i may be the proud owner of a 2002 sebring this saturday. before i set the money down what are some of the tings i need to look for on this year car? it is a convertible lx auto 2.7 140k power everything. so outside of the obvious what are some of the problem areas i need to check for to make sure i'm getting a car that is ok. what question should i ask the owner that are not ordinary mechanical things to ask but particular to these cars. the lebaron had the back windows that gave fits and the transmission also was a bad one after som any miles.

is this 2.7 engine a good engine and does it have a timing belt that i may have to ask about did he change it ever?

is the transmission a good one and does it require the special chrysler fluid like the a604 did or that one burned up.

maybe rotors and wheel bearings?

top?

windows?

seat motors?

anything that is particular to these cars and this year?

thanks


oh and this one does not have the data traveler by any chance does anyone happen to have a spare or one from a damaged car? i would like to get that in the dash. gray color. and the top is black but the car is missing the boot anyone happen to have one of those they don't need anymore? thanks

 

The engine can be good if it has been well maintained. Some have developed a problem with sludge, but changing the oil as recommended can minimize the likelihood of that.
The 2.7L engine has a timing chain, not a belt.
Check the condition of the oil. If it looks like chocolate milk you have a water pump leak into the crankcase. Reparable but with difficulty as the water pump is behind the timing chain.
The fabric of the top often gets separated from the glass at the bottom of the rear window. Search the forum here for repair ideas.
The front suspension may need attention: Upper ball joints, shocks (struts), sway bar ends, tie rod ends. This is normal maintenance.
Pads, rotors: normal maintenance.
Cooling system: Coolant outlet manifold leaks - search forum for discussions.
Oil pan gasket leaks: Repairable.
Transmission: Solenoid pack leaks. Easy DIY repair.
Heater function: Replace the control head. Easy DIY.
Boot: Keep an eye out on eBay. The idiots who don't deliver them with the car when they sell it wind up trying to unload them there.

I have a 2001 with about 105k miles that stays garaged in bad weather. Runs perfect, drives great and is really nice in the summer, what we have of summer anyway around here.

 

thanks dc. most of that i knew but never hurts to get a reminder. and i keep my convertibles garaged in the winter. in fact i have 2 sleeping now. the geo and the corvair.

i found on ebay a boot wrong color but i bet a can of paint will correct that in short order.

what i would like to get is a data traveler most on ebay go for way more that they are worth but i will find one. again thanks