Your right about the cargo net for the Caliber but as I say they have
come with previous models i.e. Cirrus so there may be stock gathering
dust somewhere and I have seen them in automotive stores for sale.
A little ingenuity and imagination can go a long way in resolving
minor dislikes or wished for advantages.

 

Thanks for the cargo space in the Caliber info., too! My sister bought a Caliber after the 2006 Autoshow and I've looked her car over: (several times) and was a bit concerned about hatch space. It sound like I needn't worry

 

My decision to buy a Caliber came after renting them over a half dozen times. I've driven rental Calibers from Vegas to Kingman AZ and to Missoula MT on business and I rent them when I need a vehicle when I'm out of town or when my only personal vehicle was in the shop. Evaluating a rental car is an excellent way to gauge if you want to buy one for yourself. If you like something out of a rental fleet, you'll love your own.

A word of warning about getting parts for older vehicles. The manufacturer or business unit for parts for a vehicle manufacturer (Mopar in Dodge's case) only keeps an inventory of parts for a certain time frame then they stop. Case and point I need to obtain a replacement center console cover, right (passenger) side headlight bezel and right (passenger) tail light for my 1995 Dakota. Mopar doesn't stock those parts anymore. Fortunately I can get the headlight bezel and the tail light through OEM sources on eBay.

The center console cover is another story. Unfortunately I live in Vegas and the desert heat is very hard on plastic, vinyl, leather and rubber on a vehicle. Parts wear out due to heat rot over time do to the expansion of the part when it's hot and when it contracts again when it's cooler.

Best bet for a Cirrus cargo net would be eBay in my opinion.

 

Heh again, Netentity!

Glad to hear that you find the Caliber a reliable car!! I take all this info. in while I await the delivery of our '08 Caliber. I agree about not buying the first model year of a new vehicle. I did that when I bought my last new car: a 1987 Dodge Omni. Not the best car I ever owned.

 

I installed an aftermarket cargo net in order to reduce the slipping or tossing of grocery bags when the car is in motion. Cost me about $15 and it is very useful.

As for the cargo space with the back seats in use I like the fact that you can raise the backrests, sometimes a few degrees can make a lot of difference when loading a large box or object, while still offering an acceptable ride to the passengers.

 

Hi CalMAN57...The Caliber is NOT space efficient. As a hatchback, it isn't a station wagon. You'll get a week's groceries in it, but not 2 or 3 weeks. Several things make the back of the Caliber NOT space efficient. One,Caliber has a tailend like the old Ford Escort. Above the rear bumper, the Caliber begins with nice vertical sheet metal. But for styling only (& not Caliber's best styling), the sheet metal then turns forward eliminating 4ormore inches ofhatchback space. Second, the rear window of the hatchback is far too swept forward, eliminating more hatchback space.Third, the rear top of Caliber tapers to meet the rear window, losing more hatchback space. Fourth, theback side panels ofCaliber taper, losing more hatchback space.

A fifth consideration is that the taillites could have been placed in the hatchback lid itself. Then, when you opened the Caliber lid, you would have had wider access to the full width of the rear cargo area without having to reach around the taillites as they are now.

So, for styling sake only, 4 elements nip & tuck, multiplying together tomakeCaliber hatchback space far less than it could be.

 

Unfortunately I do have to agree about optimization of space of thecargo area of the Caliber since the geometry is there. I have rented Calibers quite a few times before buying mine and I can easily fit whatever luggage I take with me by putting the back seats down. I typically bring three medium to large pieces of luggage with me when I go on road trips with the back seats folded down. The hatchback design gives you better flexibility of cargo space than you do with a sedan or coupe that has fold down rear seats. If you're in a two person household, the Caliber is plenty in most cases. I'm sure that Dodge will probably come out with 2nd and possibly 3rd generation Calibers with differing body designs considering the popularity of the Caliber now.

One of the things auto maker decide at the drawing board is the body style and shape to make it appealing to prospective buyers. If the Caliber had a boxy back end similar to 3rd generation Honda Civic hatchbacks I probably wouldn't have bought one. Yes it would havemore cargo space, but it would probably fall into the ugly vehicle category for me.

Part of the emotional decision in buying something is how does the product make you feel? Do you feel good driving around in a Caliber? Do you enjoy driving it? Do you have an attachment to that make and model vehicle? I purposely rent Calibers when I travel. I received comments on my new vehicle. It is cool looking, great color (inferno red). There are some female friends of mine in northern UT that think the Caliber is cute. One of them bought one from Hertz Rental Car sales inventory a week before mine arrived. Unfortunately the "anything but cute" Caliber campaign didn't work;another brilliant Daimler idea that back fired. [:'(]

I have the same emotional attachment to my late 1st generation Dakota. I am paying through the nose to insure both vehicles but I couldn't part with my truck. I wanted a Dodge truck for years prior to buying my 1st gen Dakota back infall 1997 and I'm not parting with it. It was easy salebecause the dealershiphad exactly what I wanted on their lot, at what I was willing to pay and I was able to secure financing that worked for me. There was no haggling. I also like the fact that as long as my truck is operational I will never need to rent a car except when I'm traveling out of town via air and need a rental vehicle at my destination. The auto broker that sold me my 2008 Caliber just had to give me a price. I crunched the numbers for insurance, financing and first year's registration costs and it was an easy sale. Once the buyer knows what they want a good dealership or broker will try to get it for you at the best price possible. Buyers that know what they want already have an attachment or needfor the product or service.

It's rare you're going to find the perfect vehicle. There will always be some sort of improvement that the owner will want to see the maker implement.

If space is a bigger concern, you could get a SUV, van ortruck with a locking bed cover or shell.

 

Usually I would agree on not buying the first year model of a vehicle. But, in my case, this one was the only Inferno Red Crystal Pearl with gray/charcoal interior with a cvt 2.0 and sxt. I have 17500 miles and its doing fine. Love my car. Other than the SE plus, what's the biggest differences between the 07 and 08 anyway?

 

Hi somenothingness....Agree about buying the first year of a new car. However, I had been waiting for an inexpensive reliable CVT for 16 years. Found it in the Jatco CVT which is made for Nissan models AND the Caliber. Tho Nissan owns Jatco, the best price for the CVT was in the Caliber. Nissan marketing kept the CVT for higher priced Nissanmodels. So Nissan lost my purchase & Caliber won my money.