I'm buying this 2003 Sebring tomorrow. It's my first car

Don't. Get a Civic.

crushing disappointment and sadness

Don't. The engines are awful.

Why is everyone hating on the Taurus here?

They're simple, easy to work on, and dirt cheap.

Fuck my life.
I thought I'd found a great first car for $2,300. My bro's pretty set on getting it. Maybe I'll brace for the shitty engine.

>Man, I don't even know the fuck this means.
In 1998, Daimler (more commonly known as Mercedes Benz) bought Chrysler and merged to Daimler Chrysler. The German invasion of Chrysler ruined EVERYTHING.
Daimler forced Chrysler car to be made with parts produced by whoever made them the cheapest rather than going with quality parts. Daimler also fucked up any good things Chrysler had set to release for fear of digging into Mercedes sales. The Plymouth Howler, Dodge Razor, and Chrysler ME412 are all examples of canceled almost production cars that were canned to protect Mercedes.
And then to add insult to injury, when Daimler finished bleeding Chrysler dry and selling them off in 2007, Mercedes released the SLS AMG... which was based on the fucking Dodge Viper.

In short, Mercedes ruined Chrysler for money, completely ruining Chrysler's quality and reliability. They're still suffering. The Charger, Challenger and 300 all ride on an ancient Mercedes E-class chassis (with S-class front suspension), and all their cars still use Daimler electronics simply because they didn't have the capital to develop new systems since Daimler bled them dry.
Before 1998, Chrysler was the most profitable American auto maker and arguably the most reliable. Daimler ruined all that for money.

>being this underage
what the fuck happened to lurk for 2 years before posting

save up 700 more for a civic.

I've been lurking for about 6 years. Just posting about a year ago.
This place is neato!
Unless you mean this board. Never been here before.

Keep looking, you will find much better cars for half that price.

For a cheap first car avoid anything chrysler, Korean, or European. Also avoid Mitsubishi and Subaru.

Minivans can be a surprisingly good value.

This is GREAT advice. Listen to this man.
Also, avoid automatic Hondas. The automatics are that bad.

i always remember the Sebring having a poor reputation but i cant remember why

Hopefully yours is fine OP

If you're dead set on a Chrysler Sebring, get a 1995 to 2000 model. They weren't fucked with by Daimler and are actually pretty reliable.

You've been a tremendous help. I'll see what happens.
At least there's an optimist post. I guess.

well your car might be a lemon but those trips aint

>SLS AMG... which was based on the fucking Dodge Viper.
nigga what

Look at the design, you mong. Tell me that it ISN'T inspired...

Overpriced and cheaply made. I would never buy one of those.

If you want a convertible, get a Miata.

hmmm...

The SLS AMG IS based on the Viper platform. Just look at the proportions.
Reviewers like Jeremy Clarkson said it was a wild beast that was glorious fun.
Many reviewers said the same about the Viper.
Some of the suspension geometry is changed, but make no doubt, the SLS AMG is based on the Viper.

autoevolution.com/news/the-sls-amg-is-not-based-on-a-defunct-viper-project-21844.html

motorauthority.com/news/1046235_report-mercedes-benz-sls-amg-was-originally-the-next-viper

DO
NOT
BUY
HOLY
SHIT
NO

This car will break constantly. Trans I glass. You have to remove the drivers front wheel to replace the battery. The wiring is nightmare fuel. But a Buick LeSabre of similar vintage. You'll pay less and get a much much better car.

This article is just MB dickriding. It's like an article I read about people who were mad that. 30$ badge made a C250 indistinguishable from the AMG they were leasing.

that's exactly what the Auto Evolution was debunking

except the auto evolution article didn't state any facts or cite any sources. Just reprinted what Mercedes said in a press release.

This is the company that is the reason America has the 25 year import rule. It isn't hard to imagine them lying through their teeth.

>motorauthority.com/news/1046235_report-mercedes-benz-sls-amg-was-originally-the-next-viper
>According to an unnamed insider
>unnamed insider

right, because revealing Mercedes' dirty little secret, that they based a sports car on a Dodge of all things, wouldn't get him fired.

I have a friend with one of these. Absolute fucking trash. If you somehow manage to not have mechanical problems, the interior is garbage and breaks and tears everywhere just like the convertible top which is basically made of paper. Have fun replacing the top every year or duct taping it into oblivion.

WOW look at all these faggots in this thread who are just parroting the Chrysler = shit meme to death.

The MAIN reason these things suck isn't the engineering or Chrysler's questionable Merc relationship, it's the owners. Most people who owned these (not Veeky Forums users) did not take care of the damn things because, well... think of who Chrysler's main demographics are. Not the type to maintain their cars. Any car will go to shit if abused by mid-40s alimony-collecting divorcees and urban minorities.

When driven sanely and maintained even slightly, these things aren't bad. The interiors are actually pretty sweet for what they are, the engine and gearbox are disappointing, but this isn't for going fast or driving hard - This is an honest to goodness 4-seat convertible that you can actually seat 4 in without hacking off your rear passengers' legs. Its handling is iffy, but it's reasonably comfortable.

The best part of these is that nobody fucking wants them because everyone THINKS they're shit due to the self-perpetuating Chryco-a-shit meme. You can get them for practically free. Sure, you may need to do some catch-up maintenance of steering/suspension/etc components, but after that, change the oil unlike the previous owners and you'll be fine.

What other 4-seater convertible can you buy at this price point that is any good? Any BMW or Merc you buy is gonna rape your bank account sooner or later as well as cost more upfront. A Mitsu Eclipse is just a shorter wheelbase """""sportier""""" version of this, but it's all show and no go. At least the Sebring is no show AND no go to back it up. Camry Solara is possibly the only good contender, but it actually manages to be even worse at both power and handling than the Sebring while often costing more because "muh nip shit." A VW Cabrio or BeetLOL is asking for trouble too.

Sure, there are Camaros and Mustangs with drop-tops too, but they're not as comfy and lack the extra rear legroom.

I rented one in Maui on my honeywoon. The convertible was handy when we picked up two chicks who were hiking around the entire island and were kinda ripe.
The handling was willowy, there was zero rigidity. Still, not a bad top down cruiser. Got pulled over doing 85 in a 55 there, and didn't even have the rental paperwork in the glovebox. Got called an idiot and told to GTFO.

Im visualizing all the pre 98 model chryslers in there infinite reliability.. TOP KEK

>The MAIN reason these things suck isn't the engineering or Chrysler's questionable Merc relationship, it's the owners.
Except there was a LARGE decline in quality and reliability in general of Chrysler products after Mercedes took over.

My sister had a 1997 Chrysler Concorde. That thing just would not die.

OP.. get a 97-04 buick.. pay the same money and get a car thats literally better in every conceivable way..

I too had a friend with a concorde.. trans failed at 73k.. nearly every gasket leaked.. pcv issue.. hell, even the stereo took a dump.. but to be fair.. im sure he was considerably more hard on his than your sister was on hers.. any vehicle can last as long as its properly taken care off.. well, cept a fiat.. trololol

Oh God no. I had one. Nonononono
One of the worst handling pain on the ass to maintain, sluggish cars I've ever had the displeasure of coming it my life

what year was it though? and which engine?

My 97 cirrus will not die

For a first car it's not bad. Depends on the mileage.

A good portion of tben had issues go wrong with them sub 100k. If they're well over that, then there's a good chance that the issues have been fixed.

Just make sure you're saving to get something else in the meantime.

Not sure if I should listen to your name.
But these are great points. I'm looking at it today and taking it to someone to look at before I buy it.

take the car to a trusted mechanic and have them look it over before signing anything. Especially with a problem prone car like a Daimler-era Chrysler

I worked at a Chrysler dealer for a few years when these things were popular. They're rental queens. They're the text book definition of "ok". Its not fast, its not the most reliable, but itll work and be comfortable and its not expensive to maintain. That kinda meets the definition of what a first car should be. Not something I'd want but probably you'll buy it and love it regardless of the flaws because thats how first cars work.
What said is absolutely true though. Most of the people that bought sebrings were rental car companies and 40-somethings who didn't give two fucks about cars. Because its boring and thats what those buyers are attracted to. The overwhelming majority of these things were neglected (we had a lady bring one in because she thought she could save money and change her oil herself- she drained all the transmission fluid and overfilled the oil. She did this twice.)

The 2.7 v6 had issues in the 1990's. The oil sludge issues were fixed by 2000. It's perfectly reliable in terms of the engine--just keep the oil changed.

Hey OP have you bothered finding out where the battery on that car is located? KEK

Get out while you still can

>picture is the Sebring coupe
completely unrelated. That's a Mitsubishi Eclipse with a Chrysler badge slapped on it.

>Before 1998, Chrysler was the most profitable American auto maker and arguably the most reliable. Daimler ruined all that for money.

What? Do you even "K" car?

The only unreliable K-cars all had the Mitsubishi 3.0L 6G72 V6. All the 4 cylinders couldn't be killed.

Both the engine and transmission are made out of glass on that piece of shit. It costs more to maintain than any Audi/BMW/Merc, which is saying a lot.

$2300 will buy a much better quality, more reliable vehicle.

Jesus Christ WHY

A Civic, a Corolla, hell even a fucking Taurus is better than this heap.

>Minivans can be a surprisingly good value.

Unironically this.

Lots of seating to go on road trips (If you have friends)

Lots of space in the back to remove the seats and bang sluts (If you don't spill your spaghetti around girls)

Something like a Toyota Sienna. Avoid the Honda minivans because like said they have a hand grenade made of glass for a transmission.

expect to be the regional manager at a failing Pennsylvania paper supply company

As a person who's both worked on a used car lot and in a shitty little garage that people took their old beaters to all the time, let me be another one to warn you
NOPE DON'T NOPE

These cars are absolute shit. I'm not sure why, the the LH cars ended up being decent mechanically (Intrepid/300M) but these sebrings just plain sucked

If you haven't been under it on a lift, see if you can get it up there. I'm sure you find a nice festering rust hole somewhere in the body or a pleasantly repainted lump of bondy.

The engines suck and the trans will blow up. I wouldn't take one of these cars if you PAID me $500.

For 2k you can find something else, something better. I've spent $500 on cavaliers that ran until the body rotted away and was very happy with them.

The reviews are for all Sebring models.

>water pump fails
>timing chain snaps
oops

Michael scott drove this car for a good reason

kek

Have fun when the battery takes a shit, as well as everything else too because it's a Sebring.

lotsa hot chicks