1996 Chrysler Sebring Convertible JXI from North America - Comments

HI all, I just got my 96 jx con. I got it with a bad transmission, so was able to buy it cheap. Removed it on Friday and rebuild it today, Will install it on Monday. I have had many cars during my life and they all have problems. But I just love the style of this car and have wanted one for some time. I was a professional mechanic for 17 years. What was said earlier about them is very true. Some are very honest and some just want your money. Use the net and learn all you can about your car. You will spend less money and enjoy your car more.

Well I just became the owner of a 96 Sebring Convertable. I purchased it off of ebay. I bought it in Upstate NY (near Rochester,) I purchased it this week 11/20/07 and drove it back to my home in Washington, DC. The car performed beautifully on the drive home. So far everything works and I have not experienced any of the scary things that some readers have. I am keeping my fingers crossed. but it is in beautiful condition, just a rip in the drivers seat. I am the third owner. but it seems to be well maintained. I just wanted to add my two cents worth... It has a wonderful stereo/disc system and a six disc player in the trunk, that is not hooked up because the previous owners put the new one in the dash.

I just bought a 1996 JXi convertible and am just starting to take care of little things that need done. I have found that the instrument panel has a mind of its own and the radio controls are giving me fits. Other than that it's been a good car. I did some work on the top to keep out water but am having trouble finding the water resivore holes. Can someone tell me where they are located? Not the ones on each side of the back window but the ones under that somewhere. I have no owners manual but I suppose I could find one on ebay. So far so good with the car. It was a good buy and the body is in excellent condition. Thanks for any info someone can send me.

I purchased a 96 JXI with the intention restoring it. Yes, cars - especially convertibles - are notorious money pits. Upkeep is not cheap no matter what the make. I knew there would be problems, but as long as it was sound it would work out.

As for people who complain about parts wearing out prematurely, you can blame the company... any company, but not entirely. Up until 2001, the car was made in Mexico, the same as the PT Cruiser, as inexpensively as possible to increase profits. Cheap labor (less than $5 per hour) and cheaply made parts from China and else where. Made in China? That's what people want - they're cheap. Just ask WalMart! Who wants to spend $65 on a US made brake rotor when they can get one for $20 that they have to replace more often and only cost $2 to make!

Personally, I look forward to keeping my "money pit" as long as possible. Great gas mileage and nice styling, comfortable. Yeah, it has wind noises - never found a convertible that wasn't and I've driven quite a few in my day. So buck up. Want to save money: learn to fix things yourself or start taking the bus. I can tell you right now, they will never make a maintenance free car.

I'm having a problem with my 1996 Chrysler Sebring XJ following the recall for the lever and linkage on the floor shift. I ignored this recall in 2004 because I had a bad feeling about it. In a weak moment, I let the dealer perform it about three months ago. Since then, the car has been slipping out of gear. I didn't mind so much that it was reluctant to go into gear when it was cold. That's just a minor annoyance. But now the transmission has started slipping out of drive when the car is in motion! This weekend I was going 60 with the cruise control on, and it slipped into neutral and red-lined.

Has anyone else had similar problems following the 2004 lever and linkage and floor shift recall? I will be upset if I have to get work done on the transmission if it was the dealer who messed it up.

I bought my 1997 Chrysler Sebring convertible in July of 2007 for $2,500 with 155,000 miles on it, so the car was well broken in. I just bought it without a second thought because the body is so beautiful.

At first the car was everything I ever dreamed of; stylish, cool (because it's a convertible!) and quick for such a small V6. But then I started having problems, and I guess problems are to be expected with any old car, but these got to be really really bad.

First the radiator went out and the engine almost burned up, I got that fixed right away for $360.

Next the tires were worn out, and this was mostly my fault, but the car slid in the snow and hit a curb, this knocked the alignment way off and broke the wheel, so I bought two new front tires and a new wheel for about $250.

Next, the back right window died on me, so the car's window was stuck in down for over two months! Rain and all got in, such a pain, I finally got it fixed for $120.

Then after all that the cloth separated from the bottom of the rear glass in the back creating a large gapping hole in the back where water and snow poured in quickly. The water pooled in the backseat floorboards and the bottom of the trunk. I blame these water leaks on the shorts causing my brake lights to go out, the radio to die, the electronic mirrors to fail, the electronically mobile seats to fail, and the horn to die, and the RPM doesn't work, but the car was like that when I got it, so that's not due to water damage.

And lastly the transmission has begun to fail, it'll shift to second gear just fine, but then it gets stuck and won't downshift or upshift unless you turn the car off, then it'll go back to first. The local mechanic thinks it's a computer problem, so I'll bring it in soon and get that fixed, so at the very least the car will drive normally again. But I still love this car and still have every intention of restoring it! Much love is still due to this car.

Well, I own a 1996 Chrysler Sebring Convertible JXI; 106,000 miles and man do I love my car that I've owned for 11 years. I kept the fuel/lubricants changed and my car rocks. The only complaint I have is I've had a slight radiator leak that I noticed when I bought the car and once putting stop leak into it never had problems until I had a complete system pressure flush last year. When that happened I replaced the freezer plug (dry rotted) and threw some more stop leak into the radiator, works like a charm.

Again let me express "I Love my Car"!

People, if you take care of it, it will take care of you.

Not to mention the chicks, dude that's a completely different story, this car is a chick magnet.

I'm happy with my purchase of 11 years.

My car has been slipping out of gear. When I'm driving on the freeway, the car just stops and the cruise control goes on, and it slipped into neutral and stop. Has anyone had this happen?

I have a 1996 Sebring convertible. I love it. It has 170k miles. I bought it with 150k miles on it for $900. I replaced the timing belt, all hoses, and the water pump. I put new tires on it. Looked great (from 20'), ran great, but was faded, and the interior cracked. Then I got rear ended and pushed into the car ahead of me. Got $2,400 from his insurance. Then eBay!!! Hood, fenders, bumper, grill, seats, carpet, pump and cylinders for top. Paid $1,200. Then after installing, a complete candy apple red paint job for $1,200. This car looks new! Many good compliments! Two new problems, though. No heat, intermittent odometer/tach. Answers are all over the Internet.

I bought a 96 JXi last April for $1250. It needed new tires and I was advised to replace the tie rod ends. I also had to have the drain holes cleaned. It was OK last summer but now I am hearing a noise when I open or close the left door; I think it's the door stop. I have always had problems with the radio push buttons and now the tach is intermittent and I get the CHECK ENGINE light on from time to time. I can put up with the radio and tach but I'm a little concerned about the door. Please let me know if anyone has a solution. Thanks mike.clifford@rcn.com.

I am considering purchasing a 1996 Sebring Convertible that has 110,000 miles - mostly highway - on it. The owner is selling it because his wife travels with it and on a trip someone cut out the plastic rear window so she doesn't want to use it anymore. He said was thinking of putting a completely new top on it instead of just replacing the window, although the top is OK. The price he is asking is $2,000 and he says that is negotiable. I have never had a convertible but have wanted one for years. I was trying to find out if I can put a glass rear window in and replace the top. My questions are - 1.Is this a good price? 2.Does it have too many miles on it? 3. Should and/or can I put a glass rear window in and get a new top? 4.Should I just replace the window 5.Does anyone know what prices I should be looking at to a. put in new plastic window and replace the top? b. replace the window with glass and get a new top? c. Just replace the window with glass? d. Just replace the window with plastic.

My husband is not handy and I will have to pay someone to do the work. Should I order the kit on line or should I just let the place do everything? I have one estimate to put a cloth top and replace the plastic window for $1600. I really would like to buy the car but don't want to make a mistake. By the way it is going to be used mainly for travel in the town I live although I may take it on the rode a few times. Thanks for your help

Denese.

$300 to replace your battery? $700 to do your brakes? $80 for the door speaker grilles? I'm not even going to address all the other things you are being ripped off on.

1) If you know how to change a tire, you can change your own battery in about 15 minutes; more time than it takes to do that.

2) I'm no mechanic, but I replaced my own brake pads (normal wear item), calipers, and rotors for less than $150 in parts. They now work like brand new.

3) Door speaker grilles; $5-10 each at almost any junkyard. I found a new looking pair of grilles for $10. There's also this little thing called Ebay...

My advice to you is to do a little research online and learn how to do the simpler things yourself. Fact: You are being robbed blind by an unscrupulous mechanic who is laughing all the way to the bank, and you are letting him.

My '99 JXI has had a few costly repairs, but I have owned a buttload of different cars and found that aside from Hondas & Toyotas, very few cars are trouble-free once they start getting up in age & miles.

The Sebring is a somewhat heavy car, so if you continue beating on it, you can count on doing brake jobs at least once a year. With regard to brakes, many people see it as something that is mysterious and has to done by "experts". On any luxo-euro car or car that you paid over $100,000 for, I might leave it to a true specialist who truly knows the car. The Sebring doesn't fit either category. Once you learn how to do brakes on one average car, there's very little difference among the rest of the average cars on the road. DO SOME RESEARCH!! There's this little thing called the Internet...