Chrysler does not build many cars like the Chrysler 300M: a 4-door sedan with 2.7 L Chrysler LH engine, built from 1998 to 2003 when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard.
The background
The Chrysler 300M is a full-size luxury car that was produced by DaimlerChrysler from 1999 to 2004. It is a front-wheel drive, 255 hp (190 kW; 259 PS) V6 engined car using the Chrysler LH platform.
Versus its platform mates, the 300M was roughly 10 inches (25 cm) shorter to make it more easily exportable to Europe. Priced above the Concorde and identically to the LHS, the 300M shared Chrysler's flagship position with the LHS until the LHS's discontinuation after 2001, upon which it became Chrysler's sole flagship model.
The engineering
Under the skin sits 2.7 L Chrysler LH engine; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 1660 kg. The gearbox is a 4-speed 42LE automatic with option for manual shifting. The layout matters: the engine sits behind the driver and ahead of the rear axle, which puts the mass in the middle of the car and is why mid-engined cars change direction the way they do. The wheelbase is 113.0 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Where it sits
Where it sits in Chrysler's history is not in doubt: the Chrysler 300 letter series / Chrysler 300 non-letter series / Eagle Vision came before it; the Chrysler 300 (2005) followed it; it was built at Brampton, Ontario (Brampton Assembly), Canada. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Honda S2000, the Škoda Auto Škoda Fabia, the BMW X5. Its Chrysler stablemates include the Chrysler Falcon and the Chrysler Chronos.
The money
On the used market today a Chrysler 300M typically changes hands for $7,900–$32,600, and running it — fuel and maintenance at its age — costs about $3,219–$7,287 a year. Insurance sits around $1,150–$2,460 a year. The figures are class-level estimates from the federal record, with the formula on the methodology page; the model-year pages carry complaints, recalls and repair costs year by year.