My grandma bought a '97 new. She thought it was too sporty. My mom then inherited it and used it, then I inherited it. Still running great at 205,000 miles.
I still drive a '99 Chrysler Cirrus V6, exactly like the Stratus. Bought it in 2018 and only second owner. Now has 102,000 miles. Have only changed timing belt and front struts. Plan to drive it beyond it's 30th birthday!
I remember when the "cloud cars" came out. They were modern and sexy. I think the design has aged quite well. From what I've read and heard over the years though, they were not too reliable. My mother purchased a used 1992 Plymouth Acclaim in 1994, a year before the "cloud cars" replaced it. Her Acclaim turned out to be quite dependable for nearly 200k miles, though it was a basic model with few features so there wasn't a whole lot to go wrong. Fun fact: The 2.4L 4cyl. used in these cars was a joint venture between Chrysler, Mitsubishi, and Hyundai. Each manufacturer made modifications to it for their own use. It's still being used today in the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, and as far as I'm aware, it's the last remaining vehicle sold in North America to use this engine. Mitsubishi made modifications to it over the decades to improve reliability, efficiency, and power. It's generally well-regarded. My mother actually has a 2015 Outlander Sport with the 2.4L and it's been a great vehicle to this point.
You're getting your fax mixed up. The 2.4 along with the 2.0 from 94 through 09 was mostly an in-house job commonly referred to as the neon engine. The world engine replaced the neon engine family in the mid-2000s.
@@colinschmitz8297 are you sure? Mitsubishi and Chrysler joined forces in a lot of ways in the '90s. The 3.0L V6 used in many Chrysler vehicles was a Mitsubishi engine, which was also used in the Hyundai Sonata. The Dodge Avenger/Chrysler Cirrus coupe were based on the Mitsubishi Eclipse and used the same 2.0L 4cyl. and 2.5L V6.
@@palebeachbum I'm pretty sure about this. The official world engine came out in the mid 2000s. It features a timing chain versus this model used a timing belt. While it is correct that there was a lot of joint ventures and cheering going on a lot of joint ventures and sharing going on between Chrysler and Mitsubishi in the things that you listed, this was from my understanding in-house block. It may have drawn inspiration from the Mitsubishi 4 cylinders but it was made by Chrysler and the 2.0 l version was used interestingly enough as the base engine in the 95 through '99 eclipse, while the turbo versions of the eclipse still featured a Mitsubishi 2.0. If you look at the non-turbo and turbo versions you can tell they are different engines. That's part of the joke about the fast and the furious that the car that Paul Walker had was a non-turbo eclipse with a Chrysler engine.
I had a 1998 in Deep Cranberry with the 2.4 and 4 speed auto for my first car. It had 110,000 miles when i got it and i sold it with 174,000. It was a generally reliable car that never left me stranded, but it consistently went through parts. A mechanic i took it to told me he sees them all the time with 300,000 + miles; the 2.4 was a cast iron block and pretty rugged, although the cam seals leaked and were a common failure point. I once neutral dropped it at 3k rpm and the trans was still going strong. Like most Dodges, the body would rust out long before the engine would give out, so i wouldn't say they were absolute piles, they were okay. And the styling was done very well for a family sedan.
They were very slick looking when new. The body was pulled tight over that long wheelbase roomy interior too. Dont see them up north anymore but they still riding around southern states.
We had one of these brand new. It was a 1996 base model with roll down windows, and a 2.0 liter SOHC. It couldn’t get out of its own way, we got rid of it for a brand new Chevy C1500 extended cab with the 5.7 liter engine.
I had a 1998 Stratus. The color was Champagne. It had the 2.4 liter DOHC I-4 with a 4 speed automatic. Head gasket went bad at 75,000 miles and then the electronics in the transmission went bad at 135,000. When it was new, I was a pretty good car for a Chrysler product. The fit and finish wasn’t bad for an $18,000 car.
Let me tell you I remember vividly going on a test drive in a Plymouth Breeze and it was a comfortable nice sized car and had good pick up, made a u turn to head back to the dealership and during the turn the engine seized I mean locked up no warning no lights flashing.
I had 3 of them back an the day .my first car was 97 stratus in 98. drove it every where paited it charco black. drove for another 2 years then head gasket gave out so i sold it for 800 😂 then my buddy from.high school let me a barrow his black 98 with 12 inch rims 10 inch wolfers. Man that car got alot of attention especially on the sunset strip out here an la. finally 2001 i baught another stratus 99 white. that car i had for almost 5 years man i repaied water pump head gaskett which where very expensive the freaking brakes the traning belt so an 2006 switch over to Toyota Camry loved it ever since but i do miss my first car dodge stratus 97😢
I had a 2004 Dodge Stratus SE base model with the 2.4 liter DOHC 4 and it was pretty peppy, comfortable, and roomy. But I had wanted the R/T sedan in red only. The downfall was the 2.7 liter DOHC V6 due to oil sludge and overheating. That engine was bad from the start, and it was in a Intrepid base. We see a very few Stratus on the street today but I would mind buying a good 2006 last model year as a SXT mid-grade with sunroof, spoiler, and 2.4 liter DOHC.
This car is the official poster car of the movie office space. Bland reliable generic utility . It’s way more reliable than an ev or modern economy car actually
Actually they were very reliable. To a pain in the ass that people were still buying parts for these 2 years ago when I worked for advance auto parts corp.
Sorry but that is no Accord. The Cirrus was pleasing to the eye enough but this was DiamondStar motors at its worst and the downfall of Chrysler prestige. We all know how the rest of the story goes- the Gerries take Chrysler over like Poland and discard it when they used it up. Sad but true.
Brought up one of my pet peeves regarding the American car industry. I don't think "We're cheaper" is the brilliant strategy they thought it was. A thousand dollars cheaper means the car is, literally, a thousand dollars cheaper. Quality, fit, finish, features, why not put some of that thousand dollar "savings" into building a higher quality more reliable car? An extra $50 worth of sound deadening per car, for example, would have quelled the "noisy" complaint here. Detroit got in the habit of building to a price and have never equaled the imports in reputation because of it.
The first time I ever saw one of when I was walking through the parking lot where's my mom at albertsons. It had jumped out of gear before rolling into into the drainage ditch. Somebody ran into the store up to the customer service desk and told them to call 911 but nobody knew what kind of car it was Since it was so new. I was 14 so of course I knew exactly what it was. These were garbage cars which is why they're mostly extinct today.
These cars were total piles when they were new. I haven't seen one of these in YEARS. The Chrysler Corp found a way to remove the reliability from a Japanese car.
Yeah, shows how little you know. I got 300,000 miles out of mine before I gave it away -- the 2.0 liter and 5 speed were bulletproof. My cousin is still driving the damn car. I think she's put another 80,000 miles on it already.
I have owned 5 all had 150-200k+ miles on them before parting ways, only thing that killed them was getting totaled by other drivers. I also still have one.
I got a 2000 Cirrus LXi and swapped in a 6g74 3.5L V6 from a wrecked low mile '04 Diamante VR-X. It totally completes the car with how it drives. Super quick acceleration. 6.5 sec 0-60 (easily smokes tires when mashing it) The stock v6 was decent but still a dog by V6 standards. The Diamante was in production by Mitsubishi at the time so I have no idea why Chrysler never bothered to offer their engine as an option instead since the 6g73 2.5L was already sourced from them.
My grandma bought a '97 new. She thought it was too sporty. My mom then inherited it and used it, then I inherited it. Still running great at 205,000 miles.
What engine ?
Not gonna lie, i really do miss my 97 Stratus. It was a great car. Owned it for 12 years
I drive a DODGE STRATUS
I drive a DODGE STRATUS
good
Thank you, TW. Thank you.😂
Me too! (actually a Cirrus, but really the same).
Ain’t nothing wrong with that !
I loved the Chrysler Cirrus... Wanted one pretty badly when it came out.
I still drive a '99 Chrysler Cirrus V6, exactly like the Stratus. Bought it in 2018 and only second owner. Now has 102,000 miles. Have only changed timing belt and front struts. Plan to drive it beyond it's 30th birthday!
I always loved the looks of these cars!!!
I still do
Chrysler was one on fire in the 1990s, from the Neon to the minivans.
I remember when the "cloud cars" came out. They were modern and sexy. I think the design has aged quite well. From what I've read and heard over the years though, they were not too reliable. My mother purchased a used 1992 Plymouth Acclaim in 1994, a year before the "cloud cars" replaced it. Her Acclaim turned out to be quite dependable for nearly 200k miles, though it was a basic model with few features so there wasn't a whole lot to go wrong.
Fun fact: The 2.4L 4cyl. used in these cars was a joint venture between Chrysler, Mitsubishi, and Hyundai. Each manufacturer made modifications to it for their own use. It's still being used today in the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, and as far as I'm aware, it's the last remaining vehicle sold in North America to use this engine. Mitsubishi made modifications to it over the decades to improve reliability, efficiency, and power. It's generally well-regarded. My mother actually has a 2015 Outlander Sport with the 2.4L and it's been a great vehicle to this point.
I had no idea the World Engine was out in the 90s.
You're getting your fax mixed up. The 2.4 along with the 2.0 from 94 through 09 was mostly an in-house job commonly referred to as the neon engine.
The world engine replaced the neon engine family in the mid-2000s.
@@colinschmitz8297 are you sure? Mitsubishi and Chrysler joined forces in a lot of ways in the '90s. The 3.0L V6 used in many Chrysler vehicles was a Mitsubishi engine, which was also used in the Hyundai Sonata. The Dodge Avenger/Chrysler Cirrus coupe were based on the Mitsubishi Eclipse and used the same 2.0L 4cyl. and 2.5L V6.
@@palebeachbum I'm pretty sure about this. The official world engine came out in the mid 2000s. It features a timing chain versus this model used a timing belt.
While it is correct that there was a lot of joint ventures and cheering going on a lot of joint ventures and sharing going on between Chrysler and Mitsubishi in the things that you listed, this was from my understanding in-house block. It may have drawn inspiration from the Mitsubishi 4 cylinders but it was made by Chrysler and the 2.0 l version was used interestingly enough as the base engine in the 95 through '99 eclipse, while the turbo versions of the eclipse still featured a Mitsubishi 2.0. If you look at the non-turbo and turbo versions you can tell they are different engines. That's part of the joke about the fast and the furious that the car that Paul Walker had was a non-turbo eclipse with a Chrysler engine.
@@colinschmitz8297 interesting!
We had one at shop class when i was in highschool and it had a manual transmission, i never see these cars anymore.
I saw a 2004-06 one the other day. It was silver and had custom headlights and a spoiler. It was still good looking. It was the sxt sedan
I had one as a rental car, I liked it. 😀
I loved my 96 stratus...well over 200k when I sold it still running and driving great
I had a 1998 in Deep Cranberry with the 2.4 and 4 speed auto for my first car. It had 110,000 miles when i got it and i sold it with 174,000. It was a generally reliable car that never left me stranded, but it consistently went through parts. A mechanic i took it to told me he sees them all the time with 300,000 + miles; the 2.4 was a cast iron block and pretty rugged, although the cam seals leaked and were a common failure point.
I once neutral dropped it at 3k rpm and the trans was still going strong. Like most Dodges, the body would rust out long before the engine would give out, so i wouldn't say they were absolute piles, they were okay.
And the styling was done very well for a family sedan.
My dad had 2 Stratuses of this cool design; a ‘95 and a ‘98 both ES with a V6 as company cars.
They were very slick looking when new. The body was pulled tight over that long wheelbase roomy interior too. Dont see them up north anymore but they still riding around southern states.
We had one of these brand new. It was a 1996 base model with roll down windows, and a 2.0 liter SOHC. It couldn’t get out of its own way, we got rid of it for a brand new Chevy C1500 extended cab with the 5.7 liter engine.
I had a 1998 Stratus. The color was Champagne. It had the 2.4 liter DOHC I-4 with a 4 speed automatic. Head gasket went bad at 75,000 miles and then the electronics in the transmission went bad at 135,000. When it was new, I was a pretty good car for a Chrysler product. The fit and finish wasn’t bad for an $18,000 car.
Let me tell you I remember vividly going on a test drive in a Plymouth Breeze and it was a comfortable nice sized car and had good pick up, made a u turn to head back to the dealership and during the turn the engine seized I mean locked up no warning no lights flashing.
Love these stratus' so much room, good performance and sexy
Graceful and gorgeous. Did that strike anyone else? I giggled.
It came back as the Avenger. Even the lights are the same remenisrs
I always thought the Plymouth breeze was the best looking out of the stratus, breeze, and cirrus
These were good cars from Chrysler.
Thank you for posting
These weren't compacts, these were midsized.
Let's not forget that Dodge decided to put the battery in the driver side front wheel well xD
I had 3 of them back an the day .my first car was 97 stratus in 98. drove it every where paited it charco black. drove for another 2 years then head gasket gave out so i sold it for 800 😂 then my buddy from.high school let me a barrow his black 98 with 12 inch rims 10 inch wolfers. Man that car got alot of attention especially on the sunset strip out here an la. finally 2001 i baught another stratus 99 white. that car i had for almost 5 years man i repaied water pump head gaskett which where very expensive the freaking brakes the traning belt so an 2006 switch over to Toyota Camry loved it ever since but i do miss my first car dodge stratus 97😢
@erinwalter132how so
@erinwalter132 how so
Great car for the time
I had a 2004 Dodge Stratus SE base model with the 2.4 liter DOHC 4 and it was pretty peppy, comfortable, and roomy. But I had wanted the R/T sedan in red only. The downfall was the 2.7 liter DOHC V6 due to oil sludge and overheating. That engine was bad from the start, and it was in a Intrepid base. We see a very few Stratus on the street today but I would mind buying a good 2006 last model year as a SXT mid-grade with sunroof, spoiler, and 2.4 liter DOHC.
My aunt had a 2000 Chrysler Cirrus LXi, it was grey and had a black interior.
Always liked these.. felt cheap on the inside but still.
This car is the official poster car of the movie office space. Bland reliable generic utility . It’s way more reliable than an ev or modern economy car actually
These were excellent and refreshing designs when new, but long term reliability wasn’t up to the job. Neither were the car’s successors.
Actually they were very reliable. To a pain in the ass that people were still buying parts for these 2 years ago when I worked for advance auto parts corp.
98 all white called her kokane
Sorry but that is no Accord. The Cirrus was pleasing to the eye enough but this was DiamondStar motors at its worst and the downfall of Chrysler prestige. We all know how the rest of the story goes- the Gerries take Chrysler over like Poland and discard it when they used it up. Sad but true.
150 HP in 1997
Brought up one of my pet peeves regarding the American car industry. I don't think "We're cheaper" is the brilliant strategy they thought it was. A thousand dollars cheaper means the car is, literally, a thousand dollars cheaper. Quality, fit, finish, features, why not put some of that thousand dollar "savings" into building a higher quality more reliable car? An extra $50 worth of sound deadening per car, for example, would have quelled the "noisy" complaint here. Detroit got in the habit of building to a price and have never equaled the imports in reputation because of it.
The first time I ever saw one of when I was walking through the parking lot where's my mom at albertsons. It had jumped out of gear before rolling into into the drainage ditch. Somebody ran into the store up to the customer service desk and told them to call 911 but nobody knew what kind of car it was Since it was so new. I was 14 so of course I knew exactly what it was. These were garbage cars which is why they're mostly extinct today.
ignorant biased comment
These cars were total piles when they were new. I haven't seen one of these in YEARS. The Chrysler Corp found a way to remove the reliability from a Japanese car.
These were easy to work on, zero personality, easy to hate cars, but good cars. Very reliable.
Yeah, shows how little you know. I got 300,000 miles out of mine before I gave it away -- the 2.0 liter and 5 speed were bulletproof. My cousin is still driving the damn car. I think she's put another 80,000 miles on it already.
@@LakeHowellDigitalVideo anecdotal evidence. Neat!
I have owned 5 all had 150-200k+ miles on them before parting ways, only thing that killed them was getting totaled by other drivers. I also still have one.
@@sgtmyers88exactly!
Junk
Buy the Honda 😂🤷🏼♂️
I got a 2000 Cirrus LXi and swapped in a 6g74 3.5L V6 from a wrecked low mile '04 Diamante VR-X. It totally completes the car with how it drives. Super quick acceleration. 6.5 sec 0-60 (easily smokes tires when mashing it) The stock v6 was decent but still a dog by V6 standards. The Diamante was in production by Mitsubishi at the time so I have no idea why Chrysler never bothered to offer their engine as an option instead since the 6g73 2.5L was already sourced from them.
Wow that's pretty interesting!
Yuck 🤢