Faults:

Routine things were done to car. This included front and rear shocks, oil, air filter, flushing out radiator, etc.

The first of two major problems was the head gasket blowing out at about 80 or 90000mi. The engine head had to be taken in and re-surfaced (cost about $300 because we did most of the work ourselves).

The second of the two major problems is what killed the car. Piston #1 blew out about one week ago at 111000mi. Rather than fix the car, I am going simply replace it.

I had my convertible top replace by an auto interiors shop. The top now looks better, but the weather-stripping is horrid. When it rains, my car leaks by the windows badly. When it snows, I get snow drifts on my seats.

The car is noisy, also. The convertible top adds no sort of noise reduction. Given a large bump, my entire top seems to want to rip away from the car.

General Comments:

This was my first car, and I will miss it dearly. I had the cow seat covers, the cheap, chrome hubcaps and even the "high performance" stickers on the bumpers.

This is a really great car.

It has been very good to me, as I have been good to it.

Given the problems, I accepted them as part of owning a used car.

My only complaint is that the car died too soon : (

RIP my shadow July 1998 - June 2002.

Faults:

I had to replace the heater core at 85000 miles.

I also had a small fire under the dashboard that only melted my horn wire.

My driver's side window does not roll all the way up when the door is closed, but works fine when the door is open.

General Comments:

I wish I could get a little more power from the turbo. I am getting only about five pounds of boost.

I work in another city about 30 miles away, and I like to drive with the top down because there is not a great deal of wind noise.

Other than the mentioned minor problems, I have had no trouble with this car. It's great looking and fun to own.

Faults:

The alternator went bad.

Exhaust brackets fell off.

Mysterious leak in the power steering hoses (no power steering at all).

Needed a new timing chain at 151,000.

Throttle sensor went out at about 160,000.

The sunroof became leaky and eventually shattered.

Speedometer occasionally won't work at all.

Driver's side window difficult to roll up.

Paint has begun to chip away madly.

General Comments:

My Dodge Shadow was a reliable car for about 2,000 miles. Now it seems something goes wrong with it every month or so. I have a slight fear that my car is going to break down every time I get on the interstate.

It corners fairly well and has decent pickup.

Not enough space in the back seats. You'll have problems with comfort if you're over 6 feet in height.

Faults:

100,000 miles heat stopped working, dealership recommended new heater core for $600 including labor. I had it flushed and a new thermostat put in the car from a private mechanic for $45, heat now works great!

Idler pulley broke and flew off the car at 102,000 miles. When the pulley broke off it damaged the air conditioner pulley. This was about $80 to fix both broken pulleys.

108,000 miles the head gasket blew, the dealership quoted me $1,200 to fix it. I decided to call a private mechanic and I had the motor replaced with a used motor, and had all new gaskets and seals put in it for $1,200 instead.

General Comments:

From experience it would seem that if you would like your car fixed correctly and cost effectively the first time, a Dodge dealership is not the first choice of service centers.

The 2.5-liter turbo 4 cylinder I in this little car is zippy. But, not without a price… Due to it having a turbo you must run a premium gasoline in it costing slightly more then regular unleaded gasoline. Running premium gasoline usually comes with the perk of getting better gas mileage henceforth offsetting the price of the gas, not in this car; the gas mileage is deplorable at best for a compact car (even with the convertible roof up).