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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  Dont Buy One ! - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Islandhopper1 - May 21 - 4:00 pm

  Bought this vehicle with 18K mi. on it. It was great for about 2 days. Thats when the front brakes went out (Pads worn out- completely gone). I found out the rear brake pads had been replaced right before I bought it and rear rotors seriously grooved. Then the passenger sliding door broke... Van drove pretty well then except for a clunking gear shift sometimes between 2cd and 3rd around 20 mph. No real other problems until one night at 30K mi. when it just didnt start. I tried both keys- nothing. Had it towed to dealer- no codes, no answers....no confidence. Traded in for new Chevy Tahoe. Happy to have it gone.

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  Repairs - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By Veronica - May 21 - 12:52 pm

  Bought this as first family car. A few months after purchase the car would just stall while driving. It will do this every few months and no reason has been found why. The car was 3 years old when it needed a new starter. A few months later the brakes just stopped working. It seems that after the car was 3 years old, every few months it has needed repairs. For a car that we have always kept up with routine maintenance should be more reliable. Getting ready to trade in and not buy another dodge product.

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  Proves American Cars are Trash - 2008 Dodge Charger
  By Merc - May 19 - 1:36 am

  So I had a 2008 Charger as a rental from Enterprise (for a month while my 2006 VW Jetta TDI was being repaired). Other than the fact the car is comfortable and rear wheel drive, this car makes me realize that American car makers need to revamp their designs. Pros: -Stock Stereo is pretty darn good -Very comfortable and Roomy -Rear wheel drive can be entertaining Cons: -No power at all. Acceleration is weak -TERRIBLE gas mileage. I spent 250 in a single month with minimal driving I know this is short, but to me, a lack of power and poor MPG is a deal breaker. I would never own this car at current.

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  Piece Of Junk - 2005 Dodge Magnum
  By Phil M - May 17 - 9:17 pm

  This car was great for the first 38,000 miles, then the trans had to be rebuilt. Then at 40,000 mile the trans locked up and was replaced with a brand new one. Two weeks later the new trans had to be rebuilt! The car kept clunking and jerking, they found the drive shaft was bad so they replaced it. Then a strange noise appeared, sounded like a bad crankshaft, but found it was in the trans, so its being rebuilt again. All this in 4,000 miles. Whats really sad is that Chrysler could care less! I would never buy one of there products again! They know these transmissions are no good but they just keep using them.

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  Mixed Review - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By Brandi - May 16 - 8:56 pm

  I have been a dodge fan for over 10 years. This car has been great on the since that it has more room, and I can deal with the gas mileage. I had a noise every time I turned left, they fixed it, and I had vibrating in the dash, they fixed that the second time. But now my brakes are completely gone on the driver side. There is no way that should happen at this many miles. Chrysler said they would pay for the labor, well I guess that is something. If I have to go back in another year or after 26000 more miles because the brakes are gone, we are going to have major problems.

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  Think Gas First - 2008 Dodge Nitro
  By Queen - May 14 - 8:18 pm

  The dodge Nitro is my first car, the exterior is awesome. I would like more of a luxury feel on the inside something like the "Ford Edge", but for the price... This is a nice SUV, but it is very terrible on gas. This baby runs me about $60-$65.00 a week "light travel". DO NOT let the gas tank get below half full, youre going to have to shell out so much money to fill her up. Gas prices are steadily rising and I would NOT suggest anyone get this car unless you can really afford $350- $400 a month on gas. Its not ideal for a college student or anyone on a budget.

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  Wont buy another one - 1996 Dodge Intrepid
  By jfreeman - May 14 - 12:39 pm

  I bought this car used. Plastic parts breaks easily. Engine had a number of problems, the worst was a bent valve. check eng. light stays on. leaked oil from valve covers. and had to replace the EGR valve, $370 at dealer. All of this in a 45 day period.

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  Overrated - 2008 Dodge Challenger
  By steve - May 13 - 9:16 pm

  Well I can honestly say not worth the 70 dollars per tank per fill that last oh say 2,3 days. As if the car isnt expensive enough i.e. Payment, insurance, Mobil 1 oil changes etc. Now my defense I had no idea that gas would go this high. Well who did. Still a great car sweet sound love it. But its kind of like dating that girl who is so hot you cant get enough of but damn shes killing ya with how high maintenance she is. I would tell anyone who wants one save your money. Save it. Trust me or better yet if you really want mopar glory and have this kind of loot to blow then just go buy a used viper gts. Same money, much attention by the lady friends! Word to Dodge you missed the boat! You got me .

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  Somewhat satisfied - 1999 Dodge Dakota
  By SOME WHAT SATISFIED - May 12 - 6:26 am

  I purchased this truck in sept. 2007 from a used car lot that I trust very much. For the first few months it was great. The gas mpg had something to be desired but what can you do. During the winter months I froze because the factory heater didnt work correctly no matter what we did. We had to take the thermostat out so the truck wouldnt run hot. Now that is is over 100,000 miles everything is starting to go wrong. I have replaced the tensioner pulley 3 times and still squeals. The whole front end is going out. But for right now it gets me from point a to point b. I am trading it in within the next few months for something with better fuel mpg. 2500 on repairs in 1 month.

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  2007 Durango SXT V-6 - 2007 Dodge Durango
  By soccernut - May 10 - 1:10 am

  Ive owned my Durango almost 1 year now and have 15,600 miles on it. Pros: Comfortable, roomy and the kids love the DVD and 3rd row options. Can seat 5 adults and 2 kids comfortably. Cons: Poor fuel economy...even with the V-6 engine. Spending about $80 every 5 days...and I work from home! Poor acceleration with the 6 cyl. Resale is horrible. I tried trading it in this week on a more economical vehicle and it is only bringing $10,000 on trade (original MSRP $27,000). Will never buy another one. Also, sounds like the transmission is already starting to slip and there is a rattle in the back somewhere. My 01 Tahoe (V-8) was far superior in fuel economy, quality and performance.