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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  Keep breaking down - 1999 Chrysler Concorde
  By Brian Monette - July 30 - 9:20 pm

  I purchased my car on January 1 2001. I had a bad wheel alignment when i bought the car. The right wheel bearing let go about 1 month after. A few months later i was backing out of my driveway and the reverse let go, no reverse. Lucky I had a warranty. A garage rebuilt the transmission and it cost about $2300. Three years later the transmission let go but now the drive gear, back to the garage i go. They said that they had to rebuild it again another $2300, but i said forget it. Then the right and left power widows let go. The muffler had a small leak and that was $800 dollars because its a one piece stainless steel. I traded it for a new car, its worth $50 bucks now. scrap.

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  Love it! - 2008 Chrysler Aspen
  By nancy - July 29 - 2:16 pm

  My husband bought the ASPEN for our 13th wedding anniversary, we went to trade our Town & Country minivan and my eyes caught this beautiful SUV, I said I want that one. I had never seen it before. Mine is cool vanilla, the ext is fancy and the interior is comfortable. I feel so protected my I ride it. I spent about $70 a week on gas. How about yours?

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  Wow! - 2004 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Vicki - July 28 - 9:51 am

  I love this ride! I love the memory seats with the controls on the door. It only takes the push of one button after my husband, who is a foot taller than me, has driven it. With my short legs the adjustable pedals put an end to my sitting on the steering wheel. The front, rear, side and roof air bags I hope I will never have to use but a great comfort to have, just in case. Its great at the drive in!

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  affordable performance - 2004 Chrysler Crossfire
  By 2dmaxx - July 28 - 2:00 am

  Here is a car that can be very suprising when the go pedal is mashed.I have taken on a few very surprised so called super cars and made them eat my dust and they all wondered what the heck is under the hood. This auto has got to be one of the best sleepers around there has not been any car that has been able to stay with me in a slalom, but you can pay thousands more if you want to compete.

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  Still not Japanese Quality - 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By Billiso - July 28 - 2:00 am

  Fun car to drive. Irritating to have all the minor annoyances. Car came with fan belt squeal that took 4 trips to dealer before they figured out how to shim it. Now have a irritating noise in dash; clock does not keep good time; valve cover needs new seal. Car has 5,000 miles. Really enjoy driving it and using it as a mini SUV. Travels interstates at 75+ comfortably.

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  Things to know about the base model PT - 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By dougm - July 28 - 2:00 am

  I dont know what all the fuss is about the non-turbo being sluggish. Our 5-speed manual will lay rubber off the line. Back seat looked like less leg room than our Neon, but once inside, due to the upright position in which one sits, there is actually plenty of legroom. The upright position also allows for great visability out the front of the car. While waiting for our appointment to have the optional clear coating applied, small scratches have shown up indicating a very thin, non-durable coating of paint. Im writing this for my wife who has never been in love with a car until this one came along.

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  Stupid sensors - 2002 Chrysler Concorde
  By mesmith1375 - July 27 - 5:48 pm

  This is a very nice car, only had one major problem, the fuel pump. However I keep having issues with oil sending unit. The part is only $11.00 at local auto part stores, but I have go through 4 of them. They sending unit leaks little drops of oil or the doggone oil pressure light comes on and goes off. The trunk dont like to stay open some times too.

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  I love my car, but... - 2002 Chrysler Sebring
  By Shelly - July 27 - 2:13 pm

  My mom and I had to finance this car due to my Baby Girl being in the hospital and my 97 Escort being out of commission. I love my car, it had 52,903 miles on it when I bought it in October 2004, in March 2005 I had to repair the transmission to the tune of 1,300 dollars, I have since put 1,200 into it repairing/replacing tie rods, ball joints, brakes, brake hoses, strut components, oh and you cant easily obtain some of the most important safety components, such as strut mounts, I recently had to buy a used pair of struts from a junkyard because the mounts rotted out on mine, and 9,681 other peoples Sebring and this part is on backorder until at least August 11th (possibly September.)

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  A great sports car - 2005 Chrysler Crossfire
  By gregtwelve - July 27 - 12:22 pm

  I bought this car 2 years old with 3000 miles on it for half of the sticker. I was looking at used corvettes. I couldnt be more pleased with the purchase. It out accelerates 99% of the all cars on the road, looks incredible and gets decent gas mileage. I would have preferred a manual transmission but the Mercedes 5 speed tap shift auto is excellent. Handles great. Only downside is a stiff ride over bad pavement. As long as the road is decent it is not an issue. I plan to keep it a long time. I have yet to see another Crossfire srt-6 in over a year of ownership, and have only seen a total of 2 or 3 Crossfires on the road in that time. I love that exclusiveness.

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  I love it! - 2005 Chrysler 300
  By Evelyn Griffith - July 26 - 11:53 am

  I love the looks of it! It is a very stylist vehicle--the finest. You know it is a good quality car that you will be able to keep for a long time. It is a roomy interior car, with ample leg room for even tall people, like myself.