Overview & Reviews

The enthusiast-oriented Dodge Caliber SRT4 makes its debut this year, bringing with it a turbocharged 285-horsepower engine. The rest of the 2008 lineup is pretty much unchanged. Caliber SXT and R/T models have some additional standard equipment this year, and all Calibers get new chrome accents within their cabins.

• Versatile interior, available all-wheel drive, wide range of engine choices.

• Sluggish acceleration from CVT-equipped models, low-quality interior materials, unimpressive build quality, several important safety features are optional rather than standard.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 115.00

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  Had me hooked at first drive! - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By Rebecca - July 21 - 10:09 am

  Yes, it has lackluster acceleration, but overall, I LOVE my car!! Perfect size for driving daily to and from work alone, but also, easily fits 4-5 people without too much complaint. Great hauling capability with the fold down seats (although the angle of the back hatch has gotten in my way a time or two). Gas mileage is spectacular, even as it gets older, still holds well! Have had minimal maintenance (other than normal oil changes, new tires, etc.), two months ago was the first time I had to have something fixed, power steering pump lines had a hole and entire pump wasnt working correctly, but $400 later (the most I have spent on any repair or maintenance), brand new pump, and it is driving as good as new!! Acceleration could be better, and it is not a fan of going up in to the Rockies here in Colorado, but overall, I would say this is a great car, has been great for me, and I love it!!

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  Love my car! - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By Nicole - July 9 - 8:14 am

  This car was definitely not my first choice, but at the time I was still in college and dad pretty much decided for me. But Im so glad we went with the Caliber! Yes, it lacks many of the bells and whistles of a more expensive car/brand. It doesnt have heated seats, or a fancy interior. But my major repairs have been few and far between (and by major i mean nothing totalling over $300). This car is 7 years old and is still going like a champ! Its been so good to me and in turn ive been good to it. Im constantly surprised by how well its held up over all this time considering it doesnt have the best reputation. The Pros, in my opinion: Cruise control is an awesome plus. It also hasnt required many major repairs. I dont consider it a very noisy car, and the sound system is pretty good too. My favorite thing about this car is the storage. All the back seats fold forward and ive been amazed at what ive been able to fit in this car! Its only proven to me that I want to continue buying hatchbacks if i can. The couple "complaints" i have are: Lackluster acceleration, feels light enough to fly off the road if im going too fast (road holding?), doesnt do all that well in snow (totally fine in rain, though) and like i said, no bells and whistles. The one major repair I had other than the breaks is that the cord(?) connecting my shifter to the transmission broke, so my car wouldnt recognize what gear i was in. That was a $300 repair, and that was this year (so after 7 years). Overall Im extremely happy with this purchase, especially for the money we paid. I might sell it this year but thats only because id like to get at least a little money for it! But if money werent an issue, id continue to drive it until it died.

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  Good, basic, reliable transportation - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By wk4x42007 - December 28 - 5:17 pm

  I purchased this car for my daughter back in 2010. It had about 30K miles on it. She drives 1.5 hours on the highway round trip everyday to school, so I needed good MPG, excellent safety and real reliability. The price was awesome ($10K) and this car has delivered. It has over 90K miles on it and all Ive done is change the oil, replace belts/tires/wipers and do brake jobs on a normal maintenance cycle. It has taken her through nasty weather without difficulty and protected her nicely through 2 occasions in which she has been hit by other drivers. For the price, its been a gem.

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  Hidden Gem - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By blackwell2012 - February 28 - 11:10 pm

  I bought my Cali SXT with a 2.0 liter engine new in 2008. I read about pepole dogging the model, but let me tell you it handles great. Im a professional driver, and can attest to the cars nimble performance characteristics. I can routinely weave through 70 or 80 cars on a 23 mile early morning busy traffic run. The car is good off the line and mantains manuverability and tractionality at the 70 to 72 mile an hour range. Thats about as fast as anyone goes in traffic or highway crusing anyhow. The cabin is comfortable, the Sirius satellite radio sounds nice on the speakers, and you always feel in command.The doors make a nice thump sound when you close them. Well made for the money paid.

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  A Good car ... - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By cmeel - October 25 - 12:06 pm

  I love the look of the car from the outside but on the inside its a disappointment manual locks & windows and it is just cheap! I love Dodge and we bought this car after our 1st one died and wasnt worth repairing and we needed a car asap (not enough time to really shop)this was the only hatchback and it looked good so we took it.Driving its good,nothing Great or Horrible. If you have young kids stay away from this car!! the front passenger seat has to be straight up and pulled forward a lot in order to fit the carseat which is just plain uncomfortable. It needs some interior & engine improvments to really be good/nice other wise its just an ok car.

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  Love at first, but then.... - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By kytrailhikers - December 28 - 8:38 pm

  Got this car for ease of getting child in & out of car seat. Worked great for that & love the comfort and look of. Once 40,000 miles hit, the problems began. Started hearing loud clanking noise when driving on highway. I read numerous complaints about the Caliber having suspension problems. I panicked & took it right in. I didnt want to worry about my child riding in this car. Today they tell me they cannot find what is causing it... said the suspension is tight BUT suspect it is the bushings. They didnt want to take a part yet so has to get worse. AND my oxygen sensor quit so paid to get that fixed. I was not expecting all this so soon. Now I will continue to worry.

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  Great value for money! - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By KristinBC - December 2 - 2:00 am

  I just purchased my (used)Caliber two days ago, so I cannot comment yet on reliability. I have the 2.0L CVT, and I am very pleased with the gas mileage and performance so far. I did not buy this car expecting great amounts of power - I bought it for the fuel efficiency, space, value for money, and looks (in that order). I drove the Mazda 3, Chevy HHR, Chrysler PT Cruiser (which I have owned before) and the Toyota Matrix when comparing. Although I had it narrowed down to the Caliber and the HHR (based on the issues listed above), I chose the Caliber over the HHR because of the final variable of value for money - the Caliber was 2K cheaper, and offered most of the same features as the HHR.

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  Bad control arms - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By ayork - November 13 - 2:00 am

  Bought this car new in 08. Love the look of it, but just found out at 44,000 miles that both front lower control arms are bad. Same thing happened to another couple 3 months ago when we were both at the dealership getting oil changes. Any one else having this problem? I was quoted over 800.00 for parts and labor...money I dont have, but car needs to be fixed asap Im told. Thinking of trading...owned lots of cars and never had problems like this with such low mileage. Was told it was due to "Michigan roads" Beware.

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  A Very Economical Choice - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By derik187 - September 6 - 9:08 pm

  I bought my caliber used in Nov 2009 with 32k miles. I am the second owner of the vehicle and have put over 20k on it. The caliber has the interior space of a small suv with compact car gas mileage. My 2.0 4cyl w/CVT regularly averages 31 mpg per tank. Outside of routine maintenance Ive not had to do a thing to the car. The car rides comfortably, handles great, and with decent tires it performs well in inclement weather. I chose the caliber for the fuel economy, interior/cargo space, unique styling, and price (mine was sub 10k). I test drove many vehicles in its class (cobalt, versa, matrix, fit) and the caliber won out in most categories for me.

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  Travel Car - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By Aaron - August 25 - 9:08 am

  I bought this car for my wife to have and to use on long trips and it is very comfortable and convenient. Dodge really packed the space into this seemingly cramped car. Back seat leg room is more than youd expect due to the curve of the front chairs and the trunk looks small, but we have never needed more space even with a car load full of people and their luggage. There are tons of compartments, most notable the tri-fold glove compartment with 3 sections, one of which is cooled by the air conditioner. This is a great place for storing drinks and snacks. Also, for a factory set, the stereo is awesome. Its louder than my stereo with 8" subs and a 500 watt amp.