2010 Chrysler Town & Country Van No Reserve on 2040-cars

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Toledo continues fight for Jeep Wrangler production, despite mayor's death

Where will the next-generation Jeep Wrangler be built? That's an open question, but it's one that the city of Toledo, OH desperately wants to be the answer to. The city suffered a major blow, though, with the death of Mayor Michael Collins earlier this month. Collins had been the city's biggest champion during talks with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, before suffering a fatal heart attack on Feb. 6. But Collins' tragic death isn't dampening the city's desire to carry on as the home of the Wrangler. "The mayor's passing is tragic. But on Monday, when I came to work, I knew exactly what I needed to do and exactly what needed to be done," the city's director of development, Matt Sapara, told the Detroit Free Press. According to the Freep, Sapara said Toledo and the state of Ohio have delivered an outline of a development plan that would give FCA the ability to buy an extra 100 acres to expand the factory. This is to help accommodate FCA's targeted output of 300,000 to 350,000 next-generation Wranglers, up from the 240,000 the factory can make now. "Our target in the proposal is to provide a way to increase the production capacity to a number that allows Fiat Chrysler to meet its business model," Sapara told the Freep, adding that the land could be available later this summer. FCA, meanwhile, has shown a somewhat ambivalent attitude towards Toledo production, with CEO Sergio Marchionne openly discussing the pros and cons of continuing to build the Wrangler south of the Michigan border. "We are going to take a very hard look at this without ignoring what these guys have done," Marchionne told the Free Press at last month's Detroit Auto Show, adding that he'd like to keep production there, provided the cost of retooling is comparable to relocating to another facility. Related Video:

Are old airbags killers?

Takata airbags may not be the only ones with some very serious problems. A new report from TheDetroitBureau.com claims that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened its second investigation into bad airbag inflators, and this time, they aren't from Takata. The focus of this latest case is on the airbag inflators in some 500,000 older Chrysler Town and Country minivans and Kia Optima sedans, all of which come from ARC Automotive. While the Takata case looks at problems stemming from the engineering and production process, the ARC investigation focuses on the age of the inflators. As TDB explains, airbag inflators are essentially what the military refers to as shaped charges, sort of like Claymores (for fans of the Call of Duty series). In combat, they blow up in a specific direction, protecting those behind the explosion, although in the case of airbags, the explosion "[creates] a precise rush of hot gases" that inflate the bags. NHTSA's worry is that with the increased average age of today's vehicles, years and years of being bounced, jolted, and shaken about and exposed to often-radical temperature changes have altered the nature of the explosives in these vehicles, causing too big of an explosion. "It may be a reasonable assumption that as these things age they deteriorate." – Analyst George Peterson "It may be a reasonable assumption that as these things age they deteriorate," analyst George Peterson told TheDetroitBureau.com. NHTSA boss Mark Rosekind backed up aging angle. "Cars are lasting on the road a lot longer than ever before," Rosekind told TDB, adding that seals could start breaking down. "Is aging now an issue? That's part of the investigation going on." NHTSA has only identified two "incidents" so far, although according to Center for Auto Safety Director Clarence Ditlow, there's genuine concern that there could be additional unidentified cases. "Could we have missed more? That could be the case," Ditlow told TDB, citing the misidentified deaths in the Takata investigation. Ditlow was quick to point out that, even in older vehicles, airbags are much more likely to protect than harm. "No one is saying you should disable your airbags," the safety advocate told TDB. "You're far more likely to be helped than hurt by one if they go off." At least one automaker, meanwhile, has already been advised of the investigation by NHTSA and is checking its airbags.

Autoblog sell-it-yourself highlight: 2004 Chrysler Crossfire

Chrysler's Crossfire was the most fortuitous product of the Chrysler and Daimler-Benz merger when it launched, but also the most tormented. Clothed in Chrysler sheetmetal, the Crossfire sat atop a Mercedes platform and was propelled by an M-B drivetrain. The upscale vibe was obvious, while its outlier status on a Chrysler showroom dominated by minivans, was preordained. As Autoblog reported in May 2006, "production of the Crossfire [fell] from a peak of 35,700 in 2003 to just 12,500 last year. Introduced in 2003, the Crossfire managed about 28,000 sales in 2004, but less than 10,000 in 2005. Chrysler was so desperate to move Crossfires in late 2005 that it even engaged in a marketing stunt when it attempted to sell units on Overstock.com." Most specialized two-seaters (or 2+2 coupes) invariably run into marketing reality; once the novelty wears off, there is little sustained support for a small, impractical vehicle in modern America. Conversely, if looking for a recreational vehicle with a possible upside as an investment, you'll be hard pressed to find a more accessible example than the Crossfire. Our for-sale example, located in Randleman, NC, looks to be well maintained and has the preferred manual transmission. There are few credible guides for evaluating the price, but the $3,750 ask falls in line with a decent Miata of the same vintage and mileage. A buyer should remember that the Mercedes-sourced drivetrain of this era can be a financial swamp, but with a clean Carfax and pre-purchase inspection, Chrysler's Crossfire can provide real driving enjoyment. Related Video: Chrysler Car Buying Used Car Buying Ownership Coupe Luxury Performance chrysler crossfire