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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  Sebring Fun to Drive - 1999 Chrysler Sebring
  By Mikeyb - July 16 - 2:00 am

  We have owned this car for 4 years now and have had excellent service with one exception. Chrysler seems to have a problem with a computer chip that governs the transmission and it is fairly expensive to replace over $500 and was replaced once under warranty and once outside that i was able to negotiate lower. We also owned a 300M that had the same problem. Other than that glitch, we were quite pleased with the car.

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  It shines, but so far from being gold... - 1999 Chrysler Sebring
  By Oksana - July 16 - 2:00 am

  The ONLY good thing about this car is the looks. Now, here is the rest of the package: quick wear of tires, problem with transmission, electrical problems, for v6 it is not powerful at all, the doors are way too heavy for comfortable use, seats are hard, no usable cup holders (?), annoying engine noise while increasing the spead, the sunroof is loose, the back is too high, cant hide the radio antenna, you have to go abnormally slow at slightly hilly places to not hit hills with your cars belly or nose...

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  Concorde Limited Great Car! - 2002 Chrysler Concorde
  By rbuzz - July 16 - 2:00 am

  Nice clean lines. Smooth looking dash, all the bells and whistles anyone could want, standard. Great abs,4wheel disc brakes for a car this size. Killer 360watt stereo and CD changer. Just turn the key and go. The car does everything for you automatically. Very smooth ride. Plenty of pep with the 250hp high output engine. No problem getting on the freeway with this baby!

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  susies review - 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By susie schnauzer - July 15 - 10:00 am

  This has been the most fun and dependable car I hav ever owned. I bought it because of its retro look. I have NO problems at all with it.

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  FANTASTIC !!! - 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By Pammie - July 15 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car used and its the best thing I could have ever bought. I absolutely LOVE it. Handles good, tho the U-turn capability is somewhat limited. I will definitely buy another one.

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  Fun Ride - 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By Dede - July 15 - 10:00 am

  We have only had this car for about 2 weeks, and have been loving every minute of it! The ride is very smooth, and it handles very well not only on the expressway, but on country roads! The gas milage could be a little better, but we figure when it breaks in a little bit, that will improve. The handling is very responsive. The design and fuctionality of the vehicle is top notch! So far we are very impressed with everything about the car!

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  Problem with Odor - 2002 Chrysler 300M
  By jmatranga - July 15 - 2:00 am

  Overall, I love this car. It drives well and is very roomy. But, I have two problems that have not been fixed. One is the driver seat make ratchet noises when you move. The other is a very bad odor the car has. At first, I thought it was the new car smell. Then, when the car aged, the only smell left was a fishy odor that I hear sometimes comes from foam and plastics.

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  IMPECCABLE CONVERTIBLE - 1999 Chrysler Sebring
  By BarbiePrincessM - July 15 - 2:00 am

  I have owned a number of vehicles, but nothing has surpassed by 99 jxi convertible. The interior design is ingenius along with the attractive exterior. extremely reliable, was never in the shop. could not have asked for a better automobile.

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  Enough to make me trust Chrysler . . . - 1996 Chrysler Cirrus
  By jmmailin - July 14 - 2:00 am

  After owning a VW Dasher-fun to drive but mechanical disaster Dodge (Mitsubishi) Colt- reliable, great mileage, but small, poor acceleration, I wanted bigger w/a little style & power. Cirrus served well w/6 cyl providing extra power, comfort, surprisingly roomy interior, + decent mileage (26/30). Few probs but all expensive: computer control module, then A/C compressor, then condensor, major brake job, engine mounts went a early at 90000, but little else for 7 yrs. Extended warranty (both dealer & aftermarket) worthwhile. -Pts for hard to reach battery in driver wheel well +pts for battery lasting 5 yrs in AZ.

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  2003 Standard Cruiser - 2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By Curt Brennan - July 13 - 2:20 am

  We bought ours from the original owners in 2005 with only 17,000 miles. Weve now owned it 10 years (this May) and it has given us absolutely NO PROBLEMS OF ANY KIND, EVER!! So far, Ive purchased one set of tires and one battery (last fall) and thats it!! We like it so much that I just bought a 2005 "GT Convertible" with HO Turbo and only 47,000 miles. We dressed up our current PT and are going "all out" on this one too. This convert is for Summer time driving and weekend cruising. Ive owned Mopars since 1971 (1966 Charger) and Ive had good luck with them all! ;-)