Hey guys, I'm looking at a 2005 dodge stratus sxt tomorrow with the 2.7L v6 because I need something that's better on gas for college. I had read that the 2.7L v6 had sludge problems in earlier model years. Were the 2.7L's pretty solid by 2005? Is there anything specific I should look for tomorrow?
Thanks

 

Sludge problems coincided with how they were taken care of. Check for maintenance records, if it's been well maintained (aka oil changed religiously) you should be good.

I owned an 06 sxt, it gave us a lot of trouble free miles. Mileage, however was unimpressive in stock trim (24-26mpg), after an intake, some custom headers, a full 2.5" exhaust, and some mild tuning however, it would average 32mpg (36hwy), it was also much more enjoyable to drive.

Parts were expensive if you wanted to replace with OEM style, which led to many aftermarket upgrades (suspension, brakes, etc) on ours. Me and my wife always joked that it was a great car, but if anything went wrong it was automatically going to cost $1000.

 

They did do something to the oil passages starting in 03 I believe. As stated, regular maintenance is the key; however, there were a lot more sludge issues before 03 than after.