Despise Chrysler Vehicles?

[Enthusiast]

It was a return to k car era without any of the charm or advantages of the K cars. Stodgy styling, mediocre handling, bad ride quality, cheaper interiors than ever featured in a K car, poor utilization of interior room, etc. The only thing that era had was the addition of the Hemi engine. And that wasn't enough to make up for everything that we lost. I will never buy a Mercedes product and protest to what they did.

 

[4WD]

I owned both a C300 and Charger and some of these claims here are lost on me … would not have bought the 2nd one otherwise

 

[zzyzzx]

Despise Chrysler Vehicles?​

No. Just hate Carlos T. If they made a car that I liked, I would buy it. I don't see them making a car that I actually like, even though they do sell them in Europe.

 

[gfh77665]

I owned both a C300 and Charger and some of these claims here are lost on me … would not have bought the 2nd one otherwise

Great vehicles!

 

[andrewg]

Had a Chrysler minivan many years ago. Constantly had vapor-lock on hot days. Couldn't wait to get rid of it.

 

[svtrit]

I like our van, I just hate the electrical gremlins and rust. If not for Fluid Film, my van would be rusty. Competitor vans rust much less, and you wouldn’t fear buying a Honda or Toyota with 100k miles. I’d never buy a Chrysler with 100k miles

As a Jeep Wrangler fan, I’m a glutton for punishment, however.

 

[Number_35]

I like our van, I just hate the electrical gremlins and rust. If not for Fluid Film, my van would be rusty. Competitor vans rust much less, and you wouldn’t fear buying a Honda or Toyota with 100k miles. I’d never buy a Chrysler with 100k miles

As a Jeep Wrangler fan, I’m a glutton for punishment, however.

With misgivings, I bought a 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan in March 2021, with 199,000 km (c. 123,500 miles) on it. It was the first domestic vehicle I'd bought since the late '70s (though I did own a couple of gifted Mopars in the '80s and '90s).

Anyway, it's been a good van. It's at 261,000 km (c. 161,000 miles) now. Excellent versatility, surprisingly enjoyable to drive, and reasonable reliability. It's a bit thirsty, but 3 out of 4 ain't bad.

I would buy another.

 

[TomYoung]

Of the cars I have owned, my favorites are the ones are the Chryslers developed before Daimler's influence. I can handle the LH platforms quirks, the styling was fantastic, the comfort on the LHS and 300M was second to none, the ride quality was the right balance of firm vs soft, they handled good for their time, the interior styling was excellent, and had reasonable build quality.

My 200 is okay. It has great acceleration and fuel economy. It has been pretty reliable. The styling is mediocre. The interior is okay. It handles quite well. The ride quality is bad compared to previous generation cars but decent compared to modern cars. The seats are awful compared to older vehicles but decent to modern cars. The transmissions is very annoying I don't know what daimler did to this unit But they screwed it up as the four-speed variants were better smooth.

I haven't owned my ES 350 long enough to really give a fair comparison between the two but I can tell you that the ES 350 is certainly more comfortable than the 200 but it's not a day and night difference quite like the LHS is to the 200 or the ES 350. I will say that I don't like the infotainment system or the climate control on the ES 350. It is way overcomplicated and requires me to take my eyes off the road to change simple things. A relative has a Avalon That at nearly 80,000 mi already is making a very strange engine noise. We're hoping it's only a water pump. I'll keep you posted on it. The CD players hard drive crashes on the Avalon as well. This is shortly after buying the vehicle. I believe that aisin makes a superior transmission and there are certain things Toyota does very well but I don't believe that Toyota is automatically superior at all things over Chrysler.

I think of Chrysler would have accepted defeat in the early '90s concerning transmission building and would have bought a proper unit from Aisin like they did with the Cherokee XJ (along with accepting defeat on the 2.7 L V6, using the 3.3 and 3.5 extensively throughout their lineup), I don't think they'd have their current reputation. Not saying that they didn't have other problems but I think those were their biggest mistakes.

The Viper is awesome but certainly not a normal vehicle.

My parents have a grand caravan with around 160,000 mi. It's been reliable but not the most comfortable vehicle unlike the pre-daimler/fiat era. Same complaint about the stupid 62 TE.

They're 19 Jeep Cherokee has about 51,000 on it. No problems other than It has the roughest suspension ever combined with incredibly hard seats. If the seats had soft padding they would be awesome.

Your experiences and perception notwithstanding, the comparison you offer is between a vastly superior set of Lexus and Toyota products, so some aging, weak Chrysler bags of bolts.

 

[Rust_Belt_Pete]

No, I dont care. ALL manufacturers have their issues and problems and some have horrible engineering flaws.
Do I want to go for engine imploding ford water pumps or solen by a kid younger than my boots kia?
Some makes and models of vehicles have good history and service record.
I have a ford flex, its a Ford.. PTU's fail often, water pumps can blow up engines, yet I love it because I take a lot of long road trips loaded with lots of crap and its SUPER roomy and comfortable.
Each car has its own pro and con.
Certain makes are known for certain issues. Although now with heavy legislation on emissions and safety most cars have become crap piles.

 

[jhs914]

I had a 2005 Dodge Magnum RT 5.7 Hemi that I put over 100,000 miles on from new. Other than replacing a suspension bushing and a rear hatch latch, it was trouble free. I tuned it and put headers and a Magnaflow exhaust on it and would get up and go. I traded it for a 2013 Dodge Challenger SRT 392. It was trouble free for the 35,000 miles I had it (after I turned 70 I realized my driving skills no longer matched the capabilities of the SRT.)

That said, I don't think I would buy a Stellantis product now. I worry about the future of Dodge/Chrysler, a great American brand. Back in my youth during the heyday of the muscle car era the 426 Hemi's and 440 six pack cars ruled the road.

 

[svtrit]

With misgivings, I bought a 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan in March 2021, with 199,000 km (c. 123,500 miles) on it. It was the first domestic vehicle I'd bought since the late '70s (though I did own a couple of gifted Mopars in the '80s and '90s).

Anyway, it's been a good van. It's at 261,000 km (c. 161,000 miles) now. Excellent versatility, surprisingly enjoyable to drive, and reasonable reliability. It's a bit thirsty, but 3 out of 4 ain't bad.

I would buy another.

My 2002 was fantastic. Other than an alternator recall and an alignment issue, it was very reliable. I wish they still made them that simple and reliable.

 

[Skippy722]

With misgivings, I bought a 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan in March 2021, with 199,000 km (c. 123,500 miles) on it. It was the first domestic vehicle I'd bought since the late '70s (though I did own a couple of gifted Mopars in the '80s and '90s).

Anyway, it's been a good van. It's at 261,000 km (c. 161,000 miles) now. Excellent versatility, surprisingly enjoyable to drive, and reasonable reliability. It's a bit thirsty, but 3 out of 4 ain't bad.

I would buy another.

My parents abused their 2004 Grand Caravan…good times riding around in the back with my brother without the 3rd row because there were 20+ bags of mulch, or loaded down with pavers! It never let us down or left us stranded, it then survived 3(!!!) teenage drivers. And it’s still alive, I saw it around just a couple weeks ago.

 

[hrv]

My 1968 Dodge Charger...1973 Dodge Colt GT...1973 Plymouth Road Runner...1980 Chrysler Cordoba...1989 Plymouth Acclaim...1999 Dodge Grand Caravan...2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser...All were great cars...but would not buy a Chrysler product or a Dodge now...

 

[Enthusiast]

Your experiences and perception notwithstanding, the comparison you offer is between a vastly superior set of Lexus and Toyota products, so some aging, weak Chrysler bags of bolts.

Toyota has had plenty of design flaws over the years and right now is demonstrating that not everything they make is perfect with the engine problems with the Tundra and Tacoma.

The point I am making is there are things that Chrysler did better (comfort and styling) and if those models were still on the market, I would buy them again as Toyota's offerings in this category are inferior in the category of comfort and styling. The service life of the LH cars was sufficient for my needs. While I will agree that there were weaknesses in those vehicle's designs, the biggest problems could have been fixed with Chrysler using their better engines from that time period and buying a transmission from a competent third-party company. I frankly would take a Chrysler 3.3 over a 1MZ any day of the week especially considering the oil sludging problems with the 1MZ engine and the need to replace timing belts and water pumps.

 

[OVERKILL]

Toyota has had plenty of design flaws over the years and right now is demonstrating that not everything they make is perfect with the engine problems with the Tundra and Tacoma.

The point I am making is there are things that Chrysler did better (comfort and styling) and if those models were still on the market, I would buy them again as Toyota's offerings in this category are inferior in the category of comfort and styling. The service life of the LH cars was sufficient for my needs. While I will agree that there were weaknesses in those vehicle's designs, the biggest problems could have been fixed with Chrysler using their better engines from that time period and buying a transmission from a competent third-party company. I frankly would take a Chrysler 3.3 over a 1MZ any day of the week especially considering the oil sludging problems with the 1MZ engine and the need to replace timing belts and water pumps.

Stellantis (previously FCA) is also using ZF transmissions now, like the ZF 8HP, which is arguably the best 8spd on the planet and considerably better than Toyota's offering.

 

[RAVL]

I had a 2005 Dodge Magnum RT 5.7 Hemi that I put over 100,000 miles on from new. Other than replacing a suspension bushing and a rear hatch latch, it was trouble free. I tuned it and put headers and a Magnaflow exhaust on it and would get up and go. I traded it for a 2013 Dodge Challenger SRT 392. It was trouble free for the 35,000 miles I had it (after I turned 70 I realized my driving skills no longer matched the capabilities of the SRT.)

That said, I don't think I would buy a Stellantis product now. I worry about the future of Dodge/Chrysler, a great American brand. Back in my youth during the heyday of the muscle car era the 426 Hemi's and 440 six pack cars ruled the road.

I wouldn’t worry about Stellantis’ viability, at least not for a while. The parent has slightly less than 50bn euros in cash reserves. For comparison, GM has about 30bn USD (Euro typically trades anywhere from 5 to 10 percent more than USD), and Ford has 24bn USD. Toyota keeps about 43bn USD. Figures are from the firms annual reports. I had to convert the yen so fingers crossed.

 

[jhs914]

I wouldn’t worry about Stellantis’ viability, at least not for a while. The parent has slightly less than 50bn euros in cash reserves. For comparison, GM has about 30bn USD (Euro typically trades anywhere from 5 to 10 percent more than USD), and Ford has 24bn USD. Toyota keeps about 43bn USD. Figures are from the firms annual reports. I had to convert the yen so fingers crossed.

It's not Stellantis' (an international corporation) viability that I worry about, it is the future of Dodge/Chrysler as iconic American brands. I could give a rat's rear end about Stellantis.

 

[RAVL]

It's not Stellantis' (an international corporation) viability that I worry about, it is the future of Dodge/Chrysler as iconic American brands. I could give a rat's rear end about Stellantis.j

Respectfully, your point is not really that logical. Like Saying you don’t care about your brain and are only worried about your lungs. It all goes together, for better or worse. Jeep, Ram, and Dodge all make plenty of money and do well for Stellantis. There is zero chance they get cut in the near future unless they completely you-know-what the bed with new models. That would take many years from where they are now. The product is just too strong. Jeep and Ram in particular are some of the most valuable brands within the company. If they go south, the company will go with it. The brands that are in danger in the U.S. are the Alfa models because for whatever reason they just don’t seem to sell although the Giulia is a really nice car. Chrysler may be in trouble but the reality is that the Chrysler models are always sold at a CJRD dealer so it is not like GM where they need a whole line of repetitive vehicles to prop up an Oldsmobile. Point is that much of the sensational news you see recently aside, there is zero chance Stellantis or any of the traditional U.S. brands are going anywhere anytime soon, and the parent’s balance sheet is as healthy or healthier than most of its peer group. It has become popular to bash Tavares but he is not a fool. Reporters love to run around and shout this or that, but very few of them actually bother, or even know how, to look at a set of financial statements or the notes.

Have a good evening.

 

[jhs914]

Respectfully, your point is not really that logical. Like Saying you don’t care about your brain and are only worried about your lungs. It all goes together, for better or worse. Jeep, Ram, and Dodge all make plenty of money and do well for Stellantis. There is zero chance they get cut in the near future unless they completely you-know-what the bed with new models. That would take many years from where they are now. The product is just too strong. Jeep and Ram in particular are some of the most valuable brands within the company. If they go south, the company will go with it. The brands that are in danger in the U.S. are the Alfa models because for whatever reason they just don’t seem to sell although the Giulia is a really nice car. Chrysler may be in trouble but the reality is that the Chrysler models are always sold at a CJRD dealer so it is not like GM where they need a whole line of repetitive vehicles to prop up an Oldsmobile. Point is that much of the sensational news you see recently aside, there is zero chance Stellantis or any of the traditional U.S. brands are going anywhere anytime soon, and the parent’s balance sheet is as healthy or healthier than most of its peer group. It has become popular to bash Tavares but he is not a fool. Reporters love to run around and shout this or that, but very few of them actually bother, or even know how, to look at a set of financial statements or the notes.

Have a good evening.

I don't know where you are getting your information on "Jeep, Ram, and Dodge all make plenty of money and do well for Stellantis" and the "balance sheet is as healthy or healthier than most in its peer group."

"Jeep, Dodge maker Stellantis reports 48% drop in first-half net profit on weak U.S. sales"​

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/25/stellantis-h1-earnings-2024.html
https://www.seattletimes.com/busine...chrysler-jeep-and-ram-is-struggling-analysis/

Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram have some of the highest unsold new inventory in the U.S. See this chart. Ram is so high it is off the chart.

If you have information to the contrary please post it.

Stellantis is just the latest in the list of corporate mismanagement of Chrysler. Daimler, Cerrubus (sp?), FCA, and now Stellantis have done the brand no favors.

 

[4WD]

I don't know where you are getting your information on "Jeep, Ram, and Dodge all make plenty of money and do well for Stellantis" and the "balance sheet is as healthy or healthier than most in its peer group."

"Jeep, Dodge maker Stellantis reports 48% drop in first-half net profit on weak U.S. sales"​

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/25/stellantis-h1-earnings-2024.html
https://www.seattletimes.com/busine...chrysler-jeep-and-ram-is-struggling-analysis/

Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram have some of the highest unsold new inventory in the U.S. See this chart. Ram is so high it is off the chart. View attachment 246636

If you have information to the contrary please post it.

Stellantis is just the latest in the list of corporate mismanagement of Chrysler. Daimler, Cerrubus (sp?), FCA, and now Stellantis have done the brand no favors.

When a corporation had more divorces than Liz Taylor … Well …