Overview & Reviews

One of America's most storied automotive brands, Dodge has been around since the early days of the auto industry. In the past couple of decades, it has revitalized itself to be a producer of aggressively styled and performance-oriented vehicles.

Two brothers, Horace and John Dodge, began the Dodge Brothers Motor Vehicle company in 1914, after having worked as manufacturers of bicycles and automotive parts. Their first vehicle was a touring car that proved a fast favorite with car buyers; it was soon joined by a roadster and a four-door sedan. By 1917, the company's model line had grown to include trucks. Dodge cars and trucks were used as staff vehicles and ambulances in World War I.

Dodge was briefly owned by a banking firm and subsequently sold by its new owner to the Chrysler Corporation in 1928. From there, the brand slowly evolved into the division responsible for trucks and performance-oriented cars. Post WWII, Dodge introduced vehicles like the military-inspired Power Wagon truck, Hemi-powered Coronet and the Royal Lancer; in addition, the manufacturer began offering dealer-installed air-conditioning.

Vehicles like the Dodge Dart and the Coronet kept the manufacturer in American driveways throughout the 1960s. That decade also saw the launch of one of Dodge's most iconic vehicles, the Charger. Dodge's muscle car was based on the Coronet platform, and featured a fastback roof line, hidden headlamps and a full-width taillamp panel. Best of all, the Charger could pack one heck of a wallop under the hood. A 318-cubic-inch V8 was standard, but buyers seeking maximum brawn could upgrade to a 426-cubic-inch, 425-hp Hemi V8. The company also introduced a Mustang-fighting pony car, called the Challenger, in 1970.

As with other American auto manufacturers, Dodge's fortunes started to slip in the '70s due to changing tastes and increased competition. The company was saved from extinction in the early '80s thanks to government loans and the sales success of its Omni and Aries economy cars (the former an attempted copy of the VW Rabbit). But 1984 was when Dodge made its mark in the history books with the introduction of the wildly popular Caravan. Ideal for families and able to seat up to seven, the space-efficient Caravan started a whole new vehicle segment -- the minivan.

The early '90s saw the company wow the public with the V10-powered Viper roadster and an all-new Ram pickup that set a new standard for big-rig-like styling. A few years later, Dodge came to be part of DaimlerChrysler, a result of the merger of the German company Daimler (owner of Mercedes-Benz) and Chrysler.

The merger never really worked, however, and Daimler sold Chrysler and Dodge to a private equity firm in 2007. Soon after, America's economy slid into recession. Due to poor sales and debt, Chrysler had to declare bankruptcy. The federal government intervened and eventually Dodge came under control of Fiat, a European automaker known for its small cars, an area where Dodge's entries had been roundly criticized for mediocre build quality and unrefined performance.

More recent years have seen Dodge concentrate on the more practical vehicles in its lineup, making notable improvements to the performance and overall quality of its midsize Avenger sedan and Journey SUV entries. Dodge also spun off its truck line, making it a separate Ram brand. But make no mistake; Dodge is still considered Chrysler's performance division thanks to cars like the Challenger and Charger. Time will tell how successful Dodge's latest makeover is.

User Reviews:

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  1996 White Dode Intrepid - 1996 Dodge Intrepid
  By Bob T - April 10 - 2:00 am

  Owned since January Purchased as suprise gift for my wife. Already had Saab in good condition (Whch is also for sale ($2500 or B.O. Excellent ride, quiet, and extermely comfortable. Must drive the vehicle to appreciate. Priced for quick sale. Need some repairs. If repairs done by yourelf, repair costs for parts obviously will be extremely reasonable less $$. This is a Great CAR. A MUST see ! Please e-mail for more info.

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  Caravan A Lemon? - 1998 Dodge Caravan
  By Cartman - April 10 - 2:00 am

  AC went out $700 to fix. Steering wheel electronics went out $400 to fix Blown headgasket $700 to fix. Im selling this van soon.

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  Great car! - 2001 Dodge Intrepid
  By dpoyner - April 10 - 2:00 am

  I love this car. The power of the R/T is great! There is some road noise, but it is easily drowned out by the radio! Lots of room, huge trunk, and a great ride. Very comfortable leather seats.

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  average car - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By MidnightRT - April 10 - 2:00 am

  I have owned my RT for 6 months, never any problems. I purchased a large aluminum spoiler, to hold the car down at fast speeds, and a Tenzo exhaust, sounds great. Turns a lot of heads, speakers are incredible. Back seat actually fits an average sized adult! still a bit tight though. If you want a car that will turn heads, pass with no problem, and do highway driving, its great. Long trips get cramped and tired easy. Gas is terrible in the city. Very good in snow, never a problem and I am in new england! Tons of standard features, and great value for the money. BUT the resale value is the worst in the industry, so be careful if you want to sell it in the future you may loose a lot of cash.

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  neons - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By neon - April 9 - 2:00 am

  I think that the neon is an alright car it doesnt have very fast acceleration and it really touchy but its fun to drive and you can improve it so its alright its definitly not a car that you would want to drive fast or hard

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  Loved my Stratus - 1997 Dodge Stratus
  By Rubes - April 8 - 2:00 am

  Sorry to say but we are selling one of the most fun cars we have owned. The autostick has proven a lot more fun than I ever thought. We purchased a 100K extended warranty with the car which was a real waste as the car was never in the shop.

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  The 2.4L Mopar disaster - 1995 Dodge Stratus
  By Jimmie - April 8 - 2:00 am

  This was the first year for the Chrysler made 2.4L engine and the head gaskets had to be replaced every 20 - 30K miles. Dont check the oil and you lose the engine. Head gaskets were scarce in 99 and my engine burned out at 90K miles and had to be replaced with a used one which was almost impossible to find. It took over a month to find a good replacement engine. It just had its second head gasket replaced approx. 50K mi. The dealer didnt even question the request in and out in 8 hrs. and $800 thank you very much!

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  Poor MPG and rear hatch - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By cp - April 7 - 6:26 pm

  Ive been woefully disappointed with the MPG for my SXT. Im light on the pedal and to date, the advertised 31mpg city and 39mpg hwy have amounted to roughly 25mpg city and 31mpg hwy! Also, the rear hatch appears to stick in cold weather, which isnt good in Canada. With a stuck hatch, one finds a "hatch open" light comes on, thereby draining the battery. This happened to me twice!

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  To many problems!!!!!! - 1993 Dodge Intrepid
  By Joe Szrom - April 7 - 3:00 am

  My AC broke at 40k and my Transmission and electrical system went together at 57k!!!!!!

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  My Buying Experiance - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By Estatic - April 7 - 3:00 am

  I had fun picking the salesman brain and finance rep also had a few pickings from me as well. However it was the car I wanted and I got it at a really great cost. To me this car is very functional for the family and for the lugging of heavy material and equipment. I am sure I will have some good years with my new Dakota.