Great styling, plenty of room, handles well, feels solid, comfortable interior.

This car has been in the shop several times already. It only has 11,000 miles on it and the rotors had to be replaced. The drivers side rear seat belt assembly needed to be replaced immediately after purchasing the car (was permanently locked in place). The front wheel bearing / hub assembly had to be replaced after 9,000 miles. Had the car in twice for transmission problems (shifts hard when downshifting) and still isn't fixed.

It is a great car for the money. It seems some owners are lucky and have little or no problems. On the other hand, some owners including me have had several problems within the first year of ownership. If you are looking to purchase this car make sure you get an extended warranty. I have not had to pay for any repair work yet. Compared to the competition in its class it is more comfortable, performs decently, and is much cheaper.

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1997 Buick Skylark, peice of junk!!(Stratus is much better than the Skylark), 1993 Mazda B2200 (best vehicle I've ever owned), 1984 Chrysler LeBaron, 1993 Geo Metro (Suprisingly good car).

Very good driving position, execellent visibility, very good handling. Has adequate power with the standard 4 cylinder engine.

Kind of a bland, unexciting car, although it's much better than its predecessor the Dodge Spirit, which was even more bland and unexciting. I'm not particularly crazy about the styling. and the driver's seat is uncomfortable. The front of the seat cuts off circulation to the backs of my thighs. I've driven a Chrysler Cirrus (essentially the same car) that had the optional 6 cylinder and can't really tell the difference between it and the 4 cylinder Stratus.

My experience with the Stratus has been generally very good. I am a little leery about the quality based on what others have said here. The last Chrysler product I owned was a '94 Dodge Intrepid that gave me no trouble whatsoever, although many owners complained of problems with them. Maybe I've been lucky.

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Pontiac Grand Am, Dodge Spirit. Some of these are still in our fleet. I ask the dispatcher for a Stratus if one is available.

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This is in followup to my 11/6/00 review. I complained to Chrylser about the head gasket that blew at 54,000 miles. Chrylser referred me to a local service representative at Oyster Point Dodge in Newport News, Va. I was informed hat because I bought the vehicle used and with 42,000 miles on it, Chrysler would pay for all of the head gasket repair less a $150 deductible. Quite a deal!!! I was very pleased. Moreover, they completed the repair in 1 day! Lesson: Contact Chrysler, be firm but professional. Facts are on your side. Demand reimbursement of costs.
Their $150 deal seems to fairly common. Good luck.

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I bought this car because as a collage student I wanted a mid-sized, four door fuel efficiant sedan. The Stratus is all that, plus, even though it's over four years old, people think it's new. I bought it at 47k miles, which I really liked. My car is manual, it was very forgiving, I learned how to drive stick with it. For a v4, it's pickup is okay, if you really need to go fast quickly, it'll do it. I really feel safe in this car, small import cars scare me, I feel like my car can stand up to most the other cars on the road.

My first monthes owing this car were a complete nightmare. The dealer I bought the car from did not do a safety inspection before they sold it to me. Two days later I found out I had to get the head gasket replaced, then a new alternator, after that it was a faulty thermostat. The brakes squeal badly when I first use them, then they're fine- they tell me that
"normal" (right) For the first month I was driving a rental more than my own car. My most recent problem was that I somehow lost ALL my coolant fluid from both my radiator and reservior. I took it in and we can't figure out what the heck happened. It's been fine since.

This car is okay, but not worth eight grand (I talked the dealership down from $10k). I would not have bought it had I known all the problems I would have. I would not reccomend the dealer I went to, they were not very easy to work with when I would come in for repairs. Luckly I did one smart thing and bought a extended warrenty for a extra $2k. I thought I would never use it; it was intended to be a safety net so I wouldn't have to fork out lots of money for big repairs. If you are thinking about purchasing a car like mine, definatly consider the warrenty, it could save you time and headach. Alos, see if it's had it's headgasket replaced, AND MAKE SURE IT HAS HAD A COMPLETE SAFETY INSPECTION!! I don't think this car is worth more than $6k- Don't be fooled by its beautiful body, or by slimy sales people.

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Cool styling, for a 4-door. Nice dash. Good steering. Great acceleration (2.4L DOHC). Tires wear nicely. Good handling. Ample room (I'm 6'4", 270lbs). Purchased used.

Head gasket blew at 54,000 miles. Terrible customer service. Chrysler Customer Service Rep rude and unknowledgeable. Chrysler refuses to acknowledge prior head gasket problems even though they have redesigned them. This was an $800 repair.

Paid $8,000 for car used. Recently $800 to have head gasker repaired. Nice car, but head gasket problem is too common. Don't buy a '95-'97 model unless head gasket has already been replaced. Make sure you check for oil leaks. Damlier-Chrysler will leave you out in the cold if you need anything. I have never experienced a bigger bunch of BOOBs in my life. Good used buy if you can find one in good shape with LOW miles.

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Does not compare to Honda or any other Japanese car (which I would have bought if I could have found one with reasonable mileage).

Fairly good handling, unique styling, good air conditioner. The autostick is fun to play with. It had a good factory sound system.

Needs more than 4.8 inches of ground clearance. It should have better acceleration for the amount of power it has. Cup holders are in a bad postion. It should have better Thigh support.

Good Car for the money. If you are a mom

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When I first read about it, I thought a 2.4L 4 banger couldn't have very good pickup, but I was prove wrong when I peeled out on accident at the dealership. The 2.0L was lazy with the automatic, and the 2.5L was fast, but not fast enough. The color is different (Light Cypress Green), and the interior is more comfortable than most luxury cars. Good HVAC system, and a radio that majoryly pounds!

The front cupholders. They fit cans and the front left holds a 12 ounce Pepsi bottle easily, but not the right one. The rear cup holders were okay though the pull out plastic clip broke once, disabiling their use.

This thins has room, quiteness, comfort, an kick-butt stereo, and striking looks. It's all up for a solid 1 2 3 punch. Frankly, I don't know why people give it bad reports like that. We haven't had any problems yet, and it's got over 20,000. Our Camry that we drove had 15,000 and it rattled, rode rough, and had broken plastic peices everywhere- it was a peice!!
The new 2000 and newly revised 2001 model Stratus' are a good way to go. Don't let a bad review spoil your thoughts on it- it's not a bad car. It's also affordable vs some other machines on the road (Accord, Taurus, Camry- need I go on?)

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My mother and I tested out Malibu's, Lumina's, Accords, Camrys, Cavaliers, Taurus', and an Altima, the Stratus won hands down to them all simply because you actually get a comfortable, sporty, and ROOMY car for your money.

Roomy inside, handles good. 4 cyl is peppy with 5 speed manual. Good mileage (25/35). Huge trunk. Cheap to maintain. I bought this car new in April '96 and it just turned 113k miles. It's been a great car. The only non-maintanence issue I've had at all is a sticking front brake caliper. Oil changes every 3k miles and it still runs great. Just had a tuneup and everything is 100%. I don't see ground clearance as a huge issue either. I've had this car in several off road situations (camping in Colorado) and it's been great.

Cup holders could stand to be a little deeper to fit larger items. I had a frt brake caliper stick.

I don't understand all the poor reviews this car has received. Either I got lucky, or there's a few lemons out there. It has been nothing but a great car for me. I would recommend it to anyone.

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Handles well
Very roomy and plenty of trunk space
Nice look
Seats (Fits me well)
Rides well at high speeds

Settle back for this one:
Cup holders, too small, too far forward
Seats (I've had others complain)
Emblem on drivers side chipped in first couple months (dealer supposedly ordered a new one, but I've not seen it or heard anything about it-even though I've be back several times)
Paint chips in places where you would not expect
Starting/Idling/Revving problems that the dealer has looked at several times
Gas mileage (25 MPG at best-I think it's touted as much better)
Had passenger side window motor replaced within first 6 mos.
Oil filter in inconvenient location
Underpowered V6
Resale value (wow, I was surprised)

Paid too much
Misinformed regarding lending information (lied to, but also my own fault)

Would love the car without the technical difficulties, it has a nice feel--unfortunately I bought it for the feel and regret it some now.

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Had an '85 Dodge Charger which I had minor problems with but liked
Had a '95 Dodge Neon that liked even with the road noise
Choose it over an Oldsmobile Alero because I liked the familiarity of the interior and the performance SEEMED comparable

The 1997 Dodge Stratus very roomy inside and has a lot of excellent features. It is a great family car and at the same time looks very sporty.

Ever since I have owned my Stratus I have done nothing but pour money in to repairing it. First was the A/C, then was the transmission, and now the entire engine! It has been the worse car I have ever owned.

I would not recommend buying a Dodge Stratus to my worse enemy. The car is awful!!! I feel Dodge should offer some kind of compensation to all of the innocent people who purchased the Stratus.

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I have driven many other cars such as the Chevy Lumina, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, and the Saturn and I would choose any of these cars over the Stratus.