Were American cars really that bad?

[ifcar]

Whatever happened to Chrysler cars anyways?  I remember when they came out with the retro boxy cars earlier this decade, they were considered to be decent cars and people actually bought them.  What happened with that now that all of their cars are POS and not worth buying?

The novelty of the Hemi has worn off.

[NomisR]

Retro Boxy? The PT cruiser and the Neon were the only desirable products. The neon was replaced with the Crapliber, and the PT Is still decent, but compared to others it's shown it's age.

Well the car with the truck grill and 20" hub caps seems to be really popular for a while.  And those abominations were posed in foreign TV as "luxury" vehicles so they didn't do too bad.  But they should've updated them.. then again, with MB out of the picture, they had nothing to update those things with.

[the Teuton]

How do you make a big, RWD V8 car relevant in the marketplace when gas is no longer cheap and your cars look like bricks on wheels with interiors to match?

It's amazing how much everyone liked the 300M and how much everyone now hates the 300C.

[ChrisV]

I didn't really like the 300M (except for the 300M Special) and I like the 300C.

[2o6]

Well the car with the truck grill and 20" hub caps seems to be really popular for a while.  And those abominations were posed in foreign TV as "luxury" vehicles so they didn't do too bad.  But they should've updated them.. then again, with MB out of the picture, they had nothing to update those things with.

Oh. The 300. I forgot about it. From my knowledge, it seems to still be selling OK even with gas prices.

[CJ]

Oh. The 300. I forgot about it. From my knowledge, it seems to still be selling OK even with gas prices.

They's selling poor here.

[ChrisV]

I can't really tell a new one from a slightly older one at a glance (especially after they are modded), so I can't tell how many of the tens of thousands there seem to be here are new.

I do know that most seem to be the lower trim level versions that have been accessorized with big wheels and aftermarket grilles...

[the Teuton]

That means that you usually have between 190 and 250 hp moving those huge wheels around.  That can't be good for fuel economy.

[CJ]

The 2009's have different tail lamps. 

[2o6]

That means that you usually have between 190 and 250 hp moving those huge wheels around.  That can't be good for fuel economy.

It's not that bad. My mom has 200HP in an E-series conversion van.

[Secret Chimp]

It's not that bad. My mom has 200HP in an E-series conversion van.

On dub deuces, nephew?

[ChrisV]

The 2009's have different tail lamps. 

Most of the ones around here are covered in chrome trim crap. You have to be a lot closer to tell the difference.




Since I'm not usually driving around going "how many brand new 300s did I see today" All I know is that there is a metric butt-ton of them on the roads around here.

That means that you usually have between 190 and 250 hp moving those huge wheels around.  That can't be good for fuel economy.

Probably not, though I doubt any of them care...

[CJ]

That's a 3.5.

[ChrisV]

That's a 3.5.

I know. that was the point. It's very hard to find a picture of a modded V6 300 on the internet, though it's the most common aorund here on the streets.

[SVT666]

I didn't really like the 300M (except for the 300M Special) and I like the 300C.

I didn't like the 300M at all, whereas I really like the 300C as well.

[MX793]

My parents had a 300M.  It was a decent driving car.  Fairly responsive for a big car.  My favorite of the LH cars.

[NomisR]

My parents had a 300M.  It was a decent driving car.  Fairly responsive for a big car.  My favorite of the LH cars.

Yeah, see?  People seem to like the 300 and their variants, so why are they in so much trouble now.  I mean they were considered to be in trouble even w/o the gas prices.. what's the deal with that?

[2o6]

Yeah, see?  People seem to like the 300 and their variants, so why are they in so much trouble now.  I mean they were considered to be in trouble even w/o the gas prices.. what's the deal with that?

What are you talking about?

[Madman]

The 300/300C is a pretty decent car for what it is.  The problem is Chrysler needs more than one good car to survive.  The Sebring/Avenger could have been a class-competitive product but Chrysler's bean-counters imposed third world standards of materials to be used in order to cut costs.  This is a prime example of why you should never let a bunch of accountants run a car company.


Cheers,
Madman of the People

[MX793]

Yeah, see?  People seem to like the 300 and their variants, so why are they in so much trouble now.  I mean they were considered to be in trouble even w/o the gas prices.. what's the deal with that?

This was the LH based 300M (sibling to the Intrepid), not the current LX based 300/300C.

[ifcar]

The 300/300C is a pretty decent car for what it is.  The problem is Chrysler needs more than one good car to survive.  The Sebring/Avenger could have been a class-competitive product but Chrysler's bean-counters imposed third world standards of materials to be used in order to cut costs.  This is a prime example of why you should never let a bunch of accountants run a car company.


Cheers,
Madman of the People

The Sebring/Avenger's interior materials are only the most obvious of its problems. The rest of the car is mediocre at best, too.

[2o6]

The Sebring/Avenger's interior materials are only the most obvious of its problems. The rest of the car is mediocre at best, too.

I've ridden in a few. They're rather space inefficient, and the dashboard is arranged so that it intrudes on passenger and driver comfort.

[omicron]

The 2.8L HFV6 is one of a family of engines.  In NA form, it was the base motor in the Caddy CTS.  IIRC, the 3.6L DOHC is a member of this engine family as well.

Yes. The 2.8 NA version is also the base engine used in Commodores and Caprices exported to South-East Asia and China.

[NomisR]

This was the LH based 300M (sibling to the Intrepid), not the current LX based 300/300C.

Yeah, but even the current version sold pretty well and was fairly popular.  I still see them all the time with their 20" steel wheels + hub caps.

[MX793]

Yeah, but even the current version sold pretty well and was fairly popular.  I still see them all the time with their 20" steel wheels + hub caps.

The current one sold pretty well, especially compared to the LH model (I'd wager the LX model outsold the LH in my area by close to 4:1).  On the flip side, I'm not sure Chargers are quite as popular as Intrepids were, though Chargers are still plentiful.

[the Teuton]

This was the LH based 300M (sibling to the Intrepid), not the current LX based 300/300C.

Did you know that the only reason the 300M exists is because the Eagle brand was abolished?  It was originally supposed to be the second generation Vision.

[93JC]

Vision, not Summit.

[the Teuton]

Vision, not Summit.

Well, at least you knew what I was talking about.

[93JC]

I've actually seen a picture of a CAD model of the 300M with Eagle badging.

[the Teuton]

I've actually seen a picture of a CAD model of the 300M with Eagle badging.

Does it look much different?  Grille, etc.?

Is it just like how the Saab 9-6x became the revised Tribeca?