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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  Good car with reservations - 2004 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Vict - November 5 - 10:00 am

  This is the first time I have bought a family car and selected the Pacifica based on the interior and safty rating. So far the car is functioning as expected. My 2 main concerns with the car after a year is reliablity (2 recalls in a year) and the engine. So far we have averaged 16.5 mpg. This would be acceptable if the car had good acceleration, but it does not. The ride is smooth, but you have to really think ahead if you are changing lanes, since acceleration is minimal.

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  Chrysler Seebring Convertible Limited - 2004 Chrysler Sebring
  By beauxx - November 5 - 10:00 am

  Good value. Good looks. Handles very good. All around great convertible.

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  Touring 2009 Model - 2008 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Ani - November 4 - 9:07 pm

  I have to post this here because there is no place to do the 2009. Our daughter bought the new 2009 Touring Model in January. She loved it at first but it has given her nothing but grief. Bad motor mounts. Transmission knocking and dealer says that is normal. One more thing also that I cant remember. She is so disgusted. In the garage again and again.

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  leased it then bought it - 2006 Chrysler Pacifica
  By bobby henderson - November 4 - 6:50 pm

  I originally leased it. Silver W Black leather, 6 seats 3 ranges of very cold a/c. lots of off the line punch, smoke the front wheels if you push it hard. decent milage in the city about 17-18 hwy 26-28mpg @ 70mph cruise on.Only problem when new abs light came on panick stop produced 4 wheel lock up. Repared under warrenty. Oh almost forgot motor mounts went bad replaced w 4.0 ltr eng.looks great lots of hybred potential here. big mistake with ugly replacement. great alternative to not drive minivan, i,ve had 4.pacifica was a big mistake to kill instead to improve on a great cuv and lots of choices. sunroof,electric rear dr,6 bucket seats,nice stereo, 4wd,back up sensors police invisible...

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  Best car I have ever owned !!!! - 2006 Chrysler 300
  By Chris - November 4 - 6:07 pm

  This is without a doubt the best car I have ever purchased. I have had roughly 16 new vehicles of all makes and models. This car is so fast and fun to drive. It has more horsepower than just about anything on the road. It handles like a race car and accelerates like on too. I bought this car because it was the only 4 door on the dealers lot with a DVD in it for my 3 year old daughter. She was driving me crazy on road trips.. Little did I know what exactly I had just done. I just purchased the best car for the value on the market today.

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  Best $10,000 car I ever bought - 2008 Chrysler Sebring
  By ruttrow george - October 31 - 8:11 am

  I bought the car used with 47,000 miles on it. I paid $9,998 for it. Wow, what a car for the price. Car rides quiet and smooth on the highway, even at 80. The 4 cylinder is a bit noises taking off, but arent they all? One thing I notice is the brakes are squeaky when the car is first used. It goes away after 5 minutes. I bought an extended warranty for $1185, which covers 45K more miles. Do your shopping on third party warranties before accepting a dealer one. That way they have to compete. The car looks and drives as nice as my snobby neighbors that have Accord or Camary.

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  Dont miss the SUV - 2006 Chrysler 300
  By Karen - October 30 - 4:16 am

  I bought this car after obsessive shopping and am completely satisfied. The black with chrome is very classy.It is alot of car for the money. The bluetooth u-connect where the phone comes through the radio/nav is cool.The DVD hidden in the center console and headsets keep everyone happy.The navigation is terrific. Ive been driving it for 6 months with no regrets! My husband who is a BMW person loves the drive and power. Great on long trips.Gas mileage up to 22 mpg. Highly recommend this car for all ages. Seems very solid.

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  really great looking sedan - 2003 Chrysler Sebring
  By Ray H - October 30 - 2:02 am

  I went looking for this specific model car and bought it at a really great price. I added a full warranty that got my leaky evaporator fixed for nothing. Otherwise the car has been great. the previous owner did not take great care of the car, but it was in great mechanical shape except for the A/C problem and poor shifting of the transmission. Since it had less than 70,000 miles on it, I had the dealer look at it, and with a computer upgrade, now it shifts perfectly. I run Prolong in the engine and it gets around 26 mpg on the freeway at 65 mph. I cannot complain, for a 200 hop V6 engine, that is great mileage. the engine is bigger than my 95 Dodge Stratus and gets better mileage.

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  I dont think I like this car - 2008 Chrysler Sebring
  By Ikeia - October 29 - 8:09 pm

  Bought this car that is only one year old, already found out the CD player doesnt work properly, the car cant have the windshield wipers and the lights on at the same time or the car looses all electric mechanism and then to top that the car gear shaft supposedly" has a bad spring". All of this happening in 45 days of the purchase of the car. THe good thing is the car ride beautiful but it just has alot of things wrong with it as far as accesories.

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  Reliable Ride - 2006 Chrysler Pacifica
  By Jeff - October 29 - 5:11 pm

  I first leased the vehicle in 06 and at the end of the agreement Chrysler gave a great discount and bought the car. I have 50k miles on it, still original tires. I have replaced both headlights, and the front brakes and the oil regularly its been a tank. The highway ride is great, they improved the engine in later years and then just gave up. Youll see them on the road for a long time to come.