2012 Chrysler 300

Chrysler 300

The Chrysler 300’s never really made sense on South African streets. Sure, it’s got presence—big, brash, unapologetically American—but when you line it up against the BMW 5 Series or Mercedes-Benz E-Class, you start to see why it never caught on here. Those Germans have dealer networks you actually trust, parts you can actually find, and a whole ecosystem that just works for buyers who don’t want surprises. The Chrysler’s petrol engine and semi-automatic gearbox sound fair enough for a big, rear-wheel-drive bruiser on paper at least, but with exactly one car listed at R199,900, let’s not kid ourselves: this isn’t a segment, it’s a unicorn. That price tells you most of what you need to know—you’re not buying into a brand, you’re buying a one-way ticket to orphaned American ownership. You’re looking at a single 300C 3.6 Luxury Series from 2012, sitting at 160,240 km. That’s a lot of road, and more than a decade of hoping nothing major goes wrong, because if it does, you’re on your own. If you want a different spec or model year, too bad—this is the only dance partner in the room. The few South Africans who still want a 300 are usually die-hards who know the risks: parts are a mission, dealer support is a memory, and the resale’s just not there. Stack it up against an E-Class W212 or 5 Series F10 at the same money and the Chrysler looks like a gamble. It’s a car for someone who wants exactly this, warts and all, and that’s the point.