When I first purchased this car It was just not me. However for the price of 15,900.00 cash purchase price it was right! Now two years later and after only 1360.00 in upgrades I have the sports car I have always wanted!! It has just the right amount of power to get out of the way and has even raced and won I might add: a 1986 Z-28 camaro, 1997 6 cyl Mustang and a pontiac firebird. Now I am very pleased with my purchase! And have no complaints about cup holders or the battery. It is all about maintaining your vehicle. And as far as maintaining my vehicle I do it all myself. Oil changes, tuning up. I have 42565 miles on this car and have not had to replace anything except tires and floor mats! Breaks are almost ready for replacement.

How plain it was when I first got it: wheel covers were replaced with polished chrome 15 inch star pattern wheels, and windows tinted to my liking, and in big bright white letter's on the front windshield "DODGE THIS" and then of course a rear spoiler and a CD player all for 1390.00.

I paid 15,900.00 w/T.T.L and would recommend it anyone over any other sport car, family sedan, and even yes, SUV. This car has been camping in rough terrain in Colorado!!

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Had a dodge spirit that lasted 8 years through my teen years give it alot of credit for not dying on me but my new Dodge I think will last longer now.

excellent room, near-perfect ergonomics, great instrument cluster, good safety, torquey 2.4L 4-banger, lots of storage, very good handling, great looks.

Front cupholders don't hold Big Gulps, battery very hard to get at (who DESIGNED that thing?!)

These are strictly initial impressions - the car is way too new to be very objective.

I paid under $15k for a "program car" (rental :) with low miles. The car is amazing thus far. The only quibbles I have are above; all the rest is impressive. I also fully expected to hate the 2.4L, as I wanted the V6, but it blew me away with its torque (peppy!) and fuel economy (given the V6's putrid EPA ratings). The power goodies - windows, locks, driver's seat - are a very nice touch and are new to me; I feel spoiled. This car makes me feel like I spent more than I did. I hope I can say the same thing in 3 years when the payments are up.

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I drove and looked at everything before buying the Stratus: Neon, Stratus, Intrepid, Alero, Galant, Sonata, Concorde, 626, Protege. The Strat is the most comfortable, tied with the Alero, out of the group. Visibility is not perfect, but surpasses the Intrepid. Performance is very good.

This car has roomy interior and great get up and go.

This car has given me several problems. I have had to change the brakes over 7 times since I purchased it 2 years ago. The transmission had to be replaced with a new one about a year and a half ago. It sounds horrible. I hate it. Do not buy this car.

DO NOT BUY THIS CAR!!!!!! You will be sorry!!!!!!!!!!!
We paid entirely too much for this car and it has been nothing but trouble.

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None

All mentiioned in prior reviews. I will mention some negatives I have had problems with.

Head gasket failure due to faulty design in 95-97 modle year. (Corrected in 98s on)Causes oil leak and overheat problems. Rides too low. You MUST GO SLOWLY UP ANY DRIVEWAY CURB. I took one a little too fast and cracked the exhaust manifold. Very noisey at highway speed. Front cup holders as mentioned in above reviews. I always catch my pant cuff on that silly lever that adjusts driverseat height on the left side of the seat, when I try to exit the car-very frustrating! Poor gas mileage. Had a computer problem causing stalling, the first 10K. I think this was just a freak thing-haven't heard of this elswhere.

The 97 and prior Stratus has had problem with a defective head gasket failing well before expected which has caused catastropic engine failures. D/C can be held responsible for knowing of the problem and not recalling or extending warranty.

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Dodge Grand Caravan

Very smooth riding car. Engine compartment is very compact and we are certainly out of the age of the do-it-yourself work on all of the hi tech vehicles today. Plenty of room front and back. Front bucket seats just wrap around you and the 2.4L engine has plenty of pep. Well mated to the 4 speed automatic trans. 60MPH at 2000 RPM. Not sure of MPG at this point as the engine is not broken in enough yet, but if it is anything like my 93 Dodge Spirit I should get 29 to 30MPG with conservative highway driving. Could use a better location for the front cup holders. Compartment below the sterio is something I would not attempt to get anything out of while driving down the road at 60MPH. Dash illumination is just great. Very soothing on the eyes when driving at night.

Front cup holders could be placed farther from the shifter as when you shift in park you do not want to have a cup of coffee in there as there is not enough room for a large drink. No other weaknesses from my standpoint.

Priced at aprox $17,000 I would highly recommend this car. Well designed and well engineered overall. 2.4L engine is well mated to the 4 speed automatic. Cruises very, very comfortable for both driver and passenger as well as back seat passengers. Plenty of cargo space. Very good car for the money.

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Compares far above the Ford Taurus which is the most similar car that I can relate to.

Rented this car for 10 days, I liked the quick acceleration(4cyl),white face gauges,very comfy seats,and the colorful dash illumination at night,big trunk,rear seats fold completely down,two rear cupholders, very stong 6spkrs radio.& the car's color was ruby red,I found it very attractive.$15K is not bad

No map lights,useless cupholders in front-so I used the back ones better,and gas mileage(I got around 22MPG?).The engine bay area is very compact,too hard for a fix-it-yourselfer.Stratus' style hasn't changed.

When I think of this car, it says "family","fun-to-drive","comfortable". I'll consider buying a car like this at my next purchase.I would recommend it.My import attracts to many thieves,It was just stripped & in the body shop for a month.

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It has that traditional "rental car" feel, but I liked it better than my Nissan Altima

The Modified 4 wheel double wishbone suspension permits agile handling, 2.4L DOHC 4-cyl has nice torque band (not Honda power), the race inspired aero-dynamic mirrors are an interesting touch, Cup Holders, White faced gauges are easy on the eyes, PW/PL/ A/C and remote keyless are standard. HUGE Trunk, DiamlerChryslers Cab forward design is ingenious.

The Resale value is horrible, road noise, no manual transmission on 2.4L 4-Cyl or Mitsucrappie V6. The V6 is severely underpowered and unreliable, Resale value bites, resale value sucks, and did I forget the resale value stinks? Brand New, it is also virtually sell-proof due to the fact that it depriciates so bad, and you can pick up a Stratus that is one year old for about $10,000

For about $15,000 not bad for what you get, but buying a previous years program vehicle is the best way to go, then you don't have to pay for all of the depriciation. I would rather pay the extra $5000 and get a Subaru Impreza 2.5RS. It is a lot more value for the money, and you make it back come resale time!!

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Honda Civic SI would it alive in resale value and power, built to compete with the accord, it does a horrible job.

Back in 1995 when I bought this car, (1st year for this model) very few people owned one and the styling was fresh; I passed 2 on the way to work today. Nicely equiped for the price, good size for a coupe, and very nice handling. No problems with the transmission or the power accessories to this day. Good storage room in trunk and back seats.

If your considering buying a used version of this car and do so dont say I didn't warn you. My number one complaint has been the customer service by Dodge. Two years into my payments, the front right control arm started giving me problems. When I took it to dodge they told me that the parts of the control arm that needed to be replaced werent covered by the warranty (they should have been). A few months later that same control arm broke as I turned a corner and badly damaged the car. A year later when Dodge issued the recall, they refused to pay for the body damage done to the car that resulted from the control arm defect. They did repay the 500 dollars that it took to fix the controll arm itself. I replaced the bearings in both front wheels before 70000 miles; these bearing are supposed to be good for the life of the car but numerous repair shops advised me of other owners having same problems. The car says "Dodge" but its made from lots of Mitsh. parts and replacing them is NOT cheap. Open the trunk and water poors in. Leather seat tore on drivers side last year. The passenger side air bag cover has started to peel off the dash. Coolent system in car gave me lots of trouble till my uncle fixed it right- the Dealer could not. Maintenance costs are high and gas mileage is poor in the v6 automatic.

I dont know if Dodge has gotten the bugs on this car worked out or not since the debut in 1995, but Id be hesitant to buy one used without a warranty. I also failed to mention that while it handles well, the Dodge Avenger ES has way too much road noise and the ride is harsh to say the least. I do not recommend this vehicle to anyone who cares of resale value either.

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Your much better off with a Civic Si or even a Hyundai Tiburon for the money.

Almost everything. It's a strikingly attractive car that
has provided excellent performance and reliability,
overall, with excellent economy.

The upholstery on the driver's seat had to be replaced after
approximately 2 years of heavy driving. (~36000 miles)

Check the seats for *personal* comfort. The Stratus' seats
fit me very well -- not so for some of my friends. This is
a very personal thing, though.

I would definitely recommend this car to a friend. It has
provided excellent reliability and good performance, while
maintaining a steady 30mpg in all driving conditions, over
nearly 5 years. After all this time, it also remains
looking fresh and attractive, unlike many of its
contemporaries.

The paint finish has held up exceptionally well. It still
looks almost new.

I can sincerely say that driving this car (4 cyl, 5 speed
manual transmission) is a joy.

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It's much better and more comfortable than the 2 subcompacts
it replaced. Datsun 210 and Mazda 323 were functional, but
nowhere near as comfortable, while providing similar gas
mileage.

Well loaded for its price

Can hear all the road noice inside the car. Very bad seats, I just rented the car for 10 days and was very disappointed.

Wouldn't consider buying it