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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  Bah huumbug - 2000 Dodge Stratus
  By Mehhh - March 21 - 6:38 pm

  Ive had to replace the transmission sensors about 3 times in 4 years, replaced brakes, and the alternator. The rear windows are no longer working. Just hit 60k. People have said it vibrates a little too much, and the mechanics say its just the car.

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  I have 90k on it - 2004 Dodge Neon
  By ALL HIGHWAY - March 21 - 12:07 pm

  I have had this car 4 years and still love it!!! I commute to work 84 miles every day. I have over 90K miles on it. I have NEVER raced it or beat it up. Even so,it DOES get expensive to maintain. The front end/ control arms and bushings wear out (@60K), synthetic oil changes are more expensive, the brakes cost big bucks to replace, the viper seats are SO comfortable, but they are poor quality and the vinyl cracks. Tires are expensive to replace. Shifting isnt smooth. Contrary to most Dodge products, I have very little oil leaking even after 90K miles. I have driven from NJ straight through to MO, MPG has NEVER been better than 24 MPG. Still, I love this car no matter what.

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  Very nice and priced great - 2008 Dodge Caliber
  By Dave - March 21 - 11:16 am

  We just got this car last weekend. We looked at a bunch of different cars. It impressed us with the room and comfort it offered. Plenty of power and rides great. Fuel mileage is very impressive.

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  What a piece of absolute garbage!!! - 2005 Dodge Stratus
  By Jessi - March 21 - 3:10 am

  Well, my husband already had the car when we got married in 09-06.It was under factory until 36,000 Miles. At about 38,000 Miles, the crank seal went out because of play in the crank. It was $400 to fix the seal, and $2000 if we wanted to fix the crank. Since we didnt fix the crank, the seal went out like 2 days later and we have to put like 5 quarts of oil in it a week because it just pours out. Also, around the same time, the transmission has begun to jerk when its put into gear. We took good care of the car (oil changes, scheduled maintenance, etc.) and it is still falling apart at 38,000 Miles. Its such a freaking piece of crap. Were stuck with it though because we still owe $10, 000 on it.

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  I would pass on this one. - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Marilyn Walter - March 20 - 12:20 pm

  Brakes are horrible. Needed front pads at 16,000, never in my life and then back pads at 18,000. Now the car wont start. Had issues with the plastic key. A couple of times car is on, yet no radio, AC, lights etc. nothing is working then you have to fiddle with the key and it works. The shifter is funky too, have issues with that, sometimes you have to press all the way down on the brakes to get it to shift into park. I would not buy another Caravan. I should have gotten the VW minivan like I wanted but was talked into this when I returned a Jeep Liberty. oh well.

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  transmission - 2002 Dodge Stratus
  By south carolina - March 20 - 8:43 am

  I bought the 4 dr 02 sedan Dodge Stratus just a little over a month ago. Now, the transmission has gone out. You all were right when posting about the transmission in this car. Glad I got to the two year warranty, Dont have to pay a dime. The car runs great, other than the transmission, everything is good.

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  Dakota keeps up with BIG BOYS - 1997 Dodge Dakota
  By tsrtrek - March 20 - 8:19 am

  Great design and layout but with POOR MPG and a weak transmission. Have had no major problems just ball joints and new paint.

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  best truck - 2000 Dodge Dakota
  By mydakota - March 20 - 1:36 am

  my father was going to sell it but instead he gave it to me and ive had only minor problems with it, it has a great engine and sounds great with the flowmasters i had put in, love my truck and wouldnt trade it for the world...

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  Great Car with 1st Year Bugs - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Dave - March 19 - 9:40 pm

  My wife and I absolutly love this car. We have had a few small problems. They had to change a wiring harness and fix the exhaust (rattle). We have the 2.0 CVT SXT Sport which is kind of strange at first since it does not switch gears but once you get use to it its great. Due to this being a new car the dealerships do not have parts in inventory so we had to bring it in 5 times. Other then the little bugs and inconvienience of bringing it in 5 times I would recomend this car to anyone.

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  The 300,000 Mile Beast - 1993 Dodge Shadow
  By Czarina - March 19 - 4:14 pm

  The title of my review says it all. I am a 22 yr old college student who inherited the car as a hs grad gift in 02. My dad bought the car brand new in 93. This car always started, never died, and felt like a tank (I hit my 53 yr old iron/stone based mailbox @ 30mph day I got my permit, blasted it to pieces, and only put a small dent on the front bumper .. keep in mind plows have hit the mailbox tons of times ...) I miss this car, orig. auto. transmission started to go at 274,283 miles, and continued to run until it reached 275,963, then it froze up. I replaced it with a used one, and drove the car to 300,000 original miles b4 the used tranny decided to die on me ....