Chrysler 300 Product Review

In my first experience with driving a vehicle sporting the Hemi motor, I found myself being impressed with how effortlessly the vehicle zipped through an intersection when the light turned green.

I had the opportunity to drive the higher end vehicle with the better motor and all of the "bells and whistles". Indeed, there were so many power options and other little oddities to the vehicle that I never did have the chance to test them all.

I was amused by the automatic windshield wipers that turned on to remove the morning dew and again in the slight sprinkle of rain during the day.

I found myself being entertained by the "memory" features that automatically return the seat and steering wheel to preset positions.

The factory sound system was one of the best I've come across, and I was able to turn the bass to maximum level and do the same with the volume without a lot of distortion. I was messing around with the radio long before I figured out where the cruise control was, so I was very fortunate in that apparently neither the state trooper nor the sheriff that were on the road I travel between my jobs had their speed gun sighted on me.

I feel I must admit that there's a little sumpin' sumpin' about driving a sporty new vehicle that elevates the driving experience. I saw that the other people on the streets were actually taking notice of the car I was driving instead of focusing their full attention on me and my "underwear model" good looks. (That should warrant some comments from my sisters. You guys have been a tough crowd recently!) :)

But my time with the vehicle was short lived, for it's not mine. It's the newest toy of the father figure. So on my last trip with the 300 - I opened the sunroof all the way, rolled the front windows down, set the cruise control (I'd figured out how to operate it at this point.), and popped in a CD with a good amount of "bass thump".

I then set off down the highway - aimed toward the father-figure's previous vehicle, which was in the shop being prepared for the change-of-ownership-type-repairs it needed before I would officially take ownership of it.

And here's the best part of the whole story - which involves the bag of garbage dad had on the floor of the car in the "shotgun" spot. I realize that garbage doesn't really seem to fit what I've said so far about the vehicle, but it fits any boast I might make about me looking anything like an underwear model. :) (Ha ha, SheilaValMo...You can't use that one!)

So, anyway... I'm driving down the highway when all of a sudden a Styrofoam coffee cup slowly rises up and out of the garbage bag like it's being lifted out by the fingers of an invisible passenger. (Mind you, this is the "Shotgun" spot... which was the most dangerous spot to be in for someone on a stagecoach that was being held up by anyone wishing to forcibly stop the stage. If it had been at night, I might have found this a little creepy.)

The cup continued to rise in slow-mo until it reached about neck level, where it hovered for a moment. At this point, any chance or hope I might have had to entertain the notion that I was having a supernatural encounter disappeared - for the cup began rotating in continually widening circles until it reached the outer rim of the wind tunnel created by the drafts coming through the roof and windows.

I couldn't help but laugh as I thought about what the oncoming traffic was probably seeing...

There was me, the incredibly attractive underwear model looking type...driving the mean and powerful (yet sporty) Chrysler 300 with it's 18 inch tires and wide-open sunroof...
and then there was the well lit little white Styrofoam cup that was continuously zipping along it's neck-level circular path, caught in the mini tornado above the passenger seat!

And it did this for over a mile before some fluctuation in the wind caused the cup to alter it's course. Or maybe my invisible passenger just felt like beating me about the head a few times with a Styrofoam cup. At any rate, the cup exited the vehicle through the driver side window and was lost to me.

If only I would have known it longer...drawn a face on it...gave it some grass hair...named it "Solo"...

(If you've never seen the movie "Castaway", you're not going to catch the feeble attempt at humor.)

So anyway, as far as the Chrysler 300 goes, the experience with the animated cup was the most notable. The reference to the "shotgun" position of the stagecoach is actually quite fitting as it pertains to the vehicle, as the thing rides like an antique horse-pulled carriage that still has the original wood spoke wheels on it. You feel every defect in the road as you go over it!

My recommendation? I've already grown quite fond of my "new" 2001 Cadillac Deville with it's 173,000 miles on it. It's the lowest end DeVille and still rides like a dream compared to the high-end Chrysler, plus it does far better on gas.


I need to spend some quality time with the Buick this weekend.
I'm feeling a little guilty over how readily I parked it.

So, looking for a name for the car. I was thinking Link for the Lincoln, Boo for the Buick, and Devi for the Cadillac DeVille. Also looking for someone who has free garage space or a pole-barn sized shed for sale in the Granite Falls area...