My Lemon

[7.62]

Anyone ever buy a Lemon, here's mine .

It's a 2005 2.7 liter Magnum 144,000 miles. I bought this 3 months ago for 2 grand. I did a test drive and the engine tranny seemed good, no leaks, but had lots of other problems most of which I could handle. The car looked nothing like it does here, it had 22 inch bling bling rims, rear, front bumpers and hood were painted black and it had a ton of stickers down the sides, I left the super bee cause you know it's kinda cool.

I bought the car to quit cabbing and do Uber and I wanted a bigger safe American car so it met my criteria and surprisingly that 2.7 gets pretty good mileage for such a big car, it's very close to the factory claims.

That's about all I can say good about damn thing.

So I called around and one of the little shops close to the house gave me a good price on painting the black parts to match the car, $700. I go with it, pick it up 3 days later and it looks great ! Awesome. Next day car won't start......OH Look......I have a junkyard battery. Yep they got me. $200 for a new battery. I take it for smog, won't pass cause computer has to reset I have to put some miles on it. I drive it around town go back and still won't pass, guy says needs more time.

The following week I jump in the car for a round trip to mesquite, that should do it. I noticed a few spots on the pavement where it's parked. I hit the road and on the way back I'm smelling oil thru the AC vents. I stop at loves truck stop, pop the hood and valve cover is leaking, water is boiling in the resivoir. I also notice the tranny is shifting a bit hard and some light shudder here and there.

Well it passed smog...yay, off to DMV to register show proof of insurance get title transfer, total $535

Following week off to my mechanic, he does not like this car, says the 2.7 is a POS. Anyway cracked valve cover, tuneup, flush cooling system......$435. I pick it up drive home water is still boiling, replace thermostat & housing...$275. Pick it up and looks good now, still heavy burning oil in the cabin from AC vents, tranny is really acting up. And I still have the frontend to deal with. My turn to get into this thing.....roll up sleeves.

Ok, drivers side valve cover is leaking big time, and there's fluid under the power steering tank. long story short, replace valve cover ( bought from eBay) $85, power steering resivoir $50, new struts $250, new ball joints $100, new resonator $250, new donut spare tire $30, wipers $20, headlights $150, visor clips $7. I was lucky to find a guy to trade rims and tires. And now the eBay valve cover is leaking, cracked. Mechanic flush/filter on tranny $180 and it's really bad now.

Yesterday I took it to a transmission shop, test drive with computer hooked up. Yep it's toast. Quotes me

$2,800 to replace.....

I have tried to tell the wife and convince myself I bought a car that wasn't well maintained, keep the faith. Nope it's officially a lemon. I have never made such a bad buy......ever.

I'm so far into it, it's hard to turn back now.

I found a shop to replace the tranny for $1795 OTD with a 6 month warranty. i sure hope this is the end, Jesus.

So let's hear your lemon story, if ya got one.

 

[highvoltage_]

I did some quick math. Including the original purchase price and the cheaper transmission, you're into it for $6,712. Ouch.

 

[nyhifihead]

those early 2000s american cars are brutal for reliability. you couldn't pay me to take a 100k+ miles Chrysler

smelling oil through vents hints to me that you have some major oil consumption issues either by excess blowby or something in the block isnt right. I would do a compression & leakdown test ASAP to see if the car is even worth dropping a cent on. Stay on top of your oil level as well, running an engine with less oil due to consumption is accelerating all wear & tear.

for valve cover and most other seal parts its worth biting the bullet for OEM spec parts. eBay chinese parts are only good in some niche applications

GL with the transmission issues, I would pickup a used one, parts should be semi plentiful considering that the chrysler 300/charger use that same drivetrain platform

Also in general, when buying a car it's good to understand whats the most likely reason someone is selling a car. People usually run cars into the ground, when its a 140k+ chrysler selling for less than 10% of MSRP there are probably underlying issues.

Used cars are always a gamble but the 150k point is where a lot of major maintenance is (head gasket, engine seals, transmission, etc) and it seems to me this guy just wanted to get rid of the headache before truly dumping money into it

A friend of mine always said if the car has over 200k the owner already replaced nearly everything that could go wrong and your better off buying an original owner HIGH mileage car- interesting philosophy but it makes sense with so many people who try to sell their cars at 100K+ before spending the money on the major stuff

 

[7.62]

Yeah I know it, way to much when you add it up, and I'm dropping the car off this morning then headed to pic a part for a few small things and hopefully a decent valve cover.

Nyhifihead, knowing now I completely agree with that philosophy, never again. I was in a hurry and it's really biting me in the A$$.

The engine in this car is clean, at least they changed the oil. It hasn't leaked or burned anything other than the valve covers, its leaking on the exhaust and the fan is picking it up, it's not nearly as bad as it was. I'm confident the engine is solid otherwise I'd cut my losses now.

The last few days I've exhausted every avenue on the tranny, I can get a lower mileage one and diy for around $500, BUT this car is too low to get he ground, my driveway is angled and it isn't worth taking the chance.

 

[beat_truck]

I'm really not trying to be a jerk, but I wouldn't put a penny into anything with the 2.7 in it (or most any other Chrysler product of that era for that matter). They are GARBAGE. I'd unload it for whatever you can get out of it before you get into it any deeper.

 

[jdurbin1]

Lemon would normally be more applicable to a new vehicle that is delivered with material defects or required multiple service visits while still new and the maker/dealer is unable to resolve the problems (legal definition is more specific than that).

Buying a previously blinged-out 12 year old high-mileage used Dodge and having reliability issues is a different story. You don't expect to get a lemon with a new car purchase, but most people buying that Magnum would have been less than surprised that it didn't go 100% smoothly.

John

 

[grillebilly]

Next time you buy a car get one from someone that hasn't messed with it. I don't want to offend anyone but you see these cars with stupid wheels, mufflers, stickers, etc, you just got to say no thanks. Look for one-owner cars with service records.

 

[7.62]

Yeah I hear ya, there's a lot of varied opinions on this motor. So I just got the call and had to go down to the transmission shop, one of the dog ears is broken and gone on the block, 3 of the other holes are stripped out. Someone's been in it before and really screwed thing up. We're going to heli coil all of the stripped holes and hope for the best. I'm going to run this for all it's worth.

And then.......Hahaha

It's going to the desert, 40 lbs of tannerite and 1 round of 30-06 from my Garand is going to finish this car off and yes I'll post the video. We'll winch what's left on a trailer and of to Japan for rebar it goes .

 

[gadget73]

12 year old car with 144K needing a front end rebuild is not remotely surprising. Cooling system needing maintenance also not surprising. It probably came with 10 year / 100K coolant and you got it 44K past-due for a change. The simple fact is few people maintain things properly, and it shows up at some point.

 

[KLH9]

We alway buy used.

Look nation wide for 1 owner low mileage (60k or less) creampuffs

I'm not afraid to travel to get a creampuff and not afraid to pay a premium.

Our last used car purchase was a 2004 Toyota Sequoia, 70k miles, 1 owner, Florida car. We paid retail blue book for it but after a year no money spent outside of oil and gas.

I don't foresee any repairs until the 90k (timing belt) service and that won't be for another year.

 

[BigElCat]

Yeah I hear ya, there's a lot of varied opinions on this motor. So I just got the call and had to go down to the transmission shop, one of the dog ears is broken and gone on the block, 3 of the other holes are stripped out. Someone's been in it before and really screwed thing up. We're going to heli coil all of the stripped holes and hope for the best. I'm going to run this for all it's worth.

And then.......Hahaha

It's going to the desert, 40 lbs of tannerite and 1 round of 30-06 from my Garand is going to finish this car off and yes I'll post the video. We'll winch what's left on a trailer and of to Japan for rebar it goes .

Whoa.

Your budget tranny guys may have ____'d up the back of the block.

Take a close look at the spot where the "dog ear" "came off". Is it shiny new ?

 

[BigElCat]

My bad / used purchase is sitting in my driveway still insured.

It's a 1997 Tbird with the Essex V-6.

It needs at least intake gaskets to run, head gaskets would be best. But it has low oil pressure, or a bad sender. $2K spent on it before I bought the Lexus.

 

[7.62]

Cool BigE, is that ford a ragtop ? I think if we buy another car it may be a Lexus, at least that's what the wife is looking at. This is what's kinda funny, April 2015 I was coming home from work and honestly I've never been a Dodge/Chrysler guy anyway I passed this 2005 Magnum, just gorgeous paint and rims, very classy. I turned around walked on the lot met the salesman took it for a test drive and went straight to the bank came back and paid 5K on the spot. 90,000 miles with the 3.5 HO automatic. Just a pleasure to drive,

I figured ok, this is a great Uber car. Well at the time Uber rules were 2007 or newer, they've since rolled that back to 2000. I didn't pay attention to that fact so the magnum didn't qualify. With 2 4 runners and a Mercedes I didn't need 4 vehicles so I sold it to my best friend for $4,500. I'll just cab on.

I guess that's why I felt comfortable taking this Magnum, it's Ok we'll get past it but I'm dead serious about the desert run!

And gadget your right, I forgot that fact. Because I keep my cars well maintained doesn't mean others do.

 

[KLH9]

Every time SWMBO starts talking new car my answer is always........

Morgan plus 4

https://www.morgan-motor.co.uk/plus4/

Needless to say, we buy used LOL

 

[RamblinE]

I did some quick math. Including the original purchase price and the cheaper transmission, you're into it for $6,712. Ouch.

A two grand car is rarely ever just a two grand car . I was lucky enough once when a $1700 was really just $1700 car. My $1200 car though? More like $2k. My $5000 car? More like $7k. $8k if you count the soft top replacement that I eventually got but that it needed immediately.

 

[BigElCat]

I like the look of the Magnums.

It's the coolest Chrysler in decades until the new Challenger.

 

[danomar]

The closest I can get to that is a Moto Guzzi Lario that I bought while living in Germany several years ago. I went down south to look at and test ride it. Seemed fine, though the cobbled-together 2-into-1 exhaust should have been a warning sign. The sellers were nice, seemingly honest folks. The husband had an old Guzzi Le Mans I that needed to be put together. Should have been a second warning sign. Fast-forward a few weeks and I am riding it away. The front end feels mushy, so I pull off the autobahn at a petrol station: Turns out the front tire has less than half the needed air pressure. Get home, and after a few weeks and a few hundred euros, I have some basics sorted like I want. I find a specialist 1.5 hours west and he agrees to do a once-through on everything. On the way there, the bike begins dying. I have to pull over with increasing frequency, and each time it runs worse and worse. Probably a plugged carb jet, I think, so I soldier on. I am maybe 15km from the shop and have to rev the bike to 3000rpm at stop lights to keep it running. Annoys the locals. Maybe 2km later it dies and will not re-start. The shop owner comes to pick me up in his van 30 minutes later. At the shop, he discovers black oil that looks ages old, a spark plug that unscrewed itself (probably the reason for the bike quitting on me), a camshaft that is worn beyond use, a nearly toasted ignition system, extra sloppy cardan shaft... Two weeks later, his estimates the cost for everything: It will be more than I paid for it. I am disgusted with the thing and sell it for EUR 500 as parts. Luckily, the shop owner refunds what I paid for the parts I previously bought from him.



Lesson Not Learned: I now have another (my third total) Moto Guzzi Lario that I am refurbishing. Yes, I have spent more than I paid for it sorting it out, but I knew it would happen. Stupid? Probably, but I love this bike. It suits me too well.

 

[gadget73]

A two grand car is rarely ever just a two grand car . I was lucky enough once when a $1700 was really just $1700 car. My $1200 car though? More like $2k. My $5000 car? More like $7k. $8k if you count the soft top replacement that I eventually got but that it needed immediately.

My $100 car is probably closer to a $15,000 car at this point. I stopped bothering to add it up a very long time ago. I did a very significant portion of the work myself too, otherwise it would be much higher. Currently that $100 car is in the garage with the vacuum pump on it to recharge the AC. Stupid leaky fitting lost the magic freeze juice.

 

[Jimerson]

Man, I've had some epic clunkers in the past, mostly in the 70's and 80's when funds were tight. How about an International Scout ( a brand that could win the Galactic Rustbucket Award), when you slammed the door, pieces fell off the rocker panels, and it rained harder inside than out. A '63 MG=GT, positive ground system with 6V saddle batteries, I could only date women heathy enough to push start it with me. A Norton Commando and a BSA Lightning, never leave home without a duffle bag of tools and spare parts. Barely made it to the bar, never home.
Had a couple GM's in the 80's that rusted right off the dealership, and we don't get a lotta road salt issues in Tampa.
Had a Merc 240D that WOULD NOT DIE-what a car. The ignition crapped out and I started it with a screwdriver for a couple years. Gave it to a needy buddy, got a used 300D. Maybe the worst car I've ever owned. Pissed me off so bad I parked it in a friend's pasture and we shot at it for a whole weekend, had it towed off.

 

[7.62]

^ dude that's hilarious ! That's what I'm talking about fricking thank you I needed a good chuckle .

Keep it coming I knew I wasn't alone . Maybe I should change the title from lemon to Epic Clunkers