[macfantn]

I keep seeing commercials for their Nitro, you know the one with the car falling through the earth. That car is pretty ugly imho, and I highly doubt it's reliable, and I'm sure the gas mileage is bad too. Who wouuld buy such car?

[Kevin]

I have a dodge. Love it.

[Blasphemy]

No, I don't drive one, and never have.

[macfantn]

what model do you have?

[mac128k-1984]

I have a Dodge Dakota. Good reliable truck, milage is what one expects from a truck,i.e, not great. If I had to buy a truck again, it would be a dodge, no question.

[macfantn]

I'm sure their trucks are great, but i'm not sold on their cars

[Gossamer]

Originally Posted by macfantn 

I highly doubt it's reliable, and I'm sure the gas mileage is bad too.

[imitchellg5]

The Nitro gets great gas mileage, 28 highway MPG. Dodge trucks are generally okay, but their cars are pretty good.

[Gossamer]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

The Nitro gets great gas mileage, 28 highway MPG. Dodge trucks are generally okay, but their cars are pretty good.

It does? autos.msn.com claims it's 18/23

[imitchellg5]

According to EPA yes. Realistically, it's worse probably. I would guess more like 24 or 25.

[JHromadka]

Everyone I know that has had a Dodge had problems with it.

[imitchellg5]

The moral of the story is don't buy American I suppose.

[Annette310]

I love my VW Jetta

[Jawbone54]

Honda man, I am.

[Lateralus]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

The moral of the story is don't buy American I suppose.

You're 16. Please don't act like you're old enough to have an opinion on the car market. There is far more to automobiles than what is spit out by stuck up auto journalists.

As for Dodge quality issues having any bearing on the American market as a whole; With the exception of their trucks, Dodge is doing nothing more than selling cars based on (old) Mercedes platforms filled with Mitsubishi parts. If that's what you call American...

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by Lateralus 

You're 16. Please don't act like you're old enough to have an opinion on the car market. There is far more to automobiles than what is spit out by stuck up auto journalists.

As for Dodge quality issues having any bearing on the American market as a whole; With the exception of their trucks, Dodge is doing nothing more than selling cars based on (old) Mercedes platforms filled with Mitsubishi parts. If that's what you call American...

How about family experience? Dodges are as American as Fords built in Mexico and Chevys built in Canada.

[sek929]

I drove an Intrepid, solid car.

Couldn't pay me to drive a Dodge truck though....

[His Dudeness]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

The moral of the story is don't buy American I suppose.

You morons realize that not all Dodge cars are made in the USA, right?

[Dakar²]

Originally Posted by Lateralus 

Dodge is doing nothing more than selling cars based on (old) Mercedes platforms filled with Mitsubishi parts. If that's what you call American...

American innovation...

[Kevin]

[Lateralus]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

How about family experience? Dodges are as American as Fords built in Mexico and Chevys built in Canada.

I'm gonna let that slide because I'm assuming you didn't think about it before you said it.

[Gossamer]

Jeremy Clarkson (Top Gear) says of the Viper:
"It really is a big red axe murderer."
then he smiles and says
"I do like it though..."

[His Dudeness]

Originally Posted by Lateralus 

I'm gonna let that slide because I'm assuming you didn't think about it before you said it.

And toyotas and BMW's built in the US.

[sknapp351]

My fiancé has a 2002 Neon.
1. Battery died within the first two weeks
2. Both front hubs had to be replaced by 15k.
3. Radio was replaced by 21k
4. Throttle Body replaced at 27k. ( She was driving down the interstate and the car stuck at wide open throttle. She had to pull into a rest stop doing 80mph and shut the car off to coast into a spot. 150 mile towing bill )
5. Transmission PCM flashed due to stalling in reverse.
6. Catalytic Converter replaced at 50k.
7. Rod Bearings, 2 motor mounts, and transmission solenoid replaced at 71k.
8. The car is now at 73k. I am sitting here typing this as I look out the window at the rental car we have while the neon is at the dealership with a another knocking from the engine. It seems that they may have screwed up the last time they fixed the engine. And the radio is dying again.

I know that this isn't typical, and we got a POS, but it will make it very hard for me to give Dodge any more money. To bad, cause I really like the Magnum and 300.
SAm

And the worst thing is that I really think that I am forgetting something else that had to be fixed.......

[powerbook867]

It might be more typical than you think sknapp351. My sister had a Neon and had a very similar experience to yours.

The car started falling apart at about the 10k point...

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by Lateralus 

I'm gonna let that slide because I'm assuming you didn't think about it before you said it.

I don't get it. And I even thought about it

[centerchannel68]

That dodge nitro concept car is going to be produced by "Cherry" a Chinese automaker. Who knows what the quality will be like, but it should be reasonably efficient as long as China isn't building the drivetrain.

But no, I probably won't own a dodge again. That company is dead to me. They sold out all the old model names that made them famous and slapped them on pieces of crap. The 'daytona' edition of the charger was hte last straw, being just a ****ing sticker job and no real performance bits, or more importantly, no aero bits (no huge wing or nosecone like the original daytona).

[centerchannel68]

Originally Posted by sknapp351 

My fiancé has a 2002 Neon.
1. Battery died within the first two weeks
2. Both front hubs had to be replaced by 15k.
3. Radio was replaced by 21k
4. Throttle Body replaced at 27k. ( She was driving down the interstate and the car stuck at wide open throttle. She had to pull into a rest stop doing 80mph and shut the car off to coast into a spot. 150 mile towing bill )
5. Transmission PCM flashed due to stalling in reverse.
6. Catalytic Converter replaced at 50k.
7. Rod Bearings, 2 motor mounts, and transmission solenoid replaced at 71k.
8. The car is now at 73k. I am sitting here typing this as I look out the window at the rental car we have while the neon is at the dealership with a another knocking from the engine. It seems that they may have screwed up the last time they fixed the engine. And the radio is dying again.

I know that this isn't typical, and we got a POS, but it will make it very hard for me to give Dodge any more money. To bad, cause I really like the Magnum and 300.
SAm

And the worst thing is that I really think that I am forgetting something else that had to be fixed.......

I had a 1997 neon.

at 27k the headgasket failed, and was replaced under warranty with the new MLS gasket. It was fine after that.

At 52k I had to replace the door 'holder opener' thing, because it was making a lame clicky noise when I opened my door.

At 75k or so my front wheel bearing failed. I bought a new hub from a junkyard for $15 and put it in myself.

At 89k my upper rear strut mount on the left side failed.

That's pretty much it. I beat the **** out of that car and it never left me stranded. On a roadtrip I got 43mpg once, and it was quite fun to drive.
'
But now, dodge's idea of a small car is the f8cking 'caliber', which weighs 3400lbs. That is effing ridiculous. My old neon weighed around 2400lbs. If Dodge ever wants me as a customer again they're going to have to make a platform that weighs well under 3000lbs, and gets over 35mpg.

[centerchannel68]

Originally Posted by macfantn 

I keep seeing commercials for their Nitro, you know the one with the car falling through the earth. That car is pretty ugly imho, and I highly doubt it's reliable, and I'm sure the gas mileage is bad too. Who wouuld buy such car?

PS: Did you know the Mini Cooper has a chrysler engine? Must be why everyone complains about it's reliablity and gas mileage.

OH WAIT! THEY DON'T!

Troll.

[brapper]

Originally Posted by centerchannel68 

PS: Did you know the Mini Cooper has a chrysler engine? Must be why everyone complains about it's reliablity and gas mileage.

OH WAIT! THEY DON'T!

Troll.

Not calling you wrong, because I haven't looked it up, but are you sure? Daimler Chrysler make Mercedes, the Mini is a BMW product...

[TailsToo]

Had a Dodge with tons of problems - I got a Honda and never had any trouble whatsoever.

[centerchannel68]

Originally Posted by brapper 

Not calling you wrong, because I haven't looked it up, but are you sure? Daimler Chrysler make Mercedes, the Mini is a BMW product...

Yep. I'm sure. The mini engine was used in the export neons for other countries for quite some time. BMW needed a powerplant that was fairly small, potent, and torquey, so they basically bought the engine from dodge, and tweaked it a tiny bit so they could have their name on it.

More here:

http://www.allpar.com/mopar/rover.html

PS: It's fun to tell MINI owners they have chrysler engines. They get pissed. haha.

[centerchannel68]

Originally Posted by TailsToo 

Had a Dodge with tons of problems - I got a Honda and never had any trouble whatsoever.

My 92 accord's coilpack failed while driving at about 110k, leaving me stranded. The front coil spring just up and broke, and the other one was about to fail, so I had to get both those replaced. The transmission failed at 135k, and I had to get that replaced. The door handles on the inside of the doors have broken twice now, and the replacements are currently starting to break again.

Hondas aren't really much different from any other car.... the engines do seem to last pretty long, but the big difference is RESALE VALUE. Because of their high resale value, I don't mind fixing things that go wrong. When I had my neon, I HATED fixing things, because it was throwing money away since the car wasn't worth anything. My point?

People generally take better care of cars that have a high resale value, because they aren't just 'wasting' money fixing things, they're maintaining an investment. A perfectly maintained neon really is not worth much more than one that needs a new suspension, exhaust, beat up interior, etc.

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by centerchannel68 

PS: It's fun to tell MINI owners they have chrysler engines. They get pissed. haha.

Well, you're overegging the cake a little. The engine was developed in a partnership between Rover and Chrysler, it's not a 100% Chrysler product.

[centerchannel68]

No, read it again.

"A very reliable source has told us that the Mini engine was "100% Chrysler designed" - same as the export PT and Neon engine - 2.0 single-cam with reduced bore size and centers."

Rover had no money. They purchased the design from Chrysler, because it was cheaper than making their own.

[Kevin]

The 2.0 DOHC 4cyl engine that was in the 1st gen Neons are a BLAST in little cars!

[centerchannel68]

Indeed. Much more fun than most honda 4 bangers. So much torque... weee!

[Lateralus]

I had my Buick pretty much totalled in a collision with an 18 wheeler a few weeks back. It still drives great (It's a Buick, whatta ya expect?) but there's so much cosmetic damage that it's not particularly reasonable to fix it.

I've been eyeing other larger sedans and this thread has got me thinking about a later model Concorde/LHS/Intrepid.

Anything bad in particular I should know? Most of what I'm reading about the later model Concorde's looks pretty good though I know the Intrepid has something of a reliability stigma surrounding it, but I'm not sure if it applies to the second generation.

[centerchannel68]

They're fine. The biggest problem with that era of chrysler (and probably today also) was the automatic transmissions are just junk. Expect to replace it if it has higher miles.

[centerchannel68]

Originally Posted by Annette310 

I love my VW Jetta

Who gives a crap? How does this pertain to this topic?!

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by Annette310 

I love my VW Jetta

Mice like cheese.

[OldManMac]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

The Nitro gets great gas mileage, 28 highway MPG. Dodge trucks are generally okay, but their cars are pretty good.

That's not "great," that's good. I have a 97 Grand Am, with the 3.1L V6, with 176,000 miles on it, and it gets 30+ on strictly highway driving, and 27 in mixed driving.

[imitchellg5]

Yeah but it doesn't have the aerodynamics of a box either or 4WD.

Originally Posted by brapper 

Not calling you wrong, because I haven't looked it up, but are you sure? Daimler Chrysler make Mercedes, the Mini is a BMW product...

Indeed they do. Oh the irony.

Originally Posted by centerchannel68 

They're fine. The biggest problem with that era of chrysler (and probably today also) was the automatic transmissions are just junk. Expect to replace it if it has higher miles.

Newer Chryslers have Mercedes-Benz trannies. My mom had a friend who had to replace her Caravan's tranny about every 90,000 miles.

[glideslope]

Originally Posted by macfantn 

I keep seeing commercials for their Nitro, you know the one with the car falling through the earth. That car is pretty ugly imho, and I highly doubt it's reliable, and I'm sure the gas mileage is bad too. Who wouuld buy such car?

Why would anyone drive a Dodge? I do like the look of the Nitro, but don't trust the drivetrain of any current Dodge. I left one that said R/T AWD on it standing still with my V6 RAV4 Sport a week ago. Plus, I get MUCH better milage, and have a car that won't start falling apart around 60,000 as most Dodges do.

But I can dig the buy American thing. It's just a car is such a crap purchase. It's the worst investment in the world. Why not at least get something that will last. Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Subaru, Mazda (the ones made in Japan.)

[His Dudeness]

Hyundai!!! What a joke! How many old Hyundai's and Honda's and Toyota's are still on the road? Most of the ones I see are new.

[mac128k-1984]

Originally Posted by sknapp351 

My fiancé has a 2002 Neon.

I like dodges, but Neons were probably the worst car ever made by Dodge. I don't know anyone who bought one and didn't have any problems. Plus they just were underpowered and cheaply made.

As I mentioned, I'm happy with my dodge truck, though some of their cars, such as the charger has me interested.

[calamar1]

i drive an '00 neon with 80k on it and significant abuse. no real problems other than i've had bad luck with tires, and a tie rod busted on i-684 late one night and left me stranded (this was later attributed to having to be towed out of a roadside snowdrift after a run-in with some black ice). solid car, very cheap, gotten as much as 38mpg mileage on some trips. i'm 6'4" and it's surprisingly comfortable for me. i agree with the remarks on the caliber; i like the idea of a hatchback/neon combination, but it seems to me to be needlessly muscular-looking and bulky; it should get the same or better mileage, not worse. my next car will probably be a smart, but i have never had anything but good luck with chrysler products, and have driven two with >200k.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by mac128k-1984 

\I don't know anyone who bought one and didn't have any problems. Plus they just were underpowered and cheaply made.

Underpowered? No.. hardly. Cheaply made, yes.

I've never had problems with my 99"

It's a BLAST to drive.

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by His Dudeness 

Hyundai!!! What a joke! How many old Hyundai's and Honda's and Toyota's are still on the road? Most of the ones I see are new.

I see tooonnnnns of old Hondas and Toyotas. Rairly see any Hyundais, but they didn't have a strong market presence until the 2000s.

[besson3c]

i Drive A Dodge Stratus!