I bought this car a year ago. I had wanted a Crossfire for years, and I wanted a black convertible and I wasn't picky about the year. I looked and looked for months and found one at AutoNation in Sanford, Florida. They had only just gotten the car in the day before I saw it on their internet sales site. I don't really blame them... I probably should have seen your site sooner but I wasn't looking for trouble; I was looking for a car!

I checked the carfax report on the car and it was owned by one person in the same area of Florida, and it had just 26,000 miles; it was pretty reasonably priced. There were a few minor flaws but nothing that seemed serious.

I will talk about the other problems in a separate complaint, (the top, the pulley) but this is about the ignition switch. About three months ago, when there were just 35,000 miles on it, the key started to stick when I tried to start the car. If I tried it a couple of times, it would start. Then it began to only start if it jiggled the key, held the wheel to get it out of the lock position, and said a quick and fervent prayer. Finally, about a month ago it got to the point where it only started if I tried this same ridiculous ritual after about ten or fifteen attempts. Sometimes, it would start and I'd go off on errands and then be stranded in some parking lot in the hot car, cursing myself for having gotten this "dream"/nightmare car in the first place! I decided to take the car to the local Chrysler Jeep dealer and have the cylinder replaced. Because I'd read on the Chrysler Forum (yes, should have read that before buying, too!) that cutting that pin on the wheel lock would also help, I'd asked the mechanic about that; he said that isn't really the problem...it's some sleeve. So, they replaced the cylinder, and the day I picked it up, I drove to pick up some medicine (wish it had been some antidepressants) and happily got back in the car thinking that for the first time in months I wouldn't have to even worry about what would happen when I turned the key. But, no, it was not to be. Now, AFTER spending hundreds to have the problem fixed, not only would it not start after jiggling, jostling, turning, removing, repeating, now after several attempts, it seemed almost like it was going to start but now every light went on and then ...NOTHING. Just like when you turn a car on and the battery is dead...all lights, no action. Sooooo, I called a friend to come and get me, I called the dealer and screamed a bit, and he said, bring it back. Finally, my friend got the car to start, and we brought it home, got the battery tested...that was fine...then took it back to the dealership, where it sat over the weekend. Their solution? Remove the key after each failed attempt to get the ignition to start! So, really, what has happened is that I have thrown away hundreds of dollars and the problem is worse than it was before! I am afraid to go very far if I do get it to start because I don't know if it will start again. I have left the car running while I drop books off at the library or mail at the post office, but that won't work at the grocery store, and you can't get gas while the engine is running, so...

I am at a loss as to what to do next. I can see from reading this site that there is a huge problem with this. And all I was worried about before was the lousy cheap cup holder that didn't work!

The top and pulley problems ....that's another story.