Dodge Caliber - Good buy?

[leseuldaniel]

Hey,

I'm looking to buy a Caliber and was wondering if any RDFer had an experience with the car, since it has not been discussed much in this forum. I know the 1.8L is not recommended and does not compare well with the same class cars since this built mainly exists to have an interesting entry price... So I'm basically scanning here is someone has experience or educated opinions about the car (I guess we would all like to avoid the domestic vs japanese opinion clash)

Thanks!

[monkey-boy]

have you physically taken a look at one or drove it?

My dad and I went today to have a quick look at it... it's much bigger than I anticipated it to be. It must be vying for compact crossover vehicle? I'm not sure.. I hadn't read too much into it but my dad really liked the look of it.

Everything inside is PLASTIC. And I'm talking EVERYTHING. I honestly really, really dislike it. I can see it rattling to crap in a couple years and it looks horrible. I know many domestic vehicles have plastic interiors, but at least they try to mix in a little vinyl or something that doesn't look so fisher price.

Anyway... you really have to see it for yourself, but I was extremely surprised at how bad the interior really looked, but it is a fairly large vehicle for the price tag, I suppose.

Aside from that... I wouldn't let my dad test drive it because it was just that appalling

[pontiac_driver]

have you physically taken a look at one or drove it?

My dad and I went today to have a quick look at it... it's much bigger than I anticipated it to be. It must be vying for compact crossover vehicle? I'm not sure.. I hadn't read too much into it but my dad really liked the look of it.

Everything inside is PLASTIC. And I'm talking EVERYTHING. I honestly really, really dislike it. I can see it rattling to crap in a couple years and it looks horrible. I know many domestic vehicles have plastic interiors, but at least they try to mix in a little vinyl or something that doesn't look so fisher price.

Anyway... you really have to see it for yourself, but I was extremely surprised at how bad the interior really looked, but it is a fairly large vehicle for the price tag, I suppose.

Aside from that... I wouldn't let my dad test drive it because it was just that appalling

what did you expect from a neon replacement?

[gordholio]

Might be a good deal for someone looking for a station wagon who doesn't care if the interior is from the Eighties (before they used better plastics).

[airodus]

I've don't have any first hand experience, but the reviews I've read range from neutral to positive. IIRC

Pros:

- looks good on the outside, I personally love the mini Magnum look
- lots of neat features (ipod/cellphone holder, illuminated cup holders, "chill zone", flipdown speakers on the hatch for outside music)
- good engines
- good gas mileage
- optional AWD
- good handling

Cons:

- cheap interior
- CVT (transmission) is no fun
- upgraded stereo has no input jack while the base one does (wtf)

Anyways it looks like a really decent alternative to a Toyota Matrix, Pontiac Vibe or even Mazda5.

[belgiangenius]

Hey,

I'm looking to buy a Caliber and was wondering if any RDFer had an experience with the car, since it has not been discussed much in this forum. I know the 1.8L is not recommended and does not compare well with the same class cars since this built mainly exists to have an interesting entry price... So I'm basically scanning here is someone has experience or educated opinions about the car (I guess we would all like to avoid the domestic vs japanese opinion clash)

Thanks!

It's a Dodge. Good luck. You'll need it.

[plymouthhater]

The Service Manager of Sorenson Page Chrysler in Richmond Hill On once told me "A word to the wise NEVER EVER buy the first production year model of any Chrysler product!"

They provide you with a vehicle full of design and production flaws and you get to pay them once out of warranty to fix problems caused by their faulty design and poor quality parts.


'nuff said

[gilboman]

i think car and driver did a comparo with pt, caliber, matrix, vibe a while back and the caliber fell flat on its face

think of a neon with new shell and more crappy interior and you have the caliber

[porphyra]

i think car and driver did a comparo with pt, caliber, matrix, vibe a while back and the caliber fell flat on its face

think of a neon with new shell and more crappy interior and you have the caliber

I thought that the Caliber was a brand new platform, with little or nothing in common with the Neon pedigree.
However, again caution would blow in the wind since it IS a brand new production model on a hiterto unknown and untested platform.

Regardless, it seems that calibers are selling like hot cakes. I see 5 times as many calibers on the road as say a Honda Fit. I just don't get it..

[Bazooka Joe]

Based on nothing but looks, I've got to say that it is definitely a slick looking car, and I'm likely the demographic that they're after. A good looking car with a relatively low pricetag is likely to be a hot seller. In a year or two though, if cheap components were used the look will be associated with a cheap vehicle.

I'm reminded of the pontiac sunfires when they first came out, they looked great too. But many sold and perception changed over time based on performance. I'm not saying this will happen with this one, but I had a similar feeling about the sunfire when it first came out as I do the Caliber.

There are a few threads on it over at http://www.cartalkcanada.com/forum/
but not too many have driven it and most hate the interior. That's a very helpful website and forum if you're considering an auto purchase..

[leseuldaniel]

Thanks for the advice, I was inside but could not drive it (already sold)

I am puzzled by (as mentioned earlier) the mostly positive reviews overall from 'serious' wedsites. There are some negative, but the caliber sometimes suffers from comparison if the configuration is not equivalent to the others in the contest. However, people driving it seem to agree that this is not a great car, cheap interior, average performance.

I know you should never buy a 1st yr model (even the last civic ( ~2000-2001) had problems in their 1st yr), and I am assuming the problem is the same if not worse with Dodge.

On another hand, with brand new plaform, CVT, engines, I don't see how they could be so off the mark.

That is why I wanted to consult the experts at RFD to see who has driven and evaluated one. I'm also going to check that car and driver comparison as this is the type of vehicle I am looking for.

Thanks

[PMedeiros]

When my beloved 95 Sunfire, after many years of faithful service, finally decided to go to car heaven a few weeks ago, I was in the market for an entry level car and we considered the Caliber, Vibe/Matrix, Chevy HHR, PT Cruiser, Fit and Yaris.

After lots of research and test driving each, the Fit and Yaris were a bit too small for what we were looking for. We didn't much care for HHR and Cruiser.

I thought the Caliber was pretty slick looking from the outside, although my wife didn't much care for it. Yes, the interior is all plastic, which may or may not float your boat.

Although the Caliber was a nice drive and had lots of neat little extras, something about it just didn't feel right. I think the Caliber might have potential in a few years, but it just didn't feel like it was "complete" and that it may have been rushed. Like a previous poster mentioned, I wouldn't get a Dodge/Chrysler in the first year of production.

So...we ended up with the Vibe and haven't looked back. Not to start a Japan vs domestic war, but the Toyota reliability in addition to a whole whack of GM incentives sealed the deal for us.

If you are considering a Caliber, you may wish to give the Matrix/Vibe a test drive....

[MrDisco]

That is why I wanted to consult the experts at RFD to see who has driven and evaluated one. I'm also going to check that car and driver comparison as this is the type of vehicle I am looking for.

If you're looking for experts don't come here. check out the forums at edmunds.com for a model break down and comments geared specifically to that model. you'll get actual owner comments of what they like and disklike about the vehicle.

[porphyra]

I was reading the forums over at Edmunds on the Caliber. The damn thread has over 1200 posts so barely done reading a few pages (starting from the back).

It seems that the caliber has quite a lot of issues with pinging noise (whatever that is), rattling, engine knocking (apparently a software glitch that is being worked on...people feel that they have tuned their engine to get a high mpg rating). The general consensus is that Chrysler has rushed this car into delivery and the bugs and issues are being worked out only now.

Here is a post from there:

I have posted several problems here in the last few weeks so I thought I would update the status. I can see that others may have had the same issues. First I reported a problem with a noisy fuel pump (high pitched ringing sound). The selling dealer would not do anything for me but I took it to another Dodge dealer and they ordered a replacement pump that did not correct the problem. Apparently there is a "harmonics" problem with the Caliber I purchased that causes noises to be amplified through the body of the car.
The next problem I reported was the "popping" or "pinging" noise from the exhaust during driving, idling and after stopping. Chrysler told the dealer they were aware of this and were not working on a fix for it but the metal would cure and the noise would get quieter eventually.
The third problem I reported was engine "knocking" that Chrysler acknowledged they were working on and eventually would have a program to ****** the timing and correct the problem (also reducing the gas mileage). The fourth problem I reported was a rattle underneath the console that appeared to get worse when the wind was stronger. The dealer could not identify the source and I was told I might just have to get used to it.
Since I was not willing to accept all these issues on a new car with less than 1000 miles (costing $20K)and I could not get any cooperation from Chrysler I decided to sell the car and buy something dependable to drive. I have owned several Chrysler products but I will not own another one after this one.

[belgiangenius]

When my beloved 95 Sunfire, after many years of faithful service, finally decided to go to car heaven a few weeks ago.

WTF? I have a 96 Civic, and it's barely broken in.

I was in the market for an entry level car and we considered the Caliber, Vibe/Matrix, Chevy HHR, PT Cruiser, Fit and Yaris.

Unless you want to be shopping again in only 10 years, get a Honda or Toyota.