1989 Dodge Spirit LE review from North America
"Comfortable, economical, and reliable"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Power steering rack blew a seal at 55K miles.
I had the water pump, which was just starting to "weep," replaced at 45K miles, in conjunction with preventive maintenance replacement of the timing belt.
Brake calipers and slave cylinders had to be rebuilt at 50K miles.
General comments?
Had it not been severely damaged in a collision, I would still be driving it. The car consistently drew favorable comments from friends, coworkers, and family members. I replaced it with a 4-cylinder 2003 Stratus SXT, which offers more power and somewhat crisper handling, but which lacks the Spirit's full instrumentation and full opening of the rear windows.
I selected the Spirit partly to accommodate the two six-footers in my 4-man carpool, and partly because I already owned a 1988 Aries K wagon (which is still running strong for my in-laws) and liked the idea of having two cars with virtually identical power trains.
Routine maintenance was always a pleasure, with everything in plain view and readily accessible.
The base 4-cylinder engine provided barely adequate performance, but compensated in fuel economy and reliability.
Recommended reviews
| Good design and built like a tank, but find the newest model you can that appears well maintained |
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| Versatile, family-oriented, but just a little sporty |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1989 |
| First year of ownership | 1989 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.5L base Automatic |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 7 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 9 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 9 miles |
| Most recent distance | 61600 miles |
| Previous car | Chevrolet Chevelle |
| Date of Entry | 4th April, 2003 |