
Great summary of this ill fated marriage. The crossfire here in the UK is in the bargain basement as a used car (as indeed is the SLK) but both will probably be appreciated (eventually) for what they were, innovative coupes/convertibles born of a short lived married and never to be repeated.
I was working at the DCTC headquarters at the time this car was rolling out and bought one of the first models. I knew the project manager quite well. There actually was a Hemi version developed that was faster than the SRT and would have lowered the price. Daimler killed it fearing slk competition. I saw the car myself! I loved the car. I wish I had kept it. Too bad Chrysler didn't do the car alone.
Just bought this car today for 1k in the USA runs good has a engine light sputters when I hit the gas at traffic lights but is very fast and I love how bumpy the spring are does not bug me very fun car to drive i plan to fix it up keep it for a few months then sell it for more in better running condition then I bought it for got the SRT
As a Australian Ford tragic who didn't want a S550 Mustang because I'm a big body sedan guy, I ended up getting a GenII 300 6.4 SRT8 and it is amazing she sits perfectly between my Windsor powered Fords.
I bought a 2004 Crossfire Roadster (almost exactly like the one at 19:04) in 2011 for the bargain price of £6000 with just 40,000 miles on it. I have never owned a car that got more admiring questions and looks than the Crossfire, partly because of how handsome it was, and partly because many people had no idea what it was and assumed it was far more exotic than it is. My current Jaguar XK Cabriolet, by comparison, is far less admired.
The Crossfire looks great. Now is Chrysler a mainstream brand or is it a premium brand in between like what Buick dies and what Mercury tried to do. I also find Mazda to be slowly entering this segment.
Iv got one and love it! It's an 04 with 68k on it, white on red with manual transmission. Iv had it sense 2015, for it's 20th it will be getting new speakers, shocks and struts and a handful of minor body work. It had been a long time since I've had a car I was attached to.
I had both the crossfire and the SLK230.. kept the SLK 230 but it gets significantly less looks! It’s 2022 I still enjoy my 1998 SLK230 especially in summer . Thanks a lot for the video I clicked very quickly
