I want to buy a Stratus R/T Coupe 04 to 05 but my boyfriend insists that a 99 Pontiac GTP is more reliabe and over all better car. I'm trying to gather as much info as I can on the Stratus and figure out for myself which would be the better buy. So far the reports i've read say there's only minor electrical problems and the car doesn't have a lot of get up and go. Besides that I can't find out much more about the car and honestly there are so many threads on this site it would take me forever to read. How many miles can you put on the engine before it starts wearing down and needs parts replaced? What time does it get in the quarter? What are some of the usual problems you come across with these cars? Any major recalls? What does a "fully loaded" car come with? What kind of hp and torque can they get? What year would you recommend? And what kind of mods have you done to your car to make it faster or look nicer?
I would really appreciate any input and any sites I could check out to get more info. Thank you very much for your time!

 

The GTP is faster but the Stratus R/T is far sexier.

Do you want 5speed or Automatic?
R/T has a 3.0 SOHC with about 200hp/205tq.
I havent any issues with my car, except for the radiator. At 110,000 miles it runs like new still.

Stay way from the black cars, because the paint fades.

Mechanically, 01-05 Stratus COUPES are identical to 00-05 Mitsubishi Eclipses.

Fully loaded includes chrome wheels, 4 disc brakes, temp/compass inside, leather seats, 5 disc cd changer, Infinity sound system, sunroof and other stuff i cant think of.

V6 has options for 5spd manual, Automatic, or 'slapstick' .

 

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I apologize if my questions seem stupid, honestly i'm not that informed when it comes to cars and such. I'd probably be looking for an automatic because i'm tired of dealing with traffic with a manual. I've heard with eclipses the timing belt goes out every 60,000 miles. But thats great you haven't had any major issues except for the radiator. I'm more of a show instead of speed person myself but I won't lie if I find a car I might just boost it. Do you know of any good websites where I could find more information on these cars?

 

Yes, but im not allowed to talk about them here :lol:
Maybe its ok since you asked, so cut me some slack BadstratR/T
2gstratus.org is valuable resource for the coupes.

I still havent changed out my timing belt, and I need to.

If you want boost, get the SXT. Its a 4cyl, and they take boost better than the V6. Its a 4G64, so everything from a 4G63t will bolt right up. You can take the Lancer EVO head and everything turbo related and it will bolt right up.

With some suspension mods, they handle pretty well for their size. I have a 4cyl 5spd, and my mods are under my signature.

 

Thank you very much for all of your insight. I'm going to continue on researching and both sites look amazing for help. The only thing that i'm worried about is the engine now. I looked into it and it seems that the engines in the stratus are the 3rd gen engines in the eclipse. They're heavier and honestly I'm worried that the motor is going to give out around 150,000. Which yes thats a considerable amount of miles but I don't want to have to look into replacing or rebuilding the engine so soon. I had a toyota and that ran forever. And for some reason I can't find anything on how long these motors can hold up.

 

GTP is a nice car with power to spare. But the fun stops there. The Supercharged 3.8l lacks reliability of the regular 3800. They are heavy, and loose feeling on the road. They're poor on gas.
The Stratus in coupe or sedan form is a fun nimble car. They're fairly quick in any configuration(4 cyl. auto sedan being an exception). The body is much more unique. Only problem is the V6 models don't have much for aftermarket support(3.0 ya, 2.7 no). The 4 cyl is easy to get parts for, and a good candidate for turbo.

I owned a GTP sedan for a while. Now I have a Stratus sedan. Its not as fast but, I feel its a lot more fun to drive.

 

I have owned both as well. I had a 99 GTP sedan, now I have a 01 R/T coupe. The R/T is far more customizable. Stock, yes the GTP was quicker, but that is stock. It doesn't take anything to get R/T going. Just a few mods to my 3.0 and it is far quicker than my GTP ever was. I also have 185K miles on my R/T, with the original timing belt. Everything is still ticking in perfect condition. But I agree with pearl, STAY AWAY FROM BLACK. It fades severly, that is what I have. Honestly, there is no amount of wax that will prevent it from fading either...only solution I have found is to repaint.

 

Well thanks everyone for your input, it is greatly appreciated. I'm practically positive I'm going to go with the stratus now. I agree with you smokesxt they do seem heavier and I'm not happy with the gtp's handling. And hopefully I can find a good ride with an engine that can last. It looks like you either get an amazing car or a lemon when it comes to the stratus. Any thoughts on how to figure out if a stratus at a dealership is worth buying or not? I'm worried about sludge/coke in the engine or should I just leave that up for a mechanic to check out?

 

Any used car has the potential for sludge in the engine (known maintenance history?). The 2.7 is quite prone to it, even with proper maintenance. Always have a mechanic give a used car a look over before purchase, and even a small warranty can go a long way (If I can't break it in 12,000mi or 12 months, than it's probably not going to break...). Look out for a dealer that won't give any warranty on a particular car.

 

I agree with ratsttam, any used car has potential to have invisible to the naked eye damage. If you are not sure about it, have a mechanic check it out. Like I said before though, stay away from dark colored paint...fades severly. And as far as the sludge, carbon, etc goes…try SeaFoam. Awesome product. I put 1/3 can in the main vacuum line every time I change the oil, and put the rest in the gas tank. It makes a very noticable difference.