Great handling
Quick passing acceleration
Excellent highway manners, good car to take on trips
Gas mileage good, even with 6 cylinder
Very generous rear seat room, complete with cup holders :)
Great factory speakers... friends don't believe they're stock.
Has been very reliable... so far.
Auto stick transmission starts conversations.
Overall quite fun to drive, friends love it!

Ride when going slow over broken pavement :(
Not enough power off idle, barely squeals tires...
Passenger seat sits too high... tall people must tilt seat.
Oil light just started coming on while driving... I'm told it's a bad sensor, but out of warranty.

Bought just off Chrysler employee Red Carpet Lease program.
Paid $12,900 for it, at end of same model year. Car has been very reliable, nothing has ever broken except the rear cupholder my brother kicked. This car has taken me everywhere, and I know it better that pretty much anyone else, I'd say. Have put almost 70,000 miles on it in two years. NOT all highway, either. Oil light just started coming on, as I mentioned in product weaknesses, but I'm told that it's just a bad sensor. I guess I can ignore it for now! Replaced only brakes, tires, oil and a few lights in entire ownership period. Brother drives a Grand Prix, bought new... an 1998. He has replaced parts left and right. people told me noth to but Chrysler, but has been very good car for me!

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Mercury Sable, Pontiac Grand Am, Pontiac Grand Prix,
Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Plymouth Acclaim, Plymouth Neon sedan.

This car looked great after changing those generic plastic hubbed wheels with a set of 15" Inki's. It was fun to drive and comfortable..BUTT!!!

Those blasted head gaskets! Mine was changed once and four days later, my engine locked up on me! Cost???? Starting at $4,000 for a mistake the service department made! Also the brakes wear out to fast; 5 to 1 ratio. I've also had some electrical problems with the radio / CD player. Head gasket starting leaking oil at 44,000 miles and was replaced at 53,000 miles when it became more severe. Don't let Chrysler fool you with their claims of a new and improved head gasket. The problem in in the head design of cheap aluminum. The gaskets are blowing out because the head warps at around .008 thousandths of an inch. This causes severe pressure at high RPM's, thus creating a slow leak at first. When pressure pushes oil through long enough, the gasket becomes week due to a failed seal around it's oil flew's (Passage ways). They claim the 99 and above models are repaired but THIS IS NOT TRUE! Don't fall for it. It's the same engine with a steel based gasket, but it will NOT solve the problem! IT will only delay it.

The maintenance cost does not meet quality satisfaction and is not practical for the low incomed budget. Lets face it! If you had enough money for a great car, why would you buy a Dodge? Why not buy a Suburban, Tahoe, Yukon, or so on? Honda accords are far superior and can last up to 300,000 miles. Dodge's 2.0 liter or 2.4 liter is not superior and has caused far to many financial strains on consumers....just watch CNN or other news networks and you'll see why Chrysler is having problems...For more information and testimony on Dodge Stratus, please click on http://www.consumeraffairs.com or do a search on "Dodge Stratus Head gasket problems"

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Honda Accord out lasts, out runs and out looks the Dodge Stratus and Neon. My 93 Chevy Lumina Euro 3.1 liter V6 has more power and luxury and I've doubled the mileage against my previous waste of money, DODGE STRATUS....new name...Dodge gasketous....

It is reliable other then the problems listed. I like the layout of the engine and the yellow markings on the fluid fills. Has good amount of horse power for its weight and size (150hp). Some nice child protection features such as automatic locking when car goes above 30mph.

The transmission went after 10,000 miles. The mechanic said that was common with Chrysler cars and trucks. It was covered under warranty so after getting it fixed it has worked fine ever since. It now has 40,000 miles on the car. The brakes have grinded from the beginning, but the technicians say this is normal ??? Also after 40,000 miles the brakes are just about gone (cheap). The driver's side door when opened doesn't turn on the interior light anymore.

I would not recommend getting the base model of this car due to its brakes. They have been terrible from the beginning. I would probably go with the ES model with its anti-lock brakes. For the extra money it would be worth it for safety reasons.

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Ford - The Stratus has been a lot more reliable then my previous Ford models. I had major mechanical problems with my Ford after 35,000 miles. The Stratus has 40,000 and nothing too major has happened besides the transmission that was covered under warranty.

A very good looking, reliable,sporty lots of option for the price,good sound system

The brakes are noisy in wet weather

Never had any problems with the head gaskets. I bring my car at the dealer for oil change and mechanic said to my wife that the 2.4l DOHC are very good motor and mine was in very good shape.That car whent in the shop only 5 time for a problem since 1996, 3 recall, stearing wheel had a problem and my wife had an accident.In my accident I had $5700 of damage, the 2 air bags came out, the grill had to be replace, the lights, the hood and the windshield.For my next car,I will try the 2001 Chrysler Sebring Sedan becaus daimlerChrysler don't do any Stratus in Canada for 2001

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1996 Chevrolet Cavalier a real lemon compaire to my 1996 Stratus

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At 35,000 miles a gear was thrown out of my transmission(causing a 2 x 6" hole) while driving down the road - causing my car to lock-up and smoke - thankfully I was alone on the road. I have had several engine parts replaced due to oil leakage - including the head-gasket - which I had to pay the full $900.00 dollars for - I am in the process of trying to get reimbursed through Chrysler Corp. - so far I have had no luck...for anyone out there who is going through this - the repair is now being made for a small deductible - and a Hidden/Secret Warranty has been issued for this repair up to 5 yrs/100,000 miles - good luck to you! Since having the head gasket repaired - the car continues to leak oil - if I fill it - it will leak out within a month. I have had to replace the tie rods, the struts also need to be fixed. The fuel gauge doesn't work (I have to set the tripometer) and the starter just went out. I also put a new battery in yearly. This car is junk and I would advise anyone out there - DON'T BUY A CHRYSLER product - their customer service is very poor. I would say I spend 1500.00 +++ per year to own this car - in repairs and towing expenses.

(see weaknesses)

my rating?....it's off the charts in the negative -
(unfortunately that is not an option - that is what I would have chosen)

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I have owned a Nissan truck and Honda - there is no comparison - this is the last American built product that I will ever buy!!!!

Good price, decent pickup for 4 cyl. Like oil filter placement (keeps engine clean). Pretty car. Good stereo.

Here we go.... Front end issues. I have had the car in the shop more than 6 times in the past 37000 miles or 1 year and 8 months. Front end problems, everything from steering linkage to struts, to it mysteriously loosing all of its powersteering fluid (at 34000). I have just reached the 37000 mile point, yes just outside the bumper-to-bumper warranty and it is falling apart again. The brake rotors have warped and the auto-lock @ 15 mph has quit. I hate to say it, because I really like what Dodge is doing with cars as far as aesthetics. But this car has been the biggest peice of junk for me. I have read the other posts and others don't seem to be having the problems I am. I am happy for them. I am in the process of trying to get rid of this car right now, before it starts getting REALLY expensive.

Like I said, I must have a bad one. I can't bring myself to complain about the cup holders because it is such minor issue compared to everything else, if that was my biggest worry, I would be a happy person. Going to try and sell it and buy a used Celica maybe or something else more reliable. (Funny, the reason we bought a new car is because we didn't want to have to worry about reliability!)

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Ford Ranger: 1995 has 120000, the 2 yo Stratus at 37000 miles has been in the shop 6 times more than the 7 yo Ranger at 120000 miles.

Ford Escort: Stratus has better power and is prettier, that is it. Escort was in the shop 2 times in the 98000 miles we owned it. We still see it driving around town by a college student, still going.

'82 Toyota Pickup, again no comparison 230000 miles, only in shop for timing chain replacement (routine)

Backseat is roomy enough for growing teenager but definitely does not look like a "mommy" car. Handles like a dream. Gas mileage better than I expected. Insurance much lower than Eclipse, Celica, and Mustang. Stereo system has a lot of bass with no distortion at high volume.

Wish the exhaust sounded a bit more intimidating. Spoiler (added after purchase) not as sporty as it should be given the car's overall look. Had to have sunroof control module replaced in first three weeks. Wish the R/T sound system had a midrange control like in the GS.

A real head-turner that doesn't disappoint performance-wise. This car just gives me a good feeling every time I get behind the wheel. A friend described the car as looking "like a cat on the prowl".

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Test drove Mustang GT, Eclipse GT, and Celica GT before this car and the R/T was definitely a better ride. Leg room (front and especially rear)and rear and side visibility much better in the R/T, also. But the Celica GT Action package has a better spoiler than the R/T.

Roomy interior, and I do like the seats

Poor paint quality, and yes the 604 41TE transmission is weak due to the fact the friction modifier additive in the transmission wears out over time. Proper transmission oil changes are a must!

Typical Chrysler product: If you regularly maintain (!), and baby (!) the car it will last. You drive the doors off it, and it's gonna see the inside of a shop more than the road. Being an soon to be ex-Chrysler employee-I have heard a zillion complaints about Chrysler over the years, and yes, to be honest most of their complaints are justified. The major problem with Chrysler is the fact that they have introduced far too many model changes over the years, and logistically they cannot keep pace-and so, the quality of the parts, service and reliability have suffered. The designers at Ford and GM and the Imports are now poised to regain their marketshare from disgruntled former Chrysler customers. It's a hard lesson for them to learn, but in the long run their quality will improve to woo back customers.

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Looks great and very spacious.

Where do I start? I bought the car with 42 miles on it and 6 months later replaced the transmission. The seals on the sunroof leaked instantly. The motor in my driver door died within a week. Nothing but problems for me. Now I can't use my air conditioner, because it takes too much power out of the engine.

Very roomy and great for the on the go Mom. Don't go too far from home though, because you might not make it back (maybe in a tow truck). The car looks great and gets a lot of attention, but the looks aren't worth the headache.

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Looks great, rides even better. Very peppy 4 cylinder and all that space, have you seen the trunk, you could fit Texas in there! Conveniently located everything (except one thing, read "weaknesses") and did I mention it looks GRRRRRRRRREAT! And with the ample arm room and convenient power buttons, I barely have to reach my fingers to let the cool "breeze" (no Plymouth pun) in.

Okay, all that glitters is not gold. When I occasionally head to McD's I like to supersize, but I have no where to put a drink that big. How many years has this bad boy been on the market and those Dodge boys haven't gone to McD's? And please please, find out why the front doors are so cock-eyed when they come off the line, it only took about an hour for the shop to bend them correctly, but it was inconvenient I WANTED TO DRIVE MY NEW TOY :-)

I love it. My mother had a '96, it was great. I only had one reservation, that was the noise, I think it was the 2.0L on the '96. After taking the '98 out for a spin, and without any noise, I asked where I sign.
This thing looks, rides, and performs excellent. For 2.4L it moves and it rather stealthily (smooth and quite). Haven't had any problems other than routine maintenance, 62K and still no head gasket issues that almost scared me off (until bought an extended warranty after about 55K)
I am very pleased, my hats off to the Dodge team on this one. I can't get over how good it looks, GRRRRRRRRRR BABY.
If you are a family, graduating senior, college kid, or even a bit aged this is a great car. The only people I wouldn't recommend the Stratus to is....well, everyone should have one. Cab forward, I wanna shake the hand of the genius behind that one. Too bad about the Breeze and Cirrus, they need a facelift, they may all ride the same but none look as pretty as this charmer.
FYI: Gas costs get real cheap with this baby.

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1996 Stratus: Dont get the 2.0L unless you are in a real money pinch, it is loud, my '95Explorer was quieter.
1995 Explorer, No real comparison but gas mileage is not even comparable.
Any Ford Contour my family has owned: Well, I know yours is newer and has more toys but it looks like a got the upper hand on this one, sorry. brother.