Dodge Stratus Midsize | Compact

Dodge Stratus Midsize | Compact 

DESCRIPTION

(1995 - 2006) The Stratus is offered as a 4 door sedan with 3 engine options; a 2.0-liter,132-hp 4 cylinder, a 2.4-liter,150-hp 4 cylinder, and a 2.5-liter, 168-hp V-6. Choose between a 5-speed manual and a 4-speed automatic. ABS is optional.

USER REVIEWS

Showing 221-230 of 288  
[Feb 28, 2001]
neal
Model Reviewed: Dodge Startus 2.4L

Strength:

Acceleration, handling, best on highway, quiet, responsive engine, with the seats down you can accomodate very large boxes etc - saved me a bundle on delivery charges - it is really practical that way. I laugh at my friends who drive Nissans and Toyotas coz they don't have the same space.

Weakness:

- a/c is very weak, had to get it serviced 4 times in first summer due to smell in evaporator core
- the Michelin XW4 are terrible in the rain or slippery conditions

I would recommend it. Buy a 1999 or newer Startus/Cirrus. The 2.0 L engine is plain bad - lots of head gasket failures etc...get the 2.4L engine - solid as a rock.
Treat it with care and she'll take you where you want to go

Similar Products Used:

None

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Feb 24, 2001]
mark briggs
Model Reviewed: stratus es v-6

Strength:

BEST VALUE for my dollar over the taurus or lumina competition considered. especially impressed with performance and handling. wife loves the looks and performance, her first new car.

Weakness:

7 recalls in 9 months,new rear windsheild,new side front windows and power mechanisms,replace tranny at 1800 miles,3 times for lower window moldings all around, window seal goop still coming out 6 years later,eats front calipers and shoes every year,loves to eat $150 tires very two years,emergency trunk latch total replacement-defect in plastic-now locks whenever it pleases,COLD COLD COLD to dealer 4 times-still takes 15 minutes to clear windsheild and at least a half hour to warm interior-added mica electric heater to defrost feet!!!!!cannot work on anything.

I give a 7 based on the first model year out and all the bright yellow lemon service to bring it up to snuff.Otherwise am still impressed with the vehicle,had to get truck in 2000-went dodge over others with bang for the buck as why.
Next car will probably be dodge if they keep doing what they are doing.
didn't mention my back spinal surgery, stratus seats fit me best of 6 models looked at.

Similar Products Used:

69 chevelle ss,72 demon cpe,78 monaco intercepter(used), 80 buick estate wagon 454 quad. like muscle,like stratus looks-muscle-mileage-seats.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Feb 21, 2001]
Tina
Model Reviewed: Stratus ES

Strength:

Peppy enginge for 2.4. Nice fmaily car with a sporty feel, it's fun to drive. Very roomy for the size. "Plenty of toys" (p/w, p/l, p/driver seat, cd player, air, cruise). Good value for the options.

Weakness:

See my review for the actual weeknesses. This car is a headache. Other than what's below the cupholders could be better, they really don't hold well.

Where to start. Bought this car June 2000. Have replaced 3 power window regulators, and another part for the power windows (back window wouldn't work at all). Found a slash in the dashboard and dealer replaced it, but damaged our steering wheel in the process. They replaced the steering wheel. The seal around the driver's window was damaged, very worn or roughed up, replaced it and damaged they trim around the window. Replaced it. Windshield seal started peeling off. Replaced it.

Now for the real "fun" stuff. TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. Tranny occasionally slips upon accelerating and coming to a stop car lurches when downshifting. Also occasionally lurches when it starts 'hunting' for gears. Tranny has been 'retrained' with no sucess. Have had problems with cold starts, turning over slow. Also experiencing a 'grinding' noise when engine starts. Only happens when car has been sitting over night. The problem is worse when the temperature is colder. There is a knocking or clunking noise in the front end when taking off or coming to a stop. Car has been in the shop repeatedly for these problems. We've been told that they can't find what's wrong until it happens more consistently. Funny it happens when I drive this car daily, but never when it's in their hands? Also occasionally the engine runs very rough, idles hard can feel and see VERY noticable vibration in steering wheel, has 'dieseled' when shutting off. Now we are having problems with the power steering. When going around sharp turns the the power steering starts whining very loudly and continues down the road for awhile before going away, until turning again.

Car has 10,000 miles on it. Amazingly, we haven't broke down yet - car keeps running so it has that going for it anyway. For now. Wonder what's next. I wouldn't recommend the Stratus

Similar Products Used:

None

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
3
[Feb 21, 2001]
Chris
Model Reviewed: Stratus

Strength:

Nice Design, good acceleration, roomy back seats, lol.

Weakness:

HEAD GASKET!!!!The worst defect on it.

It's a great car, just needs to fix the gasket problem.

Similar Products Used:

1987 Dodge Colt- I loved my colt, but like a dodge its gasket went too, and 1,000 miles down the road the tranny. Too bad

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
3
[Feb 20, 2001]
Kevin

Strength:

Good price for the equipment it comes with.
Plenty of leg room.

Weakness:

Head Gasket. Unbelievable. The dealer told me it would be $800 to repair. I called Chrysler and they agreed to pay everything over $250. I wish I had had the internet resources available before I purchased the car.
Transmission. The dealer also confirms the transmission will go soon. The car has only $56k miles. Chrysler won't help with this.

It's a great little car when there's nothing wrong with it. But on none and wear and tear parts, I now have an approimate $2000 bill coming due.
Call Chrysler before you pay for head gasket repair. They know it's a chronic problem. They'll at least help you defer the cost.

Similar Products Used:

This is the 2nd Chrysler product I've owned, and it is the 2nd Chrysler product I've had problems with. They design great cars, but they build them cheaply.

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
3
[May 11, 2001]
Doug

Strength:

Beautiful car. Stylish even though it's 3 yrs old it still looks new and fresh. Smooth ride, gets decent gas mileage. Interior is roomy and comfortable. Automatic door locks at 15MPH. Lots of car for the $$. Great family car, lots of leg room in back seat even for me (6'-1"). Large trunk.

Weakness:

After 61,000 miles needed the following service: Replace head gasket (Got Dodge to pay for parts) replace front and rear engine mounts. (Not sure why, I'm not out drag racing or anything...). Plastic door hinge retainer broke and drivers door will not stay open by itself anymore. Door has slammed me in the shins on more than one occasion while trying to exit car.

Speed control sometimes cuts out intermittently (Have your mechanic read TSB 21-06-99 to address this problem...)

Rear seat headroom barely adequate for anyone over 5'-10". Rear cup holder is poorly designed and no longer works because it came apart.
Front cup holders too small. Can't put anything larger than a 12oz. soda can in there while floor shifter is in park.

I really want to love this car. It's a pleasure to drive, roomy, comfortable, attractive, all the reasons I bought it. Unfortunately, I am not happy with the typical MOPAR problems that I keep experiencing. This is my 4th MOPAR vehicle. Of the 4 MOPARS I have owned, 3 had blown head gaskets during their lifetime, and 2 had broken motor mounts. Add the other miscellaneous problems due to poor quality parts, and I'm just tired of it. If they would just use better/stronger/more durable materials in their construction, these cars would be unstoppable. This will be my last MOPAR vehicle. We recently bought a NISSAN minivan and love it. When the Stratus finally gives up the ghost I will be shopping for a foreign car.

Similar Products Used:

Previous vehicles: 1985 Plymouth Turismo, 1990 Dodge Shadow, 1995 Dodge Neon (Piece of CRAP) Compared to other vehicles, this is a typical Dodge product: Blown head gasket, crappy plastic used where metal should be, poor quality, definitely NOT built to last beyond the life of your typical 4-5 yr Auto loan.

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
3
[Jan 13, 2001]
Frank DaSilva
Model Reviewed: Dodge Stratus

Strength:

Handles corners very well, spacious interior

Weakness:

Leaky HEAD-GASKET,goes thru too many brakes,leaky wheel cylinders,struts don't last lod interior[road noise]

PLEASE whatever you do,dont buy this car, I've had nothing but problems since I bought it, just ONE BIG PIECE OF JUNK!!!!!!

Similar Products Used:

Honda accord , civic

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
2
[Jan 13, 2001]
Frank DaSilva
Model Reviewed: Dodge Stratus

Strength:

Handles corners very well, spacious interior

Weakness:

Leaky HEAD-GASKET,goes thru too many brakes,leaky wheel cylinders,struts don't last lod interior[road noise]

PLEASE whatever you do,dont buy this car, I've had nothing but problems since I bought it, just ONE BIG PIECE OF JUNK!!!!!!

Similar Products Used:

Honda accord , civic

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
2
[Jan 16, 2001]
Brian

Strength:

Its a great looking car and it handles fantastic too. The autostick is a neat gadget. The stock stereo/CD sounds really good and unless you wanna crack the glass you should not need to upgrade it. For the price it would be hard to beat this car

Weakness:

They could have used a little higher quality materials on the interior. It looks a little too much like the plastic that it is.

This car ROCKS! It's fun too drive and really is an attention getter on the roads. It is a Mitsubishi Eclipse under the skin, same motor, tranny, dash etc. For the $$ it's hard to beat if you want a little sportier ride than your wifes camry.

Similar Products Used:

I test drove EVERYTHING before I bought this one. The closest handling was the Camry Solara or the Acura but both are thousands more and don't even compare looks wise.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jan 02, 2001]
Steve Gentner
Model Reviewed: / Stratus 2.4L

Strength:

It's an all around good car. I like the way it handles, the power in the engine, and how roomy it is inside for a smaller car.

Weakness:

-a little noisy on the inside from road and engine noise, but that's been improved in the newer models
-I think every car should have nice wheels, not wheelcovers
-a manual transmission was not an option for the 2.4L, only for the 2.0L model

i would recommend it to anybody who likes to have fun while driving. It is a great value, and is very roomy on the inside, making it great for a family car.

Similar Products Used:

None

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
Showing 221-230 of 288  

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