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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  I think you all drove my car - 1994 Dodge Intrepid
  By Intrepid John - July 15 - 2:00 am

  Transmission cooling problem around 60000 miles, most of the a/c has been replaced (half in extended warranty), a/c still doesnt work. lots of brake replacements, lots of headlight replacements. Think Dodge supplement their income with selling necc. parts. Funny rattle in steering took a while to find. Currently at 125,000. Suprised I had to replace rear engine mount and outer tie-rod ends. But car is still going strong. Ive had it since 1998 (& 50000 miles), with really no major problems since then, plenty of minor. Definately had to be a home-mechanic with this car. Selling garage had to put new shocks on at 50000 miles.

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  Great so far! - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By chris - July 14 - 10:50 am

  Traded my 02 in on this van, its a base model. The 3.3 is great, as long as you dont push it all the time. Great mileage. Tires are terribly cheap and almost worn out already. Great in the snow. Too much white inside for sure. This is a basic cheap people mover. The wind noise is bad at times, and does pull to the right. I adjusted my tires to correct this. Lock beep is bad for late night returns home. Love the drive visability. Overall good a very good van. Not the best, but the price says it is

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  Dont buy a Dodge Grand Caravan - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By scolby - July 14 - 2:00 am

  34000 mile the sway bar bushings had to be replaced. Took 4 trips to the dealer before they got it right. At 41000 miles the transmission went out. Lucky for me I bought an extended warranty. At 44000 miles the blinkers decided to quit working. Not fixed yet. I will never buy another Dodge for as long as I live. Cant believe that a transmission would die with only 41000 miles on it. I should have learned from the last one which went out at 78000 miles.

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  World Class Reliability?... Nope - 2002 Dodge Durango
  By woodymc - July 13 - 2:00 am

  This is my 2nd Durango. Was very happy with my 99 D and decided to replace it with the 2002. In all, I wish I had researched my purchase more carefully. When its running its pleanty strong on the highway and reasonably roomy for four or five. This D was in the shop 2X for failed front brake lines, 2X in the shop for major transmission rebuild, 1X in shop for rack/pinion steering replacement and AM/FM/CD changer replacement. All was repaired under warranty, without too much fuss from the dealer. This D has 35.3K miles on it now. I cant imagine keeping it, since it is my wifes daily driver. Its just not reliable enough.

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  Great car for singles and couples - 1997 Dodge Stratus
  By Ady - July 11 - 2:00 am

  My experience with my beautiful white dodge stratus has been great!

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  Just good enough - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By HoosierDaddy - July 11 - 2:00 am

  The brakes have always left me with the feeling that they are not adequate for this vehicle. I have to use considerable leg strength to stop quickly. There has been a strange thump/jerk in the steering wheel ever since I have had the truck and has gotten worse over time. I have had the front end aligned and checked several times. Steering is awful, the truck wonders while going down the road but everything is within "tolerance". Power is great and fuel economy is average, 15-17 mpg.

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  Good Family Car - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By Missymoo - July 9 - 2:00 am

  We bought this car to tow a trailer on family vacations and drive kids around. It has been great for those purposes. The 3rd row seat is great for the kids, not so comfortable for adults. Love the rear air conditioning.

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  All around great truck - 2002 Dodge Dakota
  By rjbruce - July 9 - 2:00 am

  One thing I havent seen anyone mention anything about is the optional AWD. Im not sure if maybe its not offered in all regions, but its another great feature that puts this vehicle one notch above the rest. One flaw of the Dakota is it seems to have a light rearend. No problems with AWD. Weve hauled 6000lbs of hay on a 16 foot trailer with the 4.7L 5 speed combo, and never had a problem pulling it uphill or anywhere. Comfortable and an attractive design. Especially for being 8 years old. The back seat of the club cab is not for adults but is good for children or storage.

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  Neon Sport - 1996 Dodge Neon
  By Beth D. - July 8 - 2:00 am

  Perhaps Ive had a bad experience because of the dealership I went through to get my car, but so far Ive paid for much more than this cars value. It worked perfectly the first 6 mnths. I had it, but now there is continually a different problem each week and it has become more of a headache than a joy. Im beginning to learn that purchasing this car was a bad investment. Ive had to replace the head gasket (which Neons are supposedly known for having problems with), and Im having continual battery problems (which may be related to the alternator). This was originally a great car, maybe I just got stuck with a lemon.

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  Looks Flashy...but the Powertrain Isnt - 1995 Dodge Intrepid
  By Flyingcessnas - July 8 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this car a little over 7 months ago. The first 2 months with it were great, however then things started to fall apart. In the last 8,000 miles, the transmission, water- pump, A/C, keyless entry module, shocks and tie rods went out. I have never had a car fall apart so fast on me. And the sad thing is, I actually take my car in for rutine maintenance. You would never guess. So if your going to buy this car used MAKE SURE you have a mechanic check it out and run a scan tool on the engine and transmission, otherwise you might end up screwed just like I have been. This really isnt the best car to buy used.