By Jeff Glucker
My neighbor had a new car in their driveway. Well, new to them. That means I had to stroll over and take a look. The car in question? A pretty clean first-generation Chrysler 300C. I asked if he had bought the car for his growing son, who’s nearly of driving age. His reply? Nope, this one is for me. Laughing and nodding with understanding, I asked about the car. He found a 2005 300C with just 57,000 miles on the odometer. The asking price? Just $5,000.
I’ll be honest. I’m a bit jealous of this one. This is a La-Z-Boy on wheels with HEMI V8 power under the hood. It’s an excellent daily driver if you don’t mind the price of fuel. And it’s a prime example of Chrysler’s moderate luxury paired with a sprinkling of Mercedes-Benz engineering underneath.
The car has a few chips and scratches in the paint. The driver’s seat bolsters are slightly worn. But overall, this 300C is in phenomenal shape. Considering it’s 20 years old, the car has barely been driven. It was a California desert car, and it most likely lived in a garage.
This is absolutely a score of a deal. And it’s proof that great deals are still out there to be found. I have no room in my driveway or garage at the moment. I have two unfinished project cars and a Montero that I both love and hate. But this purchase has my Craigslist trigger fingers getting itchy.
William Byrd