Just received a great deal on a 2002 Chrysler 300M. I love the look of the car, but I am afraid of quality down the line. Right now, there is a rebate and a 7 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty. I have a 2001 Maxima AE, and I love it ... just have new car fever and would like a car with woodgrain and a bit more luxury. Any advice? Anyone had experience with a Chrysler? 300M? Thanks

 

Chryslers suck. We have a 99 LHS. Acceleration is on par with a Civic. Four speed transmission ratios are less than stellar, slow revving engine, despite claimed horsepower. Wood grain looks like a magic marker did the trick. Quality is terrible. The windows refuse to work on a regular basis. Engine and tranny sound tired and beaten after 60k miles(and my dad takes stellar care of his vehicles). Stereo sounds good for the first 25k miles, then quickly declines. Although four disc changer is enticing(or however many it is). The interior dash and leather looks sexy, but now on our car, even after being very well cared for and mousturized, its dry and cracking, with white showing up all over the driver and passenger seats. The gauges do look awesome though. And this car was always garaged, so the sun didnt do the drying. Stick with your Maxima man, I've driven the LHS alot(the 300ms almost twin brother) and my 2000 Max alot, and I'll never own a Chrysler.

Oh btw, chrylser added I think close to eighty pounds with all that special edition stuff, so gaining five horsepower gives you virtually no benefit.

 

Yeah, stick with the Maxima.

I just looked up the reliability data in Consumer Reports and 3 year-old 300M's are falling apart right now.

 

My dad has a 2000 300M with 42K miles. He is having all sorts of tranny problems and its only 2 yrs old.

 

Funny...when I was looking into a new car it was either Maxima or a 300M. GLAD I chose the Maxima! Hell I never even got to the Chrysler dealer, HAHAHAHA

 

Get a new 2K2 like I did. I had a 2K autotragic

 

LAMax, this is your third post on this. Just go buy the 300M already if you want one so bad but don't expect Nissan quality or performance.

 

Bought a 1994 Eagle Vision TSI about five years ago. Had 50K on it and som slight front end damage. Personally, I found it to be a very good looking car. Car was made by Chrysler, was pretty much a top-of-th-line Intrepid. Spent nearly 4K repairing the car b4 it finally died on me. My fault, the timing chain ran off track, ruined the heads, ruined the enigine. Nearly all replacement parts had to be special ordered from the dealership, at top price. Loved the car, it was a POS. Big, powerful, great stereo, 16" aluminum wheels, trip computer, 4-way powerseats, plush velour interior. My point is, you seem to have your heart on the 300M POS, trust me, get ready to pay for lots of repairs, lots of downtime, lots of recalls. Why you would want to compare it to a Max is beyond me. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt, it's not a good memory. Your problem is that you have a choice of buying a great(not the best ever) sedan or a junk yard dog. It's your hard earned $$$. Good luck.

 

Don't you have to be 55 or older to drive a 300M???

MAXIMA!!!! WTF are you thinking???

JK keep the MAX!!!


Mark

 

dude, both cars are nice, but w/ the sticker price of about 4-5K more for the 300M I dont' think it's worth it, but it's your decision, get a maxima instead, I'm pretty sure that the average age of 300M driver is at least 60, so why don't you get a maxima and be happy

Vinipux

 

300M Statistics from CarPoint

Average age: 65
Acceleration 0-60: 8.1 secs
1/4 mile: 16.3 secs
Top speed: 124 mph
Disappointing quality/fit/finish

'Nuff said

 

Dude, just read his original post again, he already has a 2K1 AE. Go figure? If I was to trade in my car I would do it for a 2003 M45, G35 Coupe, A4, S4, M3, in other words, at least in my mind, trade up. This dude seems to want to trade down.

 

Fellas, thanks for putting up with me. I am staying with the Maxima. I have heard too many reasons not to consider the 300M. I never thought of it as an older man's car, but I guess it is. And I don't have the time to keep it in the shop all the time. I appreciate your help.

 

I'll give it to you, the special edition 300M does LOOK significantly better than the standard 300M and IS worth your consideration but when it really comes down to it, (acceleration,build quality,handling,resale value) the choice becomes obvious.

 

Yes I have seen the special, It comes with ...18inchers stock right?
the dual exhaust looks pretty sweet too. BUT the feeling I get in the seat of my pants* every time I drive my maxima tells me I made the right choice.
* not diarrhea!

 

Has anyone driven the 300M Special? That is the model I was considering. Thanks

 

As JKRATER said in earlier post. "Just go out and buy the d%$mn car". What is wrong with you? They might be beautiful cars, nonetheless they are POS cars. Buy the car, sell your 2K1, live happily at the dealership thereafter.

 

 

chrysler definatley makes old grandpa cars

 

Keep the Maxima or wait for a 2003 Honda Accord EX V6 in September!!!

 

MAXIMA!!!

 

if you ask on a maxima board they are gonna say maxima, if you ask on a 300m board they are gonna say 300m..

if you are looking for speed and aftermarket support go for the maxima, if you want luxury some aftermarket support and more "recognition" (chrysler 300m is more prestigious than a maxima) than go for the 300m, all your decision on what you are looking for

my area:
new 2k2 loaded 300m= 26k
new 2k2 maxima se loaded= 21k

 

A loaded 2K2 SE will be a lot more than 21K. OTD will be closer to 30K than 20K.

 

My father has a 2000 grand cherokee and he drives it like a maniac. The drivetrain and transmission has (is) gone (ing) through so much abuse i wonder how it's still functional.. so not all chrysler products are that bad (except 1999 models )

but run away from the 300m. they had one selling it here almost brand new for 3 months and nobody would buy it. shipped it off to florida eventually. not sure what was wrong with it but owner got fedup real quick.. go figure.

 

ok ok it's 21,500 my bad sorry

 

I have ridden and driven one of the LH triplets (Concorde, LHS, 300M, Intrepid) and as far as driving characteristics versus the Max, those cars seem a little softer and geared for more sedate cruising. The 300m Special might have the same HP as the Max but the problem with it lies in weight. It's heavier than the Max and even your current Max could take one on a roll.

 

I looked at the 300 when I bought my 2k1. A distant second. When we americans can build a good car, I'll buy it. Until then it's rice burners for me!!! I do wish I waited for the bigger motor in the 02, but oh well, guess I just need to put in a supercharger or something

 

I have a 2k2 Maxima and mother has a 2000 300M that I take care of (washing, waxing, service, etc) for her. The 300M though not quite as refined as a Maxima,is far from a POS, my mom has almost 27,000 miles and she hasn't had any problems. The 300M has way more interior room and looks better than the Maxima(the Max is beautiful as well). The Max has alot more low end power, but on the Highway it would be hard to tell difference. Also I don't think think the 300m is Grandpa car that title belongs to Crown Vics, Grand Marquis, Caddies, Buicks, and Lincolns (excluding the LS).

I really say it is a toss up for what you want in your car.

 

new loaded 2k2 maxima gle 23k in todays paper.. not bad at all

 

300m board? Does that exist? I doubt it...I can't imagine a bunch of 300m owners getting that excited over their rides....maybe I'm wrong. I've owned one chrysler product so to speak, a 1998 Jeep Wrangler. I sold it with 11,500 miles on it because it was such a POS. When it developed an oil leak that they couldn't locate, I dumped it. Me: "It's leaking oil" Them: "Well, we can't find where it's coming from, are you sure?" Me: "Unless there's some sort of creature that deposits oil under my jeep where I park it in the driveway, then yes, I'm pretty sure..." Them "Well, we'll have to have you come back when it gets worse" Me ""

 

yes you are wrong.. www.300mclub.org

 

Not only that the 300m thread on Edmunds townhall has way more post than any other thread.

http://townhall-talk2.edmunds.com/We...01.0qVvavkBbue^0@.ee9e22f!Z=

The 300m is a very nice car. I like the Max better for me, but the 300m is sweet.

 

Like I said, I could be wrong! I had no idea so many people would talk about such a POS. Sorry, I just don't find anything at all appealing about that car. I'll have to start taking a closer look at em and see what all the noise is about.

 

saying this is a MAXIMA forum, everyone would say go for nissan..... ...and i agree