Dodge Stratus R/T: The forgotten sports car of the early 2000s 

3,200 votes Chevy Monte Carlo SS: 42% Honda Accord Coupe V6: 39% Dodge Stratus R/T: 11% Mercury Cougar V6: 9%

I think of the SNL skit where Will Ferrell says "I drive a Dodge Stratus" whenever I see one. 😂

Yes, some of your viewers are older (I'm 64), but we're also old enough to remember owning & driving, or having friends who owned & drove, cars like the Dodge Stratus. I appreciate that you examine many off-beat &/or seemingly forgotten cars. I find your channel very entertaining. Thank you, from Canada!

Man, I currently drive a first gen 1999 dodge stratus and seeing people recognize it as a car makes me happy

I live in Canada, and we never got the Stratus coupe, just the Sebring coupe and convertible. Having driven those, I can honestly say, these Mitsubishi powered Chrysler models were quite nice to drive. Wish the world still preferred coupes over crossovers!

I always liked the Stratus RT coupe. I thought it had nice clean lines. I like that they used some Dodge styling cues from previous models, like the Crosshair grille and wrap around tail lights were reminiscent of the Stealth. I certainly thought they looked nicer than the Eclipse they were based on. I almost had myself convinced to buy one.

Oh man I miss cars. That Speedvision logo in one of the clips really took me back, ha ha. Thanks for another amazing video Hawk!

i'm a dodge guy from a long time back. im 59 yrs old and have owned more than my fair share of cars. my 81 yr old mother gave me her low mileage arizona garage kept 99 300 M. (she no longer needs 2 cars). i fell in love with the intrepid when it debuted. i was never in the spot to ever buy one fresh out of the factory. anywho the 300M is basically the same car and was pleasantly surprised when she called me and said she wanted me to have it. i get so many guys chasing me down and go nuts when i explain where it spent its life. (most of these cars are such bad shape when you do manage to see one) i thought the last guy was going break down in tears. well thanks for doing this video.

33, I had one for my first car. Was sort of quick, but really got me into hands on work for cars!

Hey guy I'm 24 and love your stuff. I can see the inspiration from other channels I watch, yet your videos are still unique 👍

My buddy had one of those. He drove it over a curb at 50 MPH and it was the coolest thing I ever witnessed. Nothing is funnier than a Chrysler product being destroyed by the owner.

The 2001 Mercury Cougar was primarily developed for the European market as the Ford Cougar - where it sold rather poorly, though - hence it having only Ford of Europe engines like the Duratec 2.5. Great video, by the way!

Great video Green Hawk! You did bring back more memories of cars I had not thought of in so long. I was really into SUVs at that time so I did not look too hard at most of these. The Monte Carlo SS was great. Thanks and hoping you are doing great!

The Eclipse got huge in 2000 as they built those off Gallant platforms, and the Gallant got bigger every gen. It was built in the Diamond Star plant with that Strattus coupe.. great vid as always Hawk Guy!

Awesome vid man. Keep up the great work and you’ll go far!

Dodge had an R/T model for almost every one of their vehicles at the time.

The mopar cab forwards. I remember when the intrepid came out, loving the front end but being turned off by the massive amount of car behind the C pillar…. My friends parents had a 4 door stratus (they owned the local Chrysler dealership) and I loved that car

You forgot the Sebring LXi, which was just as sporty. These coupes are essentially Mitsubishi Galant Coupes. They are built off a Galant chassis and share the same wheelbase as a Galant. Many people incorrectly refer to them as bloated Eclipse Coupes. They do use Eclipse interior bits but the Eclipse is built on a much much shorter Galant chassis.

Another great video from you. Thank you! Some of those cars made it to this side of the pond too 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 so it’s good to see them again. Intriguing to realise how much the car market has changed, and a shame to think that even cars from only a few years ago do not exist anymore due to government scrapping schemes etc. Cheers mate, keep them coming! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 ❤ 🇺🇸

Yes keep up your 2000's vids they're my faves👌

This was another Good video!!! Made me flashback to when I owned a 94 Intrepid. It was a good car for me! If I didn’t have kids at the time I’d have gotten a coupe!!!! My car lasted a long time but then the computer messed up and I got rid of it in 06

Glad to see your videos on my recommended again. This was an interesting watch, was wondering if you could potentially do a video on the buick lesabre?

Thanks for the video

Good retro stuff. Subscribed 👍

Great vid! I've owned a 2005 Dodge Stratus Coupe, 2.4L automatic, for 7 years now, and you know what? This car still drives and handles just great, and it doesn't fall behind regular modern cars in terms of performance. The best part is that maintenance and repairs are hassle-free and cheap. When I bought it, I thought I'd be changing it in a year or two, but I still don't want to part with it

Canadian here. I owned the Chrysler alter-ego of this car, the 2001 Sebring LXi Coupe. As you mentioned, it was Mitsubishi-built, with the 24-valve 3.0 V6 5-speed. Poor paint quality, but very good otherwise. The 5-speed was one of its best features, it was the only front-drive car that I could power-shift. I contemplated adding a turbo to it, but I couldn't find an all-inclusive kit, and I didn't have the $$ to have a custom setup built for me. I loved the handling, which responded well to even better tires in 225/50VR17 size (BF Goodrich Comp T/A). I must say, I think the Stratus R/T Coupe was better-looking, but they weren't sold here in Canada. That 3.0 V6 would have been terrific in a smaller, lighter car, but the Sebring was better for me, being 6'4". Maybe I should have considered a custom nitrous kit ... 😁. Sadly, two years ago a guy backed out of his driveway into my front-right corner, and my insurance company wrote it off. Bummer.

I’m 53 and I enjoyed your video. No bullshit and straight to the facts. Great job.

I've always loved those old Dodge print ads like you showed in the intro.

You did great job on the video. You do not have to apologize for your efforts. You do your research and you are learning at the same time. This is how you gain knowledge. I like the fact you cover many decades. Your footage and graphics are good. You will become great and you stay focused and diligent in your efforts. I am not interested in this car, but the video was good. That is how you keep people watching and interested. I thank you. Keep doing the videos and bringing back the memories and facts.

Another good video 😮‍💨

Thanks man, it was a very cool video made with the mind of a real car enthusiast, I hope that one day you will make a video about the forgotten JDM sedans or as they call them (saloon cars) that were manufactured between the end of the 70s and the late 90s, especially Toyota Such as the crown, the corona, the chaser, and others, and the special features in every car.... With the utmost respect and appreciation from Iraq, your follower...

“I DRIVE A DODGE STRATUS” Lmao one of my favorite SNL clips.

My mom had the older round stratus in cranberry purple and then she had a slick 2006 Stratus R/T coupe with a 3.0 v6 in a dark grey mettalic and I loved that car.

Thank you for another history time travel video 🎉 Intrepid and Shadow were very succesful in the 90s. The 2000s Intrepid and Neon were bad cars with tons of problems not to mention the hundreds of "lemons" coming out of the dealerships. When was the last time anyone remember seen a 2000s Intrepid or Neon on the road in the last 10 years? None. They're all in the junkyeard, if that. I remember the Stratus name but back in the 2000s Dodge had so many cars that they pretty much look almost the same with the only difference been the front grilles, so you had to walk to the front of the car to KNOW what model you were looking at. Lov it! 👏🏻🚘🔥💪🏻

Forgot the Dodge Spirit RT. Like your content; subbed.

This video was a trip for me. My first car was a brand new 05 Black Stratus R/T Coupe. I loved that thing and never had any (major) problems with her....... well.....the clear coat coming off was probably the worst thing. She lasted me a good 15 years until I got rear ended and insurance scrapped her. So Stratus R/T coupes will always have a special place in my heart even though they weren't all that special themselves.

Just wanted to say I'm a 22 year old car geek who spends half my day scrolling Wikipedia for random ass cars so your channel is right down my alley 😂 I remember seeing these around as a young child and used to find the bulbous, rounded American design of these and others of the 90s and the early 2000s hideous. I was a much bigger fan of the sharper lines from Europe and Japan and my family only bought Toyotas and Nissans growing up. But I forgot ab some of these cars completely. Looking back at them now, the styling was actually pretty cool and nice. The Stratus coupe, Dodge Avenger coupe, Eagle Talon, last-gen Pontiac Grand Prix, Dodge Stealth, reluctantly even the Monte Carlo SS, all look great. I just wish more of them were RWD based :(

I had an 03 Eclipse GTS 3.0 5 speed. Same car. It was so much fun

I remeber my old boss had a turbo model from Mexico, I thought it was pretty cool interesting car.

The goat is back ❤❤❤❤❤

I love your enthusiasm in the video man, got a follow. I love all things that go, and have been a Chrysler Tech for almost 15yrs. .2.7 and 3.5 are not related... at all. The 2.7 3.7 and 4.7 are related. The 2.7 platform is a modular setup, kind of like Fords 4.7 engine. It was the start of modular engines as we know today in the US .

A friend of mine had one of these back in like 2006-ish. Fun car. His mom also had a Sebring coupe (probably like a 2000 model or so? The kinda hot one with the Mitsubishi V6) that was also pretty fun. The Mopar hot-rodder family around here's kids that were around my age used to take the bigger 4-cylinders from the cloud cars and put them in first-generation Neons to make them pretty quick. I bought a clean ACR Neon coupe with a built cloud car 2.4 from one of them that was genuinely pretty fast out on the country roads here in the mountains of WV.

I had a red 2001. Would have another in a heartbeat. Great sounding car with the 3.0. Love the styling still today

What a great video! I was a young adult back when these cars were new. I loved them but never had one. I’d prolly like them less if I had owned a Stratus lol

It's cool seeing cars long forgotten

My dad tried to find a black on black leather 01 Stratus R/T coupe with the 5 speed, to replace his 92 Daytona Iroc Shelby which was starting to rust pretty bad. Couldn't find 1. Only automatics. He asked about special ordering 1, which would push him into the 02 model yr, and the dealership told him it was a 5 month wait because of 'limited availability' of the manuals! So just because they listed the 5 speed as 'standard' the vast majority weren't being built that way. Dad ended up special ordering a Durango..figure that 1 out. At that time, my mother had a 97 Stratus ES sedan, with the 2.4 and auto. That car went through 2 more owners before the trans croaked.

As a South African zoomer who has a fascination towards 90s and 00s USDM, I enjoyed this video very much.

I really loved the look of Dodges in this area. I used to have a '95 Avenger ES and really enjoyed it. I forgot how good looking the 1st gen Stratus R/T really was. Gonna see if you have a video on the 1st gen Avenger.

Chrysler and Mitsubishi products where under the DSM - Diamond Star Motors name. Although they had many cars built together like you had mentioned with the eclipse, and eagle talon, but the Mitsubishi 3000GT was entirely a Mitsubishi product on it own.

Do a video on the Ford escort zx2 S/R, I to this day would still jump at the opportunity to get one. They are crazy rare, I had a 99 zx2 and loved it. Everything was so easy to work on, and somehow it never broke through all of my teenage antics. I'll have another zx2 one day for sure 💯

Had a Stratus Coupe with the 3.0l V6 from the mitsubishi eclipse back in high-school (2013). That thing ripped. Everybody had fart can Hondas and I loved racing them😂😂

Is that your handwriting? If so, I love it! Someone with penmanship on par with mine lol. Seriously though, love your videos and channel! Got a new sub here ;)

My friend had a stratus r/t, 5 speed...it had a turbo slapped on it, and a tune, in probably 2006... It constantly broke transmissions, and head gaskets were a constant issue. But it was a riot when it was running right.

Never knew the Stratus R/T was related to the Eclipse🤯🤯🤯🤯 Thank you

Growing up my mom had a 2004 Dodge Stratus for most of my childhood. I will forever love dodge stratus and I think it was such an underrated car despite its flaws.

I've never forgotten about the Dodge stratus (coupe or sedan). The coupe is my personal favorite, although it's crazy that I remember seeing them on the roads EVERYWHERE back then but now it's like most have dropped off roads and ended up in salvage/junk yards

I still have my stratus. It's the 4 door, but the 2.4 motor is distant cousin of the 4g63, the 4g64, so I jokingly tell people my car has an evo motor lol.

Pretty crazy I was just thinking about this car I had to 04 coupe R/T in gun metal grey I had alot fun in that car I tinted the window tossed in a cold air intake and added nicer rims a bass tube as well Kinda miss this car but it had transmission issues but those cars Basically all did Mitsubishi Chrysler dodge they always took care of which was cool but eventually you knew it was a wrap and it was tike to get rid of it same issue with reverse I had as well had the car 4 years. Cool video brought memories back .

I had an 07 r/t I absolutely loved

I had the Stratus R/T coupe back in the day. It was when Dodge was still partnered with Mercedes. It was always interesting to work on the car and see logos on the parts from either Dodge, Benz, or Mitsubishi.

slobalt SS is going to be up there with the R/T of the 2000's soon

I have an 04 stratus R/T over in Mexico, basically a more spacious srt4 and heavier, currently my project car trying to make it faster but it’s a fun sporty sedan. 👌🏻

Buying a red Dodge stratus RT Coupe today and wanted to say thank you so much for this video. Crazy how it popped into my recommended a week before I buy my first ever dodge and it’s the exact same model 🤘🏽😂 I’ll post a review to my channel if it if anyone interested

I loved 1st generation avengers. They raced them for couple v of years in iroc and thought they were so cool looki

02 Stratus SXT (Sedan) was my first car, this was very interesting

Damn…. Cars were way more attainable 20 years ago compared to now because automakers weren’t so focused on high end luxury cars and maybe one tiny crossover you see everywhere.

My dad had a 2008 stratus. The car was awesome!

The only coupes from your list I still see today are the Mustang V6 and the accord V6. Shocking how the other models just disappeared

I daily a 1998 toyota corolla. i got it for a six pack of beer, and it's been an amazing car. especially after i installed some subwoofers

I had an 05 RT and it was a sporty and fun car to drive. Only thing that would have made mine better was the 5 speed option. I had the auto. Still a nice little car with a sunroof. Miss that one

Please keep making more videos bro i fucking enjoy it very interested and entertaining

Man, I always- and still, find the first gen Stratus R/T Coupe to be a very attractive vehicle (the refresh just looked so cheap in comparison). Smooth, clean lines and enough sporty details and that scalloped rear-end. Liked it so much I seriously considered one when as a young 20-something I wanted a nicer, faster car. Preferred this to the Eclipse it was based on. BUT, decided to go the V8 route for a little more cash in a Mustang GT. So glad I did but always wonder "what if" I purchased a Stratus instead. Seeing this still makes me want one.

I drive a 99 LHS and i appreciate a lot more now. 252 hp and 255 tq really was impressive in 99 they should have put the 3.5 in more cars of the time

I had an 01 stratus R/T and it decimated pretty much anything new at the time and I had the automatic which had the Mitsubishi manual or shift tronic to change gears yourself which really let the v6 sing… I loved that car and would buy one again if one came up

I used to own a TRD Camry Solara with a 5speed supercharged V6. That thing was a weapon back in the day. 0-60 in the 6s and it made around 240hp. Only thing I didn't like about it was the FWD architecture and if you were too aggressive from the dig, it was 1 tire fire smoke machine. I think TRD had a limited slip diff available for it at the time but I didn't care much and sold the car and stuck with my good ol RWD cars.

Double wishbone rear suspension. A stiffer set of springs really unlocked the 95-00 model. The 2.4 was a Chrysler engine. Based on the 2.2 turbo. With a cylinder head designed as a smaller Mitsubishi 4g63 “style” head, however with smaller Head ports to increase velocity. (Because the EDZ was supposed to be a naturally aspirated Engine) later in 2002 they narrowed the exhaust ports a little more, gave it slightly smaller valves, piston oil squirter‘s, stronger pistons and rods, One extra valve cover bolt, A turbo, (and slight engine block strengthening. that in all honesty, in the long run wasn’t needed) and stuffed it in the neon SRT4 and GT pt cruiser now calling it EDT The reason that they used smaller exhaust ports and valves was to increase velocity to the small turbo eliminating turbo lag.

In 1998 my best friend and I both went out and got 1996 Dodge Stratus ES's about a week apart from each other! We would both want to drive whenever we so we'd ending up racing everywhere. My tires were bald within the first month of ownership! Oh to be 22 with no wife, no kids and not a care in the world again! 🤣

I had a Red Viper. 1996 year. It was 1:18 scale but still felt like the real thing.

I never saw one of these things and this is from a guy who spent nearly every Saturday at a dodge dealership as a kid(my old man was a mechanic) where I used to explore the lot a lot of the time. I still remember the 1999 Dodge Viper lol

The stratus was always called the “9/11 car” for me because when I was a kid I saw a picture of one burning in the street from plane/building debris. That picture burned into my brain

I had a 2001 Mercury Cougar and had a Yamaha intake manifold, similar to the Ford Contour SVT. That's the motor that a lot of us upgraded some parts to basically make our Cougars engine into the Contours. The Cougar also had parts from Mazda. It was a fun car, just needed the SVT engine and shed a few hundred pounds. You should do one about the Ford Contour & Focus SVT. TY

My first boss I had when I worked at Wendy's had a light blue version of one of these, I really loved the way it looked, I've always loved Dodge vehicles, never have gotten the chance to own one myself though.

You should do a video on the Pontiac Aztec

In 2005 for our work car the company bought 4dr SXT's. They were really great cars comfortable got good gas mileage. I had over 130K on mine when I finally turned it in no major repairs.

I see more older Chrysler vehicles then any other brand! Just saw a original 95 Dodge Stratus a week ago they must have did something right for all these vehicles to be around still! And just saw a 1999 LHS too

I had a stratus, it had 2 kicker comp cvr 12's which was considered very powerful subs at the time, my neighbors hated me.

My sister had a 2nd Gen Stratus sedan back then. I never understood the "crappy interior" complaints, didn't find it any worse than the Toyota Camry of the time. I remember the front seats being exceptionally comfortable, in fact. And as usual, Chrysler had the best stereos, base models included. It was a nice ride as far as I could tell (I never drove it). She eventually traded it on a Kia Optima, lured in by the 10 year warranty, which ended up being a big mistake.. Let's just say no one in my immediate family has since considered a Hyundai/Kia after what a POS that car was and how skeevy the company is with their warranty. I know the sedan isn't the subject of the video, but the R/T sedan would be my choice, knowing that changing the timing chain and water pump every 80k leaves you with actually a very long-lasting engine with competitive power and the convenience of four doors. Even better if it could be had with a manual--but aren't we all tired of saying/hearing that..

i loved my 02 stratus r/t. the earlier ones looked better than the smaller grill front ends the last generation. but the rear looked better in the second generation. mine was a great car in pearl white with white leather and manual transmission

I was in High School when the Avenger and Sebring Coupe came out. I loved the 1st gen models from a design standpoint, decent aftermarket support from being related to all the Mitsus. When the Avenger was turned into the Stratus couple, I felt they really missed it. The Avenger name, at that point, wasn't derogatory like the Stratus was. Then in Daimler Chryslers' infinite 2000s wisdom, renamed the Stratus sedan to a Avenger.

When i was an early teen in the mid to late 90s the stratus was the hot ticket body for 1/10th rc touring car racing

I know of a dodge stratus coupe rt around the corner from me and honestly apart from Monte Carlo Pace cars it might be the weirdest thing to be seen on the road in our town regularly

I vote for a write in: Acura legend 6 speed!

I had a 01 Sebring Coupe with the 3.0 V6 and 5 speed manual. All the options too. What a sweet highway cruiser that was. Mitsubishi part numbers meant you paid a lot more. I miss that car but I bought a 06 Ion Redline new and still have it. I made the better choice. I had a 2000 Cougar and I can tell you why the engine choice. The 2.5l V6 was already crammed in that engine bay!

I still own my 2003 R/T coupe and love it

I’ve sold these new and still am a Chrysler Jeep dodge salesman to this day. The coupe was a Mitsubishi and I promise you the quality was not even close to the 4 door . They were great new but they fell apart . The 4 door had a very plastic interior but they were great cars overall.

The Toyota Camry Solara/Toyota Solara seems like it would fit in as a video on your channel. Since the whole idea I believe started with the 3rd gen Camry offering a coupe variant and that turning into the Camry Solara. Plus the choice of a I4 or V6 and coupe or convertible.

Dodge laser is interesting. Never heard of that before. Kind of reminds me of the Pontiac Fierro.

Please make a video on the dodge stealth

Honestly out of all of these i would go with the grand prix GTP or the carlo SS. If it didnt have to be a coupe id go with the olds aurora with its shortstar- all the good things of the northstar without the problems

My toy car is a heavily modified 2 door Accord with 4 cylinder vetc and 5 speed stick. Stock bottom end with over 300k. Love that thing, it takes all the abuse haha