Overview & Reviews

Chrysler is generally considered part of the Big Three, a title that refers to the traditional triumvirate of domestic automakers. The current accuracy of this classification is open for debate, but there's no debating the fact that Chrysler has experienced a revival of sorts over the past few years.

Chrysler Corporation was founded in 1925 by Walter P. Chrysler, a noted machinist; he'd purchased the Maxwell Motor Corporation of Detroit and used it as the foundation for his new company. The automaker quickly earned a reputation for advanced engineering. In 1928, Chrysler Corporation expanded with the purchase of Dodge and the creation of the DeSoto and Plymouth divisions.

The 1930s saw Chrysler boldly looking toward the future with the introduction of its revolutionary Airflow. Powered by a front-mounted inline-8, the car was one of the first to be designed with aerodynamics in mind, and featured swooping lines and a prominent grille. Perhaps a bit too ahead of its time, the Airflow was a flop with the public. Chrysler was able to survive the lean years of the Depression thanks to strong sales of its entry-level Dodge and Plymouth brands, whose vehicles boasted more traditional designs and much lower price tags.

Chrysler shined postwar. For a period in the late 1940s, it even surpassed Ford as the No. 2 U.S. automaker. The company's storied "Hemi" V8 engine debuted in 1951. Offering 180 horsepower, it was a significant improvement over Chrysler's previous 135-hp V8. The Hemi engine was meant to trounce the V8 offered by Cadillac, Chrysler's rival, and it kick-started Detroit's horsepower race of the 1950s and '60s. The '50s also saw the debut of treasured Chrysler classics like the handsome Town and Country and the sleek 300C.

By 1961, Chrysler had trimmed its line of brands by dropping the DeSoto nameplate. New technologies were also afoot, such as unibody construction (Chrysler was the first of the Big Three to introduce it) and the replacement of generators with alternators for a car's charging system. In the latter half of the '60s, Chrysler was heavily involved with NASCAR and producing performance-oriented cars.

At the same time, however, dark clouds were gathering. As with other domestic automakers, the 1970s proved to be a difficult decade due to the oil crisis, new government regulations and changing consumer tastes. A costly and ineffective overseas expansion further hurt the company's bottom line. By the late '70s, the company was in such financial disarray that it petitioned the government for $1.5 billion in loan guarantees to save it from bankruptcy.

Thanks to impressive public campaigning by then-chairman Lee Iacocca, the debut of the well-received K-car platform and the creation of the modern minivan, sales had improved dramatically by the mid-'80s. The government's loan was paid off seven years early. The picture further brightened in the late 1980s with Chrysler's purchase of American Motors Corporation (which netted the company the Jeep brand) and a joint venture with Mitsubishi known as Diamond Star Motors.

Success continued through the early 1990s. In 1998, German-based Daimler-Benz merged with Chrysler to form DaimlerChrysler. At the time, this deal was presented as a merger of equals. But it quickly became apparent that it was more of a purchase, with Daimler being the dominant partner.

Less than a decade later, that merger was no longer, as Daimler sold Chrysler (and Dodge) to a private equity firm in 2007. However, that merger had borne some worthwhile fruit, most notably in the form of the Chrysler 300 full-size sedan. The latter shared some chassis components with an older Mercedes-Benz E-Class platform.

As such, the 300 was a highlight for Chrysler that had a pleasingly solid feel to its driving dynamics that was further sweetened via an available powerful V8 engine. But soon after the split, America's economy slid into recession. Due to poor sales and debt, Chrysler had to declare bankruptcy and the federal government intervened with bailout loans. Eventually Chrysler came under control of Italy's Fiat.

Today, the lineup has been pared down to a pair of sedans, a convertible and a minivan. However, after years of having lackluster entries in the very important midsize car category, Chrysler made major improvements in the performance, design and quality of its midsize sedan entry, the 200. The latest 300 also stands as a prime choice for a premium full-size sedan. Still, it remains to be seen as to whether this and future product releases will be enough to restore the company to its former glory.

User Reviews:

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  Chrysler Conconde - 1994 Chrysler Concorde
  By ERMA PATTERSON - July 13 - 10:29 am

  This 1994 Chrysler had major problems and recalls when I bought it in 2002. It had (2) recalls clucth and gear shift. also cv axles problems. It look like it was in and accident, but the dealer fail to tell that story.

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  perfect car - 2001 Chrysler 300M
  By anthony - July 12 - 10:33 pm

  I have owned my 300m for a few years my current mileage is 226,255 with no major issues, replaced ac compressor @ 100,000 miles and now planning to replace to timing belt.

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  Under Rated Over Performer - 2007 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Garth - July 12 - 1:23 pm

  This car is great. We had a killer winter in New England last year and we had a set of Goodyear snow tires installed and with 4 wd this was a cacoon against anything that winter threw at us. Braking and confort are out standing. We had one mechanical problem with a transmission axel seal that was repaired under warranty. The car is quiet and the six speed transmission is very smooth on acceleration but sometimes get confused on quick stops or when doing a rolling stop when the light changes before a complete stop. It clucks and Chrysler flased the transmission which has improved shifting. The 4.0 L motor is a gem and works well on regular gas (89 octane is suggested). 5 star crash rating!!!!

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  2004 Crossfire lights my fire - 2004 Chrysler Crossfire
  By wmichaels - July 11 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my Crossfire for 3 1/2 months and I still cant get over all the attention the car gets. At vertually every light Im getting a "thumbs up" from someone. Or a "nice car". Its rated @ 215 horse power, but it feels, and acts, like much more. I dont think theres a person alive that could drive this car without a grin from ear to ear!

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  Poor Build Quality (Lots of repairs) - 2005 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Brent - July 10 - 7:34 pm

  Weve owned this vehicle for close to 4 years and have had many problems. Two ABS wheel sensors have gone bad & have been replaced ($150 ea). The EGR Valve went bad, but a $4 can of carburetor cleaner & a set of tools with 15 minutes under the hood fixed that problem. The EGR Valve would have cost about $250 at the dealer. Both rear windows needed the regulators replaced ($300 ea). The front left CV Joint needed to be replaced ($200). Most of the wheel bolts have broken off and needed replacement. Our gas mileage is poor 15 / 19 mpg. If this car was more reliable, we would really like it. It is great on long trips & has plenty of room. Now I wish Honda or Toyota had built our car!

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  First Year Woes - 2005 Chrysler 300
  By 01wht35 - July 10 - 2:10 pm

  My 05 300 Sig Series is a good value overall. It has enough power to put a smile on my face and it is confident in the turns. I have had to make several trips to my local dealer for repair work. A part of the interior of the sunroof broke and I have had a strange idle/near stall problem. The idle problem took 3 trips to resolve. Eventually a electronic module was replace on the 2nd trip and the computer was reprogrammed (dealer forgot to do so) on the 3rd trip. I just noticed that, like others, my rear driver side window only works when it feels like it. Since this is the first year of this car, I can overlook a few bugs (similar problems w/ previous Caddy and Aurora)

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  Topless - 2002 Chrysler Sebring
  By Marie - July 10 - 12:02 pm

  Love to drive my Sebring convertible. Great performance for 70,000 miles on it. Had to have transmisson solenoid replaced because my dog put the gear shift in reverse when we were in the carp pool lane going 80mph. Nothing happened immediately, however 2 years later we noticed leaks under the engine. My husband thought it was master cylinder fluid leaking. The transmission was covered under warranty. Excellent highway gas mileage on long trips and exceptional comfort.

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  BUYER BEWARE!!!!! - 2008 Chrysler Sebring
  By Why Me?? - July 10 - 12:30 am

  This was by far the worst mistake I have ever made when purchasing a car. (Owned Toyota, Pontiac, Lexus, and Audi.) In the first 20 days of driving my Chrysler Sebring LX Convertible the latch on the trunk stops operating. This means that my trunk lid will not close and is unsafely moving about while I drive. Next problem came at a stop light when the car stalled…Yes, I was completely stopped at a light and it completely shut off. Luckily my boyfriend was driving and he of course knew what to do. I probably would have panicked. Third, it seems that this problem is a continual problem that CHRYSLER (who should be bankrupt from making crappy cars) is in denial to recall to fix.

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  Love My Aspen - 2009 Chrysler Aspen
  By aspen_j - July 8 - 12:56 pm

  Had a 2005 Durango and this Aspen drives more like a car when compared to it. What really sold me on the Aspen was the heavy discounts, Sirius Backseat TV, remote start, alarm, chrome wheels, power liftgate, and 3 rows. All other brands didnt fit my budget with those same features.

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  BEWARE 2004 Pacificas - 2004 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Dave Blair - July 8 - 9:10 am

  I am reasonably satisfied with the ride and comfort of this car but it is in reality an overweight, underpowered car with poor rear visibility, mediocre mileage, and poor reliability (early production 2004 model). It has the ever recurring belt squeal/whine noted on other early 2004 Pacificas. Repeatedly taken in for service to fix and never is fixed. Chrysler has offered a courtesy trade back for the purchase price less mileage adjustment BUT I must buy another similar product (from the same maker of my "lemon") and swap the "refund" to be applied to a new car at full MSRP. What a crock. Sell me a lemon and REQUIRE me to buy another potential lemon at full sticker. Chrysler stinks.