Dodge Caliber? Would you buy one?

I would not buy one used, even though I bought one new last year and have had no problems with mine last year. It is quite comfortable for me and fun to drive, but it seems cheaply made.

I bought a used one in 2007. It has 15K on it when I bought it. It now has around 65K miles on it. I have had no transmission problems yet. The rack and pinion went a few days after I brought it home. But it was under warranty. I haven't had any problems since. I haven't had any mechanical problems yet.

But the other cosmetic stuff is awful. No matter what I do my interior looks like crap. It is incredibly hard to clean. It is make cheaply. I have even asked professional detailers how to clean it. They absolutely hate Calibers. My back seat doesn't fold down anymore. I hardly ever folded it down to begin with. So I couldn't have worn it out. The back seat is also very small. If you aren't planning on having any adults sit back there then it's OK. I'm 5'4" and its cramped for me. My 9 year old fits OK. But in a few years he'll probably be cramped too. The Chill Zone is useless. It's just a shelf in the glove box. There is a little flap you open up and the air conditioner goes in there. Doesn't really chill anything tht isn't already cold. If your car sits in the sun for a few hours, you won't come back with cold drinks. I use mine as an extra glove box.

I bought mine because it was a good deal and I could afford it. If I could do it again, and afford something else, I wouldn't buy one.

It gets me where I need to go and I have had no problems with it. Gas mileage is good. I never figured it out but I go about 350 miles before my gas light comes on. But I'm just not happy with the other things. The resale value is awful. I've been paying on mine for over two years and I have seen used 2009's for less than I owe on mine.

If resale and a good interior don't concern you. You just want a car to get you where you need to go then a Caliber would probably be fine. I have had no complaints except for the cheap interior.

I wouldn't really say you are on "impulse buy mode", but you may be rushing into it a little. Is the Caliber the only car you have looked at? Also, if the monthly payments are an issue to you you may want to look into gettign a used car that is only a year or two old and only has a few thousand miles on it. The cost of the car will be less, and it will be just as reliable as a new car. Plus you won't take the hit of depreciation when you drive it off the lot.

If you buy it, consider a manual transmission. The automatic is only available as a CVT transmission, and that's where I see the problems. I've had lots of customers complain about the transmission; I've even had one guy had the CVT go out on him while he was on the interstate doing 70. I've driven them occasionally, and wasn't pleased with how the CVT operates, and I'm a Dodge fan.

They are probably the worst compact cars money can buy, from a reliability standpoint. I'd go for a Focus if I were you, it has been Consumer Reports' Top Pick since 2005.

if you can find one new for a good price b/c of chrysler's woes, i might get one, but in the compact hatchback class it's one of the poorest performers and least reliable.

in no particular order here are cars in the class that are more reliable and drive better

pontiac vibe

vw rabbit

honda fit

scion xB

chevy hhr

kia spectra5

hyundai elantra touring

toyota matrix

mazda 3 5 door

saturn astra

nissan versa 5 door

Three people I know of have them and have had no trouble with them. The highest milage one has the cvt auto and averages 32 mpg and it has 55k miles.

Piece of junk. You would be wasting your money and regretting it 1 month later. No resale value also.

well i say u take a new one in a bargain with neon

if the price was right.