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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  Anyone else with bad Goodyears! - 2000 Chrysler 300M
  By ej - April 14 - 2:00 am

  Great car with many great features for the money. Front end shakes a bit attributable to bad tires per dealer.

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  My college daughters PT cruiser - 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser
  By jlsh - April 13 - 9:56 am

  For what we have spent fixing this car in the past 3 years, we could have purchased a better vehicle. The physical shape of the car is great and it has many extras but, the garage where we have repairs made knows my daughters voice when she call!. We just spent 1500 dollars on repairs this winter and today she called and her steering wheel is locked up and wont turn.

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  Im so happy! - 2001 Chrysler Concorde
  By Ronnie - April 12 - 2:00 am

  I drove the car to the beach(700 Miles) and got 29 mpg. I was very pleased. The car has been a dream to drive and very, very comfortable. Its silver and beautiful. It has every feature I want or need(its an LXi).

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  I like mine... - 2002 Chrysler Concorde
  By cc - April 12 - 2:00 am

  Rides nice....

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  I Love It - 1997 Chrysler Sebring
  By Harrison - April 11 - 2:00 am

  Bought used and have had no problems still turns heads after 6 years seats 4 and has a suitable trunk will buy the 2nd generation in a year or two without a blink

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  "Cherrys Blessing" - 2005 Chrysler 300
  By Hemi-C - April 9 - 5:03 pm

  The first time I saw the 05Chrysler 300 advertised on television, I fell in love with it and decided then and there that would be my next car, so I purchased my 300C in October of 04. It has been. and is an absolute treasure to drive - so far it is everything it has said to be - the handling, the power, the mileage. Its exceptional performance and it is exquisite. I turn more heads and have met more interesting people, since driving "my blessing". I call it, "my blessing" because I have been blessed eminsely since driving it. I would buy it again and again. I bought a license plate to go in front that says "Cherrys Blessing"!

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  OK car, unreliable for "premium"status. - 1997 Chrysler LHS
  By Jerseylen - April 9 - 2:00 am

  $500 tranny overhaul and $300 rotors at 55,000 miles. HVAC control panel and front seat support brackets replaced under warranty. Front end clunking noise when backing up in cold weather. Too much wind noise at highway speeds. Find a good dealer for service work.

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  Good Car, Some Quirks - 1995 Chrysler Concorde
  By dtoman - April 9 - 2:00 am

  I just sold this car, bought it with 28K on it, traded it with 78 K on it. Very nice ride and a lot of interior space and trunk space for a car that doesnt look huge. Transmission was rebuilt at 38k miles (warranty), a/c had compressor failure once in the time i owned it, and when I traded it the fuel gauge was inoperable. Leather seats wore a little prematurely possibly. Bought it for 9000 and traded it and they gave me 4000 for it in Sept 2001. I would buy the car again in a heartbeat if it had a warranty still!

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  175,000 miles and counting - 1997 Chrysler Sebring
  By Scott1963 - April 9 - 2:00 am

  Yes I drive for a living. I change the oil every three weeks, tranny fluid once a year. other than that no real problems. At this point I dont think the car owes me anything. I am in pure bonus miles. And it is a joy to drive!

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  Cirrus, LXI-Gold - 1999 Chrysler Cirrus
  By Gary Nowlin - April 8 - 2:00 am

  Overall, very pleased. Steering sticking without the dealer ever finding the problem. Performance on highway, speed, acceleration is excellent