article here (http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2004-06-22-chrysler_x.htm) i really like this new 300. havent had a chance to drive on yet. but i think one of these with awd is a steal at the price. love the looks, reminds me of something the Shadow would drive.

I like it also, wonder how its going to hold up?

I've seen more of those in the last month than rx8's on the road in the last year

looks like a wannabe BENTLEY to me

It looks expensive and is cheap = will sell like hell. I was driving by the dealer and saw one for $21k, what a steal compaired to a Hyundai Elantra or Kia. I doubt it will sell as good in the upper states because of winter and it is RWD. You gotta like the 390 ft of torque on the Hemi version.

Someone in a Hemi 300C wanted to race my dad when we were on our way the our Marina, with 4 people and luggage we still kicked its ass. Then again, a 440-hp BMW V12 is better than a 340-hp Dodge engine.

Troy J.

Exactly - it looks like a Bentley. You can't deny, that car has some style to it. I just don't think it's got the style that I'd go for - same as the RX-8 isn't for everyone.

Very slick looking car. I like it.

i've really really liked it for a long time now, already.

I liked it a lot when I first saw it, but I'm starting to really not care for them the more I see them in person. My dad was deciding between 5 different cars, and the 300C was one of them. Once we saw it in person at the autoshow it just wasn't as nice as the other cars he was looking at. However, IMO Chrysler has by far the best design team of any US car maker and rivals that of any automaker in the world. He could have had any car he wants but he just can't bring himself to spend a ton of money on a car so he passed on the 7 series and A8 and ended up with a Hemi Magnum. I'll be driving it in a few days and I'll give a report if anyone is interested and get some pics if I can remember my camera.

Ike

It looks like a Rolls Royce

it looks cool.. just a little to ummm whats that word sorta like escallades and navigators!

I even like the station wagon version. Chrysler did good!

Originally posted by IkeWRX
he just can't bring himself to spend a ton of money on a car so he passed on the 7 series and A8 and ended up with a Hemi Magnum. I'll be driving it in a few days and I'll give a report if anyone is interested and get some pics if I can remember my camera.

Ike

Yeah let us know, I think the hemi Magnum will be a great replacement for my SUV.

Originally posted by HiTMaNN
it looks cool.. just a little to ummm whats that word sorta like escallades and navigators!

bling? :p

I like it. My wife thinks it'll appeal to the older, austere, conservative man. They'll sell tons of this one. They start at C$24k. I see this car will be a real winner for corporate cars, taxis, rentals.

Originally posted by MTLbroker
I like it. My wife thinks it'll appeal to the older, austere, conservative man. They'll sell tons of this one. They start at C$24k. I see this car will be a real winner for corporate cars, taxis, rentals.

ok you just convince me not to buy one...yuck

They are sharp, only real problem is they are Chrysler products and will drop like a rock in value, then fall apart around 80k miles.

I had a Chrysler product once..................ONCE!

Car started to feel loose after the first year. Did not wait for end of lease. After 2 full years, I wanted OUT!

Originally posted by IkeWRX
I liked it a lot when I first saw it, but I'm starting to really not care for them the more I see them in person. My dad was deciding between 5 different cars, and the 300C was one of them. Once we saw it in person at the autoshow it just wasn't as nice as the other cars he was looking at. However, IMO Chrysler has by far the best design team of any US car maker and rivals that of any automaker in the world. He could have had any car he wants but he just can't bring himself to spend a ton of money on a car so he passed on the 7 series and A8 and ended up with a Hemi Magnum. I'll be driving it in a few days and I'll give a report if anyone is interested and get some pics if I can remember my camera.

Ike

Always eager to see goodies. The Magnum uses the same platform, doesn't it?

Not all Chysler products die at 80,000 miles. My parents Caravan has 210,000 miles on it. Sure it creaks a little, but 210,000 miles speaks for itself.

Originally posted by JeupRX-8
I doubt it will sell as good in the upper states because of winter and it is RWD.
Troy J.

Upper states? You mean Canada?:p:eek:

You can get it in AWD! :cool:

Originally posted by IkeWRX
a Hemi Magnum. I'll be driving it in a few days and I'll give a report if anyone is interested and get some pics if I can remember my camera.

Ike

post your review in this thread when your done Ike. i would like to hear your view on it. i am thinking about trying to get one of those in AWD for my wife.

Like Ike, I used to think it was a great car until I took a road trip and saw literally 15 of them on the highway ( I didnt even know they were on sale yet) versus 1 rx-8. I thought it looked like crap in white and silver, dark colors like black and blue are the only ones that really fit the tuxedo look. Once you get beyond the great bentley rip off grill, the rest of the car is very square and very plain. The back end is nothing special at all. These will be absolutely everywhere just like the Z, and they already are. The Z is the cut rate porsche and the 300c is the cut rate bentley. The cheap V-6 model is there for the wannabe's and you cannot deny the appeal of the Hemi V8 for enthusiasts. Chrsyler is the only american company that has shown any signs of life as far as styling and raw power. While I may not think their car designs are beautiful, at least they are refreshing in a world of recycled GM crap and plastic cladding. As far as chrysler quality goes, I wouldn't say its anything great but I would still put them light years ahead of GM and Ford for the most part.

i think this particular chrysler will hold up quite well since there's quite a bit of mercedes running gear in it

i think it's really nice. it looks real cool, especially nice in dark colors. has that custom chopped roof look to it. and the hemi is nice. i only like the 300C tho, the cheaper models i don't like. i don't think it's for the older conservative people, but quite the opposite. i have a feeling it'll turn out the same popularity as the recent cadillacs have w/ rappers and stars, you know, the DUB crowd

yeah the rapper crowd seems to like it. according to the article Snoop called and left a message about the car to the head of Chrysler

I, too, have seen a LOT of these on the road. Can't say I like them at all. Just ugly and awkward looking. But some people say that about the 8, so whatever floats your boat.

I really hate the 300C. In my opinion, it's one of the ugliest cars released in recent memory.

Originally posted by jtimbck2
I really hate the 300C. In my opinion, it's one of the ugliest cars released in recent memory.

I jusy saw a Malibu MAXX yesterday on the road, now that thing is freaking hideous, and I'm usually not one to be overly critical of looks. We're talking Pontiac Aztec ugly, what the hell were the Chevy designers thinking with that one.

and supposely the Malibu is a strong seller

Originally posted by flatso
and supposely the Malibu is a strong seller
Affordable is the word.

Is the 300 C a good car? It sure looks the part. Good for you Chrysler. Keep up the good work :).

The automotive press likes it, the review C&D did was quite favorable.

Originally posted by IkeWRX
I jusy saw a Malibu MAXX yesterday on the road, now that thing is freaking hideous, and I'm usually not one to be overly critical of looks. We're talking Pontiac Aztec ugly, what the hell were the Chevy designers thinking with that one.

Never heard of a MAXX until you mentioned it.

From this pic, I don't think it's any worse than a Subaru

Originally posted by JasonHamilton
Never heard of a MAXX until you mentioned it.

From this pic, I don't think it's any worse than a Subaru

From a design stand-point , Chevy improved itself on what it used to be a PLAIN vanilla Malibu. However, I think its still far from Subaru...far far from it. Look at Subaru again, they have changed a lot in details -which is where they were missing it before. The only Subi that still looks odd to me is the Baja.

Originally posted by RX8-TX
From a design stand-point , Chevy improved itself on what it used to be a PLAIN vanilla Malibu. HOwever, I think its still far from Subaru...far far from it. Loos at Subaru again, they have changed a lot in details -which is where they were missing it before. The only Subi that still looks odd to me is the Baja.

I wasn't trying to say it was a subaru, what I was saying was it looked similar to a subaru from outside - it's not eye catching, but it's not anywhere close to Aztec ugly either.

The rear looks like it's missing something though.

Originally posted by JasonHamilton
I wasn't trying to say it was a subaru, what I was saying was it looked similar to a subaru from outside - it's not eye catching, but it's not anywhere close to Aztec ugly either.

The rear looks like it's missing something though.

That pic is VERY deceiving, it actually looks kind of nice in that pic, see one in person and you'll know what I mean.

In person, the malibu wagon catches your eye because you can't believe you just saw such a stupid looking car.

Originally posted by IkeWRX
That pic is VERY deceiving, it actually looks kind of nice in that pic, see one in person and you'll know what I mean.

too true! i was thinking from pics i had seen that it was a nice looking car. then i saw it in person. worse than an Aztec in my opinion. but then i am on record here saying i dont mind the Aztec.

Originally posted by mikeb
I've seen more of those in the last month than rx8's on the road in the last year, looks like a wannabe BENTLEY to me

Looks can be deceiving my friend, Its packin' a Hemi and it is no slouch. I agree with you on the looks, but to me it looks little like Bentley and more like musclecar. Especially when viewed from the rear. Just my 2 cents.

My wife and I were having a conversation about the 300 yesterday. I commented on how many I've seen since its launch as compared to the RX-8.

We just got back from the shore, and during the whole trip, other than my own 8, I saw only three others. One on the way to the shore, and two coming back. During that same trip, I saw more than a dozen 300s (and three Chevy SSRs). Two of my neighbors just bought 300s. Pretty soon I'm going to be surrounded.

Don't get me wrong, I dig the look of the 300. Kinda like something from Batman: The Animated Series. But they are beginning to pop-up everywhere.

I still only see a couple of 8s a week, which makes it still unique in my book. The 300 not so much.

I think it's great that we're starting to see cars of all types looking good. They don't have to be a high end sports car to have a unique and stylish design.

While there are failures that make me want to puke (Aztec), I think most are successful.

I like the 300C. a fully loaded hemi will run about $36,000. Motor Trend timed it at 5.6 sec from 0-60. and said it handled surprisingly well for such a heavy (4000 lb) car. They list it as a luxury sedan but maybe it should be listed as a sports sedan since it outperforms most. As for reliability only time will tell but it has a lot of Mercedes parts and design influence put into it.

Originally posted by JimW
As for reliability only time will tell but it has a lot of Mercedes parts and design influence put into it.

Mercedes reliability has nosed dived in recent years

Exactly what I meant! great quality but so so reliability.

Looks like a brick on wheels to me! Just one man's opinion. :P

The thing is, even the less reliable cars on the market today are pretty damn reliable compared to 10 or 15 years ago. It seems to get something really unreliable nowadays you almost have to go out of your way to do so. Buying used cars is a whole other story since it seems the slightly less reliable vehicles on the road really start to show the problems as they inch towards 100k miles.

My dad had an interpid for about 80k miles it was pretty damn reliable to that point, but when he traded it in it was going to need a decent amount of work on the A/C and a few other minor problems.

I definitely see more of these than I do RX8's but I like them and would much prefer seeing another 300C instead of another bland looking camry/taurus/accord.

Originally posted by IkeWRX
The thing is, even the less reliable cars on the market today are pretty damn reliable compared to 10 or 15 years ago. It seems to get something really unreliable nowadays you almost have to go out of your way to do so.

Yup. If anyone is interested here is a JD Power VDS (http://www.jdpa.com/news/releases/pressrelease.asp?ID=2003050) for the year 2003. This is a long term study, not the first six months of ownership. Bad news for all of those GM haters and some German lovers.

VW was on such a roll, it's amazing how much they have slipped in terms of sales and overall quality ratings.

In the first graph is it safe to assume Mazda is grouped with Ford?

Chrsyler is the only american company that has shown any signs of life as far as styling and raw power. While I may not think their car designs are beautiful, at least they are refreshing in a world of recycled GM crap and plastic cladding. As far as chrysler quality goes, I wouldn't say its anything great but I would still put them light years ahead of GM and Ford for the most part.

Wow, I'd like to know what that opinion is based on. According to all the quality surveys (both initial quality and long-term reliability), Chrysler lags behind both GM and Ford. I'm guessing you had some bad personal experiences with GM and Ford?

I also think your comment about Chrysler's "styling and raw power" is a bit oversimplified. I'll take the Ford GT over any car out there, period. Most people love the styling and power available in the Corvette and new Mustang as well. And just wait for the next Cobra... then we'll talk about raw power.

It is the opinion of many people in the auto industry that Chrysler is playing a risky game by putting out very bold vehicles in terms of styling, but making very few engineering improvements. These are the same old Chryslers underneath their new flashy skins. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Chrysler has another hit on it's hands in the new 300c

What exactly are Chrysler's other hits?

Originally posted by RX8_Buckeye
Wow, I'd like to know what that opinion is based on. According to all the quality surveys (both initial quality and long-term reliability), Chrysler lags behind both GM and Ford. I'm guessing you had some bad personal experiences with GM and Ford?

I also think your comment about Chrysler's "styling and raw power" is a bit oversimplified. I'll take the Ford GT over any car out there, period. Most people love the styling and power available in the Corvette and new Mustang as well. And just wait for the next Cobra... then we'll talk about raw power.

It is the opinion of many people in the auto industry that Chrysler is playing a risky game by putting out very bold vehicles in terms of styling, but making very few engineering improvements. These are the same old Chryslers underneath their new flashy skins. It will be interesting to see what happens.

My opinion is based solely on my personal experiences with products from each company. I don't care what quality surveys say, you can just look at a GM and see that it is put together worse than most other cars. See the plastic door handles in the corvette for reference on shameful cost cutting. I have never ever been impressed by any GM product. As for ford, my dad bought a ford and after experiencing that truck and many fox body mustangs I will never ever buy a ford product again. They are simply engineered to a lower standard. Chrysler styling is better than anything GM or ford is doing right now in the same price range. Ford and GM make their money selling trucks and suv's, not cars. Yes all American companies make a car with a powerful V8 but you are comparing cars that are not in the same price range. Ford GT's are nice but does ford have a 4 door family/luxury car that can compete with the power of the hemi 300c at the same price? Not really besides the aussie falcon cars. GM has the GTO but thats about it. Chrysler is filling a gap in the market and apparently its working well because I have seen dozens of 300c's on the road already within the last month. As for being the same chryslers under new skins they are actually old mercedes parts in a chrysler skin.

Originally posted by KC_Prelude
My opinion is based solely on my personal experiences with products from each company. I don't care what quality surveys say, you can just look at a GM and see that it is put together worse than most other cars. See the plastic door handles in the corvette for reference on shameful cost cutting. I have never ever been impressed by any GM product. As for ford, my dad bought a ford and after experiencing that truck and many fox body mustangs I will never ever buy a ford product again. They are simply engineered to a lower standard.

All of your amazing powers to look at a vehicle and see "quality" better than a scientific survey and how well it is assembled would be more believable if you didn't drive a Honda Qualude er I mean Prelude.

Cheers for Chrysler, I never thought I would see a large sedan I thought looked good.

Good looks + Mercedes Parts + Decent Ecomomy + Inexpensive Price = A real winner for Chrylser for that class of car.

For those bashing Ford products,
take a look at the linked page...

http://www.ford.com/en/vehicles/vehicleShowroom/2DoorCoupes/default.htm

Originally posted by zoom44
post your review in this thread when your done Ike. i would like to hear your view on it. i am thinking about trying to get one of those in AWD for my wife.

My biased alternative:

http://www.subaru.com/servlet/showroom?track=topnav_s&command=overview&webModelName=OUTBACK&modelYear=2005&webTrimName=25_XT_WAGON

http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=8204

It'll last longer than a Chrysler.



I should be a salesman for Subaru...

Originally posted by ALMOST8IT
For those bashing Ford products,
take a look at the linked page...

http://www.ford.com/en/vehicles/vehicleShowroom/2DoorCoupes/default.htm :p :p You just corked the bottle...reeeeal good.

Originally posted by Prod
My biased alternative:



YEAH we are definetly looking at the outbacks. in fact one of my customers is teh owner of a Subaru dealership and i was just hinting at him yesterday for a good deal.

whaaaaaat??? c'mon man!! the 300C marks what will hopefully be the return of the classic American sedan: spacious, stylish, RWD V8 power, a true highway cruiser and urban dweller. i really really like this car a WHOLE lot.

imagine what could be next: the 2007 Chevrolet Bel Air. holy smokers. :D

My opinion is based solely on my personal experiences with products from each company. I don't care what quality surveys say, you can just look at a GM and see that it is put together worse than most other cars.
The JD Power studies are based on a large population of customer surverys. I'd trust the studies more than your "eye" for quality.

As for ford, my dad bought a ford and after experiencing that truck and many fox body mustangs I will never ever buy a ford product again. They are simply engineered to a lower standard.
I don't know what was wrong with your dad's truck, but I don't think you have any business bashing Ford trucks as a whole. There's a reason why the F-series have been the best selling trucks for a long time. As far as Ford products being engineered to a lower standard, you're wrong again. You might be surprised to learn that Ford's component, sub-system, and vehicle-level requirements are in many cases more stringent than those of Mazda. For example, the new Ford mid-size car (was going to be called Futura, but not anymore) is based on the Mazda6 platform. Ford engineers had to re-test many of the Mazda components to make sure they complied with the stricter Ford requirements.

Chrysler styling is better than anything GM or ford is doing right now in the same price range. Ford and GM make their money selling trucks and suv's, not cars.
This is entirely subjective. My opinion is that Chrysler's styling is "love it or hate it", while Ford and GM are more "middle-of-the-road". I see the 300C and Magnum sharing the same fate as the PT Cruiser--very hot for 1 or 2 years, then disappearing altogether. Sure, Ford and GM make most of their money selling trucks and SUVs, but up until recently, Chrysler wasn't making money on ANYTHING. Chrysler just happens to be releasing their new car models earlier than Ford. Ford's new car lineup, including the Five Hundred, Freestyle, Mustang, and (Futura) will make money.

As for being the same chryslers under new skins they are actually old mercedes parts in a chrysler skin.
My point exactly--an old engineering platform with new sheet metal. Ford and GM are working a lot harder than Chrysler at introducing new, improved vehicle platforms rather than simply reshaping the sheet metal and throwing in a bigger engine.