28th May 2009, 13:07

I have had a 2001 LXi since 2002. I love my car. I bought it used with about 20,000 miles on it. I have never had the problems mentioned above, except for the damn visor clips. Oh well...

I have had the top adjusted once due to air noise and it solved the problem (typically convertible problem, not just Chryslers). Before I bought a convertible, any convertible, I did a search and found out the problems that ALL convertibles had and chose to deal with it so I could drive a convertible.

It's funny to read all the gripes and realize that some are bad luck, others are sour grapes, and some are from a lack of understanding about automobiles. I mean, really, I wish my brakes would last the life of my car, but, come on, they are brakes after all. Every mechanic recommends changing your timing belt at 60,000 on every car, no matter what. If you don't do it, then deal with the consequences. They call it maintenance for a reason.

BTW, I have owned foreign cars and three different makes of domestic cars. They were all similar. If you just "gas and go," eventually something breaks. Two friends both had their Honda's die because they lived "gas and go," no maintenance.

I love my Sebring convertible and always will.

Good luck.

23rd Jul 2009, 21:36

Thank you all so much for your thoughtful and detailed comments. I was looking at a beautiful dark red convertible last night and came across this thread in the course of my research. Kills me not to buy it, but has saved me thousands of dollars.

-- Roy Zider.

14th Oct 2009, 21:06

I have a 2001 Chrysler Sebring LXi Convertible. I have had it about a year and it has 96,000 miles on it. I bought it from a dealer, who was also a friend.

It was not my intention to buy a vehicle this old or with more than 50,000 miles, but it was beautiful, blue with a black top.

The only problem I have had is an oil valve had to be replaced.

The top is still in great shape, so are the seats.

I have not had the visor problems I have read about.

My friend, the car dealer, did tell me this car is maintenance times 10! So, I have the oil changed every 3 months with synthetic, at this time I have all fluid levels checked/filled. So far so good.

I have had cars that have required less maintenance, but were not as pretty, and the handling is great. I read the horror stories, guess I'm fortunate to have bought one of the good ones! I love it!

7th Sep 2010, 17:36

I bought my Chrysler LXi convertible on Ebay in 2003, and shipped it to England. I call her my baby and love to drive her. I have had visor clip break, but it was my fault; I was too forceful trying to push the visor onto the clip, and paid the price; a mere $15. The car is regularly serviced, has a regular oil change, and more recently a coolant flush.

Reading all the previous articles was a bit disturbing, but I love her anyway. She has 84,000 miles on the clock, and hopefully I will get another 84,000.

21st Nov 2010, 19:31

I bought my 2001 Sebring Convertible in August of 2010. The car was one owner, garage kept in excellent condition. The car had 173,000 miles on her with a bad water pump. I found a guy on ebay who rebuilds these engines for less than a $1,000.00. Decided with the high mileage to have it freshened up. I yanked and reinstalled the motor myself. I am very pleased to have this car on the road today. I have spent a little more money that anticipated because the car sat parked for over 2 years. I paid $500.00 for the car and spent $2,600.00 in repairs, with most work done myself. I love this car, and actually bought it to flip it for a profit, but I changed my mind. I really like the car!!!

24th Nov 2010, 11:12

I have a 2001 Sebring Convertible LX 2.7L with 130,000 km on it.

I love my car as well, though it is starting to show its age though the mileage is extremely low. Oil leaking all over the undercarriage, smell of burning oil yet they can't find the leak even though it was completely cleaned off. Now coolant casing/hose is spraying over the engine and casing is leaking. It may be just a tightening of the hose clamp. That's an easy fix.

My concern is now what seems to be happening to others - when decelerating and/or braking, the car jumps gears with a thunk.

Can anyone provide advice or has anyone experienced this?

27th Apr 2011, 17:10

Hi.

Do you have the name and phone number of the guy who rebuilt your engine? I'm in need of a rebuilt 2.7 engine.

Thanks.

8th Oct 2011, 18:43

I'm the person who back in 2006 took the Sebring off my shopping list, and bought a Saab 9-3 Convertible instead.

The Saab was a real nice car; never even a drop of water leaked inside, lots of power and great MPG.

I kept the Saab for 5 problem-free years, and sold it this past summer.

Well I got the convertible bug again shortly thereafter, and purchased a very clean 2001 Sebring LXi with 95,000 miles on it. Thus far I am really enjoying the Sebring; the only real annoyance being water leaking in somewhere on to the driver's carpet. I'm hoping I can find and fix the source of the leak, as the car is extremely enjoyable to drive (I did clean out the "slit drains" on the frame behind the front wheel and just ahead of the rear wheel - but no water came out of them).

In any case, if anyone has experienced a water leak just on the driver's floor and found the source - please let me know. Thanks JB.