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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  Pleasant surprise - 2005 Dodge Neon
  By redneon - September 29 - 1:10 pm

  I was set on buying the Civic VP, but rerouted when I tried the Neon. A comfortable ride with peppy engine and good handling, though not nearly as smooth as the Civic. But its far superior in styling and has a lot more personality than any other car in its price range. Its a better buy too After rebates/tax/tags/etc. I wouldve spent $14-15K for a 2-door auto Civic with only AC and CD. For $13K total I got a 4-door Neon with AC, CD (great sound), sport appearance (spoiler!), keyless entry, Identity security system, power package and heated side mirrors.

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  Durango - 1999 Dodge Durango
  By loganschert - September 29 - 10:00 am

  Spend more time under the car than in it!

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  Cheap car - 2007 Dodge Caliber
  By Alex - September 29 - 12:41 am

  Dont buy this car, i bought a 2007 dodge caliber feomba friend of mine and ro my surprise mavis couldnt do the alignment saying that the front cradle is corroded beyond imagination. They told me that the part still under warranty so I went to the dealer in Connecticut, they inspected the vehicle and said that the part inbfact it was covered by the warranty but in order to replace that part they needed to replace al the rusted parts around the cradle, they didnt said broken parts, they said corroded parts. Finally they gave me a appraisal for $2, 500.00 in order for them to replace to part under warranry. I refused because to expensive. A local shop is charging me 1000 to replace the part, I have no choice but to do it, this under frame, cradle appears to be made of a really cheap metal...

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  Mines Not So Bad - 1996 Dodge Caravan
  By Platinum60 - September 28 - 2:00 am

  I bought my van used a few years ago but it has been pretty reliable. I did have to have the master computer chip replaced though, because of the wipers (which cost about $390 with labor)Other than that it has just had to have normal maint. like tires, oil change etc.

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  Happy with this vehicle! - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By Athene - September 28 - 2:00 am

  This is my second caravan. Traded a 95 6 cylinder for this one. I love the way it handles, its quiet, and the seating is comfortable. Greatest improvement for me was the second sliding door. We had over 100,000 on the 95 and never needed any repairs. This one was in twice early on for a problem with a sensor which activates the airbag light. Otherwise, its been an uneventful year. I do recommend the 6 cylinder if budget allows, since most complaints I have heard come from owners of 4 cylinder models.

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  Front brakes - 2009 Dodge Journey
  By TOMMY SMITH - September 27 - 3:30 pm

  This seem like a nice vehicle. But its had a lot of brake dust on the front wheels for a while. Now at 20,000 miles it is metal to metal on the left front wheel and the right front is very close. On top of that the day after I purchased this vehicle m&m Dodge went out of business & the nearest Dodge dealer is about 20 miles farther & they wont give a loaner while its being worked on plus they wont cover this anyway because there are no recalls. I have been a dealer mechanic in my earlier years. I am quality control person on vehicles that belong to the federal government & we have to make quality deficiency reports on poor performance. Dodge is not doing it. Shame shame!

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  Still running good - 1994 Dodge Shadow
  By HewJ - September 27 - 2:00 am

  Ive had this car for 3 yrs now. this car has been very reliable to me. i plan on keeping it as a "beater" car when i buy a new car. i have put on about 60k miles since i got it...it now has 205k miles. I can still hit 100mph !!! Since ive had the car, ive replaced the headgasket, water pump, and tires (about $1000) Not to bad for 3 years. I would recommend this car to anyone with low budget car maintainence.

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  05 Durango - 2005 Dodge Durango
  By vanessa - September 26 - 9:00 pm

  Ii have to say im quiet impressed considering how picky I am when it comes to a vehicle.I was pretty amazed at how easy it was for me to conform from a smaller SUV to a larger one. The handling is great and I feel very safe towing my family around in this vehicle. I also love the fact that the ride is very smooth compared to many other SUVs where its very bumpy. Overall Im happy with the purchase

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  VTEC Killer - 1998 Dodge Neon
  By Intense Blue - September 26 - 2:00 am

  I puchased the car new in May 98. Wasnt sure about the stripes until it arrived. Had them painted on later. Performance/price ratio is unbeatable by any mfgr. Excellent ride for performance oriented suspension. Changed to composite head gasket due to oil leak at rear of engine. Use Mobil 1 5/30 with no oil consumption since initial 1 qt in 1st 1k miles. 28/36 MPG. I have surprised many a Honda VTEC or Mustang GT owner. Body fit & finish excellent. Braking system excellent. Considering adding 03 SRT-4 to my collection.

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  overall a good car - 1999 Dodge Stratus
  By masterflash - September 26 - 2:00 am

  This car worths its price. Its strong built, comfortable to drive and pretty powerful. But most of all its very good looking, reliable and good performance for its class. I compared it to Altima and Civic from the same year and betas them easily. It has minor inconveniences, but, hey, I paid just $15,000 on it brand new!