Is there anything I should look out for when I get the R/T Coupe? There is a black one on a local lot here in my area and I was wondering if there was anything I should look out for. My plan is to buy the car straight up. Thanks for your time guys.

BTW, I have plans on doing some modding as far as engine and suspension (like intake, exhaust, lowering, rims and stuff).

 

Well, obviously look for any hidden problems or issues by test driving it and having a second person who's also knowledgeable of cars drive it. Definitely ask about any kind of warranty/extended warranty available for it. Other then that, the R/T is a pretty solid car and I think you will love it.

By the way, the R/T comes in an Autoshift and a Manual tranny. You may want to make sure you get the one you want.

 

things that go wrong with 01-02 coupes...
(including, but not exclusively):
tilt steering issues-with excessive movement of the tilt steering, it gets jammed, and breaks, ive heard of several cases of this..no one moves my steering wheel

sunroof problems-they just freeze up, i have heard of this several times, no problems here..knock on wood.

front suspension noises...something about the spring setup on the RT coupes causes some clicking noise which comes and goes..aftermarket suspension eliminates that

motor mount problems-my front ripped after about 45k HARD miles...my rear is also ripped now..but solid mounts from deyeme racing, pricey, but very nice.

radio problems..some people have problems with head units..i have not, knock on wood. my problem was in a factory amp that wasnt constructed correctly...and it quit working.

the rear reflector bar cracks at the molding points....mine are cracked, but since mine is covered with black vinyl you cant see it...if you look along the top of the light bar, the cracks arent hard to see.

my advice, make sure that EVERYTHING works...look for that cracked light bar, and complain about it..

 

I’m new to my 02 Strat (3.0L auto) by only a few months, but here is some stuff I’ve found out so far.

Mods: This car doesn’t cater to them well. Lack of aftermarket parts, and their high cost will certainly bite your wallet beyond most other cars you could look at. Seems the 2.4L has more mod options than the V6.

Read the boards both here and at 2Gstratus.org and you will see a trend of angry owners as systems fail, and Dodge quotes big dollars for repair. Seems the 50k-75kmile crowd are seeing a steep rise in failure rates. I am still trying to sort out how much of this is of their own fault (modifying to the point of failure), vs obsolecence.
Knock on wood, but I bought an extended warrantee to cover my investment, and from what I read so far, I think itwas a good call.

Timing belts require replacement at 60K and will cost anywhere from $500 to $700 to replace.
The dash is prone to cracking, so get sun shades for it.
The auto-dimming mirror seem to be giving more than a few people problems, and about $400 to replace.

The car is 100% Mitsubishi built.... Not Dodge... (Just so ya know). The 4 door sedan is a 100% Dodge built car, and completly different than the Coupe.

Watch ebay for going prices... I paid dearly for my R/T from a dealer, only to see about 4 of them for thousands less on ebay. Just so ya know the market..

Best of luck
Vince

 

i wouldnt put much stock in 2gstratus...that forum has become a waste, full of admin and mods who have sold their RTs for mustangs, and spend a great deal of their time flaming the members..

vince, where did you get the timing belt information? my car came with a 100,000 drivetrain warranty

 

I agree, as the average age and mechanical experience of many of the owners seems limited. But on occasion we see some real useful information and brain storming to address common problem areas with the car. I try to keep watch on those threads as well.
The site would be benificial for roplusbee, as he hinted twords wanting to modify the Strat, and the folk at 2G seem to excell at distroy....errr....modifying thier cars to death (Literally).

The 60K mile requirement is in your owner’s manual. Like brake pads, the timing belt is considered a wear item and not covered under warrantee. 100k power train coverage has me thinking you own the Sedan, not the Mitsubishi Coupe?

 

no..i have a coupe...when i bought my car, i got a special deal...during that time span, they were offering 7/100,000 drivetrain on all models...when i worked for dodge, i even ran my VIN through the system to make sure....im sitting about 52k..and all ive done are brake pads, and a few solid engine mounts...
i wasnt doubting you vince, just curious if you had an inside line of sorts about the timing belt...liek theyre breaking around 60k or something

seeing as how my commute is about 14 feet...it should be a while until im around 60k...the only time i really drive it anywhere, is when i drive home to visit...and thats only once every other month or so

 

Wow, nice deal. Makes me wonder about mine, as I would think that type warrantee would be transferable wouldn’t it? ‘Couse, mine’s an ’02 and I was told it was out of warrantee.
I know the Showroom sale brochure I have simply says 3/36, so I spent the extra $1200 for a 3 year extended warrantee. [sm=smiley24.gif]

 

mine was not a normal 2002 model line thing...i got 3/36 B2B, then part of the "incentives" at that time was the 7/100 powertrain. if you knwo anyone at a dealership, ask them to run your vin through the service system...it should list everything that has been done, and what all factory warranties were...they should all list "EXP" next to them, should you have had the only 3/36 ...

mine says "valid" (or something like that) next to mine...at the powertrain line item

oh, and by the way my warrany IS transferable.

 

Thanks for the tips guys. I did test drive it last week and I had a coworker with me. It seemed decent enough. I do plan on changing the motor mounts and the suspension out for performance/aftermarket parts. Hopefully I will be picking it up next week (if all goes well. Also I read a lot of posts about changing the sound system. Whoever traded the car in had an aftermarket deck and removed it before trading in, so I hope there are no issues with the wiring. Did any of you who installed an aftermarket deck have issues rewiring or was it a smooth transition? I am not looking to rock the block, but I do plan on having a decent amount of bump in the ride. Again, thanks for all the help.