I am going to be looking at a 1962 chrysler 300 to buy and am looking for information on the known weak spots or expensive repairs, or hard to find parts that i should check out. The car is very reasonably price so i am very weary.

Generally speaking they were a well made car. The electroluminescent instrument panel was a unique feature of Chryslers and can be something of a nightmare to repair. They were prone to rust out as were most cars of that time. Look carefully at the bottoms of the fenders, rocker panels, floors, trunk floor, and inspect the underside especially the frame rails at the back, over the axle and around the spring attachment points.

Pushbutton drive transmission was another feature of 1957-64 Chrysler products. It is cable operated and trouble free as a rule.

Rear wheel hubs must be removed with a special puller to get access to the rear brakes. This type axle was used by many cars in the 30s and 40s. Chrysler went to the modern style about 1965.

Other than that treat it as you would any second hand car that passed its best before date when Cher was a virgin.

I own one of these, ( for 26 years now ). What kind of condition is the one you are buying? Lenses and emblems are available after market. Seat upholstery is available as NOS fabric, or leather after-market. Weatherstrip is available. Disk brake conversion kits are available. New dash pads can be made for them from www.justdashes.com. The engines and transmissions are well engineered on these cars, the 383 engine is good solid V-8 smooth running V-8, and 1962 is the first year of the new aluminum Torqueflite 727 automatic transmission, the best automatic ever made. Rust areas are the front fenders around the headlights and at the bottom in front of the door where they drain, and rear quarter panels and the trunk floor. Let me know any help you may need.

Thanks guys looked at it today the only rust is in the trunk the rockers and fenders are really nice. The owner was selling it as a 300h but it was not so, now we are negotiating on a price. it is a non-running car with a bad trunk lid,(owner said the people he bought it from were kidnapped and locked in it so the police had to pry it open) and the front fender is mashed, hope to save it from the crusher. thanks again for the help.

Incidentally car tester Tom McCahill called a 1962 Chrysler 300 the best car he ever tested. This was in a retrospective article recalling his 30 years of testing cars for Mechanix Illustrated.

He recalled it as a good all rounder, not necessarily the fastest or most economical etc but well above average in all respects. He also said he drove it for many thousands of miles in all kinds of road conditions and weather conditions and it never missed a lick or gave a second's trouble.

Here's Tom's quote from the original car test on the 1962 300-Sport:

"I had the car for over a month, and had as many adventures with it as a Siberian trapper would have in Miami Beach. ......The new 300 is the old Windsor, sexed up and poured into a sport suit.....When you slide behind the wheel you get the feeling that this is a big compact, and not an oversized barge as awkward to handle as wearing moose antlers in a telephone booth..... A functional car that gives top performance with lots of room for beaucoup stuff, which might include wine, weazels or women...... In summing up, the (1962) Chrysler 300 is the best value in the medium priced field that I have driven in several years."

See more of Tom's quotes here. http://clubs.hemmings.com/clubsites/viwpc/quotes.htm