A Great Value

My Dodge Stratus will be celebrating it's 2nd birthday in a few months, and boy does the time fly. It seems like yesterday that I saw the lovely 'Champaign Pearl Coat' body for the first time. It just seemed like the right car, big enough for the family, good trunk capacity, a spicy 2.4 liter I-4 making over 150 horsepower, and all for a hair under 14 grand. This car does everything you ask it to, and tries its very best to accomplish it. I am used to bigger cars with even bigger engines, but this car was never designed to burn up the road. Instead, it's inline 4 produces respectable performance numbers, plenty enough for the daily travels, and more if you really need it. If you step on the gas, the engine will rev right up to the redline before shifting, although it starts getting a little rough over 5000 rpm. But that is really beside the point, this car was not designed to be revving to the max everyday. The interior is cosy and quite large for the size of the car, and the fabric seats are supportive and offer a good driving position. The back seats are big enough to fit 2 adults with ample room, or about 3 smaller passengers, like kids. The sound system is not too bad for a factory unit, the rear 6x9 will pump ample bass and are capable of a great volume. The car feels very well put together, although sometimes large bumps will cause a few squeaks and moans. I think it would have been nice to have an ES with the V6, but I think this car is a great value for the money, and anyone in the market for an entry-level family sedan should definately check one out.