2002 Chrysler Sebring: A fair review of the 2002 Chrysler Sebring
06/19/08 (updated 06/19/08)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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I purchased a 2002 Chrysler Sebring LX 4-Door Sedan back in September of 2007. It has a Steel Blue color exterior and a Beige/Taupe color interior. This particular Sebring is powered by the Sequential Multi-Port Fuel Injected 2.4L DOHC 16-Valve 4-Cylinder engine that produces 150 horsepower and 165 ft. lbs. of torque. The engine is backed by a 4-Speed Automatic Transmission with Overdrive known as the A-604/41TE. The exterior styling of this automobile is one of the nicest I have seen, the interior styling is also very nice, there is wood grain trim accents on the dashboard that really make the vehicle look like a vehicle that I shouldn't be able to afford, lol :) all the controls are laid out very nicely, all within an arms reach. This vehicle has a lot of a trunk space and also has rear seats that fold flat when just the trunk isn't enough room. This Sebring is equipped with: Keyless Entry, Power Windows, Power Door Locks, Power Moonroof, AM/FM Stereo with Single Slot CD and Premium Sound with factory amplifier located under passenger front seat, Automatic Headlamp Delay, Tilt Wheel, A/C, Cruise Control, Lumbar Support, and many other wonderful options. For around town driving as well as highway driving, the 4-cylinder provides enough power to get around town and enough power to merge onto the expressway without fearing for your life while providing good fuel economy, but sometimes the 4-cylinder seems overworked while climbing the hills of the Pocono Mountains here in PA. Turn the A/C on and just like other 4-cylinders you'll feel a substantial power loss, but keep in mind that this is a very heavy car also. This slushbox of an Automatic Transmission provides smooth and precise upshifts and downshifts 99% of the time, though there are times when it seems like it takes a little while to upshift when climbing a hill under load and there are times where it seems like it performs a 3-2 downshift too early. The reason I refer to this transmission as a "slushbox" is becuase if any of you are familiar with the early 90's Chrysler products, (i.e. 89-93 New Yorker, 89-06 Caravan/Town & Country) or just about any other 89-06 front-drive product you know that these transmissions had an absolute horrible reliability rating and terrible reputation for failing very early in their life. I will be honest with you though, Since around the 2001 model year when these transmissions went to using the D-Ring plates, they have been lasting quite a while on their orginal internals, (i.e. I seen a 2001 Sebring make all the way to 150K before needing an overhaul, I've heard of stratus's making it to the 200K mark before needing an overhaul) not bad considering that the early transmissions would fail at 20K! yes, that's right 20K! Also take note that the average life of an Automatic Transmission is 100K. The most important thing to remember about these transmissions is that you use the correct fluid, make sure you use Mopar ATF+4 Automatic Transmission fluid or it's equivelant brand, such as Valvoline or Castrol ATF+4 and remember to change the fluid and filter every 15K to 20K miles. DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT USE DEXRON/MERCON TRANSMISSION FLUID IN THESE TRANSMISSIONS it will start attacking the clutch plate material insie the trans and then you too will need an overhaul. You see, ATF+4 is a FULL SYNTHETIC fluid, Dexron/Mercon is a NON SYNTHETIC fluid, the two don't mix! I hope you've enjoyed this review, if you have any questions please contact me. Thank you
Review ID: 10000000007640764

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