caliber

[sidewayzS13]

i bought a caliber SE yesterday

[Tony Stewart Fan]

Originally Posted by sidewayzS13

i bought a caliber SE yesterday

How is it? What do you think? You can't tell us you bought one and not fill us in. I'm excited to hear your thoughts.

[das2123]

Originally Posted by xj31

And yes it is at least a million times better than that pos neon

No way is this car better than the first gen neons ...I'm amazed at how people keep looking at the low cost! Doesn't anyone know that you get what you pay for? Why is it so cheap?

[neon_rt]

No performance!

[das2123]

If it's that cheap, why not wait a year and buy a used one dirt cheap? We all know it won't hold any value!

[Chris_C3]

hey u guys i have not posted in a long time.....i just got a Caliber it is orange and rides smooth. It's great!

[sheetmagnet]

Originally Posted by das2123

If it's that cheap, why not wait a year and buy a used one dirt cheap? We all know it won't hold any value!

I wouldn't buy ANY car the first year it is produced, unless you like getting three or four recalls for it within a year. And as far as price, it doesn't compare any better than the Neon, at all... actually, worse, and here is why:

I bought my 2004 SXT brand new for $10,200 from the dealer. No trade-in, no DCX employee referral, no money down.

1st-gen Neons were priced just as cheap.

Throughout the Neon's lifespan, you could get 2-dr, 4-dr, numerous trim levels, and motors that ranged from 130 to 250 hp...

The '03-'05 SRT4 still remains the fastest production vehicle on the planet under $20,000, period. The latest SRT4's were promoted at 230hp... keep in mind that was AT THE WHEELS, and every dyno test done on them proved it. So add the parasitic and drivetrain loss back into it, and people were buying new SRT4's with 250+ hp for as little as $17k.... when is the last time you saw a brand new car for that price, that could run door-to-door with the fastest-production made Mustang GT (2005), cart around 4+ people and luggage, and still get over 30 mpg on the highway?

My '04 Neon SXT gets 40+ mpg, and can still run mid-to-high 15's in the quarter-mile... not to mention it will run break-neck G's through a slalom course, just 0.10g away from a Viper. A base-package Caliber can't touch it.

The Caliber comes with a lot of college-student gimmick accessories, but at the end of the day all cars have a few things in common. They all need a reliable motor, a reliable transmission, 4 wheels, decent brakes, and at least one seat. Well, the motor is reliable in the Caliber, but the power-to-weight ratio compared to the Neon is pitiful, and far from an improvement. The transmissions are in the same boat, not to mention that the CVT is relatively new, and more prone to maintenance issues... and good luck finding a shop in the longrun that won't charge you an arm, leg, and one testical to repair one.

As far as the "slated" SRT4 version of the Caliber with AWD... you might as well take the same cash amount and buy the much-proven, bulletproof Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII or newer... it weighs less, has 4 doors instead of 5, already has tuned suspension AND frame ties, big-ass brakes, can get almost 30 mpg... and oh, did I mention, they can run 12.9-second passes in the quarter mile from the showroom floor.

The Caliber is offered in 5 doors only. 5 doors ONLY? And this is the smallest car they could come up with besides the Viper? No one can really call 5 doors "sporty." My Neon has 4, and I have a hard time calling it sporty sometimes... Hell, the 1st-gen 2-dr Neon R/T inspired an entire road-racing community of it's very own, not to mention televised circuit racing of Neon sport compacts only.

DCX missed a lot of the boat on the Caliber. They could have taken what mistakes were originally made with the Neon and learned from, and applied them to a 3rd-generation platform as an update to the zingy little sport compact sedan that we all knew very well. The base version of the Caliber SHOULD have been a 2-dr or a 4-dr, with the other models as "bonus" models. And as far as the extra weight of the fufu glove-compartment-cooler and the 100-pound flip-down 6"-speaker boombox, that's all nice... but Dodge should have stuck to the basics of this car and put more time into it and advertised it the way that they did with most other cars that they sell, like the Viper, Ram, Magnum, Charger, Dakota, and 300C... more luxury, more suspension, more brakes, more HORSEPOWER, more beefy drivetrains, and more sport...

This car doesn't assimilate with the other cars in Dodge's lineup at all. All I can think of when I see the Caliber is "road trip dude!" That's it... it's primary function. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's a bad car... but DCX should have done a little bit more research of the 300,000 Neon-buyers-a-year-worldwide clientel before it slated THIS car as it's "replacement." Because of this, DCX no longer sells a domestic econobox-sport-compact in 2-dr OR 4-dr versions... but everyone else DOES.

Toyota Camry (#1 seller for over a decade). Ford Focus (#1 Car of the Year when debuted). Honda Civic (#1 in quality for two decades). Chevy Cobalt/Saturn Ion (cheap and sporty). Acura RSX (sporty and reliable). Hyundai Tiburon (also a DCX Global Engine car, cheap, fast, and reliable). Mitsubishi Eclipse (sporty, fast, and a 100k mile warrenty). Together, those cars are all top-sellers and are at the top of new car sales per year. They also ALL start way under $20k, all are offered in 2-dr versions, and most in 4-dr. And combined, they all sell almost 3 million cars a year world-wide. DCX has no competition to offer these cars any more, and the Caliber doesn't apply to many of the categories that they fall in to.

I'm sorry, but because of all of this, I can't back the DCX's decision to market or sell the Caliber in the form that they have chosen. Like I said before... it would be like the U.S. Army getting rid of the Humvee, replacing it with a Ford Ranger, and calling it an combat assault vehicle. Sorry, I know a duck when I see one. I am not taking awa from the greatness of the Caliber at all. I am just tired of hearing people try to cram it down other people's throat of how much BETTER it is... compared to what? I get kind of sick of hearing it. For every guy that claims it's better than a Neon, I'll show you ten more people who will argue it. And I will bet an entire paycheck on this: The Caliber (in it's current state or predicted SRT4 version) will NEVER even come close to selling the same way that the Neon did. I don't think it will last as long as the Neon did either before DCX pulls the plug on it... just like the over-hyped new Pontiac GTO (GM is pulling the plug on it after this year... it only sold 15,000 units in '04 and 12,000 in '05), it won't sell nearly as well as they think, and people will get tired of it real quick.

It will never leave an iconic mark with buyers... just like the new GTO, PT Cruiser, HHR, Vibe, etc... they are only hot for a minute. Next year, they will be all but forgotten, no one will care, and it won't be enough to keep an entire car manufacturer from losing money in the 4th quarter.

[Tony Stewart Fan]

Originally Posted by Chris_C3

hey u guys i have not posted in a long time.....i just got a Caliber it is orange and rides smooth. It's great!

Tell us about it. What are your favorite features? How does it ride? I want to hear more. And, congrats on the purchase.

[hachiNANA]

just a quick question.. i know i'm a noob at diz but is the new srt caliber faster than the sti? both got 300 horses stock but the caliber's like a hatch. so that means that its lighter right?

[das2123]

Originally Posted by hachiNANA

just a quick question.. i know i'm a noob at diz but is the new srt caliber faster than the sti? both got 300 horses stock but the caliber's like a hatch. so that means that its lighter right?

No! The sti has 300hp but has 300 ft lbs of torque and is AWD. It would beat the SRT Caliber off the line and stay out front. Have you seen an AWD car launch? It's crazy. Torque moves cars, HP sells them. The Caliber SRT is only 100 lbs lighter, FYI!

[hachiNANA]

o aiight cool thnx

[Tony Stewart Fan]

Originally Posted by hachiNANA

just a quick question.. i know i'm a noob at diz but is the new srt caliber faster than the sti? both got 300 horses stock but the caliber's like a hatch. so that means that its lighter right?

What makes you ask that question? Are you interested in buying one? Sounds like you want to look at one for racing. I've heard some people talking about that and think the Caliber might be a good option.

[das2123]

Originally Posted by Tony Stewart Fan

I've heard some people talking about that and think the Caliber might be a good option.

A good option for racing? Not with that coefficient drag rating.

[Koolklown]

I bought a Red Caliber 3 weeks ago. I like it. It's the SRT with the Sports kit, red console panel, red sits, 17" rims, wireless bluetooth for my treo (I can talk through the speakers). Only thing I don't like is my foot hits the console when I go to press the gas, and it makes this pinging noise after driving for a while. Other than that it really turns eyes. I get a bunch of looks and complements.

[Tony Stewart Fan]

Originally Posted by Koolklown

I bought a Red Caliber 3 weeks ago. I like it. It's the SRT with the Sports kit, red console panel, red sits, 17" rims, wireless bluetooth for my treo (I can talk through the speakers). Only thing I don't like is my foot hits the console when I go to press the gas, and it makes this pinging noise after driving for a while. Other than that it really turns eyes. I get a bunch of looks and complements.

That's good to hear that you like it. Have you used the cooler glovebox at all? What's it like? I wonder how much i would use it if I had one. I know I would use it some, just not sure if all the time.