C-SRT-4 dead after 2009

[rich tideswell]

no more a suposibly being built after this year so if you got one, you know they're going to be rare after only a 2 year run

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/02/dodge-caliber-srt4-we-hardly-knew-ye/

[Mario]

End of another Chrysler Turbo era?

[trbowgn]

hopefully this isn't the beging of another dry period for Chrysler performance vehicles. Like the post turbo era when the only thing was the Viper or Trucks.

[contraption22]

hopefully this isn't the beging of another dry period for Chrysler performance vehicles. Like the post turbo era when the only thing was the Viper or Trucks.

... and neons...

[neongary]

Perhaps we will see some sort of SRT turbo Fiat.....?
The Charger and Challenger are going to be around for a few more years. With the demise of the Crown Vic, the Charger will probably be around longer than the new Challenger.

[BadAssPerformance]

C-SRT-4 was cancelled a bit ago. Caliber/Patriot were almost cancelled all together during the bankruptcy but are launching 2010MY right now. 2011 still in limbo. If you want one, get it now.

There will be Fiat 500's here soon and new Chrysler/Dodge cars based on Fiat designs. Some are turbo... Stay tuned.

[Subliminal]

I think that we're going to see a lot less variety per brand soon. It seems recent events have really shown that those who have a million models of cars are the ones who had the most problems.

Also, isn't the new standard going to be like 35 mpg? If a company wants to keep those hemi rigs on the road with their sub 20 mpg, they're going to have a put out a lot more 40ish mpg vehicles to offset them, and that too will probably make a lot of the vehicles (like the caliber turbo) go bye bye.

It's a brave new world...and Obama DID promise change. ;)

[BadAssPerformance]

The problem is that most people want the 20mpg HEMI... nobody (who can afford it) really wants a 50hp 50mpg deathtrap car.

Heck my friend's mom wanted a Prius only cuz her friend got one cuz the commercial during Oprah... she didnt even know it was a hybrid.

[Subliminal]

Well, that's really kind of what I'm saying. For Chrysler to produce that Hemi, they're going to have to produce a bunch of little fellas with great gas mileage, and the little tiny niche cars that most people don't even know exist will probably fall by the way side.

[mario03SRT]

Good Bye to an ugly cheap --- car!

[Vigo]

^^:lol: (but true)


... and neons...

And the turbo stuff sold in other markets.

[t3rse]

Europe and Mexico get better US cars than the US? naw...that'll never happen... :p

[iTurbo]

That's a shame. I really like my CSRT; nicest and fastest car I've ever owned. Personally I like the bull dog looks; the Omni GLH was similar in that respect back in it's day.

I can understand why some people think they are 'ugly', but if you saw it in person I think you'd like it a lot better. What I don't understand is why people bag on the car for being cheap and junky. I think it's very well built and a bargain for a brand new car under 20k. I know the MSPR is higher than that but a lot of people (myself included) are getting them for less than 20k brand new.

[DodgeZ]

I own a caliber... it is junky

[iTurbo]

I own a caliber... it is junky

Explain.

[Mario]

I like to think of them down the road in 20 years as the future mini-vans of the TM world.

I've driven several Calibers/Patiots. Always seems to be a lot of birds in the interior. Cheap cheap cheap cheap cheap.

[iTurbo]

I was looking at Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X and the Chevrolet HHR SS and I thought the Caliber SRT-4 interior was much nicer and more comfortable. The HHR SS interior was downright gaudy and the EVO was just super boring plain jane.

[Mario]

http://z.about.com/d/cars/1/0/T/0/1/ag_08srt4_int.jpg
http://images.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/112_0801_07z+2008_mitsubishi_lancer_evolution_x_GS R+interior.jpg
http://z.about.com/d/cars/1/0/x/w/gm_08hhrss_dash.jpg

I like the evo interior. I've never been in an HHR SS. A good percentage of cars in this class the manufacturers could give two shits about the quality of the interior due to their target market.

[iTurbo]

The HHR SS interior I looked at had seats that were all or mostly red. Don't know if it was an option or what, but seemed totally overdone. My older brother used to have an HHR LT and he liked the CSRT interior better. He traded the HHR in on a new Dodge Charger because he wanted more interior room and wanted the AWD.

I really don't mind the Lancer interior at all; I just don't think it's any higher quality than the Caliber, yet it cost much more. Sure there is plastic, but what interior doesn't have a lot of plastic, especially with cars in this manufacturing class as you said.

[135sohc]

A 20 y/o Daytona or Shadow ES interior looks 100x more appealing than any of that nasty junk.

Dodge: looks like someone used a ruler to design everything.
Mitsu: kinda like it, a little busy but its something to look at.
Chevy: typical gm interior. looks like a windtunnel was used to shape that dash. one hunk of plastic with nothing to break it up.

[DodgeZ]

Explain.

drive a non-srt model and report back.

[JamesL]

drive a non-srt model and report back.

I drove a non-srt4 Caliber and hated it. I'm not even sure why I bothered. I love my SRT4 Caliber. With the S1 its makig 307WHP and getting 28mpg on the highway. For this particular car that is about all I want. I'm sad to see the power plant going away.

[iTurbo]

drive a non-srt model and report back.

Well for starters this thread is about the CSRT, not a base Caliber. The CSRT interior is different than the base Caliber and there are different options available. Why I would go through the trouble of looking at or test driving a base Caliber, I have no idea. Surely you must have test driven your Caliber before buying it and knew what you were getting into, or maybe despite it's 'flaws' it was still a good deal?

[WickedShelby88]

With all being said so far this is interesting enough.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=35348

[omnigoestohell]

i dont want the 20mpg charger specifically for the fact that it gets 20mpg... if the car was well built, was fun to drive and got the mileage too i'd be buying it even if it cost a little more. i'm staying away from the prius/civic hybrid specifically for the fact that they're no fun to drive... get rid of the CVT and put a stick back in and maybe it would make it a little nicer as a daily driver economy car.

the caliber SRT4 at least has a blend of that, i'd be fine with 20% less performance and 20% more mpg for my daily driver if it wasn't such an ugly car. 50% less performance aint gonna cut it tho..

[DodgeZ]

Well for starters this thread is about the CSRT, not a base Caliber. The CSRT interior is different than the base Caliber and there are different options available. Why I would go through the trouble of looking at or test driving a base Caliber, I have no idea. Surely you must have test driven your Caliber before buying it and knew what you were getting into, or maybe despite it's 'flaws' it was still a good deal?

I'll quote you real quick...



That's a shame. I really like my CSRT; nicest and fastest car I've ever owned. Personally I like the bull dog looks; the Omni GLH was similar in that respect back in it's day.

I can understand why some people think they are 'ugly', but if you saw it in person I think you'd like it a lot better. What I don't understand is why people bag on the car for being cheap and junky. I think it's very well built and a bargain for a brand new car under 20k. I know the MSPR is higher than that but a lot of people (myself included) are getting them for less than 20k brand new.


Funny when I looked at a C-SRT4 it was 28k. The only C that window stickered for less then 20k was a turd box version. I want to say the R/T was 22k.

My C has a couple issues. Like the random check engine light coming on and off, no codes. The suspension squawks and one of the rear windows squeaks going up and down. Oh yeah and the rear brakes are shot at 40k. It is slow as sh1t and the CVT is a waste. The wife doesn't get that good of mileage out of it. It isn't that bad but it is far from a "nice" car. Of course my Omni and Neon would be in the same boat. They are cheap cars.

[Vigo]

If they had ever made a Patriot srt-4 i would have liked it.

All the things that make the caliber a shitty car would still have made a pretty decent turbo-charged jeep. Except for that fwd. : /

[iTurbo]

I got mine for 19k and it is fully loaded with every option. It was a leftover '08 but only had 59 miles on it. The MSRP was about 28.5k though. That isn't uncommon though, as quite a few people on the CSRT forum I go to got similar deals because they were really trying to unload the '08s at that point. The dealership I got mine at had one in ever color and had a black one in the showroom they let go for 17k.

I've had one problem on mine so far. When I got it home I would hear a loud bang/pop noise in the front suspension when going over large bumps or hard acceleration. Turned out there was a TSB fix involving replacement of the front control arm bolts so I dropped it off at the dealership and had it back a few hours later and haven't heard the noise since. My only real complaint about the car is the limited rear visibility.

[iTurbo]

If they had ever made a Patriot srt-4 i would have liked it.

All the things that make the caliber a shitty car would still have made a pretty decent turbo-charged jeep. Except for that fwd. : /

Really I don't know if it would have been any different at all other than the styling of course. If they had made a Jeep Compass Rallye SRT-4 I might have gotten that instead.

[Marcus86GLHS]

"....... It is slow as sh1t and the CVT is a waste........."


That right there exactly describes the base Caliber. i spent a year in one of those p.o.s. base calibers over the SDAC-19 weekend. even my dog hated it.

[mario03SRT]

drive a non-srt model and report back.

x 10,000 :d

[Vigo]

Really I don't know if it would have been any different at all other than the styling of course. If they had made a Jeep Compass Rallye SRT-4 I might have gotten that instead.

Just success through lower expectations, really.

I like the patriot styling more than the caliber, and the sleeper value is better.

That rallye package was cool looking. I wish they had done something like that, turbo rallye. As it is the compass is one of the biggest 'misses' in car history. I owned a Cadillac Cimarron and thought it was a cool car. I cant see myself ever owning a compass.

[glhs727]

you can't even compare the reg. caliber to the C-SRT4 caliber. it is like 2 completely different cars. The base terrible, csrt awesome....
The caliber fits a niche market, cheap family transportation. I see tons of them on the street although never a csrt4. And the few poipek I know that own them, like them although none of these people I would classify as sports car enthusiasts. They just want a car that goes from point a to b. I wouldn't expect a TD owner to like a base caliber. After driving a glhs, a base caluber would be a total letdown. I hope chrysler keeps the srt-4 package alive somehow, if not in a caliber, it would be nice in an avenger or something. (or a srt-4 fiat)

[Ondonti]

2 year production run is going to bode poorly for the aftermarket on the car and its long term viability. Say goodbye to replacement parts in 10 years or less.

[135sohc]

The base terrible, csrt awesome....


And there you have it.
First impressions make all the difference. Most dealers for a car of that price class are only going to stock base to midlevel trim to lure in the buyers. People see whats there (crap to some) and lose interest instantly.

[Turbozcs2003]

I'll quote you real quick...





Funny when I looked at a C-SRT4 it was 28k. The only C that window stickered for less then 20k was a turd box version. I want to say the R/T was 22k.

My C has a couple issues. Like the random check engine light coming on and off, no codes. The suspension squawks and one of the rear windows squeaks going up and down. Oh yeah and the rear brakes are shot at 40k. It is slow as sh1t and the CVT is a waste. The wife doesn't get that good of mileage out of it. It isn't that bad but it is far from a "nice" car. Of course my Omni and Neon would be in the same boat. They are cheap cars.

@* K


must of been a loaded one with NAV, but lets do a little math. Take 10% off to get it to invoice, so were down to 25200, then they had a 4500$ rebate so that brings it to 20700. Not a bad price. Some imbeciles on another fourm are paying 18K for crappy Honda Fits and think they are getting a good deal.

[DBB mini]

My.02

I love my csrt4 it is a tad slow by comparison but it has tons of potential considering my factory boost on crap 91 octane is about10psi. Everything about the car so far is very well built. It is a totally different car than any of the baseline calibers. You have to drive one first, then you understand. Like ANY TD. ;)

[JamesL]

2 year production run is going to bode poorly for the aftermarket on the car and its long term viability. Say goodbye to replacement parts in 10 years or less.

True that! :nod:

[Vigo]

It is a totally different car than any of the baseline calibers. You have to drive one first, then you understand. Like ANY TD.

I disagree with that. For example, an omni is an omni is an omni, and having been in a base omni and an 87 glhs, i have to say that you simply cannot escape the fact that an omni is.. something i wouldnt describe kindly, overall. I think the performance oriented ones are LESS believable as a pimped out crapbox than a base omni is as rock-bottom transportation. And to me the caliber is the same thing. I hate the way you sit in it, i dont like the dash, i dont like the looks (and a c-srt4 still looks like a caliber. a patriot does not). There's things about the basic platform that you can't get around. They wont bother some people, but they WILL bother others, and thats just called having different tastes and opinions. :nod:

Ive owned like 15 k-based cars and 0 L's and i doubt that will change. I just dont like the platform much compared to the k platform. Ive driven and been around a few l's from tbi to glhs and made my decision. same with calibers.

I hope the srt-4 keeps going too. The fiat 500 abarth isnt very impressive, but surely there will be other platforms that will make for fun srt packages!

Actually, i did own 4 rampages and a scamp gt for a period of a few weeks, and those imo are the most appealing of the L's.. but i was just playing middleman for another T-M user :thumb: Most time i spent in any of em was steering em through a yard and onto a trailer.

[DBB mini]

I disagree with that. For example, an omni is an omni is an omni, and having been in a base omni and an 87 glhs, i have to say that you simply cannot escape the fact that an omni is.. something i wouldnt describe kindly, overall. I think the performance oriented ones are LESS believable as a pimped out crapbox than a base omni is as rock-bottom transportation. And to me the caliber is the same thing. I hate the way you sit in it, i dont like the dash, i dont like the looks (and a c-srt4 still looks like a caliber. a patriot does not). There's things about the basic platform that you can't get around. They wont bother some people, but they WILL bother others, and thats just called having different tastes and opinions. :nod:

Ive owned like 15 k-based cars and 0 L's and i doubt that will change. I just dont like the platform much compared to the k platform. Ive driven and been around a few l's from tbi to glhs and made my decision. same with calibers.

I hope the srt-4 keeps going too. The fiat 500 abarth isnt very impressive, but surely there will be other platforms that will make for fun srt packages!

Actually, i did own 4 rampages and a scamp gt for a period of a few weeks, and those imo are the most appealing of the L's.. but i was just playing middleman for another T-M user :thumb: Most time i spent in any of em was steering em through a yard and onto a trailer.

Seriously an omni is an omni is an omni? Did you even think about that before you typed it? So you've checked out the baseline omni/caliber and the glhs/csrt4 and you say they're even comparable? I wouldn't even want a my minivan or my caliber if they didn't have drastic differences between the baseline models. Dodge built cars. They blessed us ALL when they decided to come out with the turbo versions of the similar platform. To say an omni is an omni is an omni is to say a car is a car is a car. :amen:

[roachjuice]

omni is an omni is an omni my ---. come to tulsa and ride in mine then go ride in a tbi car and report back. ive driven coys csrt and ive driven a non srt caliber. huge ------- difference. well the blind spots are still there. lol.

[Vigo]

Guys, take the motors and the wheels off your cars, put em on jackstands, and see how different they are from stock at that point. If you didnt like them like that, you wouldnt like em hauling --- either, unless you just aren't picky. Kinda like if you hated a person and thought they had ugly personality and looks but married them anyway because they gave you a blowjob every time you wanted one. Or turned a corner fast and accelerated hard. Its the same thing.

That's fine. But some people ARE pickier than others. Some people make judgements based on the other 90% of the time.

Its not that i dont like the style of the L's. Dont get me wrong, its as good or better than the k's. But they are harder to work on and less likely to keep me alive in a wreck, and those are the biggest priorities for me.

[DBB mini]

Guys, take the motors and the wheels off your cars, put em on jackstands, and see how different they are from stock at that point. If you didnt like them like that, you wouldnt like em hauling --- either, unless you just aren't picky. Kinda like if you hated a person and thought they had ugly personality and looks but married them anyway because they gave you a blowjob every time you wanted one. Or turned a corner fast and accelerated hard. Its the same thing.

That's fine. But some people ARE pickier than others. Some people make judgements based on the other 90% of the time.

Its not that i dont like the style of the L's. Dont get me wrong, its as good or better than the k's. But they are harder to work on and less likely to keep me alive in a wreck, and those are the biggest priorities for me.

Wow so your stipulations are to remove the wheels from the car and see how you like it huh? Well I bought my minivan from a salvage with no wheels on it so I guess you could say I fell in love at first sight. So some people are shallow and make comments like an omni is an omni is an omni and others are true to the game and love all of these cars for exactly what they are. Different. Awesome. Fast. Impressive. Above all unexpected. So why don't you go drive a camaro or a mustang. Never know you might have a chance at a blowjob then.

[DBB mini]

Besides a car isn't even a car without the engine or wheels. On the csrt4 you'd have to also remove the hood, front bumper, rear bumper, all the interior, the suspension, transmission, brakes, rear hatch, instrument cluster, need any more?

[roachjuice]

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm257/dagwoods_photo/P1000282.jpg

[roachjuice]

Its not that i dont like the style of the L's. Dont get me wrong, its as good or better than the k's. But they are harder to work on and less likely to keep me alive in a wreck, and those are the biggest priorities for me.
well for safety go buy a kia. harder to work on? not really seeing your point? this has been the easiest car to work on that i've owned.

[Vigo]

wow guys, way to put too much of your self-esteem in what you drive.

All i know, is in 3 pages of this thread a good bit of it is people who dont like calibers (regardless of trim level).

and im thinking through the 8 pages of my k-car build thread and wondering why i get no haters?

To each their own. Clearly different people have different opinions. Im buying a non-turbo subaru baja this week, feel free to dump on me. But dont get all holier-than-thou saying your criteria for whats a good car to buy are GOD's OWN CRITERIA and everyone else is RETARDED!:confused: I've never said NOBODY should like calibers, but you're acting like i SHOULD like them for YOUR reasons.

OR better yet, if you dont like other people's opinion, dont start threads or go to forums:p


Well I bought my minivan from a salvage with no wheels on it so I guess you could say I fell in love at first sight

I bought mine as a locked-up tbi. I feel the same way about it. That doesn't mean i have to like Calibers.:lol:

[DBB mini]

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm257/dagwoods_photo/P1000282.jpg

You got it bro.

[Dusty_Duster]

drive a non-srt model and report back.

Drive a Cobalt, then report back. The non-SRT Caliber, while not stunning, is light years ahead of the Chevy Cobalt. The Focus is better still. (If a turbo Focus comes out, I'm buying one.)

Remember, the Caliber is an ENTRY-LEVEL vehicle. It's not going to have a BMW interior.

[mcsvt]

...
To each their own. Clearly different people have different opinions. Im buying a non-turbo subaru baja this week, feel free to dump on me. But dont get all holier-than-thou saying your criteria for whats a good car to buy are GOD's OWN CRITERIA and everyone else is RETARDED!:confused: I've never said NOBODY should like calibers, but you're acting like i SHOULD like them for YOUR reasons.

...

Adam I had an '03 Baja for a couple years. While not being close to fast, it was a nice car. Zero issues, 5-speed, plenty of room inside. I do miss it a little, just wish it was a turbo. It was easily the best car I've ever driven in the snow.

[shelbydave]

We liked the Caliber, test drove a base one. I liked the comfort, the feel, the position of the instruments, etc... but hated the performance. We also rented one to take on a 500 mile trip to make sure that it was comfortable for the long haul... It was fine.
The dealer wanted us to order a CSRT sight unseen based on driving the base Cali. I just waited till I could test drive one before I bought it. After feeling the performance, combined with the what we liked from the base, it was a good choice for us.

I will say that the armrests and such are the worst part of the car IMO. Even L-Bodies had padded armrests! :)

[shelbydave]

Adam I had an '03 Baja for a couple years. While not being close to fast, it was a nice car. Zero issues, 5-speed, plenty of room inside. I do miss it a little, just wish it was a turbo. It was easily the best car I've ever driven in the snow.

Suburu's are great in snow. That's why they're so popular up north. When I lived in Maine, there were tons of them on the road. No so much down here in NC.

[JamesL]

Suburu's are great in snow. That's why they're so popular up north. When I lived in Maine, there were tons of them on the road. No so much down here in NC.

Not so good in the gravel though. I met up with a telephone pole head on after sliding off-road about 25 years ago. Could not get it gathered up.....SMACK. Could have been that I was a bit inexperienced at the time. Where was the AWD when I needed it…LOL

[135sohc]

The Focus is better still.

Focus is garbage. Plenty of personal first hand experiance there. I have seen 20 y/o P-bodys with a better fitted interior and exterior. Moving the shifter (5 speed) is like moving a long rod with the other end in a bucket of loose bolts. 523 with worn out shifter bushings on either end still shifts better.

Under the skin I have NEVER seen a car with such poor attention to detail in ensuring long term corrosion protection. Wheel well liners made of some sort of recycled fiber type material.

Engine is quiet though.

[tazaroo]

I will say that the armrests and such are the worst part of the car IMO. Even L-Bodies had padded armrests! :)[/QUOTE]

I am thinking of getting this for my Csrt4. I think it looks great and would sure feel better on your arm.

http://theconsolecover.com/products.asp?cat=54

[DBB mini]

That's cool.:thumb:

[strang3majik]

Guys, take the motors and the wheels off your cars, put em on jackstands, and see how different they are from stock at that point.

The way I'm reading this, if I were to, say, take a slant 6, 69 Roadrunner, and a Hemi 69 Roadrunner, put them on jack stands, and take the wheels off and motors out...

than, a Roadrunner is a Roadrunner is a Roadrunner?

I'm just trying to decipher that sentence. You specified L-bodies, but, an Omni, and an Omni GLHS are nothing different than a slant 6 Roadrunner (whoops, satellite :p ), and a Hemi Roadrunner. Both were cheap, no frills, and, were either fast with suspension to assist, or, were slow with balloon like handling.

Nearly every car out there has one thats cheap and nothing, and a faster, sportier version. So, as someone else said, you're saying a car is a car is a car...right?

[DBB mini]

Yeah that's what I got from it. The caliber srt4 has got a bad rap just like any of the turbo mopars of past. There will always be someone who makes a thoughtless comment about it still being a caliber, or still a minivan, or omni, or shadow or neon or spirit or daytona or charger or reliant or new yorker or whatever. The bottom line is you're a moron if you really think a car is a car without the engine or wheels or whatever else makes it unique. :amen:

Coy

[Vigo]

than, a Roadrunner is a Roadrunner is a Roadrunner?

In the sense that a platform is a platform is a platform.

Some of the things i hate about calibers dont have anything to do with the motor, wheels, and suspension, therefore putting motor, wheels, suspension on it wont make me like it much more.

Likewise l-bodies feel like deathtraps to me. Especially when they're fast. Ive seen folded up omnis that powered themselves to a horrible death with 67 hp to the wheels. Cant motor your way out of that. To some degree the 1st gen neon i had felt like that too. Otherwise i loved it, but i dont still own it.

its just how i honestly feel. Different people have different priorities. to me a k-car feels WAY safer than an omni, worth the 200lb weight penalty from omni to aries imo.

and to me the caliber's looks and proportions and interior all cant be fixed, really. I just wouldnt buy one. And as it turns out, dodge wont make them anymore, either. :amen:

[JamesL]

SNIP...and to me the caliber's looks and proportions and interior all cant be fixed, really. I just wouldnt buy one. And as it turns out, dodge wont make them anymore, either. :amen:


Not that I'm going to change anyone’s mind and it is true they won't be making them anymore...having said that, My family of 5 drove comfortably from Houston Texas to Chicago Illinois and back in our CSRT4. We drove it to SDAC during that trip as well. While I wouldn’t call it a high end interior, it is a very nice interior for a car in that price range and I actually like it. I also like the integrated controls in the steering wheel. Since then we've installed the stage one PCM so the car is making right at 310 HP@~14psi and getting about 25mpg in the city, close to 30 on the highway. You’d be hard pressed to find fault with that. We also upgraded the sway bars, bushings and installed a coil over setup to lower it a couple of inches. IMO it looks down right sexy running low to the ground with the wheels and tires nicely tucked. It really changes a lot about how the body strikes you. And the already good handling is drastically improved. With nearly 30,000 miles, the car is behaving wonderfully and we have had absolutely no issues with it. From my point of view and an owner of said vehicle….what’s not to like? Oh I know…that damn horn. It’s the wimpiest worst sounding horn I’ve ever heard in my life. I’m embarrassed every time I have to hit the horn.

[contraption22]

If I had to replace my SRT-4 tomorrow, I have no idea what I would replace it with. The Cobalt SS would have been my first choice, but I hear that is discontinued as well. After that, I am sad to say I would have had to look at some of the Asian offerings from Mazda and Subaru. The Caliber just never stirred my Kool-Aid.

I will say this for the Caliber. I wish seats like those were offered in the Neon Srt-4's. I liked those alot.

[mario03SRT]

If I had to replace my SRT-4 tomorrow, I have no idea what I would replace it with. The Cobalt SS would have been my first choice, but I hear that is discontinued as well. After that, I am sad to say I would have had to look at some of the Asian offerings from Mazda and Subaru. The Caliber just never stirred my Kool-Aid.

I will say this for the Caliber. I wish seats like those were offered in the Neon Srt-4's. I liked those alot.

MazdaSpeed 3 :nod:

[Vigo]

I’m embarrassed every time I have to hit the horn.
Thats what an exhaust cutout is for!



MazdaSpeed 3

Hah, case in point of me liking platforms more than trim levels..
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk124/Vigo327/DSC04943.jpg:thumb:
And ive often said that while the mazdaspeed is a kickass car, its not twice as cool as the base. but it is twice the money. Id rather buy a $12k base model which has all of the great traits of the platform, and spend $12k more modding it my way, than pay $24k for a new mazdaspeed (or do it to the one i already have for even less, hah). This is exactly what ive been talking about.

[t3rse]

because the factory rod has a warranty? :(

[Vigo]

i wouldnt pay for it if it'll last forever without it.. hehe but ours has only got 115k trouble-free on it so its not exactly a record-setter yet. 50k of it in the last 18mo though, so getting there fast..

[contraption22]

Thats what an exhaust cutout is for!




Hah, case in point of me liking platforms more than trim levels..
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk124/Vigo327/DSC04943.jpg:thumb:
And ive often said that while the mazdaspeed is a kickass car, its not twice as cool as the base. but it is twice the money. Id rather buy a $12k base model which has all of the great traits of the platform, and spend $12k more modding it my way, than pay $24k for a new mazdaspeed (or do it to the one i already have for even less, hah). This is exactly what ive been talking about.


Im fairly certain than if you could find a brand new 3 for $12k, you wouldn't be able to build a car with as well rounded of a package as the MS3 for another $12k.

[mopar-tech]

I own a caliber... it is junky

I hate the lego interior.

Nothing screams cheap like vast amounts of featureless, bland plastic.

[JohnnyIroc]

A 20 y/o Daytona or Shadow ES interior looks 100x more appealing than any of that nasty junk.

Dodge: looks like someone used a ruler to design everything.
Mitsu: kinda like it, a little busy but its something to look at.
Chevy: typical gm interior. looks like a windtunnel was used to shape that dash. one hunk of plastic with nothing to break it up.

i agree 100%

[neongary]

If I had to replace my SRT-4 tomorrow, I have no idea what I would replace it with. The Cobalt SS would have been my first choice, but I hear that is discontinued as well. After that, I am sad to say I would have had to look at some of the Asian offerings from Mazda and Subaru. The Caliber just never stirred my Kool-Aid.

I will say this for the Caliber. I wish seats like those were offered in the Neon Srt-4's. I liked those alot.

From what I can find out, the Cobalt SS is alive for 2010 but only in coupe form. No SS sedan. And that's how it started anyway.

[Vigo]

well maybe those who loved the caliber can get themselves into an hhr ss.. are they still making those? :p

[Pat]

you wouldn't be able to build a car with as well rounded of a package as the MS3 for another $12k.

Even if you could, you also end up without a warranty and you'll own a $24k car that's worth less than the original 12k you paid new for it.

MS3 is a sweet car and all in all, a great deal.

[JamesL]

well maybe those who loved the caliber can get themselves into an hhr ss.. are they still making those? :p

Now there's an ugly car! I guess there is just no accounting for taste. ;)

[Vigo]

:lol:

im liking the friendly discourse on THIS page.

[DBB mini]

:lol:

im liking the friendly discourse on THIS page.

Friendly for sure. :nod: I don't care what is said I love the csrt4 and I'm glad I bought one. I'm biased because I make a payment.:amen:

[rich tideswell]

I got my first ride in one last night. A new leftover 2008 a few months old with a few bolt ons and stage 1. It was fast, it was loud, It was cool, BUT HOLY CRAP THAT CAR SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC WITH THE TORQUE STEER IT HAS! At full throttle the car wanted to jump lanes. Even if it bumped the cost up substantially, AWD should be standard on this one.

[CNH320]

BUT HOLY CRAP THAT CAR SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC WITH THE TORQUE STEER IT HAS!

One of the main reasons at the 11th hour it was released as a 280hp version rather than the 300hp original target. I had the pleasure of driving an S1 prototype and let me tell you the torque steer is 100% better than it was before they modified the front suspension geometry. I did not know it was possible to go across 4 lanes of traffic in less than 25ft... LOL Scary! AWD would've been awesome.

[iTurbo]

I haven't noticed any torque steer with mine.

:confused2:

[tazaroo]

Honestly guys, I have stage 1 and the torque steer is not that bad if you turn off the traction control. Since the tires are so large you do notice the grooves in the road a bit. That problem is actually worse to me than the torque steer issue since we have a lot of uneven roads around here.

I believe the torque steer is no worse than the rest of our turbo dodges.

[JamesL]

I have stage one and I think the torque steer is attention getting. You learn real quick that if you are going to get on it, you better grab the wheel real good.

[t3rse]

Sounds like a glht to me (of course I've never owned a TM with power steering)....high hp + fwd = torque steer...you all own fwd cars...get over it.

[iTurbo]

True...I've been driving turbo FWD Mopars so long, I'm just so used to it that I don't even notice it much anymore.

[Vigo]

i dont really get it, as the only FWD ive had with torque steer is my dynasty with a busted motor mount. The aries put over 300 lb ft to the wheels and doesnt torque steer... the stockish turbo cars ive driven didnt torque steer.. so its all a mystery to me.

[J&H Ryan]

When you test drive just about everything currently produced under $50k, you realize as I have just how embarrassing the Caliber and pre-redesign Compass interiors are. I like the idea of a 4cyl "Cherokee" (design) for the wife - but I would not want to be stuck in that interior. Nothing impressive really about anything else - only the engine in the SRT. When Ford is making better low end interiors than you - that's when you're screwed.

[GLHSHELBY]

Really I don't know if it would have been any different at all other than the styling of course. If they had made a Jeep Compass Rallye SRT-4 I might have gotten that instead.
I had the Jeep compass rallye for 10 days. Biggest poj I`ve ever had. I definately should have taken it out on the hwy before buying it. That CVT transmission makes the car feel like it`s falling apart. The regular Calibers did the same thing. I bought a new charger after 10 days and it is perfect,good mileage[24 mpg average] and actually feels like a real car.

[bgp]

Even if you could, you also end up without a warranty and you'll own a $24k car that's worth less than the original 12k you paid new for it.

MS3 is a sweet car and all in all, a great deal.



Better check those motor mounts if you do,reports of them breaking on the Mazda forums.

[bgp]

I own one.Yeah,it's not for everybody as far as looks go. Yeah,it's a breadbox,but like Car and Driver described it it's "one very bad-a## breadbox"

Can haul my youngest and his friends and sometimes the grandkids and still. I don't do stock,so of course there are mods.

The torque steer problem?? Practically gone with poly motor mount inserts and traction bars. Handling problems?? Mopar Performance larger replacement sway bars/strut bar with BC Coilovers and Exhaust Depot fender braces solve that problem.

More power with the Mopar Performance Stage 1 ecm.

Tuners are there for it with BWoody,Exhaust Depot,AGP,SteedSpeed and Modern Performance.400hp on the stock block with just bolt-ons is possible and will be commonplace when with the addition of hand held tuner from Diablo and custom tunes coming from Singh Auto Sport,Realtune,PTP Performance,and Kraftwerk. If you want to get hard core,see Realtune and PTP Performance for 500 to 600hp cars.

And only 704 were made in the two years of production,making it a VERY rare car.

[bgp]

Not that I'm going to change anyone’s mind and it is true they won't be making them anymore...having said that, My family of 5 drove comfortably from Houston Texas to Chicago Illinois and back in our CSRT4. We drove it to SDAC during that trip as well. While I wouldn’t call it a high end interior, it is a very nice interior for a car in that price range and I actually like it. I also like the integrated controls in the steering wheel. Since then we've installed the stage one PCM so the car is making right at 310 HP@~14psi and getting about 25mpg in the city, close to 30 on the highway. You’d be hard pressed to find fault with that. We also upgraded the sway bars, bushings and installed a coil over setup to lower it a couple of inches. IMO it looks down right sexy running low to the ground with the wheels and tires nicely tucked. It really changes a lot about how the body strikes you. And the already good handling is drastically improved. With nearly 30,000 miles, the car is behaving wonderfully and we have had absolutely no issues with it. From my point of view and an owner of said vehicle….what’s not to like? Oh I know…that damn horn. It’s the wimpiest worst sounding horn I’ve ever heard in my life. I’m embarrassed every time I have to hit the horn.


Hella SuperTones in the grille....Wimpy sound problem solved...:D

[CaptMoe]

If anyone is seriously considering purchasing one, there are quite a few, low mileage '08s and '09s available online.

Seems like most are mid-west...

[myturbo4]

good friend just got a 1000 mile csrt-4 for 13.5k!

[BadAssPerformance]

Now thats a deal!