Sporty look, V6, roomy interior, silent racer!

leaky windows, smelly exhaust, not very pepy

before my mothers sebring she had the exact same car as mine now. i loved it so when it got a license i bought this. great for first time sporty driver. good luck finding after market products

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'99 Chrystler Seabring JXi Convertible-this is my mothers car, and of coarse being a more luxury car it does ride smoother, but not totally sporty.

Lots of room, enough for four adults. Easy to work on yourself. Very comfortable for driver. Good handling if you up grade to better wheels and suspension. Good gass millage.

Not enough power in the four cylinder. Smane as the eclipse but does not seem to have the same gt up and go.

This is a good car to get if you want to make upgrades to make it a middle class sports car. The parts are easy to find if you know where to look. There is a web site dedicated to thes cars at WWW.ASOG.com. You can find just about what ever you want at this web site. Talk to the people there and they will help you get anything you need for aftermarket apps.

I have owen this car for 2 1/2 year and have not had a single problem. My first break replacement was at 55,000 miles. The main probem with the breaks is that they are to small for the car. Nothing a little down shifting before breaking can't handle. People seem to complain about breaks alot but that is because they have the automatic and do not have the option of down shifting to assist in breaking.

The power plant could use a little more get up and go. To get alot of after market product just look under the same year eclipse. The engine is exactly the same and the products of aftermarket are also, or you can find a wrecked eclipse GST and drop that engine in. theres 210hp for about $1200. Hope you have fun!

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1995 Eclipse GS

safe vehicle to drive
good interior space
nice looks
smooth v6
very few problems with the power features; locks, windows etc....
paint has held up well

dodge customer service
open trunk and water poors in
too little power even in v6
interior noise!! its truely terrible
high maintenance costs do to use of Mitsh. parts
harsh ride
air bag cover on passenger side is peeling off dash to the point that it may pop off one day
numerous repairs to front suspension including a recall by Dodge
leather seat on driver side ripped after 50000 miles
Brakes, including rotors last no time

avoid buying a pre 1997 Dodge Avenger at all costs. The repairs needed to upkeep the vehicle are substancial to say the least and theyre are things that Dodge didnt get worked out on these cars till 1998. Also for the money consider a Honda Civic EX or Si ....or a Hyundai Tiburon. Both get better mileage, have better acceleration and are far more dependable.

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honda civic si hyundai tiburon

Nice aggressive styling. Nice get up and go on the highway. Fairly long range for a sports car. Very roomy up front and equally roomy in the back. Plenty of trunk space.

Doors won't seal properly in the cold. Doors won't latch and close properly also. Engine lags power at take off. Lots of revving but no get up and go. Brakes wore out around 30K miles and had to be replaced.

The funny thing about this car is that it really looks faster than it actually is. Take offs are slllloooowww, mainly because there is some lag after stepping on the accelerator. The computer takes its time to get the car to go, but when it does, the power is definitely there.

Main gripe is with the brakes and the doors. Brake pads had to be replaced at 30K miles but most of the mileage on the car is highway mileage. During the colder months, the doors won't close right, more specifically, the doors would latch but I could see a gap between the door and the frame causing excessive noise. I felt as if I was driving with out any doors at all.

The Avenger is is good for anyone willing to accept some faults in exchange for an above average car and excellent styling.

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Maxima GXE, Honda Civic Si

Good looks and a solid suspension. The room in the car was great to have. Riding with 4 people and their bags for a weekend trip was an excellent convenience. Was very comfortable as a long distance cruiser.

The v6 was too under-powered for this car. The automatic couldn't downshift in less than 2 seconds when you needed to get up and go. I had problems from the moment I bought it. Alignment went bad four times, a set of rotors replaced and a transmission that was starting to go at 30K miles. The gas mileage was very bad considering the size of the engine. Windows stopped sealing properly.

A decent value for the price ($17,200) but I would choose the 4 cylinder model. With all the problems I had and more on the way, I wouldn't recomend this as a first choice. I ended up trading it in on a 2000 Mitsu Eclipse GT.

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96 2-dr Grand Prix

A capable 163hp Mitsubishi V6 in the ES Model. Many performance-minded enhancements standard (sway bars, 17" aluminum wheels, wide tires, 4 wheel ABS disk brakes) on ES. Plenty of room in cabin for 4 adults, can fit 5 OK. Great driving stance, wish the leather seats had lumbar adjustments like the cloth ones do. A great value for this price point.

It could've had a V-8! Or at least a strong V-6. Sporty looks, not so sporty powerplant. Huge turning radius (don't try to do a U-turn in traffic!) Optional 17" Wheels and tires are mega-expensive to fix or replace and they bend rather easily at the very sight of a pothole. Get the cheap wheel option and choose your own aftermarket wheels and tires. Tires are also of a rather unique size made by only a few manufacturers (all expensive options.) Rear visibility is poor because of high trunk lid. Why no standard transmission with the V-6?

An overall solid option for a sporty-looking, good-handling car in this price range. The negatives are livable and the positives make this a fun car to drive. If you want a sports car, save your bucks and get a Mustang, Trans-Am, etc.

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1997 Dodge Avenger ES

Sweet looks, good millage, excellent saftey rating, roomy, smooth ride(Good for those with children, expecting, or physical problems), easy drivability

There are a few. The 2.5 V6 and the I4 both look good, but do not have alot of engine power. The V-6 is also hard to do some maitinance on. The V-6 also can be difficult to get parts for. There has been said that the computer controlled 604 transmission has problems keeping up with driver control which can result in a hard or slipped changing of gears. I have not had that problem so I call it rumor. A good car for the everyday driver, but for racers, expect to pay some serious cash if you want to make some 12 second 1/4 mile times like the Hondas on Nitrous.

Making a good decision to buy a new or used car is never an easy one. I know. I just went through the unnerving ordeal just six months ago. The whole process from start to finish is similar to open heart surgery with only hydrogen peroxide as an anasthetic! It is something we all have to go through at least once in our lives however. So to help me ease this suffering, as well as share it, I brought my teenage brother along. I am glad I did. Because if I did not, I would have missed this gorgeous car. The story goes, I wanted a Mitsubishi Eclipse. BADLY. That or a 3000 GT. Well I went all over the Portland area and could not find what I was looking for. The 3000's were just WAY overpriced and the second generation Eclipses just were not designed for someone with a large frame such as myself. Just when I was about to give up hope and buy something I did not really want, my brother drug me over to this wonderful, sleek, shiny black marvel. The Dodge Avenger ES. It was a 1995 V6 24 valve 2.5 liter gift from the gods. After researching it a bit at the dealer(which was quite a task since it was a used Dodge at a Nissan dealer!) it turned out that it has the same engine and parts as a Mitsubishi! Just with the Dodge 604 transmission and a few other goodies. Seems dodge and Mitsubishi has this wonderful partnership called Diamond Star Motors, or DSM. One of the results, the Avenger. Let me tell you I was thrilled. This car has smooth power steering, a suspension system that feel like your gliding over the road on a cushion of air, excellent brakes(But I hear the rotors warp easily. No proof of this on my car as of yet.I even checked them a month ago. Still perfect.), a sleek, aerodynamic design, and a roomy interior I have never heard of in a 2 door sedan. It has theater seating, which means the rear seats sit up and off center a bit so the rear passengers can see well out the front. What suprised me even more is the saftey rating of the car. It has a 5 star rating! One of the safest american made cars on the road! I was thrilled! So I bought it for 12,000. Power everything, leather seats, ect. An excellent deal for a car with 30,000 miles made in 95. I highly reccomend the Avenger to anyone who wants an alternative to the Japanese imports or the dime-a-dozen cars you see everyday like the Escort, Tarus, Neon, even Mustang and Camaro. Now if Dodge would only make a turbo kit for the Avenger/Sebring, it would be the ultimate car!

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Mitsubishi Eclipse

The styling of this car was the first thing that attracted me to the Avenger. I had never seen such a car on the streets and I wanted to own one, something other than a popular import car. The Avenger is very roomy and comfortable in the front and rear cabin. The Avenger came with many features like a good V6 engine, leather interior, and dual cd/tape deck. The 17" tires handle well for a stock set and the suspension platform performs well under many curves. A fun car to drive around those highway curves.

The lack of a stronger of V6 or V8 engine by Dodge is the main weakness of this car. The looks of this car make it seem like a car that can out run all other cars...but it actually doesn't. Also the brakes seem to wear pretty fast under city driving, as I have had to replace two rotors and two sets of brake pads at only 34,000 miles of driving this car. The cabin is not very well insulated, whereupon I hear a lot of road noise while cruising along the highway. The final things is the lack of aftermarket upgrades for this car. You have to look hard to find anything to make the car gain some more horsepower.

The Avenger is worth the money you pay for it. You purchase a car that makes heads turn and people question what type of vehicle it is. It makes me proud to be an owner of this car. I have recently found more companies catering to aftermarket parts for this car and hopefully installing them will increase the standard V6 163 horsepower engine.

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Dodge Stratus

Great styling-best lookin car on the road under 40 grand, excellent handling, comfy interior, all around fun to drive

Early model bugs, no 5 spd with the v6

An excellent car! While the powertrains arent gonna take you down the 1320 as quick as some cars, theres more than enough on tap to keep things fun. The i-4 has a huge selection of aftermarket parts, due to its sharing the same platform as the Mitsubishi Eclipse/ Eagle Talon, including a number of turbo kits, which will help you get down the 1320 faster than anyone around (Several 11 second and 12 second street legal Avengers are in the works in the Avenger/Sebring Owners Group www.asog.net).

If blazing down the 1/4 isnt what your looking for, the Avenger in milder trim is the way to go. Even in stock trim, this car just flat out handles. It just loves the corners! Especially after adding some aftermarket rims and tires.

Early model bugs have given this car a bad reputation when it comes to reliabilty, but true enthusiats know that most of these bugs have been worked out by 1996 models, and all worked out by 1997. The newer models have proven to be just as reliable as the next car.

The only downside of the Avenger? Chrysler did not offer a 5 spd with the v6. Whats this mean to us? The i-4 5 spd is actually quicker across the board than the v6 auto. Also with the huge aftermarket following due to the Mitsubishi Eclipse, bolt-ons, turboes, etc are readily available at affordable prices to those looking for more.

Check out some of the Avenger/Sebring Owners Group members rides at www.asog.net/phantom.

Good performance for the price range, nice styling

High maintenance costs, especially for brakes, also has troubles starting in cold weather

The performance in the car is very good with the 2.5L engine, unfortunately, the high maintenance costs detract from the fun. Since replacing my front brake pads at 30,000 miles, I have had 3 new pairs of rotors and 2 more new pairs of pads on the front until now (61,000 miles). The car also has difficulty starting under many conditions, but is more noticeable in the cold weather. All in all, when it's running right, it's a very good car for the money, otherwise it's been more of a headache.

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