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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  For the price you cant beat the Neon - 1999 Dodge Neon
  By Derek0302 - August 28 - 2:00 am

  I love my 99 Dodge Neon (DOHC). Best car i have ever owned....No problems so far with 130k miles....I only replaced the timing belt (wasnt in need of it but thought b4 it was I would replace it) Great cars thinking about buying a SRT-4...Keep up the good work Dodge

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  Best car - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By Dave - August 26 - 8:16 pm

  This car is fun to drive, fast, and comfortable. I like going out on nice nights and at dawn driving my SRT4 and showing it off. To me the SRT4 is the best car.

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  dodge neon - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By gridrob - August 26 - 3:26 pm

  this car is so comfortable to drive and it gets excellent mileage. It is also very fun to drive.

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  Pretty decent vehicle - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By justin - August 26 - 1:16 pm

  The most trouble ive had with this vehicle is with the reliability of it. Ive been to the service department about 4 times because suddenly the front suspension made an ugly deep, vibrating noise when the steering wheel was turned left or right. They somewhat improved the problem, but it still makes that noise every now and then. The transaxle makes a high pitched noise that sounds like a cricket chirping, and i was told that there was nothing that could be done about it. Other than that, I think that this a good buy for the price.

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  BUYER BEWARE! - 2004 Dodge Dakota
  By NO MORE DODGES - August 26 - 2:00 am

  @ 869 miles "check engine" light went on. Downstream O2 sensor replaced at dealer. Lite on again @ 1450 miles & STILL ON! Told by service manager its a bug in computer software & Chrysler is aware of it & they will call when theres a fix. Good luck! Still have dead 93 Daytona I couldt sell w/leaking seals on rebuilt engine that was fixed 6 times (finally gave up)after original engine blew. Now ANOTHER Dodge w/ LITTLE RESALE $. Cant file lemon law since not fixed 4 times-just NOT! Beware-check NHTSA & CBS news for early balljoint failure! So much for a warranty.If u find u have a problem, its also easy for DMC to claim "its normal" or disregaurd your complaint.

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  newbie - 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By dkochersperger - August 25 - 5:43 pm

  The Stow and Go seating is fantastic. Luggage space is excellent. DVD player is good. Performace needs to be enhanced. Gas mileage also needs to be improved. Chrysler Corp makes the best of usable space.

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  Enjoying my Caliber - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Valerie Mollard - August 25 - 4:06 am

  I purchased my first Caliber back in 4/06. It was white and the only one available on the lot as they are sold so quickly. So I bought it. I kept returning to the dealership until I saw a red Caliber in Oct. and traded my car on the spot. It cost me a over $1,000 plus more money to trade than I thought it would, but I believed that since this would be my last new vehicle purchase it had to be the color I wanted. The red is such a hot, beautiful red (pearl), I drove off with it that very day. I have only one complaint. The steering wheel does not shift up and down enough. It hardly moves at all. A little larger trunck space would be great.

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  Turbo Shelbys Live Forever! - 1990 Dodge Daytona
  By Ernest Laird - August 25 - 2:00 am

  Mine is actualy an 87 Shelby Z, but similar enough to the 90. I found the car with on ly 71k pampered miles on it, garage kept, in near perfect condition. I conduct all the regular service and repairs on it myself, except alignments, This is my thrid Dodge/Plymouth of this type, early 90s FWD, and all of them have been an incredible joy to drive, given me verry verry few problems, and the few they gave I was able to fix myself easily and at minimal cost. These cars are incredibly fun to drive every day and have a devoted following of verry inteligent and helpful owners. I hope to drive a car like this for the rest of my life, fun, fast and beautiful.

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  Nothing to complain about - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By 2NRXTC - August 25 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car as a used fleet vehicle according to carfax. It had 35k on it and I just paid $5500! Ive driven the car for about 10k and havent had the slightest problem. Had a 95 neon up to 140,000 miles without any problems. Cheap, reliable, fun to drive. What could be better?

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  AN EXPENSIVE DISAPPOINTMENT - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By artbides - August 25 - 2:00 am

  I bought this 2001 Dakota used in January 2004. It has been back to the dealer, four times in the past 8 months for electrical problems. They replace the PCM, CTM, fuel pump and several other electrical items. I looked on the internet to see if anyone has had these same problems and found hundreds of people experienced the exact same problems with their Dakotas. You would think Dodge would replace these items for free because some many people have had problems but they havent. These electrical problems are serious and it has been very expensive. I will be getting rid of this truck soon.