Faults:

Silly stuff that is only to be expected on a car with almost 200,000km on the clock. All of the below items were issues I found when I inspected the car prior to buying it; since I have owned it, precisely nothing has gone wrong in the last 6 months:

- Tyre pressure monitor failed.

- Ignition relay intermittent fault.

- 2x chrome wheel nuts shredded by idiot tyre fitter (not the car's fault).

- Headlights fogged.

- Needed 2x tyres.

- Brake pads worn.

General Comments:

So, I have always been a turbo guy; I've never really seen the appeal of big V8s, when you can get similar performance from a well sorted 4 cylinder turbo, and use half as much fuel. But a 300C SRT-8 came up for sale near me, and I'd always liked the styling and the stance of those cars. I test drove it, and just fell in love. That stonking 6.1 Hemi has to be one of the all time great engines; so much power, so much personality, and the kind of torque that could be used to jump start planets into motion. I seriously cannot overstate how good this car sounds when you floor it. And for the price, it's hard to see how anything can compete. You get supercar performance, limo luxury, very respectable handling, top notch levels of equipment, one of the best soundtracks ever to accompany a muscle car, and all wrapped up in "Don't F##k With Me" styling. I've heard plenty of negative things about Chrysler group products, but my decade-old 300C with 192000km on the clock has been utterly reliable.

Things I like:

- Hyperspace acceleration.

- Hemi soundtrack.

- Tons of standard equipment.

- Excellent 13 speaker stereo with sub.

- Refined aggression of the styling.

- 20 inch forged alloy wheels.

- Fuel consumption is very acceptable at an average 12.5 litres per 100km (23 MPG).

Things I'm not too keen on;

- Dash plastics are very flimsy.

- No update on the satnav here in Australia, so my maps are stuck in 2009.

- Steering wheel is naff, doesn't suit a high performance car.

- No spare wheel, just a crappy puncture repair kit.

Faults:

Exhaust vibration at certain revs.

General Comments:

A well equipped car that has all the features that you would normally expect in a more expensive luxury car. The diesel engine has plenty of power but is very economical; it usually gets 700km out of approx 65 litres of diesel.

After getting out of my 14 year old Lexus LS430, I have to say the Chrysler doesn't have the same quality or fit and finish, but as far as features go, it has everything the Lexus had and more. I am quite happy with this car so far, but if the right LS 460 happened to come along, I would probably go back to Lexus.

Faults:

Nothing at all, no problems whatsoever.

General Comments:

This car is a fantastic used buy. Everyone believes it to be brand new, and it still looks it after 3 years on the road.

The 3.5 V6 is strong, reliable and emits a nice growl when floored. It's no racer, and that's because it's not meant to be. It's a 2 tonne plus cruiser, and it does it extremely well.

You can feel the Benz within the car. It sits on an old E Class platform, and has Mercedes gearbox from the Daimler Chrysler partnership.

It feels so solid on the road, has too many features to list, and has good gas mileage. Living in Australia, mine has come from the Chrysler factory in Austria, which has further helped build quality.

I have had this car on the highway, and it floats along effortlessly. Would recommend to anyone. Thumbs up.

Faults:

22,000 kms O ring seal wore out (common problem), but a quick stop at the dealer service fixed that within 15 minutes at no charge.

No other mechanical failures.

I recommend disabling the tilt down mirror when reversing, as I bumped into a cyclist and scratched my paint, as I couldn't see him due to the tilt.

General Comments:

I have owned this car for almost two years, and I have no complaints. Things only got bad for me when I discovered what ESP OFF meant. I burnt thru my tyres and my average 13.6 l/100 kms jumped to 16.5 because I loved the roar of the HEMI.

Its expensive having a lead foot in a 300c, but hey you only live once.

I've lost count of how many ricers the 300C has consumed for breakfast, lunch and dinner.