Head gasket started to leak at 50,000 miles - replaced for free by dealer at 130,000 miles.
Right rear passenger door lock stopped functioning at 90,000 miles - could be related to an incident with a security gate hitting that door.
Battery placement is ridiculous - you have to jack up the car and remove the front left tire to get to the battery compartment.
This car has been a dream, economically and pride-of-ownership wise.
The cabin is comfortable and roomy and instrument placement is user-friendly.
The seats are comfortable, even on long trips.
The car has an amazing amount of pep for a 4-cylinder engine - even with 140,000+ miles on the odometer, if you ask it to get up and go, it does!
It corners like no sedan I've ever driven.
I have an stratus and it is great to me (knock on wood) all I've had to replace was the alternator. I've been everwhere in my car to little rock-to missisippi-to etc. I am planning another road trip I have no compliants on this car.
I have a 1998 stratus it runs reel well I just took it to duluth minnesota last month,i got 32mph with it. but i have had my troubles also. head gasket air cond motor heater switch and now maybe the transmission, it only has 114.000 miles on it, is it true that dodge transmissions die after 100.000 miles can any one out there give me a answer on that. thanks dave10492001@yahoo.com.
We had a 1990 Dodge Spirit 2.5L 4 cyl with a 5 speed. It was the top of the regular line. With the very rare 5 speed, it was a joy to drive. It did everything well. But --- it was not reliable enough for us to consider another Dodge, Plymouth, or Chrysler product. A Stratus is just enough larger to have been the perfect size. After trying the major import brands, since giving up the Spirit after 14 1/2 years, my opinion of the Spirit and the Stratus and Cirus I've driven has improved greatly. The cost of ownership may not be any greater than the cost of the most popular imports!!! I've found "Brand A" from Japan to be like driving a bowel of Jello and very unpleasant just to sit in. The new model is really pretty nice, but the 5 speed is terrible and there's no room for my elbow!
Brand B drove very nicely, but I'd never do business with our lone area dealer. The Spirit and Stratus both compare favorably to a high end European sport sedan (which costs a great deal to maintain) The name has 3 letters and the model 3 numbers and a letter. The Mopars are a much better value for those who can't spend $40,000 = a lot for repairs! Compared to the Swedish car I bought new and dumped after 4 1/2 miserable years (not the one with a 4 letter name), the Spirit and Stratus are "bullet proof! If you like to drive, sometimes that is more important than absolute reliability!!! The Stratus 5 speed I tried was like a sports sedan for those who can't afford a "real one!"
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