Worth the cost to maintain
Complete front suspension rebuild at 130k miles.
Car is a little slow off the line, but in third gear, will take on most v8's.
Ridiculous top speed stock.
Great handling.
Awesome sound system stock.
Approaching 150,000 miles, and runs intensely strong.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 10th October, 2005
My opinion of the car is, but WHY???
Everything has broken. I bought my car in November and in December I had to replace the water pump, but it still overheats every once in a while. My heater stopped working too, but it would work sometimes. My sunroof leaks, so when it rains you get wet. I had a freeze plug that needed to be replaced, I sure am glad the transmission was out or I would have had to take it out anyway, to change the freeze plug because it was between the motor and the transmission. My transmission had a hole in it that was JB welded together. Now, the transmisssion has a hole in it the size of a baseball because the clip that help the differental in place came out and the differental came through the housing. My front passenger side tire wears out too fast, the other three are fine. This list goes on and on and on.
I am scared to drive this car, I never know when it is going to have to be towed again.
I don't understand, I have only had the car for about 6 months. It is very expensive to keep running and always takes longer getting fixed that my truck.
The car has serious problems, I wish I didn't trade my chevy blazer for it.
I can't keep the car running, the only good thing I can say is the battery never has gone dead, so at least it has a radio, but a speaker is busted.
Don't buy one of these cars, I warn you.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 19th July, 2005
Good
Right hand power window stopped working at 80,000 miles.
This car is fast and looks great.
I have had minor problems.
Very low front end and its scraps when a go up small hills or bumps.
The seats are very comfortable.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 21st May, 2005
Crap
Well were do I start. I had the car for about a year everything was fine. I got up one morning to go to work and the car didn't start. We tried to fix it ourselves. From the distributor to the spark plugs to a new battery. Still nothing. Had it towed to a repair shop. They hooked up a tester to it nothing came up. They had to test each wire by themselves. Ended up being 4 ground wires going to the battery. With everything that we did to it and the shop. Probably total cost $1000.
About 2 months ago, had a hard time starting it. Running a little rough when it does start. Got a tune up done. About two weeks later it misfired. Don't know why. I have kept up with all maintenance.
Other stuff wrong, transmission leaks, head gasket blew, and was involved in a hit and run. That's about it.
Besides the left front fender being dented, The car looks really nice. I like the wide body and the length. It hugs corners and tight turns real good. I hate the turn radius though. Over all it's a good car just a lot of problems.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 19th May, 2005
Don't be fooled by this Dodge sportscar!!
Had to replace the timing belt less than 3 months after purchasing the vehicle.
I've replaced brake pads twice in the 37,000 miles I've put on it.
The passenger window quit working, and cost me a little over $300 to fix it.
Other than these 3 things, it's been a reliable, problem-free car.
I've had a 94 Honda Accord.. A 92 Chevy Camaro.. A 95 Honda Prelude, and still own a 97 Eclipse GT.
However my 96 Avenger ES has surprised me more than any other vehicle in that list. When I first saw the car, I just figured it was one of those cars that looked sporty, but didn't really have the power to back it up. I was wrong. When I popped the hood, I saw a quick looking engine, but still had my doubts about its power.
After taking it for a test drive, I was convinced, this was a true sports car. The car isn't whiplash quick from sit-still, but is still not bad. The true speed can be felt in 3rd and 4th gear. In fact it was so quick, I wondered to myself, why I never heard much about this vehicle before then.
I've had a lot of fun driving this car. I usually drive it one week and my Eclipse the next (only because the Eclipse is convertible though). Even though the two vehicles are cousins in some aspects, the Avenger automatic will easily take my manual Eclipse.
The body is quite sporty, but yet still roomy with a rear seat, and has enough trunk space for a two 12 inch sub enclosure, with a lot of space left.
The stock stereo isn't all that bad, but the new Alpine head unit looked so much better. If you're a sound fanatic, believe me when I say, you can throw in a lot of serious speakers. I have 8 inch Polk Monos with matching 2 inch tweeters in doors. 6 inch Infinitys along with 6X8 Alpine X-series in rear. Two Alpine X-series 400 and 600 watt amps powering speakers and two 12 inch JL Audios in enclosures. The sound is crispy clear loud, and produces serious hard-hitting bass. I've gotten better sound in this car than any other car I've owned.
The handling is fair at best. The car feels a little on the heavy side. With such a powerful engine, I could only imagine lighter weight.
The seats are comfortable and sporty as well. I drive a 280 mile round trip once every 2 months, and I've never been worn out from it. Despite being a sports car, the cockpit has a slight luxurious look to it.
My Avenger is dark green, which I do not particularly like, however it doesn't look bad on this car, especially when you put dark headlight covers on in the daytime. I get a lot of looks.
Also as myself, a lot of people are surprised by its powerful acceleration.
The only disturbing noise, which I will fix soon, is the rattling of the sunroof, when I have subs kicking at a loud level. The car is otherwise, quiet. At around 60+ mph, engine produces a nice deep hum, which I like.
After a lot of research, these are the other vehicles you'll have no problem with if you're into that street-racing, show off kind of thing (shame on us).
1) Acura Integra (non-turbo)
2) Honda Accord 4 cylinder, and VTEC
3) Mitsubishi Eclipse GS, GT, Spyder
4) Toyota MR2 (non-turbo)
5) Toyota Celica GT
6) Honda Civic
7) Mazda Miata MX-5, M-series
8) Chevy Camaro
9) Nissan 200SX
10) Nissan 280ZX
Comparable vehicles:
1) Honda Prelude V-Tech
2) Chevy Z-28
3) Mazda RX-7 (non-turbo)
The good thing as far as performance goes, is all the aftermarket parts you can install. A simple stronger flowing exhaust muffler for around $50-$80 can add 8-12 more horses. I installed a ($200) K&N cold intake and got a very noticeable extra 15+ HP. Also, as cheesy and cheap as those so-called performance chips may sound, they do work. They're easy to install, and I noticed a surprising difference (cheap mod at $20-$30). Without any modifications though, the Dodge Avenger has strong acceleration and pep.
If you're going to dress up the exterior, there are at least 3 different body-kits available for <$600, and as cheap as $250. I haven't yet purchased one, but may soon. The body is stylish and sporty enough, but a set of dark headlight covers ($40) makes this car look so much more aggressive and sporty (try it).
You can also purchase imitation Xenon bulbs from almost anywhere, but be warned. Even though they're DOT approved, they get too hot, and a little too bright for on-coming traffic, and that's on low-beam. I had success in my Eclipse, but have recently went back to stock bulbs in the Avenger.
Do NOT replace your gauge with those cheap $20 reverse colored gauges you see on eBay. I've tried twice, but they seem to fade and flash drastically when my stereo is pumping. I later learned that the cheaper versions simply do not work great on Dodge, GM or Ford cars, for whatever reason. The good news is, at accessoriesgiant.com, you can order some much more professional gauges that work perfectly, and does not dim or flash when playing music. My gauge color (blue) matches my Alpine perfectly. I heard that JDM will be releasing headlight and tail-lights soon!!!
Overall, the car is reliable, comfortable, even on trips, and quick. Unless I've just been lucky, it hasn't been to the shop more than twice. The brakes do wear out rather soon though, and apparently that's a problem with a lot of these models. Otherwise, you can't go wrong with this vehicle!
It has head-turning looks. It's sleek. Sits low to the ground, and has the power to satisfy anyone that hasn't owned a Vette or Porsche... Highly recommendable sportster!!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 1st May, 2005
What actually happens when the timing belt goes out. I just got an avenger and the guy stated that is what needs to be replaced.
Boo hoo... this really helped me on deciding whether or not to buy the car in the first place, so I'm thankful he put it in here.
9th Dec 2007, 12:59
You bought this car used with 80K on it, did you have a pre-purchase inspection done? Sounds like the PO drove it hard and now you are paying the price for not having the car checked out.