29th May 2003, 14:52
This is a Mitsubishi top to bottom, so do not point to this as a claim against American Cars. I do question Daimler/Chrysler's decision to continue to market this Mitsubishi product. Look at reviews for the sedan, a real Chrysler product. They are much better.
20th Sep 2003, 13:43
I am quickly becoming disappointed in my Sebring lxi. I'm constantly replacing brakes, 2 speakers are blown, the transmission slips, the drivers door is coming apart, the check engine light has been reset 3 times and remains lit. The struts are terrible. All it has going for it is how it looks.
16th Jan 2004, 18:20
I own a 1997 Sebring, and from the day it left the dealer I have had nothing, but troubles. It rained the day I bought the car and discovered how much a convertible leaks.
I had to replace the transmission before I had the car 2 years, brakes and rotors, odometer and tach never light up, a front end squeak that gets louder by the day, tie rods broke and my car crashed to the ground when I was driving with my infant, it doesn't even look that great anymore due to the blind spots, I crashed into a light post when backing out of a parking spot. The 02 sensor was replaced, the clearcoat on the rims is peeling off so the wheels look dirty all of the time, the front speakers are blown, the door speaker covers are crushed (cheap plastic) the interior is full of mildew due to the leaking, the clamps holding the sun visors snapped off (cheap plastic again) the car constantly wanders to the right even though its been aligned many times, and the remote entry has never worked. The only positive note is that it starts every morning even in the harsh winter, and has a great heater.
4th Aug 2009, 22:07
My 2000 has been a great car. I've had it since it was practically new, and 100k later, no complaints. I've had to spend a bit of money (and yes, sometimes it's annoying), but hey, it isn't new! I care for my cars, with a lot of preventative maintenance, and it helps. The 95 Coupe I owned prior was the same way, I took care of it, and it returned the favor. I find the problem is many people buy old (often neglected) cars, then rant about all the problems they have. I'm not saying this is the case in this instance, but overall, my experience has been great!
27th Apr 2010, 11:03
I have a 98 Sebring; fast car, but the front end gave me a lot of trouble. Both sides of my front end hit the ground, 6 months apart.
Blind spots, engine light stays on, oil leaks, but I got it cheap so no big deal!
The car will run over 140mph, but be careful because control arm and ball joints will break, not a good car for a lead foot!! Not safe at high speeds.
1st May 2010, 11:50
I agree, my 97 Sebring was fast but not well made and manufactured. What else can we expect from Chrysler?
25th Sep 2010, 22:48
First off, it's a Mitsu, not a Chrysler. That aside, mine's been a great car, well maintained and that has helped. As they get older, you can't expect them to be perfect.
21st Nov 2010, 09:22
I have recently been introduced to the problems that come with owning a Sebring (1997 LXI). The people I bought it from had not told me about half of the problems, they also said it had 130k on the dash, and I got there and it had 170.
I only paid $800 for the car; perfect interior and exterior, minus a broke window switch.
I took the car for a ride, it was very responsive for such a small engine, drove wonderful. Bought, took it down I-75, only hit 60 and the car started to sway back and forth like crazy. I slowed down, got the car home safely, checked the sway bar and bushings; they were perfect, not even worn in.
My next guess was independent suspension, so it must be the struts, I was right, but it was all 4 struts, at $65 a pop. I noticed the next day it leaked a considerable amount of oil, changed the valve cover gaskets, front main oil seal, intake manifold gaskets, all for about $50.
About a week later, the brakes started squeaking, normally that's OK, it's just the brake warning tab, but they're only about half worn. I said screw it and changed the brakes, $150 from the good brake pads, because they had the $34 specials that you guys keep using, and wonder why you have to replace brake pads and rotors so frequently, these pads are guaranteed to last 3 years.
I ran a couple cleaning agents through the motor and trans, and then flushed the trans and radiator. But you know something, the car must be a POS right. Wrong, I paid $800 for a POS, put less than $600 into it and got a damn good car; these cars are built to last, just not forever.
Bushings are required to be changed every 30 to 40 thousand miles, your tie-rods got bad when you hit bumps too fast. I am not a mechanic, nor do I know a lot about cars, I am only 22 years old and I do all my own work, from the book.
If my check engine light comes on, I go down to Advanced and find out why for free. Fix it, it's gone.
You guys can bash Chrysler all you want, I own a Camaro that leaks oil in places the pro's could not stop it, I have a Nissan that the electrical issues are never ending, but the Sebring I fix it and it's fixed.
If you have car problems, please take this into consideration, a Sebring is a family car, even though they have a coupe model, or a turbo model. The car is meant the operate a certain way; just like any newer car, if one thing goes bad and is neglected, then it will lead to other problems. For instance, if you have a oil leak and you do not have it fixed, you will soon have bad sensors. It may sound stupid, but it's been proven.
20th Apr 2003, 17:20
I agree, never buy a Chrysler. I understand some repairs will be needed due to wear and tear, but the amount of problems with my Sebring are outrageous. From all 4 wheel bearings, rotors, ball joints, transmission, exhaust, moon roof, stereo, you name it, I had to replace it. Also, I don't understand a Chrysler having a Mitsubishi engine. Since the parts are foreign, they need to be factory special ordered and cost 3x more than other car parts. I hate Chrysler and wouldn't recommend one to any one.