Faults:

Tires needed an alignment.

Brakes needed to be replaced.

Brake line was cut, needed to be replaced.

Somebody came along and smashed my windows out.

Cloth interior picks up any and every smell. Usually smells horrible.

Really hard to park.

Hard to see out of.

Hard to control and maneuver.

General Comments:

In general, it's a cheap-feeling car. It's not a good first car, as it's really hard to steer and get a perception for. As a small person, I feel like the seats don't come up enough and that it sits too low. Takes up nearly a whole parallel parking space just by itself, so good luck fitting into any tight spaces.

Faults:

Was getting very poor mpg when purchased, around 15 mpg combined. Changed every conceivable part to improve mpg, but only been able to achieve no more than 22 mpg combined. Will have to live with it.

Had a coolant leak apparently from a faulty head gasket into the oil. Been able to drive it still though for another 30k more miles, keeping an eye on the oil before I had to have it fixed.

Starter went bad at 145k miles. Not bad; was an easy fix.

A/C had a leak at 147k miles. Had to replace the expansion valve. Small fix.

Driver door power lock and power windows stopped working around 140k. Changed the window controller, but left the lock as is.

Hood started to rust along the front lip around 75k. Been able to minimise it by rust proofing from the inside with asphaltic undercoat paint from a $3 spray can. Will have to do for now. Not fixed yet.

General Comments:

The platinum silver paint is like brand new after 150k miles. Just hand washes it and it shines.

The interior is like brand new. No tears in the cloth upholstery.

Slow to average ride quality. Bit noisy engine and tires.

Quite pleasing design. Still like it after 10 years.

Very roomy inside and large trunk space. Engine bay though is a bit cramped.

Would much appreciate better mileage, but willing to keep the car much longer for the good looks.

Faults:

My breaks squeak. Water pump went out and had to be replaced. The engine belts had to be replaced. The power steering went out. Power steering belts and pump had to be replaced.

General Comments:

I have done nothing, but spend money to repair this car since I bought it. Just waiting to see what will go out next on it.

Faults:

Great car, not many problems, a few now here and there, but there are now almost 300,000 kilometer's on it!

General Comments:

Great car, very roomy and sporty, handles great, the car is nice and wide and good on gas.

Faults:

The head gasket blew at 40,000. This was a problem with this model. The dealer wouldn't help us since our warranty had expired, but the manufacturer paid for all the labor less the part. I was very pleased to say the least.

Oil pressure sensor went at 115,000.

No other major problems.

Reliability has been a major plus.

General Comments:

At 150 HP, it has adequate power which has not diminished over the life of the car.

I rate the cabin noise as fair... noticeably noisy above 65 MPH.

Handles decent on the highway and in the city.

Smooth ride on highway. A bit bouncy, but smooth city driving.

This is not a high end sports sedan, but I have been very happy with it. I am 6’3” and I’m always comfortable and not cramped behind the wheel. I find the seats to be very comfortable even after long drives of 300 miles plus.

People seem to be down on American cars, but my experience with the Stratus has been headache free.

The Stratus has been a great reliable car that I have enjoyed driving.

Solid gas mileage performer.