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11 months left on warranty. Would we buy another Caliber?

16K views 35 replies 13 participants last post by  Quiet Lunatic 
#1 ·
Yup, Our 2007 Caliber turned 2 last month!


I want to just toss this information out there for anyone whom wants to read it.
We were the first to buy a Dodge Caliber in our area. Feb of 2006. My wife’s Neon was almost 10 years old and we were ready for our next small car and then bam! There it was sitting in front of our local Dodge Dealership. We paid cash for the first one on the lot (actually the only one). And we drove it for a month before we even saw a commercial for it. Heck, the dealership only got one more until August of 06. They were quite rare in early 06. We’ve had a variety of small problems with it,, and some big ones,, some things the dealer fixed, and two things that they couldn’t fix and we’ve just had to live with (including some crunching fronts struts that they couldn’t figure out, so they labelled it as typical to the car) and now we’re just 11 months away from the end of it’s warranty.
So this is what I’d like to say about my wifes Dodge Caliber SXT. We bought a Beta version of what would eventually become an excellent car. A fantastic design and concept that would become a winning model. I wish we had waited until after the platform had been fully tested and they were making them in full mass production. I wish it hadn’t been such an darn good looking car at such a great price! To this day, even after all the problems we've had, when I watch my wife head out the driveway, I still can’t help but stare at it thinking ‘Now that is one good looking little American car!’
I don’t drive the car much. Just on highway road-trips during the holidays. But let me tell you, I’ve never driven such a nice little highway car. That 2 liter CVT combo is perfect for the highway. It eats up the hills without the expected effort. It feels like a bigger engine. It’s just a wonderful car on the highway, for a 2 liter. BUT, that floppy non-responsive gas pedal around town,, I can’t stand it! The gas pedal just doesn’t make a good connection between my brain and what I want the car to do! It doesn’t bother her so much, but it does get to her after a couple minutes of ‘stop and go’. I realize it’s a CVT. Heck I drive a Ford Freestyle. It has a CVT. The pedal in the Ford feels much more consistant. Much more responsive. Dodge this year (2008) started selling the CVT2 in the Caliber. It responds much better. More like a CVT needs to feel like in traffic -or around town. I had one as a rental in NY last year.
And now there’s the currently offered lifetime warranty! Seems like the early buyers bought too early.
It's some kind of cruel triple wammy. Improved the tranny AND improved the warranty after the first year, as well as fixed the early production problems!
At the end of this year, we’re going to find out what the dealer will give us for a trade in for our fully loaded Beta Dodge 07 Caliber SXT. ‘Cause yes, we would buy the ones they're making now in a heartbeat. But I don’t think that the Dodge Dealership is going to give us a decent trade-in. Seriously. I’ll bet they won’t offer us $7,000 for it. They don't want it. We paid $18,400. It’s in perfect shape. Just 14,000 miles. But the dealership knows that there was a ‘too early’ release of the Calibers,, and they don’t want them either! The early ‘CVT1’s with all the problems’. Yes, I’ve heard it said that way. So we’ll just keep it.
I think that every car manufacture out there is now trying to produce a car that fits this crossover catagory,, but Caliber was the first. And for the money, I think that Caliber is still the best deal. And now that Dodge has ironed out a dozen or so kinks,, yes I’d buy one no problem.

We pulled into the dealer lot last Sunday to take a closer peek at what looked like some kind of Caliber on steroids. It’s the new 2009 Dodge Journey. Nice! It was like de-ja-vu for us from 2 years ago. Damn good looking new model from Daimler/Chrysler. There was just the one sitting there (probably the only one for the next 5 months).
My wife and I simultaneously said the same thing after staring at it for about 5 seconds- "Beta". The word fits the situation perfectly. Why does Daimler Chrysler do this?! and why do they punish (least wise not reward) the good Dodge customers whom have taken the BETA risk in the past? We sure as heck won’t do it again. I don’t care how incredable the design of the car is. And I don’t care how good the warranty is. If the dealership is just going to say "That’s typical of the early releases, they’ve fixed that problem for the next model year." -then you can forget it.
I really wish we had waited just 1 more year. :i_rolleyes:

-H
 
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#2 ·
It is a shame that there were some un-repairable issues.

I would like to thank you not only for a well written piece but for putting your neck out there when it was new and untested. You paved the way for the TSB's and the future of the Caliber:worshippy:
 
#3 ·
what a fantastic thread , like Oybnrml as said its a well written and thoughtful post about your experience with one of the first Calibers, and makes an interesting read,
so thanks for that,you have my utmost respect..:worshippy:
i hope your caliber lives on and on..
 
#4 ·
I also liked your article. Thanks for your input. I have only one thing to tell you that you must not realize.

"every car manufacture out there is now trying to produce a car that fits this crossover catagory,, but Caliber was the first."

Is not true, the Toyota Matrix and the Pontiac Vibe were before the Caliber along with one other I think but cant remember. As a matter of fact the Dodge engineers were "obsessed with the Matrix while designing the Caliber" I read somewhere.

Don
 
#11 ·
I also liked your article. Thanks for your input. I have only one thing to tell you that you must not realize.

"every car manufacture out there is now trying to produce a car that fits this crossover catagory,, but Caliber was the first."

Is not true, the Toyota Matrix and the Pontiac Vibe were before the Caliber along with one other I think but cant remember. As a matter of fact the Dodge engineers were "obsessed with the Matrix while designing the Caliber" I read somewhere.

Don
i didnt think the toyota and vibe were considered cross-over vehicles. Look like run of the mill wagons to me..same with the mazda 3. They dont even have any sort of ground clearance on them. I dont think the caliber looks like a wagon at all because of the shape and size of the rear quarter windows.

You may laugh, but the caliber almost reminds me of an amc 4 door hatchback from the 80's with its high stance and bold rugged looks. In actuality, I think the amc's of the 80's would be considered the first cross-over vehicles.
 
#5 ·
The confusing part I have to argue, is that the CVT in the Caliber has always been a CVT2. The "2" means it was JATCO's second generation CVT. The only difference between it and other CVTs on the market today is the software. If Harvey never had the 18-031-07 TSB installed, then his complaint is valid. I've had no real complaints with my CVT since. The Freestyle is also a larger vehicle with a much larger V6 engine. Hardly an accurate comparison. I don't know of many 4cyls that can accelerate as fast as a V6 unless turbo charged. I know my dealer has applied every TSB to my Caliber. I suspect Harvey's dealer is one of the reactive dealers that doesn't do anything unless forced into it. Dealers are the ones that truly make the difference when it comes to car ownership.
 
#6 ·
Crossover

The Caliber isn't sold as a Crossover,in the UK. It just takes its place in the "C" segment market along with all the other5 door hatchbacks.It competes with Golf,Focus,Astra,Megane etc.Because of its unusual looks & versatilaty,Dodge should have aimed this as a Niche" marker,for people who are individuals,& dont just want run of the mill.:cool::cool::cool:
 
#8 · (Edited)
A crossover is an almost SUV. It has the attributes of a car (better gas mileage), the convenience of a minivan (roomy, able to haul stuff), and some of the go anywhere prowess of an SUV.
 
#9 ·
thanks for that Brad, i did wonder and now i know..
i did't want to sound stupid...:D
 
#10 ·
Crossover does'nt impress people in thr UK(they are not well informed) I think it should have been marketed As a (Tough Lifestyle Vehicle for people who like to ---Grab Life by the Horns) Its unusual enough to warrant its own market place.
 
#12 ·
I think that car was the AMC Eagle,It was a jacked up Concord Wagon with 4x4.They also tried a sedan & coupe version.It was a good attempt by AMC ,but too late to save the company, by wichtime they had Renault input,& that put the final nail in the coffin.
 
#14 ·
I googled in----Scion & Cobalt. I heard about them from guys on here.But as we dont get them here in UK,I know nothing about them.I didnt find any thing very revolutionary about the Cobalt.i liked the Engine oil monitor , to reduce oil changes, but I had one of those on my Skoda 6 yrs ago.The Scion looked more interesting,but how big is it?It looked quite a small car to me.Are these cars any good.Are they volume sellers in the Usa 7 Canada
 
#15 ·
The Cobalt is a Chevy...nuff said there. Scion is best described by the Toyota mechanics: "What made Toyota buy the company that makes this crap!"

And yes Pete, they are small.
 
#20 ·
I wasn't picking on you. I was just alerting everyone, including myself, that we had gone off topic.;)
 
#21 ·
Hey, Thanks for the info about that TSB regarding the throttle. I called our original dealership and found that they don't tend to notify owners when they get TSB's,, just recalls.
We've actually changed dealerships anyways. We did this about a year after we bought the car. Per a reccommendation from someone on this Forum. So I called our new dealership and they said that sure,, it's a TSB that they'd be willing to try, see if it makes a difference. While I had them on the phone, I also asked them about the squeeky front end. They said it's the torsion arms. Another thing that seems to be a problem in the early Calibers. Said bring it on in.
I hope they can fix it. I've come to full realization that our original dealership sucks. Thanks for the info.
And as for going off topic regarding the 'crossover' conversation. I thought it was a neat string. A friend of mine in highschool was always able to borrow his mom's Gremlin. I liked it. It had way too big an engine in it. That car could really move. I think it had the largest possible engine. Must have. But did the front passenger seat fold forward flat? so that you could fit big objects into it? I don't recall. Did it get good gas mileage? I doubt it. Could you slide long boards flat into the back, leaving several feet hanging out? or drive your 8 horse snowblower into the back of a Gremlin/Pacer? I'm pretty sure the hatch did not open to a flat deck like a wagon or SUV (or like a Caliber).
I think that the Matrix and Mazda MX3 are the closest creatures. Good gas mileage, very utilitarian, 4 wheel drive optionional -AND NOT straight up Wagons. But the Caliber is the better looking of the bunch,, hands down. And it's American Made.

Thank again for the info.

-H
 
#25 ·
Hey,, I wanted to cap off this thread with some great news!

One of the editors/contributer in this forum told us to take our Caliber to a different dealership. So we went looking and found 2 other dealerships, both only 30 minutes away from us in opposite directions. So we called Rochester Dodge (1/2 hour north) and made an appointment to try to fix the things that have been wrong for 2 years and 16,000 miles.
They gave us an appointment and fixed the problems.
Turned out to be a faulty steering rack in the front. It was clunking with the movement of the suspension and was easily fixed. AND they replaced the front swayarm bushings which were squeeking. Plus they researched the throttle response issue and found a TSB or some kind of update/adjustment that fixed the problem!
And now the car goes down the road nice and quiet!!! AND the throttle is responsive!!! God Bless!
I don't know what the problem is with our origianl '5-Star' dealership, but as far as we're conscerned they're @#$%-ing @#$holes.
We had long since taken the old dealer sticker and plate cover off of my wife's Caliber, but now we feel really good about that,, AND we have a NEW dealership that takes care of us,, AND CAN ACTUALLY FIX THE CAR! Hopefully nothing goes wrong again (as the warranty will expire in 8 months). Yes we put up with these issues for 2 years. Ugh

Thank you for the advice to go somewhere else. Thank You!!
But still, with an new car experience like this, how can a dealership claim to be '5-Star'? ?? I mean they really dropped the ball with us. I wouldn't give them 3 stars.
They treated us like WE were the problem.
We're feeling so much better now that her car has been fixed.


Don't ever buy your new Dodge at Tri-City Dodge in Somersworth, NH. Save yourself and go somewhere else! Anywhere else!!!

Thank You for this forum and the good advice.

-H

 
#26 ·
Great!!!

Hey Harvey Rep points to you for taking advice & resolving your problem. Sounds like your Dealer did a whole lot of good work. I bet your Caliber drives like new again.I think your old Dealer needs a good slapping for poor service.Dodge dont need their reputation dragged down by slip-shop service----Well Done!!:Racing::worshippy:
 
#27 ·
It's a great car, but.....

Had my Caliber SXT (1.8, 5spd) for two whole years this month and have loved every minute of it. Despite the cruel and spiteful comments of the UK motoring press ("gutless", "ghastly", etc, etc...) and the slow uptake of buyers, we're seeing more and more Calibers on UK roads now, which is a shame in a way, because I liked generating attention at red lights and in car parks (not me, silly - the CAR!).

As for the "but..." - not many, but here are mine:-

(1) It should have had quad headlights, and not singles, however big they may be. On dipped beam they're fine, but on long, dark, empty roads (yup, we have a few in the UK!) high beam is weak and leaves a dark area just in front of the car that quad lights would fill. There aren't many cars without 'em now, so how about quad lights on new model Calibers, Mister Dodge, and an upgrade for existing ones?

(2) SXT owners deserve illuminated window switches. It's only a small thing, but if they're not available on the SXT, which model ARE they on?

(3) Front seat head restraints don't adjust enough to fit heads properly, and I fear for a rear-end shunt. How about lateral adjustment as well as vertical, and some soft, squashy filling?...

I'm really struggling to think of any more "buts" now - maybe because there AREN'T any more! It's just a damn fine car, period!
 
#29 · (Edited by Moderator)
(2) SXT owners deserve illuminated window switches. It's only a small thing, but if they're not available on the SXT, which model ARE they on?
There is a thread on this forumz where these have been replaced for around
$69.00 US and they are a standard part from the Dodge Charger.There is even
a how to do it posted.I believe the poster was Ravenghostwolf.
 
#28 ·
Hi Pilgrim!! Yep I agree with the UK spec Lights issue , not very good . Hid Upgrades are availale in USA, but I'm not sure about Uk...& it wont be cheap. I live with the other niggles you mentioned. Although I have learned to adapt my driving style ( Ex Double Decker Bus driver) I find the Big Door mirrors , The High Dashboard & the Thick obstructive Windscreen pillars are not exactly helpful in placing the car on narrow lanes & parking...But as I said I have adapted!!!!
 
#34 ·
Oops, I seem to have hijacked Harvey Turner's original review. Sorry, buddy, I didn't mean to do this, but I have picked up some useful responses.

By "quad headlights" I meant the double headlights on most modern cars, with fixed dip and high beam in separate lenses. I suppose the Caliber's existing front light fittings are too small, and it'd take a major front-end re-design to allow for them. Next model, maybe. My Caliber has fog lights, but the UK police are a bit fussy about how or when we use 'em, and we can get pulled over - and ticketed -for "mis-using" them (get a life, Mr Policeman).

Now to bigstr's reply - I posted a request somewhere else on this site for info on rear bumper protectors - and bigstr mentions ordering and receiving some. Could we please have some info on these? Are they only available in Canada? Many thanx.
 
#35 · (Edited by Moderator)
Now to bigstr's reply - I posted a request somewhere else on this site for info on rear bumper protectors - and bigstr mentions ordering and receiving some. Could we please have some info on these? Are they only available in Canada? Many thanx.
The bumper protecters are availiable here in NA at most automotive
supply sources for $25-50 US,they vary in widths,textures but most
I have seen are black in colour.Pete offers a good alternative for DIY
however several European vendors i.e. Vmaxx,Startech offer chrome
or stainless for a little more variety.I would suggest you PM Brendy
(if we can get him out of his backseat) to help you as he has researched
it and has one plus he is located in Ireland/UK.
 
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