Rep Power: 0

I am currently commuting in a 96 Chrysler Cirrius Lxi. 80 miles round-trip daily. Hate everything about the car except the factory stereo (not to bad) and the fact that I have no payments. The car has 171,000 miles on it and is starting to show signs of electrical gremlins. I am considering replacing it with a 7th gen (04-05...I like the tail lights) 5spd, EX.

I have done some research but it looks like I'm not going to find much under about $15000. My tight-wad buddy at work is telling me I shouln't spend that much on a used commuter that I'm going to just run into the ground.

I'm looking for pros/cons on 7th gens vs 6th gens...or any other advise you all might have.

Thanks

kevin

 
Rep Power: 379

well if you do 01-03 you can always just change the tail lights to 04-05. But for an everyday car just for to and from work the 7thgen beats the 6thgen out in comfort and fuel economy. the interior is nicer than the 7thgen and rides a bit smoother. But the 6thgen does have better handeling. I did north side of chicago to south st.louis and only used 3/4 of a tank of gas. thats about 330miles. i did the same trip in a 5thgen but had the 6thgen d16y8 engine and we had to stop and fill up about 45 miles outside of st.louis. both times average speeds were about 90mph. And the 7thegn was at a higher RPM about 4k vs the other cars 3.3k.

to add the 5thgen with the d16y8 had header, intake, and exhaust, on 17's. the 7thgen was completly stock ex

 
Rep Power: 288

You can find one for well under 15,000 I wouldnt pay more than 12,000. Mine is at 80,000 mile and hasn't had a problem yet. The suspension leaves a lot to be desired in the way of comfort. Mine is still getting 35-44mpg after 5 years. I would highly recomend you buy one for commuting it is a great car that starts when their is gas in the tank, and the battery has a charge. Some people have tranny problems but its a small problem that this site magnifys because most people dont search out a group like this until they have a problem or question. In general most guys get 100k miles out of their automatic trannys. Oh and you can get replacement engines for our cars on e-bay for about 450-600 not that you will need one.....

 
Rep Power: 260

4cyl > 6cyl all the time...gas wise. for power just put < in between

 
Rep Power: 336

just don't get the car for speed. you will have to spend some cash for that. anyway, its perfect for commuting. i get 40 mpg goin 80 and have and intake header and exhaust. have fun! don't get ripped off.

 
Rep Power: 281

I initially wanted a 6th gen, but i got my 2003 LX instead. Its a great car for commuting to work since I drive all highway, and although the 6thgen handles better, the 7th gen is very responsive to suspension upgrades. I have tein coilovers and my ride is awesome. Even stock the car is still a fun drive.

The interior is more spacious than the 6th gen as well,and the seats are a lot sturdier. The engine qualities are fairly comparable with the difference being the 7thgen has a distributorless ignition system and a lot better fuel economy.

If you're just gonna run the car into the ground the 7th gen will take you all the way down to hell. Good luck with your buying decision.