1987 Dodge Raider review from North America
"Great vehicle, if you can do your own work!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Due to an overheat (the biggest enemy of this engine) I had to rebuild the engine. The head was cracked when I purchase the Raider, and the use of coolant progressively worse as I owned it.
At about 160,000 I decided to rebuild the engine. I rebuilt the engine entirely myself, even doing all the machine work. The bore on the cylinder was near perfect, even after all those miles, and most parts which were used in the rebuild were standard size.
After the rebuild I have had very, very few problems. I have had to replace the water pump at about 260,000 miles, but that was almost 100,000 on the rebuild pump.
General comments?
It will amaze most people off-road! Even in relatively stock form it will stand out in a pack of Jeeps.
On the highway it is somewhat underpowered. 0-60 is about 18 seconds, which won't impress anyone.
Gas mileage is about 20-22 mpg in daily driving, when the carb is correct. Keeping the carb working properly is a pain, but not a major expense (unless you have to replace it, the carb is expensive).
Recommended reviews
| Fun, but not cheap to run |
|
| Reliable on any terrain |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1987 |
| Year of manufacture | 1987 |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2007 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.4 liter Automatic |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 155000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 270000 miles |
| Previous car | Chevrolet S-10 |
| Date of Entry | 3rd December, 2007 |