What Was The Daimler Chrysler Era? A Mercedes Disaster?

In this video, I go over the Daimler Chrysler Merger between Daimler Benz and Chrysler which was from 1998-2007. I briefly cover story of the merger as well as what happened to Mercedes and Chrysler Products of the time.
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[@ahemgee9542]

I did my A Level ( last of high school) Economics paper on this merger. Had to shrink it from 12000 words into the 4000 word limit , got an A grade !

[@richardcardwell6266]

I lived through it and thankfully retired after 30 years.

[@tonychavez2083]

Agreed , Mercedes quality of the era declined but I don’t think it was because of Chrysler. Mercedes at the time in an effort to increase margins, started using different parts suppliers and tried to explore manufacturing in “other” countries. Fit and finish and overall reliability suffered tremendously. My mother in law bought a new ML at the time because I told her to, it was the worst car ever. It was Always in the shop for warranty items. The powertrain was solid but everything else was substandard for MBZ

[@UpgradeUrWinRARTrial]

The bean counters in Accounting strike again…

[@SamAbraham]

Which gen ML? The W163 first gen ML “alabama trashcan” had tons of issues in the 97/98 model years. The first year or two of the W164 MLs (2006/7ish) also had tons of issues, lots were lemoned out. Outside of those model years, they’re typically pretty solid, though notably lower interior quality than say the E class of the time.

[@tonychavez2083]

@@SamAbraham it was a 98’ model year Interior trim , electrics and switches were cheap.

[@SamAbraham]

@@tonychavez2083 Yeah, that thing was priced for the American market, and wasn't really meant to be as luxurious as the Mercedes sedans of the time either. Quite a bit cheaper than the equivalent E class as well. Durable, but nowhere near as nice. My parents had a '99 430 from 1999 to 2009. Didnt have any issues aside from an oil pan leak before we decided to trade it in for a 63

[@MercOne]

I vividly remember the R129 SL and the W140 and first generation ML all on the showroom floor at the same time. The ML felt like something from a totally different county. Just cheap junk and like you said, the powertrain was the only thing good about it. It was built to a (terrible) cost and it showed.

[@AutobahnVault]

I would argue that today's Mercedes-Benz quality is worse than during the Daimler-Chrysler era.

[@TireSlayer55]

Agreed, and I work on both.

[@hoiguy2.091]

Loved the video! Those old driving clips are gold. Ralph Gilles the head designer of SRT said himself on an episode of the Extra Throttle House that they based SRT off of AMG because they “liked the idea of a brand with 3 letters” lol. But obviously there was more to it than that! AMG for life 🤙🏼😎

[@paulm.8554]

I think one of the reasons that the quality is perceived to have declined is because MB was adding new and complicated features to some of their cars at this time. Fast forward a number of years and a bunch of technical revisions later and most of those issues were resolved. Having said that, I'm willing to put up with the higher maintenance because the M113K is a fantastic engine!

[@TheRealCatof]

They have not been resolved lol, Mercedes is still one of the least reliable brands out there.

[@paulm.8554]

I can confirm that E55 issues have been resolved over time as I own one. I have zero knowledge of any newer Mercedes though.

[@brdllc]

@@paulm.8554that’s good to hear, I’m currently looking for an e55. My dream car, it’s perfect for what I want. The horror stories of how expensive and fragile they were drove me away, but the more I dove into them it seems that the problems were overblown, at least for that specific model / generation

[@ihaia829]

⁠@@brdllcI’m not sure what gives you the impression that they are fragile. My E55 gets beat on and the car is always good

[@kidikeiv]

@@TheRealCatoffair, but compared to what? And in what class?

[@Ziyaggy]

The viper under development during this period formed the basis for the SLS Gullwing

[@corpaynz]

Randomly stumbled upon the topic and notice this was posted 2 days ago, with great amount of engagements and comments from viewers. What a great time to be alive 😁

[@EmanL8758]

The front suspension of the LX cars which was allegedly a Chrysler design, used some W220 and W203 components. Also the W211s rear suspension used on the LX cars was also used on the 2004-2008 Chrysler Pacifica crossover which was supposed to be Chrysler's answer to the Lexus RX and the fourth generation Jeep Grand Cherokee and third generation Dodge Durango used the same basic structure as the third generation ML-Class as those cars were being designed together towards the end of the merger in 2007.

[@ukwan]

Daimler-Chrylser made some seriously cool cars, but the quality was absolutely dreadful compared to the Daimler-Benz era. But the biggest issue was how badly the cars rusted during this era.

[@Sunny2456-]

Love this type of vid thank you! One of the biggest crimes is not releasing the ME412. The looks and styling were already futuristic at the time and I really wish it came out of production.

[@recon1673]

Its funny, the design for the car aged extremly well that if It had been released, I bet everyone would be all over it, not just the people in the know.

[@straightausffm1495]

I myself drive a CLK 320 Cabrio with the M112. Atleast here in germany, cars from that era were known for rust, but bulletproof engines. My dad had a 2000 ML320 with the M112. The M113, M113K. Pretty much all diesel engines from that era are bulletproof aswell. Iconic cars like the CLK with many AMG versions. (Black series and DTM). The CL, SL, SLR, E-Class W211. There were some flops like the R-Class which my dad had (nightmare) or the W220 with electronic problems. Lets say in Europe. The cars that survived the rust are very popular. And there is a big fanbase for people who fell in love with them like I did. I think the DaimlerChrysler era set the foundation for the 2010s domination from mercedes. The w204, w205, w212, w213, w222. Especially the facelifts from all those cars. Mercedes was able to set interior trends and have been dominant in interior design ever since.

[@charlesphiliparthurgeorgep4653]

The W204 & W212 have the worst interiors I’ve ever seen in any MB, new or old. It was a total downgrade from the W203 facelift and W211 in design and material quality... and wasn’t up to their previous standards whatsoever. They must have known this, because they improved it a lot with the W205 & W213. Those models once again had beautiful interiors with great material quality and elegance, and gone were the hard plastics and unappealing design philosophy of the W204 & W212. I would say that it was actually the W203, W211 and the W220/W221 that set the foundation for successful interior trends... however it wasn’t implement until the W205 and W213 were produced. The W212 & W204 can be seen as an “experimental mistake.” I’m speaking only of interiors here, not mechanically, although I do again believe that the W203, W211, W220/W221 were the last cars that MB produced that had very good build quality and engineering for long term reliability and durability. Interior quality remains great with the newest models, but their drivetrains are naturally mechanically inferior because of increased complexity and lower build cost.

[@marcelk3847]

I have a w211 m272 facelift. Its a little tank i would not trade in

[@evokki0075]

​@@charlesphiliparthurgeorgep4653Coulndt agree with you more. I drive -97 CLK with M111. And boy, the interior. I always feel so good driving my CLK after being in, well almost eny other car, its just so well made and beautifull design.

[@sergio74v41]

I don't kno why they said early 2000s amg were not reliable. I have an 01 clk55 and the m113, 722.6 motor and trans were absolutely bulletproof. Better than many years in the future

[@Leonardo555ZZZ]

Absolutely , my 2005 CLK55 has also been no problem...amazing engine and easy to service.

[@bfxieho0f111]

Lol until that transmission starts bombing itself

[@Leonardo555ZZZ]

@@bfxieho0f111 All they need is regular maintenance , a new conductor plate and pilot bushing after 15 years . They are one of the strongest transmissions and can handle big torque.

[@bfxieho0f111]

@@Leonardo555ZZZ strongest transmission is 7 and 9 G tronics and the most reliable probaby 722.3 722.4 3 and 4 speed auto G tronics

[@bfxieho0f111]

@@Leonardo555ZZZ dinosaur transmission dude truth is disappointing

[@hammer-r]

This merger reminded me of a Simpsons episode where Burns sells his nuke plant to the Germans. Then they see what crap they bought and sells it back to them at a great loss. Hmmmm familiar? Check it out.

[@BobBenz55]

Was a bit strange… even the M137 V12 was a lower power engine then the one it replaced the M120. At least they sorted that with the M275 and all the V engines where SOCH rather then DOCH. Having said that my SL55 has 200K on the clock so there are very reliable engines 😇

[@christianketterer7652]

Great Video, but I disagree with the notion that the merger wasn’t the reason for the decline of the Mercedes quality. I worked for Daimler in the management and for alliance projects at the time. It was definitely not Chrysler‘s fault though. Daimler was on a buying spree at the time essentially buying Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Ford Trucks, Thomas Built Buses etc. spending more than 40 Billion € at the time. Those high price tags at the time without the returns through economies of scale led to brutal investment and cost cuttings resulting in the deterioration of the product quality. Terrible leadership and bad management decisions caused by the hubris of Schrempp and his C-Level peers as well as the terrible McKinsey advice promoting the „Global Carmaker“ and bigger is better at the time were to blame for the mess.

[@SamAbraham]

Some of those old clips from the merger with MB models alongside Chrysler ones are so cursed 😂 Especially the ones with Dr. Z. Awesome video as usual!

[@2steaksandwiches665]

Compare Mercedes S class build quality from the 80s to one made today. those old ones were tanks that you still see around. You won’t see many S class Mercedes from now around in 2045.

[@johnobrien8773]

I feel like the introduction of a reasonably priced rear wheel drive sedan was so successful that nobody really tried it again.

[@donelmediterraneo8626]

I like how Mercedes is run by Ola Kallenius now, with that 100% electrification strategy : - They're focusing only on 3 brands : the main brand Mercedes-Benz + AMG on the performance side + Maybach on the luxury side and that's it. - They've shared the ownership and handed the management of Smart to Geely - Ended their 40% ownership of McLaren both in Formula 1 and after the SLR production once they bought the 2009 Formula 1 world champion team Brawn GP because of their complicated relationship with McLaren CEO at that time, Ron Dennis. - Made a strategic partnership with Aston Martin with only a 20% ownership that benefits both companies.

[@shayanvasseghi]

I believe that the quality of mercedes declined in 2000s but in compare to 90s. The cost cuttings were so little that in compare to nowadays its nothing. The expectations were so high that w220 wasn't enough to be the successor of w140. (In first glance at least). but after merger they replaced front double wishbone suspension of w211 with McPherson in w212(just as an example of cost cutting underneath the skin). I think overall the cars from the daimler Chrysler era were so awful that you can rarely find one or so awsome that we still compare them to newer cars.

[@charlesphiliparthurgeorgep4653]

The front strut design isn’t always a cost cutting measure. The W124 and W201 had it, and they’re some of the best cars that Mercedes ever produced. They’re known to have no expense spared in their design and engineering. Sometimes packaging, reliability and weight concerns are the reason strut suspension is used. Like it or not, it’s simpler with fewer moving parts... meaning less to go wrong or wear out.

[@shayanvasseghi]

@@charlesphiliparthurgeorgep4653 that was just an example. I think the ride quality of w211 was better than w212.

[@charlesphiliparthurgeorgep4653]

@@shayanvasseghi I agree.

[@davidhayes4814]

All sounds familiar. BL in 70s became massive (for UK), yet no economies of scale were realised …. Just internecine squabbling. At least Chrysler and MB survived.

[@mohammadalfattal2902]

amazing video like always

[@igarrett113]

Also the 2011-2022 WK2 Grand Cherokee shared components with the 2011-2019 Mercedes M/GLE. They were deployed together.

[@BarrettCharlebois]

Lol, it’s neat when you mention JD Power. I work there, project coordinator in the Stellantis unit (formerly Fiat Chrysler)

[@lawrencefearon6830]

Fantastic video. Production and research quality is unsurpassed here on KZbin. In my opinion from a R230 perspective, there's a tangible difference between early R230 mechanical resiliency and post second facelift resiliency. Like how early R230 SL's were plagued by the SBC Drive-By-Wire issue [later corrected by NHTSA recall and 25 year warranty]. Or the Battery Control Module deterioration issue. Even the capabilities jumped post merger with steerable headlights post 2009 model year being one significant advancement. But early quality wasn't bad, it was just pre-mature in those major examples.

[@frankrocha8579]

Need a w212 M157 vs M156 comparison video! Similar to the w211 e55 vs e63

[@dieseljagwar6673]

I own both an SRT8 charger and a Stage 1 AMG C43. And I'll always love them both!!

[@dylanhebert7313]

Mercedes Benz quality has been horrible lately. The “leather” seats on a 2014 or 15 shouldn’t be ripping the way they do.

[@WagenDas]

I work in the car industry. I specialize in Mercedes performance tuning. And l really enjoyed this video. I also own an R171 SLK55 AMG, didn’t know it has a distant relative Dodge SRT.

[@Willburys]

The Same Desaster as BMW with Rover!

[@panjoshua6251]

Omg I completeeeeely forgot about that ME412 concept car!!! Seeing it again gave me flashbacks to my childhood 🥲

[@TheyCallMeMrMaybe]

The long term damage to Chrysler persists as one mandate Daimler made was that all Chrysler brands needed to start sharing a showroom. It's done long term damage to the overall fleet & variety of cars sold by each brand. Today, Jeep is the only brand with a wide variety of vehicles in a CDJ showroom with SUVs & crossovers ranging from the Fiat 500-based Renegade to the Grand Wagoneer. Chrysler's about to kill the 300 so their only vehicle will be the Pacifica. Dodge's fleet will be reduced to the Durango and Hornet; the former still being based on the old WK2 Grand Cherokee from 2011 & the latter being a rebadged Alfa Romeo Tonale. And RAM was split off into its own brand & division within Stellantis. Only selling pickup trucks & rebadged Fiat Ducato fans. Soon, you'll only be seeing Jeep & RAM as the only brands at these dealerships as Stellantis (the new parent company) is looking to kill any brands not selling any meaningful vehicles within the next 10 years. Chrysler & Dodge are very well on that chopping block.

[@print-master]

I had a 1999 C43 AMG estate T modell. Very fast reliable M113 V8. Tough robust interior unlike my 2016 C63s estate which is not robust and marks easily. The seats on my C43 were beautiful upholstery and were nearly as good when i sold the car after 12 years and 120,000 miles. What let the car down was it has crap corrosion resistance and I had to replace both wings, under the doors rotted and eventually even the rear subframe bolts corroded. Do you think MB honoured their well advertised 30 anti corrosion warranty ?

[@kev7co]

Back when 43 meant 4.3 L v8 😂

[@print-master]

@@kev7co it was actually 4266, but who’s arguing

[@HamiltonMechanical]

I worked their customer support hotline back in 2005-2006. It was HELL. Based out of Oak Ridge Tennessee. Pay was terrible and we got yelled at for 8 hours a day. No customer was happy lol. Intrepids were the worst though, Engine would blow, sludged up, not covered under warranty if they didn't have oil change records, 8-9k for a new engine, they lost their job, wife left em, took the kids, lost their house.... etc. like a bad country song. That and freaking jeep cherokee rotors. MY GOD FOLKS. THEY ARE ROTORS! Folks got so pissed about those stupid things and if you went to auto zone and got some they were 10x better, believe it or not, aftermarket was fine, OEM was poor quality. My final straw was a brand new town a country folks bought went from michigan to alabama and broke down. parts were not on national back order so could not get anything expedited, and at the time we were being told that you could not take a rental car across state lines. WTF? So no rental. Those folks were in a bad space man, and there was nothing I could do to help. Set my headset on my managers desk and walked out, never looked back. P.S. we also got harrassed and hazed by the upper tier call line because essentially DC moved their most volume calls to Oak RIdge, we made $7.50-8.00 per hour, those guys at the time made like 22-24 and they were in Michigan. So that caused not only a lot of tension, but a lot of miscommunication intentionally and unintentionally between the two branches.

[@MidnightPolaris800]

Like.a bad country song 😂😂😂

[@BigGuy10Points]

The R-Class was a rebranded dodge Journey and Chrysler Pacifica.

[@Kenpachi66]

very informative, never knew that chrysler models were based/inspired on the mercs, let alone the srt

[@high5compliments45]

The crossfire is build on the slkR170 frame and even the buttons,ashtray are the same

[@vwaudiporsche11]

Please do a video on the merge between Nissan and Renault. Tell us how Nissan's quality and reliability hit the floor compared to the 70s and 80s when it was called Datsun. The transition to the Nissan name as well

[@johnnyanderson3287]

So, if I am interested in buying a preowned Benz, what is the most recent model year I should consider buying?

[@chadhaire1711]

NEVER NEVER own a Benz or ANY German car without factory warranty....is that simple enough?

[@jackdough8164]

I will say some of the most reliable Chryslers I’ve known of were from that period so maybe they helped them a bit with that lol

[@rimax82]

if they had named the company ChryslerBenz... 😎

[@wernerdanler2742]

I had an 85 300d turbodiesel from 01 to 05 with 280k miles on it when I traded it for an 03 A6 Audi. Big mistake. My Mercedes was immaculate with little problems. I bought an 01 e320 in 17 and had to let it go a few months ago because of a bad ecu. The drivetrain and body were solid. I did have to have the conductor plate replaced early on. The interior was absolute crap with only 156k miles on it.

[@charlesphiliparthurgeorgep4653]

Not surprising. The W210 was a disaster in multiple ways. You’d have been much better off with a well maintained 2004-2005 W211.

[@jayrasheed]

Merc learned so much in that partnership. They gained clean access to the American infrastructure of the automotive world. That marriage produced the ML and mercs entry into the suv. Merc learned how to cut corners and weight build quality / reliability on future models. Imo

[@donnie2832]

Maybe Daimler should have bought Opel when it went up for sale.

[@flyonwall360]

I started working for Daimler Chrysler a few years after the merger. I worked for a bus manufacturer called Orion Bus. I had friends who worked there, and at first, they thought it was a good idea. When I was there, I watched most of the top management get replaced by Germans. Eventually, Daimler dumped Chrysler, and the bus company became Daimler Commercial Busses North America. After working there for 5 years, I decided that it was time to go. A couple of years after I left, Daimler shut the factory down and left over 400 workers without a job. Needless to say, both Daimler and Chrysler left a bad taste in the mouths of many in the area. The last Chrysler product I owned was back in 2000. I'll probably never own another Daimler or Chrysler product. For the past 15 years, I have been driving KIA products and love the reliability.

[@aaadamt964]

That's the first time I've ever heard Kia described as reliable.

[@almighty1158]

@@aaadamt964😂😂😂

[@MrRjnr]

I wanted a gold '99 or '00 C280 🙃

[@fuffoon]

The thumbnail looks nice. Pretty car.

[@jeffbranch8072]

This video misses the real reason for the M-B takeover of Chrysler. In 1994 BMW bought the Rover Group in the UK. BMW wanted to expand into lower priced cars and simultaneously into SUV's. Buying the Rover Group gave them both while not dragging the BMW brand name down. Also, Honda had gotten into the European market by partnering with Rover. Honda bought 20% of Rover stock, but by not buying a controlling interest of Rover this left Honda vulnerable. BMW stepped in and bought the remaining 80% of Rover stock taking control, then forced Honda to sell their 20%, which spanked Honda right out of Europe. This was a masterfully executed chess move that nobody anticipate. The automotive press hailed it as the business move of the decade. Then everyone turned to M-B to see what they would do... M-B had no plans for what to do with Chrysler, but by buying one of Detroit's "Big Three" they sought to one-up BMW. And that's essentially all it was - German arrogance.

[@nlpnt]

The sad thing is there had been a successful model of an auto merger right under their noses, from when Chrysler bought out AMC a decade before. The LH-cars were heavily based on AMC-Renault era engineering where the French side knew they didn't know much about big cars and Kenosha had a lot of design input on the Premier which, aside from questionable (and quickly dated) French interior aesthetics that would go away in the redesign and the miserable PRV V6 also due to be thrown out, was a far superior platform to develop the new generation of big FWD cars from than anything that could be derived from the aging K platform.

[@newb529]

Colt here with my m113k swap SRT6

[@martymiller4300]

I always assumed that Mercedes held their corporate nose and swallowed the Chrysler medicine in order to grandfather in with the UAW. The establishment of Mercedes American production seems kinda coincidental and it’s typical of German strategy to sidestep the dance lesson and buy the ballroom instead. As far as products the 300/Charger/Challenger trio look like overweight leftovers from the prior generation of Mercedes sedans. With all the spud and fury of the 700 horsepower blah blah blah everyone overlooks the 4,400 lb curb weight of the 2 door Challenger. The ZF 8 speed automatic in the RWD cars and SUV’s was poorly represented and came off as totally unsafe with their revolutionary shifter that doesn’t tell your what gear you’re in.

[@moppedit28]

M727's balance shaft, C class' front 21mm stabillizer, 722.9's red ATF. 3 things that I will remember forever from W203.

[@Scouter98]

What's with the stabilizer? I just found out MB does not list the bushings as a replacement part on my S203, lmao. I do like the car a lot though.

[@moppedit28]

​@@Scouter98yep, MB will ask you to replace the whole bar if any those worn out. There are companies producing the bushings but they are for bigger brackets version, mine's unfortunately the A2033232740 which is smaller. So far I found only PUs fit for my brackets.

[@95blahblahhaha]

These years had the best "ideas" from Chrysler but the WORST quality. Benz sucked what Chrysler had and then left. Hell Sergio Marchionne said most Chryslers were "unfit for human consumption" 😂😂

[@Blackrims23]

Chrysler build quality and reliability is so dead. Like when their cars get to around 50 or even as lows as 20k they have so major issues. Don’t get me started on the pentastars. But at least the Dodges are better

[@AssassinBeef]

Can you make a video about the ABC suspension?

[@ma1375]

I like their creativity

[@LaszloLendl]

It was a nightmare for the worlds best car... Mercedes of 4-6 month of age started to rust etc... embarrassing

[@BarrettCharlebois]

The best vehicle to come out of this was the grand Cherokee with a merc diesel engine

[@nlpnt]

The "Daimler" name should've been retired forever in the DaimlerChrysler/PAG era. Ever since the German Daimler company had licensed their name along with their patents so profligately 100 years before and then introduced the Mercedes name when British Daimler started eclipsing their own products it had been confusing that one company was called Daimler and another, completely separate one had the rights to call a car Daimler.

[@travisseabrooks2739]

There is a difference i got a 06 s500 sport not fully loaded dash not leather etc. Lots of cheap plastics , no back up camera till the w221 07

[@EddieFly00]

The Chrysler Crossfire is my most hated car on earth because it was a rip off of the 1st gen Mercedes SLK, which I own. It used the first generation platform, while the second generation was being produced. So every time I see one I get mad like Richard, Hammond gets mad at Nissan Jukes.

[@BenzoDopamine]

Crossfire is nicer and more proportionate. Slk looks like a mouse

[@MidnightPolaris800]

​@@BenzoDopamineagreed

[@nawscawp]

Best period imo

[@davidperry4013]

My favorite C class is the W204 especially the C63 AMG.

[@Psycheart]

SRT was based off of and inspired by AMG, some higher up at SRT mentioned it in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qpvWY4qgZdCig68&ab_channel=ExtraThrottleHouse They get into a really great convo about Mercedes, and how Dodge is planning for the future, along with a lot of the thought process for amazing vehicle designs like the Viper, Charger and more.

[@MyerShift7]

Considering Chrysler's history with performance V8's and potent turbo 4's, I disagree entirely

[@Psycheart]

it wasn't a point for agreement, its what someone at SRT said... is SRT even 40 years old? haha@@MyerShift7

[@MaximilianvonPinneberg]

It was disastrous from Mercedes. It destroyed their quality and they’re still suffering from it today.

[@T-41]

Daimler people convinced themselves they could run a US mass market car company better than the guys who were doing it. (In Bob Eaton’s case, they were partially right). As this shows they were completely mistaken. There was some justice however. So much cash had been bled , that the firesale price they sold to the financial bandits at Cerberus caused Daimler to lose the millions they had put into the acquisition. Arrogance has its cost. Cerberus of course did worse running it and lost the whole thing in bankruptcy. More justice.

[@michaelmcfeely6588]

Chrysler took bailouts, twice. I despise companies that take bailouts.

[@SDRIFTERAbdlmounaim]

Bob Eaten got himself Eaten 😂

[@AA-vr8ez]

Has Mercedes quality/reliability improved in recent times?

[@victortaveira8271]

By a lot. Merc 9G is fantastic and build to outlive by lot the car

[@MyerShift7]

No. Only fanbois and the ignorant say yes.

[@alpzepta]

Probably worse you still better off with a 90s Mercedes-Benz for Toyota like reliability

[@chadhaire1711]

@@victortaveira8271 BULLSHIT

[@paulj9821]

⁠what are you talking about. The new Merc cars have serious interior issues. Just google it

[@SY-tn2io]

You forgot to mention the Challengers

[@chaitanyaupadhyay5688]

Day 56 of asking please make a video on buying guide for Mercedes Benz w140

[@Scouter98]

You either spend 20€k on a good one or buy a piece of shit and spend six months welding and painting. That's about it, no need for a video.

[@mypronouniswtf5559]

Chrysler was the most profitable car company in the 1990's....Iaccoca said he messed up by giving Eaton the leadership at Chrysler as he sold out! Mercedes was losing money and going bust in the 1990's,they stole Chrysler's reserve money and propped up the Mercedes brand!

[@hypernovatv911]

I became a Chrysler fan back in 1993 and when the merger happened, I was anxious for Mercedes to improve the reliability of those cars. It never really happened. There seems to be a history of European executives not being able to figure out how to market to Americans. T-Mobile and DaimlerChrysler were perfect examples. America’s do not find Germans the least bit funny so the doctor Z commercials were an absolute and complete disaster. He attempted to be a Lee Iacocca, but Lee was a marketing master, and while Dr. Z might be smart he is no Lee Iacocca. Sergio Marchionne was probably the best CEO of Chrysler since Walter P Chrysler ran the company. If you look at a charger from pre-Fiat Chrysler and post FiatChrysler, they couldn’t be more different. Carlos Tavares has already been a disaster and I don’t think it’s going to get better. I hadn’t thought about this subject for many years. Now that I watched this video, I can’t see how anybody gained anything from this merger. It was a total and complete waste of time for both companies.

[@victortaveira8271]

Fiat burned a lot of cash in Chryslers and Dodge. So, PSA takeover FIAT group except Ferrari. To save themself, Macchione created RAM and made Jeep bigger. Tavares gave each brand 10 years, cash and independence to make through, otherwise doom. My question is it good to create such competition inside the Stellanttis

[@JamesAutoDude]

Really every brand was crap during that era

[@kylerobinson8913]

And MB started making minivans.

[@jonthompson8807]

All I know is the Jeep Grand Cherokee if this time benefited from their drive train.

[@colinschmitz8297]

Thank you for an excellent video and not dumping on Chrysler. I agree that much credit is due to Mercedes concerning the LX cars and the generation afterwards. The transmission, AWD, suspension components, and so forth are thanks to Mercedes. I will note that Chrysler had been looking into doing this prior to the merger but the stories indicated that Mercedes helped to make this happen sooner. I also believe SRT was born from the Viper team and Chrysler spirit of turning crazy concepts into reality but again this was one decision made by Mercedes management that was great. I really wished the merger would have worked. I think if they would have used the second generation SLK and used hemi engines, with a similar quality interior, I think the crossfire would have worked. I think if Chrysler managers would have had autonomy and they worked together on rwd platforms, transmissions, diesels in cars and SUVs, and other areas where it made sense, focused Chrysler as being a Cadillac competitor, I think it could have worked.

[@high5compliments45]

SLK R170💪

[@OneManOnFire]

I got my Dodge Sprinter van due to this merger. Known for rust 😞😞😞

[@alexandermathar7780]

You should really ask Dr Z.

[@vintagehaynesflute]

The death started with the hiring of Juergen Schrempp at Daimler Benz and Bob Eaton at Chrysler. Neither understood what their products meant to buyers. Schrempp put the bean counters in at Mercedes and cars started being built to a price point, not to quality point. When the Mercedes Chrysler merger happened the Chrysler bean counters got involved and Mercedes started using MOPAR parts which were not up to Mercedes standards. Then the recession hit and Chrysler was losing half a billion a quarter which caused the final takeover. Schrempp could not or would not understand the US market. Americans stopped buying American cars because they just didn’t have the cash. With Mercedes however people who have a lot of money will almost always have money so Mercedes sales wasn’t really affected. I really don’t buy your premise that Mercedes quality would have dropped anyway. The Mercedes people were concerned about Chrysler dropping like a shot goose and tried to save it. This wasted tons of time and money that could have been spent on Mercedes issues. You may disagree with me but I inherited Daimler-Benz stock from my grandfather in 1975 and now it’s Mercedes Benz group stock so I’ve followed the company for over 40 years. And yes I voted against the merger.

[@MyerShift7]

Wrong. No Mercedes had any Chrysler part*, but Mercedes shoved plenty of their parts into Chryslers. They didn't want Chrysler ruining their image. Keep repeating the lies though

[@vintagehaynesflute]

@@MyerShift7 sorry but my 2002 E 320 had a brake switch that failed and when i changed it out both switches had MOPAR on them as well as the chrysler pentastar. sorry but youre wrong sir

[@KCCardCo]

Did you buy it new?​@@vintagehaynesflute

[@paulj9821]

@@vintagehaynesflutewow, rare cherry picked example. Also you are spreading lies(not about the part). Where I am confused is your claim on keeping up. How you could of never read "How Daimler-Benz Drove Off With Chrysler"

[@vintagehaynesflute]

@@paulj9821 I did. I also read several other articles AND I was and am a shareholder. Everyone was ecstatic when the stock went to $125 a share. Then it sank like a rock. As you are an outsider I think you should watch your mouth.

[@axjason]

What do you get when you put a three-point star and a five-point star together very expensive piece of crap

[@MyerShift7]

Daimler absolutely gutted Chrysler. They wanted Chrysler's war chest of profits from the 90's and the Jeep brand. They cut quality. Styling. Eliminated American engineering and talent. Eaton and Daimler raped Chrysler, and now they are nearly dead and part of a super conglomerate. Chrysler was full-line, and look what happened. Completely unacceptable, and should have never been permitted. I will never forgive any of them.

[@axjason]

Chrysler crossfire was a piece of crab. It used the underpinnings the Mercedes, c 230

[@Rod-bp8ow]

Henry is Quality and details based, while Mercedes is excellence and sheer in its legendary art. DIE' Vehiculo Uno calidad, Henry en Mercedes Solientes calidad Incorporaccione. ****This is NON ALGORITHM Standards of excellence for communication, Int'l languages incorporated only and so as dicenio preparateur. **** IMPORTANCIA**** Ci.

[@Blackrims23]

They could have merged with BMW or VW group

[@suhailshabir9305]

One of the best cars i had in 2008 was my 2004 chryler grand voyager from reliability to the drive and feel of the car was 10/10 and i loved showing of the boot could open using my key fob. I own a 2015 Mercedes viano now also a 10/10

[@sunnohh]

Mercedes ruined chrysler, not the other way around!

[@moparcorvette8056]

Yeah

[@machpodfan]

Sure, but I have two products of the era, 2006 Dodge Magnums, and they are some of the very best cars I've ever had, especially the wild SRT8. I am holding onto them for good, have almost no complaints.

[@louislepage5111]

They figured that Americans would by anything, no matter how crappy it was

[@hEXordo]

Shieet out of my 6 mercedes amgs I've owned my ml55 was the most rock solid reliable

[@somedude4805]

The everything-Chrysler era is always trash. Everyone who gets into bed with Chrysler suffers for it. Benz, Maserati, all who get in bed with Chrysler have their prestige destroyed by Detroit’s satisfaction with mediocrity. Maserati apparently needs to learn a second time.

[@alexandrustefan9059]

Personally I think the w211 will still be the best e class ever made, despite of some reliability issues

[@thatmatty231guy]

Agreed 👍🏼

[@w210black]

W210 not 211

[@powerboatguy2308]

Well, the result is now you have 2 brands with a bunch of electrical problems, reliability issues and serious depreciation to this day, aside from a few models (the Wrangler and Challenger and for Mercedes the G Wagon and a coupe of the AMG models)..

[@MrMaze.]

300c chrysler had mercedes om642 engine

[@MyerShift7]

No. Not one single U.S. Chrysler product had a Mercedes-Benz engine in it that was GAS powered.

[@MrMaze.]

@@MyerShift7 Yes, only diesel. And only for European and Australian market.

[@kkcom01]

It was a disaster for Chrysler

[@simonf8902]

I’m so shamed my beautiful MB CLK bears the shameful Daimler Chrysler Id plate. 😢

[@CoolHand273]

Just an association with chrysler will sink any brand's perception. I remember looking at early 2000 MBZ and thinking how plasticky and flimsy their $90K cars were.

[@MyerShift7]

And yet, Chrysler had nothing to do with the development of those products. You must not be familiar with lead times on the engineering of these products. MB quality was down and they were losing money. That's why they bought Chrysler.

[@TheRealCatof]

Anyone that knows cars knows having "German" or any Euro design is not a good thing.

[@bluecollarbuilds]

The only good thing to come out of this was the Gen 3 Hemi