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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  Owner Review - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By Oliver Olrtiz - September 27 - 2:00 am

  Bought vehicle recently and am happy with it

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  Best Little Car - 1996 Dodge Neon
  By TexRodeo - September 25 - 2:00 am

  This car was bought at a Vehicle Auction sale for the bargan price of $1400. And I bought it from a friend of mine. She has been a Great little car, Comfortable, Reliable and with Cab Forward design....(GREAT LEG Room for all) NO Power but gets me where I need to go with No questions asked.

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  Dodge Neon SXT 2003 - 2003 Dodge Neon
  By TL103 - September 25 - 2:00 am

  Just bought SXT, traded in a KIA.... need I say more. So far so good, love the sportiness. Only have 350 miles on it, but I already love it. Owned a 98 Neon Expresso and 99 Neon R/T, new, after other non-dodge products.... we went back to the most reliable....

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  200 Neon ES - 2000 Dodge Neon
  By TheDon - September 24 - 2:00 am

  Ive had a pretty decent experience with my car so far. Im already up to 97K miles on it. The horn has shorted out several times. Started going through spark plugs fairly quickly after 70K. This car has two converters on it... Most cars only have one. I found this out the hard way. One converter is over $500 for just the part. When one goes out, the other one does to so expect to pay about $800 there. The AC also went out around 90K miles and it didnt need just a recharge...Other than that I havent had any major problems.

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  My Minivan - 2003 Dodge Caravan
  By David &Rebecca James - September 24 - 2:00 am

  This is a very well made and well though out van,the designers had parents in mind when building it.

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  New Car - 2003 Dodge Caravan
  By glass - September 24 - 2:00 am

  So far I am generally happy. I like some features not available when I purchased my last van 9 years ago. There were a few quirks. For example, a hose was not tightened at the factory and I lost AC, and overheated-great billows of steam! It happened in front of the dealership, and I pulled in, I was immediately given a loaner to go on to work, and it was fixed for pick up on my way home. A recall was fixed at the same time. The service of the dealership, and my salesperson have been extordinary.

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  Better then any other Ive driven - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By Melisa - September 24 - 2:00 am

  I went from a Brand new Rodeo (was a lemon) to the Durango. It is the best vehicle I have ever driven. The space and how it drives are the key componests to what I like to much about it. Not to mention that it is a very good looking vehicle. I reccomend this vehicle to anyone that I can. However. It will be going away soon (I may cry). The cost of fueling is just to high. I drive a lot and have to fill up 2 times a week sometimes. 25 gallon tank... do the math.

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  Its been a good van - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By John - September 23 - 4:33 am

  Bought this van in late summer 2006; it had 99,000 miles on it when I got it. (Ive been buying high-mileage cars for about 10 years, with minimal problems.) This is a very comfortable van; noticeably more comfortable than our 99 SE. Problems since purchasing: new AC compressor - worked fine when I bought it, conked out a month later; new regulators for both front windows; I replaced the power steering reservoir to eliminate the cold weather noise thats characteristic of this vintage Chrysler van; had some seals replaced to eliminate engine leaks. The only one of those repairs that I was surprised at was the AC compressor. After all, a lot of wear happens in 99,000 miles.

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  A Dependable Friend - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By docluck - September 23 - 2:00 am

  I actually recently turned in my 98 Durango after having owned it for five and-a-quarter years. In that time, it was the most dependable American car Id ever owned, and it rarely gave me any major mechanical problems. It looked great even when I turned it in 5 years later. I found the 5.2 liter 318 engine very adept at doing its job. In the time I had it, I moved 3 times. During the first two moves, I towed a fully packed 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix behind, and the Durnago never broke a sweat, even climbing through the mountains. The truck was good on the road, and had enough weight to it that I didnt feel like the trailer was driving the truck.

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  could be better.... - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By Lil Red - September 22 - 2:00 am

  The two biggest problems with this car are the A/C and the Oxygen Sensor. Cant believe how many times they have each been repaired. I have completely given up on fixing the A/C because it is like throwing money out the window. But, the car is really fun to drive. Very zippy! And it does get good gas mileage. Currently pondering an expensive head gasket repair. I know I should just buy another car...