Hey guys my name is Jesse, I'm a huge Dodge fan I drive a 97 Dakota 4x4 5 speed and 226,000 miles and I'm looking for something else to lighten the burden on my truck. I've been interested in the 2003-2005 Stratus R/T for a while now, its a sporty car available with a standard transmission and would do a hell of a lot better on gas.
So I have a few questions before I buy one, I actually test drove one today

http://www.terryvillechevy.com/Vehic...-CT/2618264383

I did like the car, it rode nice, I enjoyed shifting it, and I really did like the interior, the black leather with the sunroof was nice. My biggest concern was the dashboard though. The dash was coming up around the windshield vent and right above the cluster. I can't find a solid forum on how to remove the dash or how to fix the dash board. I just would like some information from people who've owned this car and know more about them.

Other than that I'd like some pointers and some opinions on whether or not its worth the 4 grand I plan on spending on one.

Thanks in advance,
Jesse

 

The dash isnt too bad of a fix. It will look best if you pull the dashboard from the car and glue it down using the best stuff you can. glue it then clamp it down until it dries.
http://www.2gstratus.org/forums/inde...opic=37376&hl=
http://www.2gstratus.org/forums/inde...ic=37415&st=40

Although I do love my Stratus Coupe and have found it to be very reliable, they have terrible resale value. I'd offer $3800 or less; that one is in nice shape but you most likely wont get that back out of it.

Spark plugs can be a pain the first time around since you have to remove the intake plenum to access the rear plugs.

Mechanically its a 00-05 Mitsubishi Eclipse so parts are widely available. When I converted my drum brakes to discs on the rear I was able to use parts off a 1997 Eclipse.

 

Too much money for that car. I'd be checking craigslist before buying a 10 year old car from a dealer. At least $1500 - 2000 of that price is dealer markup, plus your usual $500 "doc fee". I could buy them for $2500 all day where I'm at.

 

I've pulled the dash in my truck a couple times, it's not fun. I'm curious how hard it is to pull it out of the Stratus. I'd been looking at a few, I even saw one at a junk yard today, it really seems like I won't escape that. I'm just worried about where I'll pull it, I live on a very busy street in Yonkers NY and can't have doors swung open for hours.
To be honest, the horrible resale value is kind of appealing because I'm not looking to spend a lot on this car, I know this one is overpriced, it was just convenient to test drive because I was already out in CT to get new rubber on my truck.
All in all I'm looking to spend under 3 even for a dealer if that's the case out the door. That car was obviously a dealer car but it was also only 100 k on a one owner car with maintenance records. To buy cash they offered 4100 plus the 400 dealer fee, so that's not happening.
I really want to find one in Indy Red with black leather, the sunroof, and the stick shift but that's proving to be quite a task.
These were some other ones I was gonna look in to

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/5298000070.html
Much cheaper, but it's also 189k, the dash appears just to be as bad

https://erie.craigslist.org/ctd/5293362863.html
138k, resonable price I think its almost cheap enough to be like why not
For what they're worth, I think it's a cool car. I love Mopar (even if out is technically a Mitsubishi) and finding models with a stick shift is so hard, this car just makes sense

 

So I know this is a little old but I finally got one, its a 2004 Indy Red R/T with a 5 speed, black leather, and a sunroof. It was quite a find, this one happened to be a Florida car that ended up in South Carolina through auction and now I've brought it home to New York.

 

Looks to be in great shape! How many miles on it?

 

Is that a Mitsubishi Stratus or a Dodge Eclipse??? lol

 

I just hit 120,000 today. I went up to a junkyard to pull some parts, including an elusive spare tire that I didn't have since taking delivery of the car. Sadly yet sweetly, the AC compressor clutch gave out and thus started a week long deterioration of my compressor pulley that ended today as i parked in front of my house, shut the car off and went to look underneath and had the drive belt snap before my eyes. I need an AC Compressor by the way and I'm not sure which to go with because no one seems to know the difference between their products. Other than that the car is great, it's very fast, or at least it seems so to me, I hit the governor today without even realizing it, I didn't know I had a governor at 130 something. Gonna need a few things to make it perfect, including a new dash which i just plan on getting professionally done, a rear windshield with a working rear defroster, (i know who cares), some red caliper paint, and a few fix ups here and there.