1997 Dodge Avenger ES 2.5

Summary:

A money sucking P.O.S

Faults:

I bought this car from a private seller who had done some work on the front end. The night that I brought the car home it began to knock. I took it in to the garage and discovered I had spun a rod bearing. $2000 later I had that problem fixed.

Maybe two weeks later the check engine light came on again. This time it was my oxygen sensor. This cost me $200 to fix.

Maybe a few days after I got the car back from this My check engine light came back on. I have not yet found out what this one is for, but I am sure it won't be cheap. For the 3 months that I have had this car I have put at least $2500 into it.

I still have to do a lot of work to the A/C which is estimated at $1000. I started out loving this car, but now I hate it. I will never buy another dodge product from now on. It's a beautiful car unless you actually want to drive it anywhere.

General Comments:

It's a beautiful car and the sound system is great.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 26th June, 2002

4th Aug 2002, 21:09

Own a 97 Avenger that has 104,000 miles on it. Loved this car from the minute I saw one, and still do. Have had very few problems with it; only ones to be expected with cars that are getting lot of wear and tear on them. Every problem has been minor such as tune up, etc. My only big problems have been with the Dodge dealer, not the Dodge car.

10th Jan 2003, 20:19

I have an Avenger and it has 147,000 miles on it. I just had to spend $300 for cooling system problems, but besides this car has been unstoppable!

1997 Dodge Avenger ES

Summary:

A Dodge Avenger is a sporty lemon on wheels

Faults:

The transmission went out on it about five months after I bought it.

When pushing on the gas, the engine made a noise that sounded like there was something in it.

The paint started to peel at the spoiler and at one part of the trunk.

When the window wasn't rolled all the way up, it rattled.

Has trouble starting at times.

Passenger seat wouldn't stay locked sometimes.

The backseat that folds down so you can get in the trunk broke.

General Comments:

The avenger was a car that I wanted. It looked sporty, drove smooth, and comfortable to ride in.

I don't think people should buy this car because problems always occur with it.

I'm now going to only stick with a Honda or any foreign cars, because a lot of them last for a long time with only minor problems that every car goes through.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 18th June, 2002

10th Jul 2002, 13:41

I'm getting my second car, my first one was a 92 Pontiac Grand am SE. The car I'm looking for now is a 1996 Dodge Avenger. I'm getting it financed, it has 90,000 miles on it and it's selling for $4,995 - My total price will be around $5,500. - Is this a car that will give me problems?...I was reading the consumer report on the 96 Avenger, and it was very poor. - What about the 95 Avenger? It said it had a good rating... Should I maybe consider that instead?

4th Aug 2002, 21:02

We have owned a 97 avenger for a little over 2 years, that we have put 62,000 miles on. Maybe we have just been lucky from what everyone has to say about them, but we have had very few problems, ones to expect with a car that is getting up there in miles. It now has 104,000 miles on it and the only thing we've had problem with was bad gasgette leaking oil, which was fixed at home, replacing battery and tune up. The only thing I would warn about is window screws come loose easily and windows come off track. Overall am very happy with this car.

25th Apr 2008, 01:31

The Avenger and the Chrysler Sebring are identical. If you go back to the Sebring page you'll notice that the models 94-97 have a bit of the same problems...

I wouldn't buy either.