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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  Lots of Fun - 2000 Dodge Durango
  By sr40 - July 30 - 2:00 am

  My wife and I were looking for a good used SUV or a new SUVin a price range that we could afford. We compared the used Durango to several new vehicles and found that for the money, we getting much more vehicle for the price. Over all though, we are very pleased with our new addition and look forward to purchasing a new Durango within the next year or so.

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  98 Highline-Loved it & its xtra warranty - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By biogirl - July 29 - 2:00 am

  Im finally getting ready to trade in my 98 Neon Highline. I liked it more than I thought I would. Never thought Id buy Dodge after my parents Caravan fiasco, but was short on money. Salesman did not have what I like to call "Hey Little Lady Syndrome". I was smart & got the extended warranty. thru 100K miles - definitely worth it. Never had a problem until about 99,975, when my head gasket, A/C, rear main seal?, and another oil seal went. The service staff at a nearby dealership took care of it without any "Hey Little Lady Syndrome". They even invited me into the garage to show me what was wrong so I didnt think they were scamming me.

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  Nice Car - 1999 Dodge Intrepid
  By pikrob - July 29 - 2:00 am

  The Intrepid is a nice car, handles well, and is good on gas for the size, at the time it was the only car in the 20K price range that offered seating for six. unfortunately the bench seat was only available with the 2.7L engine.

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  Dodge Neon ES - 2000 Dodge Neon
  By spartygirl - July 29 - 2:00 am

  My experience with this vehicle has been marginal at best. It is only 3 yrs old and has had steering column issues, power locks and windows failure (of course only front windows since the rear have no power at all!), other minor electrical prblems, and now needs a new AC compressor. Not something you would expect for a car with 50K miles and 3 yrs old. It also needed rear brake repairs at 20K. Admittedly fun to drive and has some pep, and nice looking, but I expect more out of a car - even if it is a Neon.

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  Fun car, but has some downfalls - 2001 Dodge Neon
  By jonjon5000 - July 29 - 2:00 am

  I drove a Neon for the past 3 months, and just upgraded to a Caddilac Catera. The Neon is as fast or faster than the 3.0L Catera with 200hp!! Handles awesome, and saved me from some fishtailing. Good, cheap car. Not smooth, though. American muscle without foreign finesse. Spacious trunk and interior. Fun to drive, but not too much comfort.

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  nice car - 2004 Dodge Intrepid
  By Alex Pallais1 - July 29 - 2:00 am

  very powerful engine of 250hp

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  Dodge Caravan 2003 - 2003 Dodge Caravan
  By 1stvan - July 29 - 2:00 am

  Towed two times in 8 months. Replaced burned up computer twice and then fixed wire that rubbing. Had power stering rack-noise with stering, leaking fluid.

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  Perfect fit - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By mstbc5 - July 28 - 10:56 am

  This is our first Dodge Caravan, previously owned three Chrysler T&C. Local dealer only sells Dodge. We wanted the stow-n-go seats which suits our constant hauling items to our kids who live out of state, all three in three different states. After unloading we simply fold up seats to haul parents and child seats. We are very happy with the new exterior styling and interior creature comforts - heated seats, adjustable pedals, rear camera, second windows that open! Very comfortable for highway driving.

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  Fun, Fun Fun - 2001 Dodge Stratus
  By Brenjliu - July 28 - 2:00 am

  This car is fun and powerful. The price was right as well. I love the quiet smooth ride. The controls are easy to reach and the power windows have a safety feature so you cant accidentally close t

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  Can you say...JUNK!!!! - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By Mechanic1 - July 27 - 11:23 pm

  Bought this heap because I have 3 kids. Had it back to the dealership more times than I care to count. Air- conditioning broke, key fobs, brakes, shifter, sliding doors broke for the umpteenth time. Radio broke, you name it it broke. I work for Chrysler and will never buy one again!!! I will but a Toyota and feel a lot safer. With junk like this, we will be bancrupt before long. Please do some research before buying this heap!