Hola! I don't own an avenger yet but was thinking about buying one. I had my eye on a 1997 ES 2.5 all black with almost 160K on the engine. I took it for a test drive today and it handled fairly well. I wasn't able to get it on the highway but i gave it a rugged run around the block. It ran strong and the gears were shifting good so I'm hoping the tranny will hold out a lil longer. The brakes squealed a bit at first but then after warming up they stopped. the car has been sitting for about a month. it has a slight oil leak but didn't see a trace a smoke when driving. the windows and sunroof were a bit hesitant to move so i'm thinking it might need a few new fuses. Anyways they're asking 1400 for it. I'm planning on using it as my daily driver about 20 miles a day and hopefully improving on the 15 combined mpg of my current v8 that i'm restoring. What do you think, is it a good buy?

 

Welcome to the site. I will move this to the first generation Avenger section as they can better help you,
FF

 

Awesome. thanks FF.

 

The brakes tend to squeal slightly when sitting awhile .... Rust builds up on the rotors and then several stops they build around the pads face and they squeal a bit ...

Windows/tracks lightly need lubed a bit ... Fuses arenot a likely solution, fuses will supply 12 volts or no volts ...

Oil leak are prone to valve cover leaks/plug seals leaks...

The 2.5 are ZERO clearance motors so very important to check/change the timing belt at correct intervals ...

Examine the tranny fluid if it is at all discolored change it ASAP if you are planning on holding onto th car long term invest in an auxillary tranny cooler

 

thanks for the reply. the seller sent me an email saying they would take 1200 for it now. I really don't want to spend more than 1000. I'll give it a couple days.

Also, i looked at 1992 dodge stealth with 120k on it the other nite. he would sell it for 1000. i was goin to get it but then i saw how bad the gas mileage is. its incredible. almost as bad as my 88 560 sel V8 5.6L.

I am going to take another look at the avenger this week some time and inspect the tranny fluid. another dumb question. how can you tell if the timing belt is bad? should i just check for cracks and brittleness?

your feedback is most appreciated.

 

You can examine it but it's hard to tell EXACTLY ... Ask the Owner if it has been replaced and WHEN