It’s impressive. My mom has the SXT with the CVT but it’s howling like a wolf. I had the sxt with 5 speed but ended up buying an SRT4 caliber and I’m obsessed. Running about 450whp
I swear every Avenger and Caliber i see looks like utter dogshit. I understand their low price points but fuck me they always look like they came from the shittiest low income neighborhoods
My brother in law bought a Dodge Caliber brand new in '09 with the "lifetime warranty" and as far as I know Dodge has honored that warranty as the Caliber has soared past 200,000 miles.
2022: Still have my '09 Caliber from the Cash For Clunkers era - mid 2009 - although I can't say it's my daily driver now. Weird coolant codes after about 80 miles until it cools off again.
idk if LA dealers are just shitty or something, but everytime I had a "lifetime warranty" they'd find anyway to make it look like the problem didn't fall under it lol
My 2009 caliber already has 150,000 miles today. Bought it new and runs fine. I don't know what they're talking about. I also own a Toyota 260k, Nissan 240k and Mercury mountaineer 155k. ZERO monthly payment, insurance low and parts/repairs cheap.
In Europe, this was the cheapest way to drive something which looked quintessentially 'Murican, a car for people who actually wanted a Chrysler 300 but couldn't afford a 300.
Exactly. I remember my dad absolutely fanboying over the design, then we went to the dealership to check it out and go for a test drive. I watched all of his enthusiasm fade within the first 30 minutes
It was exactly the same thing here. I doubt that anyone bought one because they wanted it. The only person I remember buying one of these new was a recently divorced guy that had a slew of kids and a ton of support to pay his ex-wife. She took the family car and he bought something new because of the warranty (which I think at the time was like 7 years). I believe he also got 0% financing just before the market crashed. The only person I know today with one will frequently drive a 20 year old F150 because it gets better fuel economy, which is impressive in its own way.
Yep, in Europe both caliber and Magnum looked masculine and murrican, but It all faded away when you got inside and touched the cheapest feeling interior plastics just behind dacia.
My Chemical Romance? At least they had theatrics. Try some bottom-of-the-barrel butt-rock like, idk, Breaking Benjam- no not even that, more like Hinder
I had a half hour standoff at a car rental desk because I had reserved a "Nissan Altima or equivalent", and they insisted that their replacement, a Caliber, was actually a free upgrade because it was an SUV. Fortunately, they finally relented.
I knew a girl in high school whose dad bought and built her a painfully original gold 1970 Chevelle. Right after graduation, she sold it to buy a Caliber just like this. I'm sure that's a decision she doesn't regret in any way.
"They DoorDash for dinner and wonder why they have no money." [Roman starts laughing in the background.] Mr. Regular definitely hit the 10-ring on that one.
@@nathankaufman9559 I will never understand people working a 9-5 that get food delivered to them. My friend I live with who is always scraping by, went through a doordash phase, I remember him paying 18 freaking dollars for a milkshake. Then watched as he got out of his car and proceeded to drop his nearly 20 dollar milkshake.
I have a 2007 dodge caliber and I absolutely love it! I would buy it over again! The only thing I dislike is it's rusting out the bottom. And I love the seats with severe back pain they are the only seats I can handle for long periods of time.
You better thank that 5 speed manual. I GARAUNTEE that the cvt would be fried by now. I am currently daily driving my grandmas old 08 sxt (60k miles) and the cvt is already slipping severely
I remember when this gen of Dodges were first sold in my eastern European country and everyone checked them out because of the "muscular" american design, which just wasn't available here before, only to be immediately disappointed at the interior and build quality
@@eurosonly I would disagree. On average American cars have better dependability and build quality than European cars. Sure there's turds on both sides. But neither can touch Japanese cars. The theory with American cars WAS low cost, high reliability. That's why the big 3 all had plastic fantastic interiors in the early and mid 00s. European cars were mostly ticking time bombs, however they looked and felt very nice inside.
I had one of these and recently took it to visit family which was about a 1,000 Km drive one way. While it was great on gas and quite spacious for carrying my stuff, it's soooo slow! That drive is mostly uphill and going through the Rockies while pushing it to what I felt comfortable, I was BARELY passing semi-trucks also going uphill. If you don't want to or need to go fast, it's honestly a great little car, turns nicely, good on gas, has some decent features, I'd say its a perfect first car sorta thing.
You literally cant pass people in one of these. The cvt simply will not allow it. I have almost died multiple times because of this, its gotten to the point where i just stay behind tractors because i know i cant accelerate fast enough to pass
My daughter just bought the 07 SXT for $2800, runs great, 120k miles, needs struts bad other than that I can't complain, I've only driven it once but it seemed to have decent power on the highway, That's what I was surprised of is it had decent top end power, I've noticed it has an aftermarket air breather, that may be a good thing cause the stock breather system could've been limiting the power as they most of the time do, lol After hearing all the bad stories about the subframe I'm going to have it powder coated if its worth powder coating that is, lol We don't get much snow here in NC so hopefully it won't be too bad, 🤞🏻 lol
@@MyerShift7 Mercedes gifting them the old W210 platform was a real great leap forward for Chrysler. Without that they'd not have the 300C, Charger, Challenger, and Magnum. If anything they'd only debut a new RWD platform only about this year left to their own devices
Sounds like a lateral move if you ask me. Disappointing Japanese crap to disappointing American crap. Nobody who grew up in a home with both their biological parents thinks a Civic is some great car. It's a car you can afford used ages 16-20 that's pretty much it.
@@infiniteblaz3416 humor me. What's so great about a Civic? It's small and cheap and doesn't have a whole lot of power. Don't act like the Japanese don't make cheap cars too. 🙄
My dad bought one of these brand new - a super deluxe edition with the extra speakers that would swing down for tailgating in the back and some type of cooler-glovebox or console up front. Everything about it was flimsy, but for some reason the thing that stood out most were the interior door locks. No bezel or anything - they had just punched a hole through the shitty door-cover plastic where the lock would go and that was it - there was even little bits of plastic around the edge like it was an unfinished project. He offered to sell it to me for the "bargain" price of $7K at one point a few years after buying it. It only had 30,000 miles on it. I could have used a newer family vehicle at the time, but hard pass on that one.
LOL! The door lock holes! I thought i was the only one who noticed that! They literally just drilled holes in it and left the residue around the edges. The entire car is a poorly thought out project! Like those plastic headrests.... i understand they wanted to save money, but WHY DO THE REAR SEATS GET REGULAR CLOTH HEADRESTS WHILE THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER GET THESE AWFUL PLASTIC THINGS?!?!?
I used to walk to work. 3.5 miles each way. Did it for 2 years. One day a co-worker asked me if I would like to take over payments on a Caliber. $225 a month for 2 years. I did it. He really took good care of that car. I got a good 1. Only had to change the alternator, not an easy job. Other than that. It was a good car for My little commute.
“This car wanted so badly to be taken seriously…like a liberal arts major. But all it does it project insecurity about what it actually is like a liberal arts major.” Beautiful Mr. Regular. Said like a true liberal arts major
@@12ealDealOfficial I'm Gen X; we thought we *invented* cynicism and self-critique! These new young bucks...so damn _earnest_ all the time! The type to refer to themselves as Social Justice Warriors in an unironic sense. They could use a little "yeah, whatever, nevermind" in their lives!
Theres a lady in my complex who drives this and legitimately takes 40 mins to 1 hour and a half to parallel park. Usually she ends up on the curb and just leaves it there. High quality entertainment everyday
My 2008 dodge caliber was the first new car I ever purchased. 250k and 14 years later, it is still running strong. Only work I've done is an alternator and struts. It is a beast that won't die. Such an under-rated car.
I got 60k on mine when I bought. Had to do alternator and now needs front struts. Also changed CVT fluid. I put alot of audio into it so I hope it lasts like yours.
I drive a 2008 in beige and I'm oddly attached to it. My mom got it in 08/09 when I was 12 years old. My older brother gave it some hell in a few mild crashes, and so did the salt from the snowy roads up near the great lakes. I accidentally ripped out a door lock switch with the strap of my backpack, because I used to toss it in the back passenger window after school. I eventually learned to drive in that thing, and mom gave it to me in 2017 when she upgraded to a Chrysler 200. It's honestly not bad for a free car. The biggest repair it's needed was a new subframe right when I moved to Philly (the roads in Manayunk knocked it loose of course). The best thing about this car is that it can haul some pretty big stuff if you put the back seats down, and even longer stuff if you put the passenger seat down. It's been a godsend whenever I've had to move furniture, bicycles, fish tanks, etc. And my bf and I just love the hatchback for drive-in movies (shout-out to the Mahoning in Lehighton!) Not sure when I'll be forced to get a new car, but this strange beige box is special to me.
"The CVT never shuts up!" This is why my Caliber is named Karen. Every other Caliber is named Karen, but the car color goes in front of it, so this is "blue Karen." lol I, too, only have my Caliber because I needed a car asap. A lot of these came from the factory without working cruise control, and they're damn near possible to fix. I broke my right leg last year. ... Driving any distance in my Caliber fucking SUCKS.
Would it be worth the $300+ install for an aftermarket cruise control, maybe ease the pain on your long drives. I'm on the fence about it myself, driving a POS Saturn wagon on bypasses every day for work but there's a lingering though the car will break down any day now and that install would be a big ass waste.
My sequoia is named Karen by my daughters because she’s a big white bitch! But I call her Betty White because she’s an old lady with a lot of miles but is still pretty and loved!
Im used to driving without cruise control on the highway. But having CC wouldn't fix my issue with driving a really long way which is my back. Lordosis runs in the family and in my Mustang it's not great but not all bad but in my dad's Mercades C300 it sucks because his seats have no padding whatsoever. So in that thing I get to have a sore back and the repercussions of cutting off all circulation to my lower body for HOURS .
There was one of these in my old neighbourhood and you could hear the distinctive CVT sound from a block away. Almost sounds like an 80s Ford power steering pump going bad. What’s interesting is there were also two Cavaliers. I bet both of those older Cavaliers (they were axed in 03 or 04 I believe) easily outlast the Caliber.
I had one of these as a rental car in 2009. While it didn't seem particularly underpowered or low quality, I found the rear visibility to be poor. That made merging into the expressway challenging, not the limited engine power. To be fair, I don't have high expectations of rental cars. I'm not concerned about the long-term reliability. I usually don't find anything noteworthy unless it's particularly bad. (I have a childhood memory of a Chevette in Florida with doors that had difficulty closing properly. We had to really SLAM the doors, or they were guaranteed to be incompletely closed.)
*In Defense of the Caliber* I owned a 2010 SXT and I freaking loved that thing. I had zero problems with it and all it needed was the A/C recharged. Sadly, it hit a concrete pylon because some asshat left a FREAKING MATTRESS in the middle of the road in Austin when I swerved to avoid it. 2 good years I got outta that car.
An 07 Caliber SXT was my first car! Even by 2010 they were pretty affordable. Dodge wanted so badly to have this seen as a cool car with one print ad showing it placing it's rear end up on a photocopier. Slow to accelerate is an understatement, it was dangerously slow. The onramps of the Merit Parkway in CT with a stop sign then 30ft of road before dumping you into the highway were a test of your faith in god as you floored it hitting the end of the onramp at maybe 20mph screaming GOOD LUCK EVERYONE out the window as cars fly past at either 55mph or 90mph with no in between. The RPM's sit at redline as you accelerate up to 60 for the next 30 seconds to the comforting sound of what sounds like a rusty coffee can of 3-4 ball bearings being gyrated around coming from the CVT gradually adjusting to maintain a few hundred rpm under redline. You flip on cruise control because who the hell are you passing and select disc 6 of your stock headunit that plays CD-R's full of mp3s for total of a few gigabytes of menu-less total capacity to scroll through track by track. Gorillaz 19-2000 plays out the actually decent Boston Acoustics system's speakers and sub. With no mechanical link between the shifter and transmission, you whack it into reverse while rolling down the highway knowing it will just stay in neutral to turn on the reverse lamps and scare the absolute shit out of that tailgating Audi. Thirsty, you open the glovebox that has a shelf with ridges to hold 4 bottles of soda and PUMPS IN COOL AIR FROM THE A/C TO BE A FRIDGE (ok seriously this bit was great and I miss it so much) and grab a 'dew then just sit back and wait for your exit. You arrive at your friends house and back in up to the deck, open the rear hatch, and flip out the rear speakers to face backwards so you and your buddies can listen to some tunes. A few years later, the engine decides it wants to try out it's limp mode, cutting power so hard you need to sit in neutral at stoplights and give a rev before dropping into drive as you hobble to the dealer again, and after loosing power steering in the middle of a long sweeping turn a second time as it enters limp mode for the 5th, and a "specialist" from dodge who came to your dealer who already swapped the entire wiring harness is still scratching their head, you decide its time to let it go to be wholesaled off as someone else's problem, or more likely be a parts car. It was slow as balls and after a few years had issues but that's not unusual for a cheap used first car. And like learning to ride on a used 250cc vs a Hyabusa, as a new driver you could floor it downhill on a twisty road and focus only on practicing hitting apexes as your tires chirped through the corners. With its little party tricks like the flip out rear speakers, glove box fridge, and plenty of room for your idiot friends and their shit, it was a fun first car and I almost kinda miss it.
Man I don't know if 155k miles is actually low for an 07 but my caliber r/t accelerates like a champ. Sometimes it can take a while to spool while turning but otherwise I'm hitting 3k rpm the second I'm out of a stop and passing most everyone who isn't trying to race me without much trying I have had my fair share of mechanical issues but nothing other than a punctured brake line I couldn't take care of, from a old and solid valve cover gasket that was leaking oil onto the exhaust manifold to front stocks so old I could rock the front of the car with just a finger and a broken throttle body that was probably the hardest part to replace just because I have big hands But it's been in the family since 07 and it's one of the cars I grew up in and still drive for work to this day so I guess I do have some rose tented glasses I never really go to drive any other car too, we used to have a grand caravan and then a Pacifica that I would drive around every now and then and the Pacifica could accelerate faster than it honestly should be able to but it was a huge in comparison and felt unwieldy because of it, my mom had a mini Cooper for a while that I only took out once or twice but that was like 3-4 years ago and I don't remember much about it other than it being way too small So while I guess not everyone is getting the same experience driving the caliber as me I still really enjoy my ride
Perfect I’m buying my 16yo a shitbox caliber and I’m going to keep her 2nd gen Camry wagon she hates it I think it’s a cool old car but I get why she hates it! Wait till I slap rims and a stereo in it she’s gonna be like wait dad the Camrys cool!
^this I have a Dodge Journey on the shitty 4 cylinder that was - as rcr points out - handed down to me from my mom who only bought it new in 2009 bc Cash For Clunkers would offer $3500 for the rust bucket Dakota. And even she knew it was slow... It was always slow... And taking her on the merrit was fun because she knew - yes my 60 yr old mom would LAUGH at what was about to happen. I roll up to the stop sign and wait for my opening.... there it is HIT IT. Pin that crappy little peddle to the floor and we reach redline.. my wouldn't even do the "hold onto the door handle think - you know, like in that mom way when you're driving her to the grocery store... because she was too busy laughing at that hideous sound coming out of the car.. And now it's still kicking... it throws CE codes every 9 months and leaks coolant and the doors fill up with water when it rains.... and I cant wait to get rid of it
Tried one out some years back when I was looking for something easier to get in and out of than my 2004 Dodge Stratus 2-door. (these days, I wish I'd kept it) The Caliber looks pretty good from the outside, but that's where the appeal ends. Found the interior incredibly low budget; the driving experience terrible; and the noise level unacceptable. Ended up going with a PT Cruiser instead. I have to wonder if the later revamp solved some of these cars many problems. All in all, another example of Daimler's criminal neglect of it's merger partner. If Daimler was a parent and Chrysler its kid, someone here would get charged with child abuse.
I took a lyft once inside of these, and the body roll felt like an amusement park ride. I was being slung left and right as it took easy turns. Ever since that experience I have never forgotten this car.
The Dodge Caliber, a little slice of Detroit on wheels because despite its birthing grounds residing in Illinois, the Caliber was so perfect at channeling rock bottom poverty that you naturally associate it with The Free World’s largest dying metropolitan by default. Slowness and unreliability was the name of Dodges inappropriately named “economy” cars game which in the end left owners feeling like they just paid $17,380 for a car that’s gonna be worth $1,500 the second it rolls off the lot. Trapping a low income household in a payment as their new asset quickly becomes a liability.
Lol, l grew up in metro Detroit and this is absolutely perfect. The last sentence is absolutely accurate. "Dodge: the used car payment for those who can't make the payment"
Our alternator died.... The clutch got fried like 3 times.... The cv joint busted.... Clutch master cylinder died.... We replaced it all...... 201344km later it's still running like butter......... Okay not butter but high quality margarine
Well it lasted nothing for you. I got my 2.0L 2010 SXT back in 2012 and the alternator died this year. It lasted 10 years. 79k miles on it and still running perfectly. Not any transmission or engine problems. I think the only replacements i've done to it is motor mountings, ac compressor, and the alternator. That's it. Been its owner for 12 years and still take care of it.
Before I knew anything about cars, and was like 23 years old looking to buy my first NEW car, it was between this and 2008 fit. Thank goodness I blindly made the right choice.
I love my Caliber... 195.000 and still running strong, great fuel mileage as well.... My first delivery car was the 03 Neon.. It too was an amazing car. Its all a matter of perspective and how you take care of it!!
I used to work at a print shop and we had a customer with a Caliber. I recall having to fold down the rear seats just to load a paper box into the trunk. Confusingly small amount of cargo space for a hatchback.
@twistedguy23 my old pontiac grand am coupe (1999) which was considered a small car was able to carry more than my 08 caliber sxt. I dont know how this car design went all the way through production without somebody saying no
The perfect evolution of a car. It only took 7 years to go from a relatively sporty, great handling car even in base trim that dominated in autocross to this turd that is specifically BANNED from autocrossing due to rollover risk.
Very Funny.. to make your info even better for me is that you guys are local.. I am from Allentown, Pa. and when you guys mention Lehighton, or Frackville Mall (now extinct) I find it just great!!!
I had one of these as a rental when my car was in the shop....same color too! For 3weeks I was called Avatar. I DID like the Caliber because 1. It realllly made you appreciate what you were driving before and 2. You started to enjoy not caring and being invisible....complete "whatever " mode.
The one thing I always will remember about these cars is that every single one of them, without fail, has only one working headlight. Every one I ever saw during the 2000s and beyond was winking at me and I did not care for it.
That's because replacing the headlight bulbs on these is an exercise in frustration. Unless you have child sized hands, it requires you to disassemble some things to do so. Therefore, no one does.
Not quite as bad as a chevy malibu...where you have to remove the FRONT BUMPER to gain access to the headlamp. P.S. it`s in the OEM service info like that also: step 1 remove front bumper.
@@__-cy9mv The service manual says you have to remove the bumper cover to replace the headlights on my Fusion, but you don't have to do it. My hands are medium sized and can change my bulbs without issue. I just have to use my fingertips.
Speaking of women, I'm pretty sure the person that provided this car to the regular car guys is not a woman. Listen to The voice and look at the hands. They don't lie
From what I can tell you were in an SXT the entire time which does not come with the 2.4 - only the RT and SRT models came with the World engine. As someone who has had both an SXT (2007 and 2011) and currently an RT (2007) I can tell you there is a HUGE difference in the cars. The SXT is a pile of garbage and yes, that CVT does sucks balls...but the RT, which comes with more power due to the 2.4 and an auto-shifter with AWD, is a much different beast. So while not on the same level as the SRT model it still boots around like a little go-kart... and I can say this as I also have an SRT6 Crossfire and I don't cry when I have to park the SRT for the RT, it gets the job done nicely and the gas consumption on the 2.4 compared to the 2.0 is so much better. I guess what I am trying to say is...for someone who only rode around in an SXT (and probably with blown head gaskets at that) you sure hit a lot of the issues on the head, but since you probably have never been in an RT or an SRT4 trim you are lacking in ALL the information and therefor this is a pretty shit video as its biased to the lower-end models.
I had one of these things for a few years. My dumb ass wasted thousands on repairs of the thing. On top of my monthly car payment just all the crap I had to deal with. When I finally paid it off and sold it on Craigslist for a fraction of what I paid over the years. I felt terrible for the guy who bought it. I warned him everything wrong with it that I knew at the time. But I bumped into him a few months later randomly and he was telling me how it just got worse and worse after a few weeks and he ended up scraping it. I felt so terrible for doing that to him.
The “one-sided violent crime” conversation reminds me of this guy I used to work with at the railroad. Super-opinionated and would talk all through lunch break, yet not say a Goddamn thing. He was the only person I’ve seen willingly read a newspaper in the last 10 years. He would pick out controversial stories on purpose to start a conversation and thank God no one would answer him. Not everything can be an anecdote 🙄 It reminds me of that reference Mr. Regular made about the guy who knowingly takes up the treadmill in the very center of the gym and changes every tv to, Fox news, for instance. He waits for someone to set up next to him and then starts the conversation with “can you believe this??!!”
In the lunchroom at my old job there was this megadork who would ALWAYS sit down by and talk to this one chick who openly mocked him and what he had to say day in, day out if she listened at all and that guy was so minimally socialized and full of himself he never ever spotted it. Nobody gives a shit about your 60 mile drive last weekend (that's not even far WTF), the crap you saw on Reddit the other day and your stupid capeshit superhero movies you're going to stream when you get home, damn.
@@standyourground9973 Well, I'm pretty conservative, but complete strangers who "cold call" you with politics are almost invariably douchebags. Oh, and ALL cable news in the USA is "partisan porn" and an overt disgrace to the word "journalism." And yes, that includes Fox News, too.
I sold vehicles briefly in the early 2010's at a Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram dealership, and the "Crapiter" was, by far, the worst in all senses of the word, followed by the Nitro. My conscience wouldn't allow me to sell these buckets to anyone, and if we didn't have any pre-owned vehicles in someone's price range, I'd direct them to the Toyota dealership next door.
I used to work with a guy in retail who drove a Nitro. He'd take off the shitty plastic piece that fits under the steering wheel and hide weed in there, and he didn't even show me where else he hid shit. That whole interior was falling apart so much he'd just find new places to screw around with trim pieces and hide shit. That's about all these 10-20 year old dodges are good for lol
@@darthdarthbinkss A friend had a Nitro and gave me rides while my Frontier was in the shop. I quickly realized it was just a poor emulation of the Nissan (also Xterra) in almost every way.
Every couple of months or so my 75 year old neighbor, who no longer drives, tells me about how she owned one of these, and loved it so much, and wishes she could find another 🙃
I have the 2007 1.8 manual version and honestly I enjoy it. It never failed me, and all maintenance it needed was removing debris from the starter (?) right after I bought it 2 years ago. It's also still pretty uncommon in my lower-end euro country and it doesn't have the same reputation here As for the owner's psychological profile: oh well
When I was hunting for my first car, I kept getting the Avenger, Magnum and Caliber confused CONSTANTLY. I ended up inheriting a Cavalier LS and I still stand by the fact it was better
I’ve rented literally hundreds of cars for business travel over the past decade and a half. Whenever the subject of my worst ever rental comes up, one car immediately comes to mind, the 2008 Dodge Caliber I rented to drive from Hickory, NC to Tuscaloosa, AL and back. Road tripping the Caliber was one of the worst automotive experiences of my life.
@@CngBng they suck bad man, don't buy one. Works great as a grocery getter or a short distance commuter. My mother drove on 120 miles a day, 5 days a week, for 7 years.
I remember renting these out circa 2010. The Caliber is best described as a collection of parts flying in a very loose formation. They'd rattle like crazy if you dared to go over 60km/h. It may possibly be the worst car I've ever driven. Worse than even the Cobalt/G5s with the sticky ignitions.
lol i remember renting a cobalt and the buttons were in terrible positions for looking forward and adjusting things. literally my 88 camry felt better put together. calibers really must be shit
One of my highschool friends had one of these, and installed a 13 inch subwoofer in it. Shook the whole parking lot. I remember we were all piled into it on a pre football game energy drink run (Marching band kids) and it could barely get up the hill to our highschool. He now has a Altima with 2 subwoofers and a full alpine stereo. The highschool car scene is a fun place
@@dedandflooded More than you think, by the sounds of it. Being in my 20's for the early to mid 2000's golden era of car audio, between the '94 MX-6 and the 2000 Maxima SE I had several different systems. Always great at parties too. Today I'm happy throwing a Yellow Top into my 2013 G sedan and let Bose on Wheels rip through OEM 10's they threw into the front doors. Not even close to old school quality, but... it's potent. A home audio approach to car audio, it works but it's not my preference. I can make a pair of amplified components sound better than the 17 speakers they put in today's cars. Having fun yet? Nah t'was 2 am when you talked shit, now it's grown-up morning time and you're out for a while. No job right? :-)
Kennwood or Pioneer Supertuner III sterio with JC Whitney power amp. Jensen 6X9's in the package deck and door mounts from anybody who made them, cut into the door panels of a 63 Impala. (Yes we butchered nice cars like that back then, they were dailies too.) 1986 callin' in.
I bought one of these off of my grandparents for my second car. I knew I was in for a ride when I got there and half the letters in "Caliber" were missing because my cousin picked them all off, and then threw them in the bush when she got caught. What we could find became a hallowed name, Cal B. That car would not die, because that's exactly what I wanted. The Dodge Caliber that I drove existed purely out of spite and hatred to me and it made sure I knew it every step of the way. It accelerated like it was being pulled by a kid on a hoverboard, had more body roll then a fat kid on a tilt-a-whirl, and the rocker panels rusted out so bad I would literally walk up to my car and rip a chunk off as a party trick. I used to hit speed bumps and get a chiropractic realignment because the suspension on that thing was so foul. Once in a while if it was raining and you hit a pothole, the radio would switch to AM at max volume and would NOT let you adjust anything on it because the screen would go black. I distinctly remember one time I was on a bumpy road and the interior lights kept flashing on and off until it eventually settled on on and I just drove home with the lights on for 30 minutes down the highway. No heated seats in -40 weather, no command start, no sunroof, but if that thing didn't feel like turning over after work, I would just wait 5 minutes and try again. It always got me home. I only got rid of it because when the starter went on it it would have costed $500 for me to get it done in a shop (I live in an apartment, it was -35) and I only got $500 for the car anyway.
Fun fact: The Dodge Caliber SXT has the same exact 4B11 engine found in the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X. A LOT of the parts from the EVO bolt right onto the Dodge Caliber.
My sister had one of these; she might be the one person I can think of that the Caliber has more personality than. Also loved the Magfest shout. BTW Did you guys ever do the Dodge Journey? That one feels even more generic, like a Caliber that's trying to 'blend in and act natural'.
They can't make anything that is reliable or technologically relevant so they have to make high horsepower boomer mobiles or overly aggressive looking heads for insecure guys wearing monster energy snapbacks
They did sell this after 2012, it was just called the Jeep Compass/Patriot. Same chassis, with slightly tweaked suspension for more clearance. Just look at the interior layout, almost the same.
Took me by surprise (and cracked me up) with the "toothless Stavros Halkias" bit lmao. I can't help but appreciate your ability to come up with funny and pointed jabs at even the most mundane and boring cars.
There are a few commuter cars that was on my ‘no buy’ list when shopping for a replacement used vehicle in early 2020. Anything manufactured by Chrysler this side of the 21st century was on that list, Dodge Caliber included. I feel validated.
My wife and I looked at one of these when they came out. Dealer had 1! On the lot. A white stripper model. I have never formed an opinion of a car so quickly. Once around the block and back to the dealership. Cheap and plastic inside, moaning engine. It all came back watching this video. Salesman “what do you think “ Me “well, I don’t like it. I think we’re done here”. Just nothing positive to say after a 7 minute drive. So what did we buy? A 3 year old purple PT Cruiser with chrome wheels, leather/Swede interior and wood grain side panels .... so there’s that. We liked the PT Cruiser.
God Bless the PT with the divine (😩) wood paneling. As a pt cruiser fan, there is next to nothing more desirable then a pt cruiser with that package of features.
Man. This is top 5 RCR reviews ever. Incredible work gentlemen. “It’s better than a pogo ball but not better than rollerblades.” F me that’s brilliant.
Oh man those square headrests gave me so much nostalgia, this was my moms second car she had ever owned and she got rid of it in 2014 when I was 8, and those dots on the speedometer always made me think of the red circular caps for a cap gun, oh and does anyone else remember the removable interior light that doubled as a flashlight?
Those square plastic headrests that will likely cause more harm than good in the event of a crash? Yeah i remember them (sadly) after driving one for so long my neck can never forget the pain
As a vehicle type, it was kinda ahead of it's time. The whole compact crossover thing wasn't common and now it's a more popular segment than any sedan.
Okay that radio segment was so good, I recorded it in audacity and saved it in MP3 format. I added it to my MP3 player, which I keep in my car. So now it's gonna pop up between my music when I'm driving. I am eternally grateful.
When I saw the picture of this car, I knew you were gonna read it for filth, and you didn't disappoint lol. I used to work for a rental car company back in 2008 and people who rented these always had complaints about them when they returned them.
15 year old me got depressed even more than I already was when my family got lied into taking these fucking abominations lol. We also pulled a Jeremy Clarkson a few times with it throughout the trip because we hated it some much. We figured, if we wrecked it or broke it. They couldnt possibly give us anything worse lol. That trip is still talked about to this day due to how much shit went wrong or happened. And the Caliber was one of those bad parts of the trip lol.
Chief, I was that student. Used to calculate how much I had to score in test and the minimum amount of projects/homework needed to be turned in, in order to get a passing grade.
@@tatsumaru12345 I'd rather have a Nitro than a Caliber. And if it's a rare one with a 6 spd manual even better. Or a Magnum R/T, which despite looking ugly AF is the definition of sleeper
Dodge is now banking on still selling giant trucks and SUV's when gas is now $4.00+ a gallon. A 2nd bailout in less than 15 years will make me wanna rage quit.
Today I found out that I have to replace the entire suspension because it is rusty, but the replacement price at $ 500 is not high. I have a 1.8 petrol engine with a manual gearbox. I live in Europe and you can see that it draws attention to the road. It is unlikely that I will replace it with a European car.
I remember when this car came out in the UK and just thinking how very American it looked, but on a european car scale. Like a baby version of those sorts of big burly North American vehicles. I think that was probably the main selling point, it was so different to anything else you'd normally see sold in europe, and then it sort of faded into obscurity. I saw one a while back and said to myself "huh, haven't seen one of those in a while", like I could have gone my entire life without even remembering that it exists.
It sucks! That is its biggest problem! It has no reason to exist! They tried making a high ground clearance hatchback, with a cvt (that fails before 70k miles, ask me how i know 😡), and make it an economical commuter car. The problem is that it doesnt fill ANY of those criteria well, so what your left with is a slow, truck-like handling, low mpg hatchback with zero interior space and an uncomfortable interior. I am honestly surprised mr regular didnt talk about this in the video. The car fills NO MARKET!! It irritates me that this car was able to make it to production without anybody at chrysler asking "what market does this car fulfill?" This video is honestly as accurate as it gets to anybody driving one of these, the ONLY reason anyone would ever drive a dodge caliber is that they had no other choice for a temporary transportation method.