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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  A few facts about a certain Intrepid. - 1995 Dodge Intrepid
  By pvlovisa - December 4 - 2:00 am

  -A/C, went out, refilled with refrigerant and leaked out. Dealer was only shop willing to look at it and wanted $50 just to pull it in. I still dont have A/C. -Brake drums, rotors, and shoes at 80,000. -Starter raplaced at about 90,000. $250 w/labor. -Was warned by other Intrepid owners about the tranny.. 91,600 to date for mine and so far, so good. -Front end starting to sound sloppy, but riding fine. -Had an alignment at 85,000. Misc: some chipping paint, black plastic pieces on either side of rear window are cracking and fading, hood doesnt stay up, trunk relay sticks sometimes and has to be tapped to get the trunk lid to shut again.

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  Mr - 1996 Dodge Stratus
  By Junglejim - December 3 - 2:00 am

  Purchased as a lease return in 1998. Since trhen I have had only 1 problem - head gasket failure which was a common thing for this era of Chrysler cars. In spite of being out of warranty Time wise, it was repaired for only a deductible charge to me. It has been very reliable, and the finish is still spectacular. It has been an excellent car for me.

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  Great - 1990 Dodge Spirit
  By Ghost - December 3 - 2:00 am

  I purchased my 1989 Spirit "Turbo" with 24 miles on it. The first 110,000 miles the car was "God Sent". Little to no problems at all. I ran her good and kept my maintance up on her. At 110K her transmission went, 115K head gasket went and at 120k second head gasket was needed so I sold her. Everthing still worked in her. I brought her new, loaded and kept her for 8 years. I was sorry to see her go.

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  best vehicle ever - 1993 Dodge Caravan
  By Ahhhhhh - December 3 - 2:00 am

  this is a great van

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  A good value for money - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By eric - November 28 - 3:30 am

  So far, no probs whatsoever. Good buy.

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  Attractive Sports Coupe - 1995 Dodge Avenger
  By ejp - November 28 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my avenger for several months now, and shes caused me now problems. All I have to do, is check my oils, and tires pressure, and get the lube job every 3,000 miles. The Avenger has been running great every since I brought her.

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  It Depend On The Truck! - 1994 Dodge Dakota
  By CarpeNoxRacing - November 27 - 2:00 am

  All Depend On How Much You Baby It.

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  1995 Dodge neon Highline 4door hardtop - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By CEsoldo - November 26 - 2:00 am

  Great value overall. I paid 12,500 for this vehicle new and has 200,000 miles to date and is still running strong. I have had a few minor problems, but nothing that is not considered to be normal wear: Cruise control actuator, fuel gauge sending unit, timing belt tensioner, shifter cable ends (5-spd).

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  dodge viper - 2002 Dodge Viper
  By darrell logan - November 26 - 2:00 am

  it is very fast and nice

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  Years have passed - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By Capt M - November 25 - 2:00 am

  I have driven this car for 5 years and it has been wonderful. It performs better than cars costing twice as much. The only minor complaints are: head gasket went out (replaced by dealer) and that it is a bit buzzy on high speed interstate driving. Otherwise, I would recommend this car to anyone!