1997 Chrysler Concorde LX 3.5

Summary:

Spacious, quick, fairly reliable and decent on gas

Faults:

Rear struts and upper bearings, front wheel bearings, c. v joints, oxygen sensor, many front end bushings, and of course, regular things such as brakes and tires. Right now, the car's computer says I need a new oxygen sensor, but the engine is running with a misfire and popping sound through the exhaust. A garage changed the plugs, wires and coil pack, but no changes were made, now they say it might be the oxygen sensor or the valves.

General Comments:

Other than very poor suspension from the day I got the car, which was 5 years old at the time, it was the best car I've had until this recent engine problem. If I changed all the shocks, bushings and bearing plates when I got the car, it would probably have fixed the problem, but I changed them piece by piece. It is (was) very quick, with 25 mpg average highway.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd September, 2005

1997 Chrysler Concorde LXI 3.5

Summary:

GREAT, would buy another

Faults:

No problems, great car.

General Comments:

Handles very good and still maintains comfortable ride.

Interior is spacious and bright with easy to read and adjust all controls.

Low cost luxury car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th September, 2004

1997 Chrysler Concorde LX 3.5

Summary:

Best automobile I've ever owned

Faults:

I've replaced the intake manifold gasket.

Brakes have been replaced a few times.

Both sets of tie rod ends.

General Comments:

The cabin has noise from a poorly fitting drivers door.

I never bothered to bring it in to the dealer for warranty work to repair the poor fit.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th May, 2004

1997 Chrysler Concorde LX 3.5L V6

Summary:

Look and drives great! Smooth and powerful!

Faults:

I have owned this car since 1999 when it had 62,000 miles. I change the oil every 3 to 4,000 miles. Most of the miles are freeway miles built up on journeys of 60 miles or more at cruising speeds.

In summer 2001, at approx 107,000 miles, it suddenly overheated and lost all coolant. After letting it cool down and using a 'get-me-home' tap-water radiator fill-up the garage told me new freeze plugs were needed - a $700 job!

In summer 2003, completely without warning the engine cut-out on the freeway. I was able to coast to the hard shoulder. The coolant pump had seized, causing the belt to overheat, melting the idler. The repair was $1500.

At 123,000 miles the radiator cracked on passenger side and needed replacement - approx $250.

The automatic door locks on both front and rear passenger-side doors are slightly intermittent, occasionally not locking. Although this is easily handled by locking manually, it is a nuisance to have to check they locked each time I leave the car.

Low Fuel lamp has occasional fits of blinking on for a few seconds, although this only occurs intermittently.

General Comments:

I really like this car! It feels very smooth, quick and is very comfortable.

After 130,000+ miles it still pulls strong and hard. The fabric seats are still very comfortable and have virtually no wear.

Gas mileage is very acceptable on the freeway (up to 27mpg average on a long journey), though in town this dips to 18 to 19mpg.

I have not had any transmission problems, even though I know other Chryslers' of similar types have had.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th February, 2004

1997 Chrysler Concorde LX 3.5 V6

Summary:

Affordable performance and luxury

Faults:

Brake rotors warped constantly, though it was later found to possibly be due to an aftermarket addition made by the previous owner. So far, after its removal, the problem appears to be gone.

The air conditioning needed to be recharged. The dealer can't seem to figure out where or if it is leaking.

Weather stripping fell off the driver's side door. Ten minutes in the driveway fixed that.

The transmission cooler lines and power steering pump both started leaking after the particularly horrible winter here in the Northeast. This car isn't very fond of cold weather.

The metallic paint is very thin scratches easily, plus the primer is light colored so scratches show on a dark colored car.

General Comments:

I love this car. It's big, but it handles and rides wonderfully. The 3.5 liter V6 has great low-end torque, sounds really nice with the windows down, and still provides more than sufficient gas mileage, mid to upper 20's even with my lead foot. Despite the dubious reputation, the transmission has been good to me, and with the adaptable shift points, behaves very well (a far cry from my old Toyota's habit of upshifting on hills).

When I got this car, it had sat for quite a long time (at least a year), so part of any reliability issues could have stemmed from that. My fuel injectors sludged up, leaked, and prevented the car from starting a few times. Other than that it's very hard to tell this car is nearly 6 years old. It's the first domestic I had, after 2 Toyota Camry's (the latter of which was a reliability disaster to the tune of 4 grand a year) and so far I have been very pleased. It seems to me that a lot of the problems with Chrysler and Dodge vehicles are lousy dealer service departments. You have to search for a good one, and stick with them to get decent service on these cars.

If you want a car that is comfortable (even for 5 people), provides all the fun toys like automatic climate control, handles great, doesn't cost that much, and looks like nothing else, check out the Concorde. Just bear in mind you need to keep up on your scheduled service and tolerate the occasional glitch and quirk that is the drawback to owning this car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd March, 2003

1997 Chrysler Concorde LXi 3.5

Summary:

Good performance, but poor reliability and costly repairs

Faults:

The fuel tank sensor failed, causing the fuel gauge to read Empty regardless of the fuel level. The repair was under warranty.

The plastic surface on the steering wheel began to peel off, leaving a sticky feel. The repair was under warranty.

The control module for the air conditioning/heating controls failed, leaving the fan on high at all times. The repair was under warranty, although the car was a few miles over the warranty limit.

The rack and pinon steering assembly failed, causing it to be very difficult to turn the steering wheel to the left when the engine was cold. Once warmed up, the steering was nearly normal. The problem became progressively worse. This was a $1700 repair.

The air conditioner evaporator coil failed. Replacement required removing the entire dash assembly. The cost was $1100.

The overdrive clutch hub in the automatic transmission failed and the car went into "limp home" mode (nothing over 2nd gear). The repair was $1800.

General Comments:

The Concorde has a roomy interior and is comfortable.

Handling is good.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 18th February, 2003

18th Oct 2004, 13:29

I had similar problems with my 1997 Concorde's Air Conditioner. Compressor went out 3 times. First time dealer repaired under warranty. Second time it cost me about $1100. Third time I complained via the Auto Club and dealer finally agreed to repair a leaking evaporator in passenger compartment. I believe the compressor failed each time due to freon leak in the evaporator section of system.