I am a former owner of 1998 Plymouth Breeze 2.0L. Except the head gasket problem, it was an OK car. I am considering to buy 2005 Stratus SXT with 2.7L V6. According to internet, 2005 2.7L pretty much got rid of sludge, pcv, timing chain problems. How would you recommend? What about water pump leaking water to oil? Any other areas of potential problems? Thanks.

 

I have an 06 that I have put 50k on pretty trouble free. Now at 96k I have timing chain noise. I've done a lot of custom work and my car gets driven quite hard. I have had no trans issues, and no engine issues other then converters (due to bad tuning from bad o2 sensor) and the recent timing chain.

I also run full synthetic and do my oil changes every 3k. Trans has been flushed twice since I have owned it. I find it very reliable and much more enjoyable then the 4 cyl models. I average 28 mpg which is mostly town driving.

 

Thanks for the reply. I will include Stratus in my search.

 

My wife has had a 2005 Dodge Stratus SXT V6 2.7L second hand since 2008. The car runs great. The only maintenance that was done was an alignment and an oil change. The battery died on us, however; that was traced to a partially open trunk (mea culpa). The ride in town is great and milage is about par for mid-2000 series mid-size sedans. Long highway drives, I can really feel the road through the suspension, more sporty and less luxury. That last item is strictly my opinion and others may disagree.

 

I have two Dodge Stratus both have the V6 2.7, a 2006 with 119,000 miles, other than an oxygen sensor replacement recently the car has been great. Everything works. My son drives that one, I drive a 2005 with 32,000 miles, also very happy with it. As long as the car you are buying has been well maintained, you should be fine. Make sure you change the tranmission fluid every 3 years or so.

 

If the previous Owner do his/her Oil change every 3k religiously, you won't have sludge problem. But the 2.7l engine is VERY unforgiven when it comes to Oil Change interval. So it all depends on the previous Owner. If the Price is great, it is worth a shot. If it is not a killer deal, i recommend to avoid it.
and they still have the Water Pump and timing chain problem. Just like most cars out there where Timing Belt and water Pump should be changed every 90k or so.