2007 Chrysler Sebring

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smc733

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Hi all,

So after last night's thread about my Sentra, and discovering it doesn't have ABS or cruise control, I'm 99% on passing. I found my dream car:

http://www.bochtoyota.com/toyota-Vehicle...ser_id=13657878

I've always loved the Sebring, in black, with tan interior... Perfect, and it has the 3.5L v6 with a 6-speed auto.

The car looks perfect, is this an ok buy? It really has everything I want with the exception of perhaps the nab system (but I have a LMT Garmin, so that's probably better anyhow).

Thoughts? I appreciate all the help with my annoying threads as of late.
 
Well I`ll say one things for sure, its a real nice looking car! And i`d rather have that than a Sentra.
 
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It looks like a nice car; certainly better equipped than the Sentra you were looking at and lower miles. The price is very close too.

One thing I'd be cautious about with a used Sebring (or any other mid grade used domestic sedan) is the possibility of rental/fleet use. That sort of usage isn't a deal killer for me, but it's a good reason to check the underside for any unusual damage, and all of the fluids/wear parts for possible neglect. At 25K miles though, as long as they changed the engine oil a few times it should be good to go.

No nav system may be a good thing if you want to keep the car a while. I'd hate to have to replace one.

I say go for it if everything checks out on your test drive and inspection of the car.
 
The free Carfax report states that this was a "Corporate Lease" for around 10,000 miles.

Usually when it is a rental, it will use the phrase "part of a rental fleet" or something to that effect.
 
I owned a 98 sebring jxi v6. I bought it from a friend in 07 with 17k miles, garage kept, never even had the top down.

I sold it in August with 66k. It car was literally falling apart, you could tell that it wasn't assembled well. Besides the constant rattle and body flex I had to replace the following...

Starter
Both front wheel bearing
Brake assembly (locked and wouldn't release)
Distributor
Cap and rotor

Regular maintenance stuff such as plugs, filters, wires,etc.

I know that yours is 9 years newer....Just my experience.
 
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I have had very good Nissans and continue to buy them. My first Nissan was a 1995 Sentra which logged 360K and 16 years until the Michigan salted roads claimed the engine mount points.
 
Sebring + 3.5 = rather hot car- about as much power as you can realistically put in a FWD platform, same thing as an Avenger R/T. I loved the old 3.5, its a really, really great engine. Technology had just passed it by a little bit by 2011, or it might still be around. I'd go for it in a heartbeat.

Sebring + 2.7 = run away like mad.

Run even faster from the Camry ;-p... but that's just me.
 
Originally Posted By: dja4260
I owned a 98 sebring jxi v6. I bought it from a friend in 07 with 17k miles, garage kept, never even had the top down.

I sold it in August with 66k. It car was literally falling apart, you could tell that it wasn't assembled well. Besides the constant rattle and body flex I had to replace the following...

Starter
Both front wheel bearing
Brake assembly (locked and wouldn't release)
Distributor
Cap and rotor

Regular maintenance stuff such as plugs, filters, wires,etc.

I know that yours is 9 years newer....Just my experience.


The 98 is significantly different than and 07. They're both basically a JA platform, but they have different body panels, different interior, different drivetrain (obviously Mitsubishi in the 98 since you mention a distributor). But the biggest difference is convertible vs. hardtop. The hardtop is WAY stiffer, and far less prone to corrosion.
 
Originally Posted By: dja4260
I owned a 98 sebring jxi v6. I bought it from a friend in 07 with 17k miles, garage kept, never even had the top down.

I sold it in August with 66k. It car was literally falling apart, you could tell that it wasn't assembled well. Besides the constant rattle and body flex I had to replace the following...

Starter
Both front wheel bearing
Brake assembly (locked and wouldn't release)
Distributor
Cap and rotor

Regular maintenance stuff such as plugs, filters, wires,etc.

I know that yours is 9 years newer....Just my experience.


I had the opposite with my '96 Sebring convertible.
I bought it with a little over 60,000 miles on it. The person that had owned it previously was a filthy pig from the condition of the interior and it appeared to have never been washed. But it was cheap and the top didn't look as if it had ever been down.

I spent two Sundays steam cleaning and scrubbing the interior, power washing and waxing the exterior before I started to drive it regularly. When my former boss (used car lot) saw the finished product, he was mad at me for "ripping him off."

It was a solid car. No more body flex than any similar year convertible. FWD or RWD.
I replaced the brakes shortly after purchasing it. Same with the cap, rotor, and wires.

I put a transmission cooler in the car. I routed the hoses badly (my fault entirely) and they dumped out a bunch of ATF on the freeway. Repaired and re-routed the hoses and refilled the transmission. That was it's only failure.

Did the belts (timing and accessory) at about 100,000 miles. That was an unpleasant experience.

I liked the way the car drove and the way the Mitsubishi 6G73 ran and sounded. It handled more like you would expect a fwd Eclipse to handle in spite of it's heavier Cloud car content.

It was vandalized. Rather than break a window, the thieves decided to cut a hole in the top. The price to replace the top in 2000 was over $2000. More if I wanted to keep the glass rear window. So, it had to go. If the top had been more affordable or if they had just broken a window, I'm sure it would have made over 200,000 miles.

But I don't like the newer Sebrings very much.

I drove the retractable hardtop and the 3.5/4 speed automatic was okay, but the rest of the car lacked the same character that my older convertible had. It was soft and gushy and the steering felt like you had to turn the steering wheel twice as much to get it into the corner to wallow about like a wounded buffalo.
 
I just inherited my Grandmother's '98 since she quit driving - it's actually been a very solid car. I've maintained it since it was new, and other than an evaporator and condensor it hasn't needed any repairs.

As long as you can live with the interior on the '07-'10 and you avoid the 2.7, I give it a thumbs up!
 
I had no idea you could get Sebring's with a 3.5...that engine is superb! I had one in the form of an '01 LHS and it was a gem. Miss it all the time. Timing belt is the only [censored] part.
 
Based on my experience with recent Chrysler and Toyota products, you'll get better reliability out of that Camry than you will the Sebring. The Camry will also likely have better NVH (general refinement). That generation Sebring/Avenger isn't noted to use the best interior materials or have the best interior quality. Only very recently (2011 MY), Chrysler started putting class-competitive interiors into their cars. Before that, it was Coleman-cooler plastic. The Camry has soft-touch dash panels, padded door panels, etc.

It all depends on what you're looking for. If you like the Sebring in particular, go for it. But if you're looking for a family sedan in general, the Toyota will be a better gamble, in my opinion (again, after having experience with a few late-model vehicles from both brands).
 
I've ridden in a Sebring of that vintage once, and I really can't complain. However, I've also taken a 2008 Toyota Camry (2.4L I-4, 5 speed auto, XLE model trim) on a 2 week road trip... my goodness what that car comfortable and QUIET. It was also a joy to drive; very user-friendly button layout and overall ergonomically well thought-out. As a side note, that Camry also had the best smelling leather interior I've ever been in. Great car.
 
I have a 2007 sebring 104000 miles. Only a rear wheel bearing was replaced, in addition to normal wear items. It is not a bad car, just a car, nothing special. Mine was a rental, 4 cyl. I got it with 28000 miles and have driven it about 300 miles a week as my daily driver.
 
So I put a deposit down on the Camry, but there is one before me, if they get it, I get my deposit back, otherwise, I get the car.

If this falls through, I'm going to take a look at the 3.5L Sebring I posted, which seems like a decent enough deal. Otherwise, there's a certified pre-owned Sebring 2.4L I may look at, but I'm still a bit shaky about 4-cylidner Chrysler vehicles.
 
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