Re: [Chrysler300] Chrysler 300M, Epilogue

["KELLY PIERCE" <jkrestor300@xxxx>]

Greetings Group-
Kelly and I have a 01 M, 54,000+/- miles on it, other than one set of
tires, a recall on seat bolts, NO costs other than normal maintenance. I
have a good friend who is a mechanic at the Dodge dealer in Billings, Mt.,
has been there for 20+ years. I respect his opinion and always ask him about
a model before I buy. He has saved me countless headaches and $s telling me
which years, models etc. to avoid. He gave me a green light on any M, just
advised to either get extended warranty coverage or plan on transmission
work after hitting the 85-100,000 mile range, especially in the 99 and 00
models (all LH body cars), and from experience, our 94 Vision and 98
Intrepid ES had transmission problems, both at the 100,000 mile mark, even
after servicing the trans in the Intrepid TWICE , once at 40,000 and then at
90,000 miles to avoid a repeat of the transmission trouble like the Vision
had. His version as to the why? Too much heat under the hood of those cars,
due to the design of the hoods, front end etc. makes everything really
tight, little air flow under the hood. Also the computer controls the
transmission and the internal adjustments, so if there is a glitch in the
computer/ a sensor etc. it will adjust the transmission to death! Too bad as
the old torqueflights were much tougher and durable for more miles.
Our fuel mileage is about the same. We've gotten as high as 30 on the
highway- flat country and slower speed(60-65) but get 25-27 consistently
here at 4,000'+ altitude and 75-85 MPH, 19-22 back and forth to work, 10
miles each way. Great cornering, handling, looks and power(for a new
car)front drive in the snow and ice( yeah we do get some of that here in the
winter) What more can you ask for in a newer car? I would recommend a M to
any one, and have had many people (even here in cowboy country) ask how we
like it etc. and always tell them they won't regret buying a M>>>>
Joe and Kelly Pierce Whitehall, Mt. 300Kx3+M+others
----- Original Message -----
From: "Thomas Miller" <tfm@xxxx>
To: <Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, February 14, 2004 7:37 PM
Subject: [Chrysler300] Chrysler 300M, Epilogue


> Well,
>
> Yesterday was the day. After 63mos. of faithful service, the lease was
> up on my '99 300M and I opted to walk away. I know there are a few
> folks on the list that have 300Ms and some that have considered new or
> used 300Ms, so I thought I would quickly share my overall experience
> with this car. My 300M went into service in November of 1998. We've
> put 75,000 miles of mixed in town and highway driving on her. My around
> town fuel economy was rarely over 18 mpg, but I could approach 29 mpg in
> strict highway driving.
>
> Being that this was a first year model, I opted to spend an extra
> $750.00 and extend the warranty from 3yrs./36,000 miles to 5yrs./75,000
> miles. I lost that bet. The only service I got under the contract was
> about $150.00 worth of coverage for problems experienced with dry rotted
> front sway bar bushings.
>
> Under warranty, Chrysler replaced the body computer at 18,000 miles
> (had a weird anomaly, if you would push any button on the remote entry
> key fob while the car was running, it would lodge an error in the
> computer and close the warm air door in the heater system. Damned cold
> "feature" in December....). At 24,000 miles Chrysler replaced all 4
> tires on my car at no charge with Michelin "Z" -Rated Pilots to solve
> balance issues with the OEM Goodyear tires. At 35,000 miles, Chrysler
> replaced the hazard flasher switch on the steering column (on a really
> hot day, it would pop up on its own and turn on the flashers!).
>
> Out of warranty I replaced the battery, changed the oil (5W-30 Mobil
> 1) and filter (Mobil 1 # 301) @ 3,500 miles, 17,450 miles, 38,220
> miles, and at 56,525 miles (BTW, I NEVER had to add any oil between
> changes), and bought another set of Michelin Pilots @ around 51,000
> miles. (I still had about 5/32" all the way around on them @ 75,000
> miles).
>
> So, outside of gas, insurance and the lease payment; I had out of
> pocket expenses with this car of around $800.00. Not bad in my opinion.
> All tolled including gas, insurance, lease payment and the above
> mentioned incidentals, I spent around 41 cents a mile to drive this car
> over a period of 63 months.
>
> Am I going to miss it? Yeah, I already do. But, I'm going to wait
> around till next month to see what the 300N er I mean 300C looks like.
> But, I have a sneaking hunch I may try to find a deal on a nice used
> black 300M special. But, then again 340 horsepower under my right foot
> would make for a pretty righteous daily driver!
>
> So, there are the facts. Anybody else have an M story to share?
> Specifically, I'm curious if there are any high mile (150,000 to 200,000
> miles) 300M owners on the listserv and what sort of maintenance you've
> had to perform.
>
>
> Best Regards to All,
>
> Thomas F. Miller
> tfm@xxxx
>
> 300C ('57)
>
> Thomas F. Miller
>
> tfm@xxxx
> pageTFM@xxxx / text paging
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> 707.667.2601 / eFax
>
>
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