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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  LHS love it and leave it - 1994 Chrysler LHS
  By twa - February 24 - 2:00 am

  i bought the car with 36000 on it and have had nothing but reliability problems fro day one including r/b the trans at 44000 and many other failures cooling, air conditioning, steering engine i would not recommend this produst to anyone. the only saving feature is it looks good and is comfortable

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  Dont buy this car - 1999 Chrysler LHS
  By seebe - February 24 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car used with 19,000 miles, I now have 62,000 miles on it. I have had two power windows go out, the heater quite working ,the heated drivers seat quite working. Cruise control quite working Sway bar links, tie rods, brake work every 15,000 miles.... I have put in over $2,000 into this car in 2 1/2 years. I will never buy another Chrsyler.. beautful looking car... but terrible quality.

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  Dont buy it - 2004 Chrysler 300M
  By hamann953 - February 17 - 2:00 am

  For a car in the above $30,000 price range, it has too many design/manufacturing flaws and defects. It deserves the Lemon award.

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  Buyer Beware - 2001 Chrysler Sebring
  By Quality-lacking - February 12 - 2:00 am

  The car is extremely noisy with the top up. The seals have been replaced numerous times with no success. Rough ride,trunk leaks, has rattles galore, makes sporadic fog-like sounds, has terrible blind spots, paint defects - many recurring problems. I would not recommend this car or any Chrysler, for that fact, to anyone wanting to buy a convertible. The constant problems have taken all enjoyment of owning a convertible - what a waste of good money.

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  PT ruined 2 holidays with malfunctions. - 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By dutchman - February 10 - 2:30 pm

  We fell for the shape of the PT. thus far we had two major failures (engine management system blocked the car because of blocked fuel line??. replaced spark plugs and cables (myself, check the costs!)) and have had the antenna replaced 4 times. Still dont have reception, only in larger populated areas. Consumption in congested cities like where we live is absolutely sky-high. We hit the 14.1 liter/100km every so often. Doors creak terribly, it wakes our sleeping son in the backseat. Materials are bad: seat material stains with water (unbelievable but true!),dashboard creaks,a rattle inside te steering column. Good things? The looks, but the novelty wears quickly. The headroom in the back

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  Mechanical Junk - 1996 Chrysler LHS
  By crushrocks - February 7 - 2:00 am

  This is a comfortable car with good performance. However mechanically is leaves a lot to be desired. You name it and it has gone wrong on this car. The crowning event was went a frost plug on the engine started to leak. No big deal I thought until I was told that the transmission had to be dropped to get to it. I had this diagonisis confirmed before I had the work done. I wrote to Chrysler to see if I could get some compensation but they basically said "drop dead, it is out of warranty". This is the last Chrysler product I will ever buy.

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  Lots of problems - 2001 Chrysler Sebring
  By Jim Graff - February 5 - 2:00 am

  I have had this car in the shop more than I can count! Lots of issues with windows not working, computer not working, no heat, several bad cam sensors. One time I was driving down the hiway and the gas pedal stopped working. Lots of problems.

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  Had to get rid of it - 1999 Chrysler 300M
  By panther - January 25 - 2:00 am

  When I first bought this car and for the first three years (end of warranty), it was great. Only one minor in warranty problem. Then things started to happen. First it was a rear window motor, then the transmission module. Then the biggest one -- rack and pinion -- that was a dreamy $1500 repair. After that, corrosion of two of the chrome wheels. Finally, another window motor and the ac evaporator. Just did not want to spend any more money and just unloaded it. Extremely disappointed with reliability. None of these problems were caused by neglect. Just lousy manufacturing. Will not touch another Chrysler.

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  I thought i was driving a car, not SUV - 2007 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By mzurk - January 22 - 9:30 am

  Wow! Horrible gas mileage! I seriously thought there was something wrong with it when I got it, but apparently its in working order. How can I get 14 MPG in town in 4 cyl and only 22-24 highway. Please. I would expect this mileage from a mid to large size SUV not a car. This car needless to say is gone, or on its way out. Its not that the features or styling that I dont like, which I do, but when youre driving 150-300 miles per day, yea filling that puppy up everyday is just putting to many read numbers in quick book for me.

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  1994 Concord Albatross - 1994 Chrysler Concorde
  By woodrow ban - January 10 - 2:00 am

  Dont buy this car. Mechanically unsound. Despite religous oil changes, bottom end traumatic failure at ~80000. Transmission rebuild at ~90000. A/C evaporator failed after extended warranty expired. No factory help. Blown head gasket at 167000. Several water pumps. Needed rotors every 17000 until we found NAPAs thick rotors. Front rack only good for ~80,000. Tie rod ends only good for ~90000. Car gets decent milage for a larger sedan. Pick-up so-so. Maneuvers well for its size, and drives and handles like a smaller car.