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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  Best Quad Available on Market - 2001 Dodge Dakota
  By hotsaucnmyburito - June 28 - 2:00 am

  When we test drove all quads, the Dodge Dakota Sport was by far the roomiest in the back for passengers, the most comfortable ride, the most powerful and reliable truck on the market with the most bang for your buck. In the 2 years we have had this truck, we absolutely love it. We towed a few times and had no problems. The bed was used MANY times for large and small items. We moved about 4 times in the past 2 years and have had excellent results from it.

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  Should have bought a Tacoma - 2003 Dodge Dakota
  By manly - June 28 - 2:00 am

  I was so close to getting a Tacoma and now I wish I had. Gas guzzling and noisy truck with bad fit.

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  Solid, Often Overlooked Car - 2002 Dodge Intrepid
  By strangelove - June 25 - 2:00 am

  When I began looking for a new (used) car, I didnt even think about Dodge or Chrysler vehicles. My focus was mainly on Accords, Camrys and other Japanese makes. But I promised myself I would leave no stone unturned, so at the very last minute I turned my attention to a silver Intrepid ES at a local Dodge dealership. Im glad I did. It proved to be the absolute best mix of the things I was looking for: great styling, strong performance, tons of room, tight suspension, extremely affordable price (used w/ 25k miles) and low insurance costs. Id recommend these cars to anyone with a clean conscience.

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  My 5th Caravan. Great Vehicle - 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
  By moparmtn - June 24 - 2:23 am

  I am writing this review as most people report on fairly new vehicles. So I will tell you my review of my van. I have 113000 miles and it is still running smooth, quiet, no rattles or squeaks. Change oil (full synthetic) & filter every 5000 miles. Trans gets fluid and filter every 30000 and I cyphon out 4 quarts of fluid and replace every 15000. One brake job at 75000. My only complaint is when starting in cold weather it makes a funny noise for a second or two. Hope this helps to the durability of the van. I have had 150000 + trouble free service out of all 5 of my vans. On a cross country trip I put on 11988 miles towing a pop up camper and averaged 22 mpgs. Very happy with this van.

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  Wrok horse - 1991 Dodge Shadow
  By unclmick - June 24 - 2:00 am

  Like most dodges, the engine was great, but the body was crap. It started to fall apart as soon as I got it. Clear coat coming off, liners coming down. BUT, the engine ran and ran. It saved us so much money to drive it into the ground. Hard city driving and long family visit roadtrips. Overall I definitely got my money out of it.

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  Dodge Caravan - 2003 Dodge Caravan
  By Brandon Defenbuagh - June 24 - 2:00 am

  Have had the Van less than a year. Has been in the shop 3 times. Fuel injector, Spark plug and wire, and transmission pump have been replaced. Overall I would say not to buy one. Go with a honda or Toyota.

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  Dodge and The Durango -Losers - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By Conned - June 24 - 2:00 am

  Bought 99SLT new from Glen Thomas Dodge in Long Beach.Liked the looks of the car and the V8 engines power.Routinely maintained the car. Control arms bent & the bushings were shot at 36,100 miles.Took it back to dealership as it was only 100 miles over warranty. They wouldnt fix it. Called Dodge corporate but they refered me back to the GM at Glen Thomas. He did nothing.Ended up paying for something that should have been covered.51,000 miles head gaskets blew and freeze plugs failed,cost me $1200.00 to repair.Just sold the car. GT Dodge are rip offs and Dodge Corps no better. Will never purchase a Dodge product again.

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  ARGH! - 1995 Dodge Neon
  By ARGH! - June 23 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car in 1999. For the first 6 months, it treated me well. After that, it was all down hill. I blew my head gasket, my oil and transmission fluid are always leaking, my air conditioning only wants to work for one summer at a time, Ive had problems with the oxygen sensor, and just recently there was a problem with my accelerator plate I accelerated to 90 on the highway without even touching the gas petal, and when I decided it was time to slow down, neither the brakes or emergency brake would stop it. During the good times, it has treated me well, but when troubled time hit, they hit the pocket book hard!

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  1995 Dodge Dakota - 1995 Dodge Dakota
  By whitebliss1990 - June 23 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle has been good to me despite a few minor electrical problems. The drivetrain has stood up to some harsh driving, although I am usually very easy on it. This model has the 3.9L V6, which is plenty of power. There is no need for the 5.2 L unless you plan to use it as a work truck, I have towed other trucks out of ditches on muddy roads. THere have been minor oil leaks, caused by normal wear of engine seals. I would not reccomend, however, a more recent model or a different model, say a Ram. The dakota is one of the best built vehicles by dodge and one of the better trucks overall. I highly reccomend this for design and operation.

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  Fun Truck to Drive - 1998 Dodge Durango
  By Robert520 - June 23 - 2:00 am

  Love this SUV but I anticipated problems and was smart enough to buy extended warranty. Window lifts have been replaced 2 X per window, AC evaporator went out, battery died at 24 months, steering column replaced, seat track replaced (rocking chair syndrome), speed sensor, all four speakers and some other items to many to count. I still like the vehicle though and my wife thinks its junk. Whats you expect, she drives a Camry.