Hey folks, new here. I'm a asection mod on Dodge Forum but am looking into getting a Sebring Convertible. Just a little "fun" car to have. Would be my daily driver. I am seeing year ranges from 1996 to 2004 all in my price range. Wondering what I should be looking for and on the lookout for? There are LXI's, Limited's and Touring's. 2.5 and 2.7 L V-6's. Can you help me out with some of the pros-cons? Thanks.

 

http://www.sebringclub.net/board/ind...21e6c8b5a0899f

 

If you like or even prefer the 2001+ body style, I'd recommend '01+. I chose my 2000 used (in 2001) for a good deal. I also really preferred the '96 - '00 exterior style, so for my personal taste. It was an easy choice.

But I must say that the brakes on the '00 (and prior I assume), are woefully under engineered/ substandard for regular day to day driving, IMHO. Drive them both to see if it might be an issue for you. The 01's have a bit more power too. So, as I say, if you like the 01+ style, I'd lean that way and let price, condition, etc on the particular cars you run into fill in for your decision.

As these year cars will most likely be past the 60,000 mile recommended Timing Belt and 100,000 Spark Plug change markers, it would be a big benefit to know if these jobs had been done or not. If buying from a dealer or multi owner, this info may be unavailable. I'm just saying that if a private party seller has records of one or both of theses services, it saves you money AND possibly duplicating expensive service.

I did my own 2000's Timing Belt and plugs/wires, but paid $800 for this job on my wife's Hyundai 3.5L XG350. They quoted $450 for plugs/wires (which I did myself).

Bottom line, if you find a car you like and they have service records of at least minimal and big ticket (above) repairs, that can provide come peace of mind. I was way lax in getting to my 2000's Timing belt replacement at ≈ 120,000 miles. So recommended repairs 'can' be put off (at some risk), but knowing they have or have not been done, is very helpful.

Just some things to keep in mind. Happy shopping!

TMI...
My previous convertible was a 1.6L BMW Z3, which I loved, which I sold due to a financial down turn in '97. When cash flow was better again, I decided on the Sebring and REALLY appreciated the extra space and fact that my OCD was not worried about scratching the more expensive new beemer. I have loved this car over the years (and still do)!

 

Thank you for the detailed response. I am actually looking for the 2nd gen models with the 2.7L, but there is one 99 model near me with just at 100k on the clock. Just had the timing belt, water pump and plugs replaced. They are asking $3900 for it. Big differences between the 2.5 and 2.7L?

 

2001+ model owners, do you feel braking is good (or at least measurably better than '96 - '00 models)?

I don't know about the power difference between 2.5 & 2.7L. But if you like the 2001+ models, I would recommend them for the (hopefully) better braking. IMO, braking is a significant downside to the 2000 and prior models.

Don't get me wrong. I love my '00 JXI. Brakes are just sub par, IMO.

 

When I bought my '01 (used, in '08), the rear brakes didn't work, as evidenced by rust on the rotors. I took it to the local dealership where they diagnosed a bad master cylinder and wanted $1400 to rebuild the master cylinder and all the calipers. I immediately figured that was nuts because the master cylinder is split diagonally to the wheels, not front/rear and for a lot less than $1400 I could replace rather than rebuild the calipers. I decided that the problem was with the proportioning valve which does separate front from rear and took the car elsewhere. The other facility replaced the proportioning valve and rear rotors and flushed the system for less that $400 and now the brakes are fine.
Not having an older model to compare it with I can't speak to whether there's a difference but the systems are basically the same, so if your brakes are bad, maybe you should look into them.
The 2.7 L engine has a timing chain rather than a belt, if that's any comfort to you. There are sludging issues reported with the 2.7L engine but they seem to be mostly related to failure to change the oil regularly. There are many reports of the 2.7L engine reaching high mileage without major failures.

The underbody structure of the 2001 was modified slightly to increase rigidity. The '01-'06 generation is a little stiffer as a result with a little less "shake" which is a common problem with convertibles in general.

The rest of the car below the sheetmetal is quite similar; take a look at the doors on the '00 vs the '01 and you'll see that they are virtually identical.

 

Thanks for the replies. Yes, timing belt is a concern. Finding one that has documentation supporting replacement is key, but I'd rather not deal with that, so I guess the 01 and up models are where I need to be, with the 2.7L. There is a decent 01 model near me, 123k miles, loaded, leather, convertible for $3200 negotiable. Might go check it out.

 

dcotter,
When I bought my 2000 used in 2001 (17,000 mi.) from a rental company, the brakes seemed fine. I just noticed over the years that they never stopped that well. At 34,000 mi. I tried crossed drilled rotors. Last brake job 10 months (15k mi.) ago I changed rotors back to regular type with semi metalic pads.

I searched for a proportioning valve and did not find one called out. Is it part of the master cylinder or other brake component?

 

Not sure about your '00 but on mine, it is located on the back left side of the radiator support, where the antilock brake controller would be if the car had antilock brakes. The proportioning valve is not needed if you have antilock brakes. As I pointed out, it was easy to tell that the rear brakes were not working because the rear rotors were rusty. The front brakes account for something like 75% of the stopping power, so frankly, I did not notice any difference even after the rear brakes were fixed. But then, I don't drive particularly hard and heavy braking is pretty rare for me.

 

I have a 96 Sebring convertible that had a bad oil leak
Had the trimming belt done a couple thousand miles ago
Replaced all seals and the valve cover gaskets and the oil presser sensor at the same time
Most of the leak stopped still get a drop or two here and there
Also a couple of drops of antifreeze nothing major
But sometimes it blows white smoke out the tailpipe (mostly at startup)
The oil was a little over filled and stayed that way for around two months
Checked it on Sunday it was a little over but within a couple of days needed to add a half quart
Haven’t noticed any major leaks
And it was running hot so ran it with the heat on and the temp dropped (maybe the thermostat???)
The coolant is full and seems to be getting even higher in the overflow tank
The oil looks good (not like it has water in it)
Any ideas