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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  Longterm Lemon - 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By Kbtoys - July 3 - 2:53 pm

  This car has no go, and uses more gas then my truck. Just traded in with 88,000 miles on it and was lucky it made it. Once the car hit 80,000 miles everything fell apart. Sensors kept going out every 2000 miles. Something with a transmission sensor went out and had to get the car towed. Save the trouble and buy something else.

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  Very bad car - 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By Kris - May 22 - 12:40 pm

  This car has the worst turn radius! It also has lots of problems with the engine. My blew at 70,000 miles and Chrysler wont fix it. I advise you not to buy this car. I use to be so happy with it until a well taken care of blew for no reason.

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  Worst Car Ive Ever Owned - 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By Tisa - May 20 - 11:10 pm

  The turbo failed completely at 29,000 miles nearly destroying the engine. At 36,035 mi the car began to barely run, jerking on any acceleration, stalling if air conditioner is used, backfiring and putting.

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  Fun but cheap - 2004 Chrysler Sebring
  By RNock77 - April 19 - 10:00 am

  Had to have the front end repaired 5 times. Transmission problems. Fan switch repaired.

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  not that great - 2006 Chrysler 300
  By ben - April 16 - 8:03 pm

  I recently purchased my "HEMI" 300 because of all the HYPE. Having traded my GS430 Lexus I am sorry I made the switch. The power is incredible but the ride and road noise is horrible. The transmission is notchynot shifting at the right speed,lots of reving.The interior is very cheap and poor fitting plastic. The seats do not offer the support needed when putting the pedal down on corning. It is still an sluggish american ride Now the worst...High Test gas the best i could get is 200 miles on a tank. Come on American , you can do better than that. I am trading in on a new Limited Avalon.not the power but so much better overall,

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  5 spd manual PT cruiser - 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By JB - March 14 - 6:53 pm

  I have had the car for 3 years and and have driven nearly 48,000 miles. The fuel economy is not very good and they car feels like a toy on the highway. The manual transmission is ok but the car has very limited power.

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  Poor gas mileage and VERY poor in frontal - 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By Gloria - February 20 - 10:50 pm

  We had alot of problems with the starter switch and in a frontal crash the engine came up into the firewall which caused alot of personal injuries to driver and passanger. We did not get good mileage in city driving.

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  Looks great, needs fine tuning! - 2006 Chrysler 300
  By Company Car - February 18 - 6:20 am

  This is a very stylish car that gets comments from everyone! It is a huge attention grabber. Unfortunately, I drive 35,000 miles a year and spend a lot of time in it. The cloth seats are miserable - very stiff. The two cup holders are small in front. With a baby car seat in back, the back seat has no cup holders at all. The check engine light comes on if the gas cap is not sealed 100% per the dealer. The six disc CD and stereo are very nice. I would not buy the base model car if given a choice.

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  Look at other crossovers - 2007 Chrysler Pacifica
  By HSV - January 23 - 3:36 pm

  Blame myself for buying but Chrysler also guilty Was dusk and raining so didn’t look closely at delivery Over next few days driving and inspecting was increasingly disappointed Exterior paint looked like red orange peel Almost every body seam not straight Interior center console, dash, door panels have large gaps and not aligned Leather seats have puckering on seams and easily scuffed Rattles from center console and dash Speakers rattle and have very noticeable distortion Steering wheel not aligned When accelerating has loud exhaust roar Transmission jerky when shifting Poor fuel economy Impossible to drive with either one or both rear windows down has loud pulsating buffeting airflow

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  Lemon - 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By Clifford Milligan - January 19 - 11:50 am

  42,000 miles and I have replaced the head gaskets, oil pan gaskets, front wheel baring, front bushings and the Clutch Slave (dont ask me). While I love the look of this car, I will NEVER buy a Chrysler product without a 7/70 warranty - which they just eliminated.