Joined
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17 Posts
Having lurked on the forum for about six months I debated whether to post an intro. It seems many are still curious about wait times, dealer experiences, etc., so here 'goes. By the way, I agree with posts in the rules section that there need to be more categories. How about one just for member intro's? This member enjoys writing and is glad to share, but fear not - the browser has a back button if you think this is Too Much Information.
Began looking for deals in April 04. Had a rotten experience with a dealer that insisted sticker was their best offer, wouldn't provide a written quote of a $1,400 better deal they later "offered". Had another dealer lie to me about inventory over the phone, and after driving an hour to get there I left as quickly as my 98 Grand Prix GTP could move. With 10 dealers within an hour drive in mid-Missouri only one seemed interested in making a deal (Spieler's in Calfornia MO). Got $150 over invoice AND what I expected in trade on my 98 GTP).
Ordered a 300C on 6/1. Midnight Blue (the color I liked best of the 7 despite how much maintenance it is likely to need) and dark interior, NAV and sound group II, protection group, pedals, U-connect. While the months dragged on waiting for it, I continued to read and learn a lot in the forum (thanks to all who posted helpful info). Allocation problems seemed to be most of the delay. Knowing I was hardly the only one waiting made pretending to be patient easier.
Built 10/19 according to paperwork in the car. Window sticker (online and the one included with the car) shows minus $2130 for the NAV radio, so the final price on the sticker is less than the base price. Weird, huh? Of course it was a mistake and I wasn't able to save an additional $4260, though that would have been awesome. Chrysler financing wants 1.5% more in interest than a local bank in order to get the $1K rebate. So am going with Chrysler and refinance to a better rate soon. A $1K bargain isn't a bargain if it increases interest paid by $1.2K over the life of the loan!
Accepted delivery 10/29, Hoo-F'ing-Ray! Dealer honored original price and trade value after 5 months. Of course it probably helped that a contract rider stipulated no trade devaluation for age or normal mileage, something which seemed wise to request based on wait times of forum members. When I ordered, the saleman said the wait would be 12 weeks tops, so he was fine with clarifying the terms in writing.
Everything was as ordered. No flaws found during day one, though as others have said the paint quality isn't the best. But since Midnight Blue will soon be unavailable, its relative scarcity might help resale value down the road. The car did have a god-awful burnt-something smell after a short evaluation drive. Salesman said it would disappear within days, and I hope he's right. I hadn't seen anyone mention that before. Car had 12 miles on it at the time. It has been sitting in my garage for about three hours, good since thunderstorms and hail are on the way. The engine is still hot to the touch. Hopefully will put a few hundred miles on it tomorrow and its smelly phase will be behind it.
Okay, I hated the factory grill at first, but after six months of looking at photos and video, it has grown on me. I still slightly prefer the after-market grill with the single vertical bar, but am going to live with the factory grill a while before deciding. Am going to live with the 18" wheels and tires, as they seem big enough to me. Not going to cover interior trim with wood veneers, though if I find a good suede or velour dash cover I may buy one since the dash is the main cheap looking aspect of the car in my opinion (interior door treatments aren't great either but don't bother me much). Considering the price point though I am NOT complaining. When shopping around, the $ increase to cure the few interior ills of the 300C while retaining many of its strengths was $20,000 or more. Yikes!
Current projects are reading the NAV manual to get a better handle on its operation, wiring the radar detector into the overhead console, probably tinting the windows in Spring 2005, maybe replacing the factory speakers with higher quality units, and giving test drives to several rabidly interested coworkers.
For those of you still waiting on your C's to arrive, I can only say that it will be well worth it. I was lucky enough to negotiate an overnight test drive of a C before ordering, so I had little doubt. But driving one again today reminded me just how awesome the power, handling, ride, comfort, roominess, quiet, stlying, and price point are for this car. I'd been test driving cars for nearly six months before discovering the C, and nothing held a candle to it, including a $40K BMW. I didn't evaluate brands where the dealer was more than a two hour drive though, which included Audi, Acura, Infiniti, and VW. Had considered waiting for the SRT or Charger, but the current C suspension is just right to me and I don't want to "sport" it up further, or lose features as one must to get a Dodge Magnum.
Hopefully I won't have any problems that require consulting the forum. But I'm glad to know there is a lot of experience and expertise here if the need should arise.
Began looking for deals in April 04. Had a rotten experience with a dealer that insisted sticker was their best offer, wouldn't provide a written quote of a $1,400 better deal they later "offered". Had another dealer lie to me about inventory over the phone, and after driving an hour to get there I left as quickly as my 98 Grand Prix GTP could move. With 10 dealers within an hour drive in mid-Missouri only one seemed interested in making a deal (Spieler's in Calfornia MO). Got $150 over invoice AND what I expected in trade on my 98 GTP).
Ordered a 300C on 6/1. Midnight Blue (the color I liked best of the 7 despite how much maintenance it is likely to need) and dark interior, NAV and sound group II, protection group, pedals, U-connect. While the months dragged on waiting for it, I continued to read and learn a lot in the forum (thanks to all who posted helpful info). Allocation problems seemed to be most of the delay. Knowing I was hardly the only one waiting made pretending to be patient easier.
Built 10/19 according to paperwork in the car. Window sticker (online and the one included with the car) shows minus $2130 for the NAV radio, so the final price on the sticker is less than the base price. Weird, huh? Of course it was a mistake and I wasn't able to save an additional $4260, though that would have been awesome. Chrysler financing wants 1.5% more in interest than a local bank in order to get the $1K rebate. So am going with Chrysler and refinance to a better rate soon. A $1K bargain isn't a bargain if it increases interest paid by $1.2K over the life of the loan!
Accepted delivery 10/29, Hoo-F'ing-Ray! Dealer honored original price and trade value after 5 months. Of course it probably helped that a contract rider stipulated no trade devaluation for age or normal mileage, something which seemed wise to request based on wait times of forum members. When I ordered, the saleman said the wait would be 12 weeks tops, so he was fine with clarifying the terms in writing.
Everything was as ordered. No flaws found during day one, though as others have said the paint quality isn't the best. But since Midnight Blue will soon be unavailable, its relative scarcity might help resale value down the road. The car did have a god-awful burnt-something smell after a short evaluation drive. Salesman said it would disappear within days, and I hope he's right. I hadn't seen anyone mention that before. Car had 12 miles on it at the time. It has been sitting in my garage for about three hours, good since thunderstorms and hail are on the way. The engine is still hot to the touch. Hopefully will put a few hundred miles on it tomorrow and its smelly phase will be behind it.
Okay, I hated the factory grill at first, but after six months of looking at photos and video, it has grown on me. I still slightly prefer the after-market grill with the single vertical bar, but am going to live with the factory grill a while before deciding. Am going to live with the 18" wheels and tires, as they seem big enough to me. Not going to cover interior trim with wood veneers, though if I find a good suede or velour dash cover I may buy one since the dash is the main cheap looking aspect of the car in my opinion (interior door treatments aren't great either but don't bother me much). Considering the price point though I am NOT complaining. When shopping around, the $ increase to cure the few interior ills of the 300C while retaining many of its strengths was $20,000 or more. Yikes!
Current projects are reading the NAV manual to get a better handle on its operation, wiring the radar detector into the overhead console, probably tinting the windows in Spring 2005, maybe replacing the factory speakers with higher quality units, and giving test drives to several rabidly interested coworkers.
For those of you still waiting on your C's to arrive, I can only say that it will be well worth it. I was lucky enough to negotiate an overnight test drive of a C before ordering, so I had little doubt. But driving one again today reminded me just how awesome the power, handling, ride, comfort, roominess, quiet, stlying, and price point are for this car. I'd been test driving cars for nearly six months before discovering the C, and nothing held a candle to it, including a $40K BMW. I didn't evaluate brands where the dealer was more than a two hour drive though, which included Audi, Acura, Infiniti, and VW. Had considered waiting for the SRT or Charger, but the current C suspension is just right to me and I don't want to "sport" it up further, or lose features as one must to get a Dodge Magnum.
Hopefully I won't have any problems that require consulting the forum. But I'm glad to know there is a lot of experience and expertise here if the need should arise.
