Faults:
Rear air shocks are completely non-functional, causing to rear end to sag and bounce around. The air compressor was completely rusted out.
The oxygen sensor was bad at the time of vehicle purchase. Original highway mileage was 13 MPG! After replacement it went up to 26 MPG.
The boot on the power steering rack was torn.
The front brake hose suddenly failed leading to a loss of braking power. Repair costs including towing was around 200 dollars.
The radiator corroded out and leaked at around 90,000 miles. Replacement cost $250.
All 4 tires rotted out due to old age. Replacement cost was over 200 dollars.
The air conditioner was broken and not economical to repair. Automatic climate control performed very poorly.
Severe structural rust. 25% of the drivers side floor board was missing! The drivers side rocker panel was almost entirely compromised by rust. The weld seam of the firewall to the wheel well was completely rusted out. The vehicle was in danger of a complete structural collapse and would almost certainly cause a fatal injury to the driver in even the most minor front end collision. The vehicle is no longer in roadworthy condition.
General Comments:
This certainly was not my favorite car. Although it had a very comfortable ride on the highway, certain features were a major turnoff.
First, the controls for the power windows, power seat, and power door locks were too far forward. It's almost impossible to find them without taking your eyes off the road and looking at them. You have to outstretch your arm pretty far to reach the power windows controls. Power window and seat controls should be easily found and operated by sense of touch only!
Second, compared to GM's implementation of automatic climate control, Chrysler's approach is completely brain dead. While GM mixes the air to the right temperature, Chrysler gives you a stream of full hot dry air until the preset temperature then switches suddenly to full cold. The control's are slow to respond and from time to time can get stuck in full hot or even worse, full cold at a time when you need heat to defrost the windshield.
The bad rear air shocks caused a swaying ride. It never seemed to cause any safety issues.
Handling wise the car is a great highway car, but a poor city car. The cars ride can almost be too comfortable when driving in the dark on the highway, the steady drone of the engine, the cool air blowing in my face, the plush seat and the light rocking can almost put me to sleep. In the city, the car has a long turning radius, and handles bumps and potholes poorly. Unevenly graded roads will almost give you whiplash.
Tall people will notice there is more leg room in back seat than in the front, even with both seats in the full back position. Evidently Chrysler extended the wheel base in the section between the front and rear seats. Only the rear passengers will benefit. The drivers side leg room is the same as what would be found in a typical mid sized sedan.
The braking is very poor. The plush squishy front suspension does not allow for quick effective braking especially in event of an emergency stop.
The car's gas mileage was pretty good for a vehicle of its size. The engine has ample power for ordinary driving situations. The failure prone transmission in this case didn't fail. Shifting at times was slow however.
The 3.3L engine had a noisy lifter, a typical complaint of that engine. It also had a rather rough idle, another common problem with Chrysler engines. However at no point did the engine ever fail to start or run.
The severe structural corrosion could have been caused by an improper collision repair. I would have kept the car longer if weren't for that.
Overall I consider the car to be in the average category instead of "near luxury".
