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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  AWESOME CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - 2003 Dodge Viper
  By Princess J - August 27 - 2:00 am

  AWESOME car. i love it so much!all my friends are jealous of my car. i just laugh at them!!

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  Durango about a little below par - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By MissTxRedHead - August 27 - 2:00 am

  The unit has great power and it has held up decently, but things like windows not working and the power door locks failing bug the crap outta me.

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  My Dream Vehicle - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By VelvetSteel - August 27 - 2:00 am

  I love this vehicle and honestly cannot think of another one that I would want more. I enjoy every aspect of it. The drive is smooth I have room for all my kids and my 2 big dogs it looks great because even when its dirty, from a distance it still looks claen and beautiful cd/tape player is great. The mpg could definitely be improved... I only get about 300 miles to a tank which is what I got in my Civic and it had a considerably smaller tank.

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  excellent vehicle - 1998 Dodge Intrepid
  By hdtinman33 - August 26 - 2:00 am

  i bought this car brand new in early 1998. it has performed above my expectations. it is solidly built, comfortable, and reliable and has had no repairs to any of its major components. all i ever do is change the oil and filter every 3,000 mi and do all other normal maintenance as needed (tires, fluids, etc)

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  I dont see what the problem is.. - 1996 Dodge Caravan
  By MDozer - August 26 - 2:00 am

  This car seems to get such a range of emotions from their owners. Me for one have only had 1 problem since this van was bought, and the previous owner said they had not problems at all except replacing the tranny at like 90k. About 2 months ago the Air conditioning went out completely, I will admit that we have had a few small issues with the a/c. Other than that the car is great everything is placed well on the inside, the dash is easy to read, and contrary to other reviews NOTHING falls off, yeah theres a lot of plastic but its all attached very strong. Overall the performance is average, the 3.0V6 is a little slow

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  THIS IS A GREAT SUV - 2003 Dodge Durango
  By JOHN PURCELL - August 26 - 2:00 am

  MY WIFE AND I JUST PURCHASED A "03" AND WE LOVE IT. THE SPACE IN THE DURANGO IS AWESOME! MY MOM WORKS FOR TRENTON ENGINE IN TRENTON, MI AND HER BOYFRIEND ALSO DOES TOO. HIS BROTHER IS 2ND IN COMANND @ CENTURY DODGE IN TAYLOR, MI. HE TURNED MY WIFE AND I ONTO THE DURANGO AND HE WAS RIGHT U CANT GO WRONG WHEN U BUY A DURANGO!

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  Please dont buy - 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Stephanie Medlin - August 25 - 11:50 pm

  I bought this van brand new. We purchased an extended warranty also. I have had continuous problems starting at about 18,000 with stalling. I had to take it in over 6 times only to be told nothing is registering on the computer. After the 6th time, the fuel pump was replaced. Now, again, we are having stalling problems only to be told nothing is registering and it cant be duplicated. Gas mileage horrible. It also: has problems with front brakes, grinding sound turning and reverse, a loud noise on hard right turns. And, nothing is wrong with any of these items according to the dealerships. Huge safety hazard

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  Great Starter Car - 2004 Dodge Stratus
  By Haley - August 25 - 4:07 am

  I bought this car after my 98 Plymouth Neon was totaled. She had been through 2 or 3 owners, she has a salvage title, and she had lived in Upstate New York all her life. I paid $2,250, 72,000 miles on the odometer. The frame is still in good condition, unfortunately all the parts are just about rusted to nothing. Ive put a decent amount of work into this car, replacing the entirety of the suspension and steering system which piece by piece has started failing, all after putting about 60,000 miles on her. The only parts I have not replaced yet are the control arms which are still holding up well. The engine runs extremely well and for being a four cylinder it has some decent get up and go, especially in comparison to my last car. The steering is smooth, the seating is comfortable, and overall I have found her to be a reliable car. Ive driven her back and forth from Texas to New York 3 times now, and plan on driving her to Arizona from Texas next month. The dash is pushed up and not on properly, which Im not sure if it is due to the heat or the previous damage she took. Its comfortable for me and easy to get into, although she sits low. Plenty of space in front and in back, friends have told me its a spacious coupe that gives more leg room than their cars. Perfect engine and perfect transmission, its a sporty looking little cruiser that makes a great first car.

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  $675 TO REPLACE ALTERNATOR & BATTERY?!?! - 1996 Dodge Stratus
  By CATAJE - August 25 - 2:00 am

  We bought this car w/ 44,000 miles on it In 01/2000 I loved this little car, summer of 01 had to replace A/C parts, $635.00, have had replace about 4 relays switch, $50. Dec 02 car had 92,000 miles on it, waterpump went out, $600.00 to fix, june 03 Alternator and battery replaced, $675!!!! $300 tune up!! This car is so expensive to work on!! It is too expensive for me to keep, all this $ into it, and it now needs a Fuel pump, God only knows what that will cost.... Sitting in driveway waiting to get be gotten rid of!!!! I am scared to death to drive it, it seems to cost me about $600 everytime Ive touched it in the last couple of years

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  great car - 2002 Dodge Neon
  By wlm888 - August 25 - 2:00 am

  Great car for the price. very roomy inside for a small car. great fuel econemy.