Used 1998 Chrysler Sebring Convertible Consumer Reviews
1998 Chrysler Sebring (Limited)
This Sebring is the first generation sebring and in my opinion the best! It is an affordable convertible that is not boring to look at or drive by any means. It has a refined transmission with plenty of power but pretty good mpg. If you are in the market for a convertible consider this one.
My Sebring Experience by JW
Main issue was reliability. Two top motors. Then rear window defogger kept coming off (7 times). Then steering column locked. Had to have it towed. Final straw was the transmission started shifting erratically. Dealer replaced mounts. Few days later no transmission. New torque converter, no credit for mounts. Two weeks later transmission starts to slip (had 70K miles on it at this point). Am 56 years old, take care of my cars.
After 80000 miles
After 80000 miles and 7 years later, the body is still in excellent shape and the paint still shines. But the tie-rod ends go bad and then break, yes I said break, so you cannot steer when they break and could cause an accident. So have them replaced as soon as you buy one of these cars, or have the owner do it before you buy. The cross over tube in your cooling system deteriorates and needs to be replaced, kind of pricey. The rear defogger hasn't worked since I bought the car. The tranny is geared high so you don't get the full effect of the 168hp V6. And the computer puts the engine at idle once you hit 105mph. Doesn't go any faster unless you can get the rev limiter shut off.
Just bought and LOVING it!!!
So, I have only owned my Sebring for 3 days now and I really don't have a lot to base reliability on as of yet but, I can say I am thrilled with this car more every time I open the door, start the engine and head out on the open road. I looked at numerous BMW's prior but, none came close to the comfort and features for the money. I needed something that my two kids could fit in as well and they thought every BMW we test drove felt too cramped. Now, I am not in any way saying that BMW isn't a great car but, for the money I am LOVING this Sebring. I will keep you informed as to whether I still love it in six months and then a year too. Right now she's got 123,000 miles and looks brand new.
20 years of highly reliable service
We bought this car new in June of 1998, as an anniversary present to my wife. It has been a totally reliable, trouble free vehicle in 150,000miles. Aside from regular normal maintenance, the car has never been in the shop for repairs. Garage kept all it's life, the original top lasted 16 years - top material was stil good, but the threads in the seams began to fail. No rust. Leather seats, carpet, etc. still appear near new. No complaints-it was driven daily for the first 10 years. She's become a garage queen in the past several years. Probably never sell it at this point. Bought a twin to it for our grand daughter several years ago, which has also been a reliable car.
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Great First Car for Teens!
My dad bought me this car as my first, and it's been great. I've learned a lot about cars by owning it, with the typical breaks here and there (Such as coolant plugs going out, probably due to un-adult driving before me. The window motor broke, and was fairly easy to replace with my dads help.) The car has really has taken a beating, and still remains reliable and loyal. Even when I got into a fender bender, the car still ran wonderfully, and didn't have any mechanical damage when hit on the drivers front fender at 20MPH. The parts were easy to find. It's a fun, fairly safe car, and great for a first car.
JXI Limited Convt
I just bought the Limited model with the indiglo style dash, white faced gauges, and autostick. Love the car, gets attention you want and none that you don't. Two toned interior 2.5 is peppy not powerful. Chrome wheels are a nice touch, but expect the tires to be a little spendy. Just bought and putting it through its paces. Infinity sound systems is good, wish cd changer would read cd/rw formats. Looking for interior parts, I imagine they will be hard to find.
My First Car
I had a 1998 Chrysler Sebring JXI Convertible as my first car and it was so beautiful. This car gave me some trouble when parts of the engine went bad and slowly each part went bad. This car handles poorly in the snow but that could have been due to my tires. The break sometimes wouldn't be able to be pressed, which is a problem among Chrysler, but was fixed. I bought this car for 3500 and put more than that into it with repairs. This car handled damage well. I had hail damage which was almost unnoticeable due to the metallic paint job. I was in one minor fender bender when I slid on ice and hit another car. My car only had scratches on the bumper where the other car was dented in. I had my second accident in it which totaled it when I slid on ice and collided with 2 other cars. This car is very sturdy and kept me safe inside the car while taking the impact of 2 cars, one of which was while I was stationary and was a head on collision. This car is built strong! This car has poor gas mileage and one of my speakers blew out when I don't listen to my music that loud.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Best car I've owned
I bought this car in 2000 with 30,000 miles on it. I have only done expected repairs (brakes, tires, battery, timing belt, oil changes) and one unexpected repair (starter motor at 60,000 mi.). I think the Mitsubishi V6 engine has a lot to do with the reliability. I get 24 mpg combined with I think is pretty good for a 10 year old car. This has been a trouble free car. It now has 144,000 mi and the engine makes a little bit of lifter noise. People complain of the squeaks, but I don't think it is any noisier than other convertibles I have owned.
electrical mess
I had electrical problems since 55K miles. Rear defrost broke several times. In the shop every two months for electrical problems. Seat handle broke. 3 batteries in the car. (engineers dont know where the drain of the battery is coming from. ( no help at all) I take great mechanical care of my car.. I cant help that it has electrical problems. I give this car a 1.0 on dependability. I have heard many chrysler owners complain of electrical problems with these cars.