Bought our daughter a 2015 Chrysler 200 Limited

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So, the '04 Maxx finally has enough issues to warrant retirement.

With over a 180K (which may as well be 380K between my wife and daughter), it was time.

Now it's the dreaded GM ignition issue where it won't start. Won't even crank. I had to go and pick it up with my trailer and winch it on. Going to fix it and sell it.

My wife and daughter went shopping and settled on a 2015 Chrysler 200 Limited. It's the nice red/maroon color with 17" wheels. It has the 2.4L Tigershark, but with the 9 speed auto, is plenty for a 23 year old woman.

She loves how it drives, so all we can do is take care of it and see how it goes. My wife and I haven't had a Chryco product since our '90 Acclaim and that was very reliable. My parents mostly had Chrysler or Plymouths growing up.

It looks like it calls for 0W20, so I'm planning on using the Idemitsu 0W20 I picked up for cheap during last years clearance.
 
Probably the passlock/ passkey. Leave it on for 10 min 3x then go for it.

Whoops, missed where it won't crank. Disregard.
 
Congrats on the new ride. I like the looks of the 200. They don't get high ratings, but I'm sure it will suit your daughter fine for a few years.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Probably the passlock/ passkey. Leave it on for 10 min 3x then go for it.

Whoops, missed where it won't crank. Disregard.


We did that anyway. I had my daughter try everything I could find on the internet while she waited for my wife to pick her up. To be honest, not even sure it IS the security. I think it may be a bum ignition or worn tumbler. I was going to try jumping out the starter relay when I picked it up, but it wasn't worth messing with as it was 95*F and high humidity. I may try it today though.

A new ignition is around $50+/-, so it's worth fixing to sell. It has new rubber, recent front brakes / sway bar links, and brand new rear brakes and calipers.
 
I think that care will serve you very well. I've had three Jeeps, and everyone told me how unreliable they are and how thier quality is lacking, blah blah blah. I've given two of the three Jeeps lots of beatings off-road over 260,000 miles between them, and they've been great and never left me stranded, never failed to start, and they've never had issues with interior bits, door seals, trim, etc., falling off, breaking, or falling apart, like I've had with our Ford and Mercedes. (The Ford is just ridiculous, with pieces falling apart/off right and left. It's had two serious safety recalls, too, one of which is unresolved after about 11 months.) No body or interior rattles, either, which I think is amazing. My newest Jeep has the best fit/finish of any vehicle I've owned. I sold my first Jeep at 130,000 trouble free miles and it was in great shape. I wish I hadn't sold it. My 2nd Jeep is 11 years old and has 124k on it. I've had the new one since January and only have 6k on it.

Don't sit around and expect that car to fail. I'd bet it will do very well for you. I think the 200 is a great looking car, too, both inside and out.
 
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Thanks guys.

My wife and daughter actually found it at my wife's Kia dealer. Her sales guy is pretty awesome and they test drove a bunch of cars before my daughter settled on the 200. She said it drove the best out of all they tested and after I drove it around the block a few times, it definitely drives well. The sound system is very impressive too.

The only downside to buying it was dealing with the finance woman (probably a good topic for another thread). We paid cash and I wanted no extras but she kept pushing a 3rd party extended warranty that started when you buy the car, not after the factory. The end mileage is the same as the factory powertrain too, 60K miles. It was useless.
Fortunately, I didn't fall off the turnip wagon yesterday, so no GAP either.

My daughter lives on her own and has a year left of college, so this was a pre-grad gift.
I guess the good thing about so,so reviews is that we picked the car up with less than 30K miles for just under $12K (talked them down a bit). I thought that was a pretty good deal.
 
Hope it works out

My last Chrysler product was a Plymouth wagon, reliant, 4 speed manual. Biggest piece of junk I ever owned and swore I would never touch another Chrysler product again. 25 + years later and still will not look at a Chrysler product. Same for Volvo, one really bad experience does it for me, too many other options.


Nice gift for the daughter though, hope she does not bounce back after graduation.
 
A long time friend was a Chrysler products guy via his dad who had a pal who treated him right. This goes back 50+ years.
He always said the Chrysler products treated him well.
It took me eons to figure out that he didn't keep cars long enough to validate their quality.

Regarding your family's decision on the 200. I've only heard that the transmissions are faulty.

Best of luck and tell your daughter NO DRAG RACING.
 
A female co-worker has had one of these for a few years now and seems very happy with it.
Since she complained bitterly about the Jetta that she tried to get lemon-lawed and found the Civic she replaced it with too plain for her liking, the 200 suits her just fine.
These are attractive cars and reportedly drive pretty well. The Limited model is pretty nicely equipped and they look to have been good value new.
This car should serve your wife and daughter well for a number of years.
As much as I hate to say it, this car was probably a better buy overall than a late model Accord or Camry would have been. It certainly looks better and it does have a nicer interior as well as a surprisingly strong four cylinder along with good fuel mileage ratings.
 
Tigersharks at work in the RAM Promaster City have not fared well.
Tip in at throttle application is stupid. Unless you floor it, it's a waiting game while the brick and control logic decide what to do. The 9 speed hunts, never finds the right gear.
3 (we have 12 locally) have had transmissions replaced, all have been flashed with updates.
One cracked block, 2 bricks have been replaced. The brick is the head with it's magical hydraulic-elecronic whiz bang cam timing control.
They require 0w20 in US, Other countries use 0w40.
At 40K, new brakes and tires. At 48k, my repair bill was 860 for 4 plugs, one coil, an oil change with synthetic and a tire rotation. The coils are a weak spot, but because of demand, commonly available and cheap aftermarket. The control logic is pretty good at telling you which one.
I'm not saying any of this will happen in the 200, I'm only saying the TigerShark should be named the SiameseGoldfish.
All being said, I bet it does better in the 200 hauling your daughter around vs. our use at work. Just understand it's a Fiat design... Fix It Again Tony.
 
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Congrats on the new ride for the daughter & excellent pre graduation gift from college. I really like the look of the 200s and for that year/mileage/price -- you did very well. Friend of mine has the 2.4L Tigershark in a Dart with 70,xxx miles on it & she says she never had a issue with it. Reason I know what mileage -- I checked her oil level on Monday and it was full nearing her 7500 mile OCI that she has performed since buying new in 2015. I plan on changing her oil "very soon" with the SuperTech Synthetic 0W20 Walmart has on rollback for $15.68 paired with a Fram Ultra. Im sure the 200 will give your daughter many years of trouble free service & I like the color scheme she decided on also.


Dale
 
Originally Posted By: Spector
Hope it works out

My last Chrysler product was a Plymouth wagon, reliant, 4 speed manual. Biggest piece of junk I ever owned and swore I would never touch another Chrysler product again. 25 + years later and still will not look at a Chrysler product. Same for Volvo, one really bad experience does it for me, too many other options.


Nice gift for the daughter though, hope she does not bounce back after graduation.


It's not the same car as your Plymouth wagon.
 
Originally Posted By: BAJA_05
Friend of mine has the 2.4L Tigershark in a Dart with 70,xxx miles on it & she says she never had a issue with it. Reason I know what mileage -- I checked her oil level on Monday and it was full nearing her 7500 mile OCI that she has performed since buying new in 2015.


What brand oil and filter are in there presently?
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
A female co-worker has had one of these for a few years now and seems very happy with it.
Since she complained bitterly about the Jetta that she tried to get lemon-lawed and found the Civic she replaced it with too plain for her liking, the 200 suits her just fine.
These are attractive cars and reportedly drive pretty well. The Limited model is pretty nicely equipped and they look to have been good value new.
This car should serve your wife and daughter well for a number of years.
As much as I hate to say it, this car was probably a better buy overall than a late model Accord or Camry would have been. It certainly looks better and it does have a nicer interior as well as a surprisingly strong four cylinder along with good fuel mileage ratings.


Why do you "hate to say it"?
 
Nice!

That GEMA engine and ZF 9spd is a nice combo. You don't hear of many issues with them. As long as it doesn't have too many fiddly high-end options on it, it should be a good long lasting vehicle for you. The 200 has to feel like a Cadillac compared to the Malibu Maxx! FWIW, my BIL also had a 2004. Wasn't too bad a vehicle for them IIRC. They passed it down to their son and the Maxx lasted until about 2015.
 
i have 3 Mopars now. All have been good for me. Have had many Chrysler Dodge and Plymouth cars and trucks without any issues. Have had Slant 6's , 5.2 Magnums (318), 5.9 Magnums (360) 5.7 Hemi's and 2.0L. All have been no real trouble. My Hemi Ram truck has over 202K on it and still runs and drives like it is new. I have had Chevy and Ford too but best luck with my Mopar products.
 
Nice car a co-worker of mine has one and loves it. Lots of luck.

I liked the 2.4 that my 2008 Sonata had I know Chrysler also was using the same engine, I think it was something they called "world engine" had plenty of get up good economy and a stout diet from 5w20-10w30.
 
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