Viper98912

Pondering a second car to get on a limited budget, and there isn't anything out there right now that makes me think YES. Looked around at some different cars, and the Crossfire (non-SRT) has caught my attention. 3.2 V6 6-speed, R170 platform.

Anybody own(ed) both and can give an opinion?

320 dreamer

i have xfires at my house all the time srt-6 and the limiteds. under the skin pure mercedes. having said that unless you really love the style of the car why not a slk320? at least with that car you get the hardtop and the vert in the same car.

the single biggest issue with the xfire is the lack of available body parts. if you get in a bender of any value the ins will likely total the car. crossfireforum.org stop by say hello. im 32krazy! there

Viper98912

I think the style is definitely very intriguing, moreso than the SLK320. I just dont know if I want another slightly older Mercedes next to the C55 in the garage. I want something that at least looks different, and the SLK underpinnings makes me feel better on the parts/repair/diy front. IDK, just looking around for now.

The convertible/hardtop I don't really care for, and I heard they can have issues? I have heard of the body panel issues though.

320 dreamer

the issues with top were the seals failing in the cylinders and theres a fellow on benzworld who builds oring kits for around 30$. not a diffucult rebuild.
the upside to the older r170 is that its still a mechanical car. no heavy electronics on the interior nav and auto seats and such to fail. same with the suspension simple spring and coil no airmatic to fail. the driveline is virtually bulletproof and super reliable. any issues were figured out long ago and fairly easy to fix.
aside from the panel issue the xfire is an excellent car and with a little tuning and some decent mods you have a car capable of 160mph and still a sharp grocery getter!

Viper98912

Sounds kinda like why I bought my C55 as well. Thanks for the info

Quicktwinturbo

Get SLK55

Viper98912

....manual trans is a requirement....

320 dreamer

too much money has a front end like squidward from spongebob squarepants seats are for crap and still isnt as fast as my 32!

Quicktwinturbo

I'm sure you drove or owned a slk55 to make that kind of statements correct?
Are we talking about Stock vs Stock or moded vs moded?

Last time I checked, I won against one of my friend's SLK32(stock)..
As for the front end, to each it's own I guess. I never liked the design of slk32 (including 32 series engine)..

Now for the seats, SLK55 has much better support than 32 seats IMO.

Viper, Good luck with your search!

Newzchspy

There's some SRT-6s in the 11s!!! I love the ca (SRT) r, just have a need for something larger. The C32 and Kleemann S7 suit me just fine.

moosejaw

For the record this guy has no ordinary SLK32....
Ive seen it in person

320 dreamer

thanx for the flowers but sadly my 32 died an untimely death 2 weeks ago
so the search is on for my next 32. and yes i did drive a slk55. seats were thin and uncomfotable and the styling just wasnt for me.

Newzchspy

Pray-Tell, what happened??

Quicktwinturbo

Sorry to hear that man.. I'm sure you'll be back with another amg soon enough.
And yea, seats are thin and could be uncomfty for few.. I like it tho

320 dreamer

if i may steal a quote from a good friend...." high performance car driven by a low performance driver = 1 totalled car!!"
in an attempt to avoid a telefone pole i slammed into a curb at 70mph or so and completely collapsed the drivers side suspension bending the engine cradle . the solid built benz took the lick and i walked away without a single scratch

Newzchspy

I hate when those telephone poles jump out in front of you!!

Sorry to hear that. Whatcha going to do now??

FrankW

two seat sports car with manual.... = S2k

moosejaw

Lets try this again.
Two seat sports car with manual.... = FD3S

320 dreamer

bought my 32 back from the ins. compnay and removed all my mods. a mbworld member bought it to put the 32 driveline in his c class and im on the search for another 32! looking hard at a magma red 03 with 39k on the clock but not rushing

anyway back on topic viper the cherry on top is that if you get a xfire and find it needs more kick rcompart can drop the s/c 5.5 from a 55 class in it!! low 10's out of the box!

amdeutsch

Porsche FTW

doom239

+1 Hahaha RX7 for the WIN!

xxaarraa

If there is a supercharger involved, yeah. But the stock stook is gutless unless you are willing to rev the nuts off it going to the grocery store.

Newzchspy

Uh OH,, its the RX7 versus the S2000. I had an S2000 and it was a great car. Lil small for me, BUT once revved up to about 5 K, the thing was a rocket, although the FD (RX7) is a great car too, BOTH handle like a dream...............although I'd suspect the S2K is better than the Mazda on gas..........

Quicktwinturbo

Rx7 is a bit unforgiving.. Handles like a dream but then, you have to really know the car and take good care of it.. Otherwise, you'll spend a lot of money rebuilding the engine.. (Owned a moded 7 for 8 years)

S2000, another great, affordable responsive car. Reliable and fun to drive. Not a fast car and you have to rev the f out of the engine to get all the hp.. down-shifting is bit tricky..

mrobinso

Viper, having owned a Crossfire "Limited" with the 6-speed manual I can certainly vouch for the vehicle. I think for a budget sports car, especially if you are keen to Mercedes, the SRT-6 is certainly a great choice. I cannot believe how cheap they are right now. That being said, and this might already have been mentioned, the SRT-6 only came with the 5-speed autostick that our C55s employ. The Limited and Base models (225hp 3.2L V6) were the only Crossfires that came with a manual transmission. However, coming from the C55, I don't think you would be satisfied with anything other than the SRT-6. The Limited model is vastly underpowered for its weight, about 3200 lbs.

If you ever feel like picking my brain, feel free to PM me. I can talk for hours about my old Crossfire.