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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  Horrible! - 2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By jillf - October 7 - 2:16 am

  This car is so disappointing! I bought it used with 54k miles on it. The electrical system has always been wacky - dash indicator lights come on and off randomly and the fog lights wouldnt turn off, constantly draining the battery. Ive had it in to fix various power steering problems EIGHT times!!! A/C broke twice. Back liftgate broke. DO NOT BUY THIS CAR!!! Ive easily spent twice as much in repairs as I originally spent to buy the car.

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  Bad Engineering and design - 2004 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Frank Wilson - October 1 - 2:00 am

  No room for storage. Hard to see behind and sides. GPS is POORLY positioned. No room for luggage and passengers. Keyless entry is poorly designed. Goes off at the touch of a quarter in my pocket. No place to store earphones for DVD. CD player is extremely noisy when changing CDs. Car is wind noisy. Very disappointed in general but then Im a senior citizen and this car wasnt designed for our generation.

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  Piece of Junk - 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By delrosen - September 29 - 4:56 am

  Avoid the temptation of buying this car with the thoughts of cruising with the top down. Severe suspension problem. Major repairs/replacements required, including control arms and hub bearing before the car even had 40,000 miles. Now the motor mounts have failed at 41500. Looking through other reviews, I see the same issues reported. Wish Id found this site and read the reviews prior to my purchase.

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  Got What I Paid For - 2000 Chrysler Voyager
  By rickj - September 5 - 2:00 am

  I have canx any Chrysler from my next purch list. Shoddy worksmanship. Parts all over van break prematurely. Replaced A/C condensor 20K mi, front axle 50K, rear bearing 55K. Has been marginal transportation. Oh yeah, only car worse for depreciation is probably a Kia or Hyundai - Nuff said! Honda or Toyota more expensinve but better workmanship, quality, resale.

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  Dream Car Sucks!!!! - 1999 Chrysler Sebring
  By guccigal34 - September 5 - 2:00 am

  purchased my dream car brand new in 99 and it has been a nightmare since. break problems(too many to count),panel probl, sensor probl,clear coat probl,cup holders brk, seat belt chokes, front end scrapes, etc

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  It is O.K. - 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By John Caporusso - August 5 - 2:00 am

  It is ok but bad gas mileage.

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  Worst Car that you could ever imagine - 1998 Chrysler Sebring
  By ashok.manthina - July 28 - 2:00 am

  This is the worst Car that you could ever imagine to own. I have only 68k on this car now, and maybe spent more than $4k in repairs. And dont ever buy any car at LITHIA COLORADO JEEP 505 S HAVANA ST DENVER CO 80012 Chrysler dealer in Denver. He lied through his teeth about the warranty that he sold me.

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  Major disappointment - 2004 Chrysler Crossfire
  By DackarM3 - July 23 - 2:00 am

  Ive rented this car on vacation in Vegas. Wanted one with stick, but got automatic, oh well. The interior made of cheap plastic, the silver central panel is too bright. Radio is too complicated and locks itself up while driving. The seats are a little small for 6’2”, but good. Turn signal switch is too close to cruise control. The side windows are tiny, the C-pillars are too wide. Both pedals and the wheel are heavy, as the whole car is. They feel numb, or maybe that was the transmission and suspension? The engine is OK, the breaks are horrible, I locked them up twice on a hot asphalt of Vegas, while the deceleration wasn’t even close to locking them up.

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  failed brakes - 2000 Chrysler Grand Voyager
  By Failed brakes - May 12 - 12:50 pm

  This van is constant need of brake repair, i have since 2006 put four sets of brakes on it, two rotors, two master cylinders, two wheel seals and now i dont have front brakes again, the back brakes are grabbing, the booster is fine. I am thinking maybe the abs box has some issues, anyways i have never had to do so much repair to one vehicle. I am unhappy with this purchase.

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  too big to be a paper weight - 2001 Chrysler Sebring
  By Sean Wolleydt - April 29 - 2:00 am

  Have spent in excess orf 3,000 dollars in repair and it only has 41000