Great car, would buy another.
Master cylinder needs to be replaced.
This is a great car for the money. I actually paid $200 for my 1996 Stratus ES. It has 163000 miles, but for $200? I drove it home and it now is getting tuned up and ready for the winter months ahead.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 26th September, 2005
If you keep it well maintained, it can be the best car you'll ever buy
It had a leaky head gasket at 75,000 miles, and again at 125,000 miles.
The water pump failed at 130,000.
The tachometer and odometer work intermittently.
The car drifts to the right even after wheel alignment and rotation.
The right side view mirror (powered) doesn't always work, due to a bad connection in rocker switch relay.
It has a very comfortable interior.
It has a sporty look and feel. It outperforms most mid-sized sedans, in acceleration, power, handling, and durability.
The car is built around the engine, leaving you with little room for working on.
Most engine repairs require it to be removed entirely from the car.
The battery is hard to access, but equally hard to be stolen.
The trunk is large, and comes equipped with anti-theft lockout.
It has plenty of power behind the dual-cams, pushing around 175 horsepower stock.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 21st March, 2005
Great, cheap, reliable car
AC/Compressor went at 128,000. Cost to repair? 200$
Master cylinder went at 131,000. Cost to repair? 400$, which included new rear drums and brake assembly, new front rotors, and all the work was completed the same day.
This is a great car! Two problems in 9 years, both of which were cheap to fix.
I bought this car for 1400$ last year. The body is in almost perfect condition, and the interior is in perfect condition.
The ride is very nice, especially when you're used to riding in cheap foreign cars, which have a crappy ride and a lot of road noise.
The engine is LOUD! I've put a new intake on it and its very very loud, sounds very nice.
I will be buying a 2005 Stratus as soon as I have the cash, I love these cars.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 19th March, 2005
Not worth buying, won't buy another!
Radiator had to be replaced.
Lower ball joint failed.
AC stopped working.
Fan control only works on "high:
Engine mount broke.
Camshaft seal failed at 42,000 miles.
Ignition coil module misfire problem, had to replace the entire module.
Worn out drivers seat due to the design of the metal frame.
Throwout bearing failure.
Starter failed.
Tachometer and odometer don't work all the time.
Check engine light comes on intermittently for no apparent reason.
Will never buy another one. Parts are way too expensive compared to my old Dodge Charger and my Plymouth Reliant.
Difficult to work on the engine.
Handles very well and great gas mileage with the 5 -speed over 30MPG.
Very poor sound system, too much bass and distorts very early.
Nice transmission mated to an engine with very little low end torque. I have been driving 2.2 and 2.5 Dodges for so long and really like the torque they produce in the low end. To get the same sort of torque out of the 2.0 (Neon) engine you really have to rev it way up to 4500 RPM.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 16th February, 2005
23rd Dec 2006, 19:46
I had the same master cylinder failure on my Stratus, and I think there it is a recall on that.
(Source: alldata.com)
686 JUL 96 Recall - ABS Master Cyl. Piston & Hydraulic Control Unit
687 JUN 96 Recall - Master Cylinder Primary Piston
I wrote to Chrysler US HQ about it, and you might get it repaired for free as it is a NHTSA recall!
It was US$ 200 for me for the rear brakes, brake cylinder and related parts. Mexico has great mechanics, and great prices on parts :)