Too many miles - 300C

[Ol Blue]

Hello.

I'm very seriously considering a 2006 300C AWD as a commuter car that already has 77,000 miles on it.

I drive about 35,000 miles a year, so in just 5 years it will have over 250,000 miles.

The Topic about "How Many Miles" there are a couple of cars in the 200k mile area, but only a couple.

I take care of my vehicles. Though both had it's share of required repairs, the last two went over 260,000 miles (Mercury Marquis and Crown Vic), but I'm tired of walking the last 1/2 mile home in the winter because the car won't get there.

Given a fanatical owner about maintenance, repairs, appearance and general care, is 250,000 to 300,000 miles doable with a '06 300C?

If so, it looks like front suspension, is a problem area, excluding usual items like brakes, shocks, filters, oil and lube, etc. are there any others that will likely require regular replacement?

I expect to install a CAI, Catch Can, and probably a Predator, but that would likely be the end of the mods.

Even though it would be really nice, I'm not sure, but hoping that it will pan out. Losing 4+mpg down to 23MPG is going to cost almost $800 more per year. Insurance, oil, filters, etc. are about a wash as for the current AWD Milan Premier. If the cost of parts for regular repairs are going to be very much (I "almost" always do my own work), then I will have to stay with the Milan.

Thank you very much.

[Northern Rider]

Chrysler 300's are generally regarded as 'good high mileage' cars - and have become very popular as fleet cars for taxis.

You have an AWD in mind. The suspension and transmission on the AWD is from mercedes but is completely different from the RWD cars. Perhaps some of the AWD owners here will comment, or you can have a browse through ouur AWD area: AWD Discussion - Chrysler 300C Forum: 300C & SRT8 Forums

[Ol Blue]

Hi Northern Rider,

Dang it! I thought I was posting this in the correct area....oops.

I have read quite a bit about the AWD Chrysler 300 Touring, Limited, and C along with the various Chargers. A lot is thanks to this board! It would be great to get an 09 or 10, but that just isn't in the cards.

It seems as though the police trade-off the Chargers a lot sooner than they did the Crown Vics. I had not yet realized that the 300 is used for Taxi services though.

Thank you!

[Northern Rider]

This thread is just fine here in General Discussion.

I'll tell you what I know about police and their cars. The patrol officers love the Chargers - the power; the handling and the comfort.

The bean counters, though, like the Crown Vic's as they are body on frame, which means they can have body damage repaired faster and for less cost than the unibody LX platform.

As to running gear wear and tear, there probably isn't much to choose cost-wise. The Ford CV (which is now discontinued) is probably a bit lower on the replacement parts side as the model hasn't changed much for several years.

[Ol Blue]

Both the Crown Vic and Grand Marquis were very low maintenance. The biggest issue was only the threads in the head on one spark plug. It happened about three days after I bought the Marquis. I thought for sure I'd been

Too bad they don't do so well in the winter unless chained up. They've given me some really good stories.........with happy endings, but just barely.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to what everyone has to say.

Thanks again!

[OoTLink]

I wish I could say it was on the rock solid end of things, but I've seen people either have few complaints, or tons of complaints. Speaking for myself, I haven't had any serious problems (knock on wood!), but many little things. Some people complain endlessly about the little things.

You could liken the 300Cs to the classic idea of a McMansion; when they hit the market, they offered the looks, power, and features that were usually only found on much more expensive cars. It's funny, because a lot of people criticize how the 300 looked like a Bentley. While I tend to disagree that this was the intention of the design teams involved, that's a lot cooler than buying a car that "wanted" to be a BMW 5 series - like virtually every other car on the market.

Like a McMansion, there are little details that were skimped out on - for example, the door handles have nice chrome handles, but are held together with plastic that tends to break. The trunk lid latch also has that same cheap plastic in its spring, and I had to replace mine because of that lol.

There are a few other small WTF things, you'll encounter those if you buy a 300 - and then there are larger things that get interesting. Some people run into trouble with their transmissions, others have ruined engines over things like spun bearings and broken valve seats. SO FAR, those problems seem rare, but mounting in popularity.

So I wouldn't call them bulletproof, but they do seem to be better than average. On the plus side, the chassis is really rigid and the cars look way cooler than anything else you could get with the money they cost.

[Ol Blue]

Well, that fell flat. When they found out I'd be trading down, they quit returning phone calls. I called twice more and even suggested a straight trade for a 4 year newer AWD Milan Premier with only 30k miles, new tires, glass treatment, under factory warranty, and correctly detailed, but no deal. The Milan is just a little too small I feel uneasy driving. Yes, made a mistake, but I'll keep looking.

[darkstarsinner]

You can get an 08 limited for a decent price. I picked up my baby with 31K for $2k less then NADA. Here in Ohio AWD is almost a must have during the winter.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using AutoGuide.Com Free App

[Ol Blue]

Oops. Sorry OoTLink! That is GREAT information and insight. I apologize for not acknowledging your help.

Ohio? That's a little ways away, but for the right car, I'd be willing. I'll expand the CarGurus and AutoTrader search radius.

Oh. I see. I must not have filled in where I'm at (Idaho). I'll try to fix that now.

[Ol Blue]

Expanding the search shows some that are VERY tempting. Ford dealer in Dubuque has an '06 300C with 45k miles. Then I looked at the distance.......I'm not quite desperate enough for 3 days driving one-way.....yet.