looking for a used car and wondering what models or makes of cars are decent and last well over 100,000 miles is the dodge stratus ok i need some ideas, on some that the transmission last well over 100,000
erm. . .
Budget?
And do you mean you want it to last 100,000 miles total, or 100,000 miles from when you buy it?
Dodge Stratus is not a very good car. Buying one used and expecting long life isn’t very realistic. They are cheap to buy, but how long it will last is a guess at best.
looking for a used car and wondering what models or makes of cars are decent and last well over 100,000
The one that had over 100,000 miles worth of proper maintenance.
The difference in maintenance is going to be better indicator of future life to a car than the make or model.Every year Consumer Reports Magazine publishes their “Auto Issue.” Within are lists of “Best” and “Worst” used cars, listed by year and price.
Find a copy in your local library and do some research before you go car shopping.
The Stratus has never been rated very highly for reliability.
Start at some Consumer Reports Apr back issues. April is their big annual car issue. CR lists best and worst used cars every year and provides some good trend info. Reliability information should also help you narrow the car choices.
Most cars last 100K today with few issues today. Owner care, proper maintenance, and overall condition are important. As a car ages, brand may become less important, especially amongst the ones that have average or better than average reliability.
Here’s some reliability information on the Dodge Stratus. If you can afford a 2005 or 2006, those are the best bets. Earlier ones have some engine problems. But the 2.4L and 3L engines don’t suffer from this issue.
http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/Reliability.aspx?year=2002&make=Dodge&model=Stratus#Engi
If 100K is your bench mark for reliability, and you plan on trading, it would make sense to consider cars with good trade in value. Accords and Camrys are worth substantially more at 100k than many less reliable cars and more than pay back the initial investment.
Son and daughter bought Accords with 100K on them used and got reasonably trouble free miles to 250K miles. After that, it’s the power windows, air etc. Don’t worry about any car too much with drive train to 100k. It’s the other stuff that kills you, and you want to make sure that it’s rated well in those other areas. Got a power window or heater fan that doesn’t work in the winter makes it nearly as un-drivable and expensive to fix as many mechanical problems.
Chrysler products have less than acceptable record IMO in these areas. Consider Ford products as well.
Think Toyota,Honda,Subaru…along those lines
Think like a taxi fleet operator. You want lowest operating cost per mile. Think Crown Victoria. 200K miles without breaking a sweat. 350K miles with a transmission and front-end rebuild…You can buy decent ones $4-$6K…Any of the Panther Platform cars, Vic, Grand, Town.
I’m a big fan of these cars as I’ve posted in the past. But, they are going by way of the dinosaur and for good reason. I would like to see compact rwd cars make a comeback when the hybrids can stick a traction motor in the back w/o a drive train and make them as space efficient as fwd…the real reason for fwd’s popularity. It has nothing to do with the wonderful overall “drivability” of the Crown Vics and the like, soon to depart this earth.
We’ve lived with crappy handling fwd cars like we have MP3 music so long, we don’t know what “real” cars should drive like or real music should sound like.
We are all going to depart this earth so you might as well go out in STYLE!!! I agree, these cars are history…I got to drive a new 2011 model Fusion Hybrid…Light-years ahead of the Panthers…But the OP was looking for a cheap, reliable USED car and I gave him an option that had been missing…They say gas will be $5/gallon within 20 months…The old Panthers are toast then…The guys who drive 3/4 ton (and 1-ton) pick-ups to work are going to really hurt when fill-ups are over $100…
I think a good car might be an early 2000`s Impala which has been maintained well.
Agree. Been There, Done That. Fall Of 2007 Purchased A Loaded 2001 3.8L LS (Leather, Spoiler, 30MPG Hwy, Etcetera) For $4,000. It’s Still A Great Car, Three Years And 60,000 Miles Later.
CSA