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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  2002 Caravan Review - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By G. Lukas - May 24 - 12:47 pm

  Great value! Only paid $17,000 brand new and have no trouble at all. Havent even had to tune it up yet!

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  No repairs in 145,000 - 2000 Dodge Intrepid
  By erics intrepid - May 24 - 5:25 am

  I just had my first repair besides normal items for an oil leak and the cost was $75.00. Almost traded it in for $800.00 before a second opinion and had it fixed for $75.00. Keeping it and giving to my daughter. Had the car fully evaluated when the repair was done and found nothing wrong at all! Needs front brakes thats it! Great car, never been back to the dealer sine I bought it! 8 years body and mechanical perfect shape, no rust at all. Rides and handles like day one upper 20s on mpg on all highway miles! Two minor items still remain, rear door seal fell off a few years ago and I took it off. Drivers side electric door lock sticking. Looks great, runs great. Another 145,000? Hope so!

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  1999 Intrepid - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By James Smith - May 24 - 3:13 am

  Excellent vehicle. Runs well with minimal problems. Good pick up and great for long drives. Lots of trunk space and interior space.

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  Brake Disappointment - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By L. Weiss - May 23 - 4:36 pm

  I am completely dissatisfied with the brakes on this car - what junk. I had to replace the front brakes at 16000 miles at a year old, pads and rotors. Now at 27600 miles the back brakes needed replacement and I was told the front brakes need to be done again, too. Thats 3 sets of brakes in less than 1-1/2 years. This is unacceptable. I have had hyundais & a chevy tracker (80000 miles before doing brakes)and this is outrageous to me. I will never buy a dodge again -- I cant afford this kind of maintenance problem. I cannot believe this has happened to me. Im 64 years old, I dont drive like a hot rodder and I do not drive in a way that would cause the brakes to go this soon.

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  If it only had a tranny - 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By JimC - May 23 - 12:56 pm

  We have loved this van. We have a Sport, but not AWD. I find it uncomfortable to drive long distances as a 511" man - seat way too close - but my wife loves it. Has been totally reliable for 174,000 miles, but we just blew the tranny. Guess we made out OK - other reviewers only got half that many miles out of theirs! Of course it is now worthless because the tranny will cost more to replace than the van, but if you get one with a new transmission, its a decent van!

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  Fun car, if you dont mind the fuel - 2007 Dodge Charger
  By Chris - May 23 - 12:51 pm

  This is a really fun car to drive, the seats are ultra comfy, the gauges are neat looking at night, and the autostick is actually pretty quick shifting. Great car if you dont mind the awful fuel mileage. For the price, fully loaded, you cant get much better than this.

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  Bad choice - 2007 Dodge Nitro
  By oldmanjob - May 23 - 10:31 am

  Bought it as a demo with 930 miles on it. Was in the shop for the first week of ownership. Replaced cracked roof rails, steering sensor and the ABS sensor. Took a week to figure out which sensor was keeping the ABS, steering stabilizer and traction control lights on. Quality control is awful. Should never had traded in my PT Cruiser

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  I love this car - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By Al - May 23 - 8:14 am

  1st off they dont have the right engine listed. I have the SXT Sport 2.0-Liter 4-Cylinder DOHC 16-Valve Dual VVT Engine. And I like the zip it has. I picked this up on May 17th after a week search to find the right color and options. I have the Sunburst Orange with matching colored seat inserts and dash. Also have a sunroof. I have a bad back and the front seats are great, very comfortable. Lots of room in front and back. Just as much cargo space as my Jeep Liberty had. I really love this car even thought I have taken some abuse by co-workers for getting the orange color. HAHA

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  Good & Dependable - 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Tony Wilkerson - May 23 - 12:46 am

  This is a very dependable van. We rented one on vacation about 5 years ago and my mother-in-law really really like it. So we bought her one but unfoturnately she doesnt drive it ever unless its an absolute have to. These Dodges dont seem to be made for short people to drive. Her and my wife are about 51 and 52 and neither one of them enjoy the driving experience. However on the plus side it is very dependable. Gas mileage is definetly lacking, we previously owned a Chevy Venture van and it out did this one by a landslide. We are a little afraid to get rid of it because it is so dependable but my mother-in- law has since bought a chrysler sebring and we will probably be getting a Suburban soon.

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  Shabby - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By Shabby - May 22 - 10:41 pm

  I bought this car from a friend and in a few months I had transmission problems. also idles rather loud. This car is about 4 years old it should not be having these problems. A few more repairs and my bill was over $1,200. So I wont be buying another dodge stratus anytime soon.