1983 Dodge Omni from North America

Summary:

Great car to start driving in

Faults:

No large problems. Most are small problems due to age of the vehicle.

After I'd been driving it for about 5 months, the starter died. That was not entirely unexpected, but it was still an unpleasant experience to exit a restaurant an hour away from home and the car won't even turn over.

Biggest current problem is that the choke doesn't seem to work properly, so some days it takes a few tries to get it started, and stay running.

There's a power steering fluid leak, so I have to add fluid every now and then, when the steering starts to feel stiff. Sometimes if I don't get right on the adding fluid thing, it makes a terrible groaning noise as I turn corners.

General Comments:

This is my first car, and I have loved it since the moment I laid eyes on it. I received it as a gift from my grandfather when I got my license at 16. I'm 20 now, and I'm sadly in the market for a new car, rust has begun to wreak havoc on the undercarriage.

It handles well, and I get decent gas mileage out of it, considering it's about 25 years old. I'd say around 500km on a tank.

Seats are pretty comfortable.

No air conditioning in mine, but open the vents and crack the two rear windows and the airflow almost makes up for that. Lack of ac is more than made up for by the amount of heat it generates in the winter. You never have to worry about freezing, that's for sure.

Overall, I'm going to miss this car. In 4 years, I have only had 1 large scale problem, and this was after the car had been around for a good 20 years.

My only real complaint is that I have no cup holders. So if I have a beverage, I either balance it on the emergency brake, or wedge it between the emergency brake and the gearshift.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd November, 2007

23rd Nov 2007, 23:04

In 1999 I sold a 1990 Dodge Omni that had 240,000+ miles. Up to the time I sold it it had had exactly TWO brake jobs, TWO timing belts, and ONE hose. That's it. Nothing else except tires and tune-ups. It had air conditioning and never even had freon added. It drove like new and everything still worked perfectly when I sold it. I can see why you like yours.