The Sad Story of The Car You Should Never Buy!
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- Опубліковано 5 чер 2023
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In this video we go in depth with the Dodge Dart, a great looking car with some neat options on paper but didn't last in reality.
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#Dodge #Dart - Авто та транспорт
As a 2012 Civic owner, I always thought the Dart looked way better than my car. But I will always have a hard time trusting an FCA/Stellantis engine to still be going in 10 years. That's why I'm a big Honda/Toyota fan. They probably won't get you there first, but they'll get you there every time.
Yeah, the Civic around that time wasn’t bad but it got worse around 2014/2015 in regards to style. Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep always make their cars and trim packages appealing but the reliability is horrible. I wish Honda would do some more fun colors.
My 13 Si Coupe is way better looking than the generic Dodge.
My 2006 is doing just fine. It’s almost 20 years old at this point. It’s a Grand Cherokee. Also, I’d rather have a Subaru than a Toyota. I wouldn’t mind a new Honda Civic. Other than that no thanks. I like Acuras too a little.
My 2011 CRV with 160k miles dropped its transmission. I may have been unlucky but I spent a ton of money keeping that thing on the road. 2 radiators, ac compressor, alternator, vtc actuator, and timing chain 3 times.
My wife has a 2014 jk sahara manual with 130,000 miles and has never had anything other than routine maintenance. Took it to a mechanic around new years and he said it was perfect, like new.
I bought a 2015 jk sahara manual. 1 year later not a single problem.
@@itrunamok8019 ac compressor isn’t required to keep it on the road. I have no A/C and my vehicle runs just fine.
I had a 2013 Dart GT with the 2.4L and it was a decent budget car with many options not available in other cars in its class. What was really appealing was you could get any option ala carte, meaning if you just wanted say the $500 upgraded sound system you weren’t forced to spend $2000 and also get a sunroof in a stupid “sun and sound” package etc. It made it very cost effective to get exactly what you wanted (when ordering new at least).
Jason, do you still own the Dart? Are or were there any problems with it while you owned it? The 2.4 motor is the more reliable motor it seems. Unfortunately Dodge Darts that come up for auction seem to always have some kind of drivetrain problem.
Toyota Corolla's $1,500 premium package doesn't only add the sunroof option, but push to start (keyless entry) and upgrades the infotainment system from basic to plus. The plus adds Sirrus XM Radio (which I don't listen to), siri voice/phone connectivity, and bigger screen
@@donE37100 No I owned the Dart for about 4 years or so and never had any major problems, a couple software bug issues where the automatic features wouldn’t turn on automatically (auto wipers, auto headlights) until i restarted the car, but still could manually turn them on. Only seemed to happen a few times a year.
@jason Wiese Good point there. I've been peeved by that same problem. Back around the turn of the century nobody would sell me a pickup with an 8ft bed a big 6 cylinder and manual transmission AND power windows, door locks and a decent stereo. I finally bought a truck from a dealer who mainly did fleet sales and they had the volume to custom order it without charging an arm and leg.
If I remember correctly, the Si and ST at the time could outrun since those Darts were heavy! Despite having more HP than the Si
I have a 2015 dodge dart GT that I bought 8 years ago as my first car and it’s still going strong! I love it so much that when it recently got totaled by insurance I decided to keep it and fix it!
RIGHT ON ❤️. We know this review is full of shit. I’m glad your apart of the majority ❤️
😆😂🤣
@@senninhapsx1191 what’s so funny
Get that u had a good experience but overall and compared to it's competitors, the car was a turd.
@@usmc29er44 Hell nah my car came fully loaded with leather seats, heated steering wheel, heated seats, a sunroof etc. and for the price you couldn’t beat it!
Tommy, these are the types of videos we love. Deep dives into normal cars or forgotten ones are great to watch.
Exactly 🎉
I'd like to see somebody who was a car guy rating cars that were ten or fifteen years old instead of someone who never drove
@@ubeuonly agreed
Yes! I love these videos!
If you got it with the 2.4L Tiger Shark engine, these were actually really reliable. I have seen several with 250k miles or more.
Tigershark is basically rebranded World Engine. Many systems and parts designed by both Mitsubishi and Hyundai helps the reliability
I had a 2016 Dart that had the 2.4L naturally aspirated engine that put out, if I remember correctly, 185 horsepower. That car was very fun to drive. Personally, what drew me to that car was the looks. I loved it with the Rallye edition which got rid of all the chrome. The dual exhaust sounded great too! I think they finally got it right at the very end.
I have a 2013 Dodge Dart Limited with a 2.0 liter. Has 156,000 miles, I haven't had any issues other than an oil pressure sensor that went bad. Fun car to drive compared to other compact cars.
Yeah and it's very easy to change if you have tools in handy oem sencor is 50 bucks and it's good for another 8 9 years
I had a 16 dart since 16, put over 100k on it. Had the 2.0 and manual trans. Just got rid of it because it was totalled from a hail storm. I loved it. The only thing I had to change was the thermostat and regular maintenance, tires and oil.
*Great quality interior, amazing sound system, great sport suspension, great commuter and fun on the road to race around in, not fast 0 to 60, but quick enough for the real world. Having owned the base and top trim engine models of this car and judging from everyone's reactions when they got inside it, this puts these reviews into perspective for me and now helps me understand to make my own decisions when it comes to whether or not to like or dislike a vehicle because aside for its history, the vehicle review itself was way, WAY off in my opinion.*
This review made my blood boil. 120% wrong. Every damn thing he said was bs.
I have a 2013 Limited 1.4 turbo 6 speed manual, and it's One of my favorite cars to drive. This review was off.
One word explains its demise: reliability
*Lack of
I had one since 16 with the 2.0 tiger shark engine and 6 speed manual, put over 100k on it and the only thing besides tires and oil I did was change the thermostat because it got stuck open at 80k. I loved it, it was Just totalled out from a hail storm.
@@dirtsailoroff-road5580 - You were probably about 1% of the owners that didn’t have issues. That was good for you, while everyone else scrapped out their junk heaps.
@@cmdrdarwin3682 maybe so?
I owned a first year 2013 Dart w/ 1.4T dual clutch and it lasted 199K over 7 years for me before I traded it in. No major issues other than typical maintenance. Pretty reliable if you ask me.
I ordered a 2013 Dart Limited with every option. I had the Multi-Air engine with the six speed manual. It was a good car and gave me no problems. I loved the racetrack tail lamps and the interior. The exhaust even sounded so good that a guy going past me in a parking lot heard me revving the engine and stopped to say he loved the sound of my car!. I got 40MPG on the highway and truly enjoyed the car. The one issue I had was clutch engagement. I often had to rev it higher than expected to get it going. I think the next owner probably had to replace the clutch earlier than expected. The best part was the Monroney sticker where it said "This car was custom built for..." with my name on it! How cool was that?
I had a 2013 dart with the 2.0 and honestly it was the most reliable car I ever had! Skipping maintenance was a killer for these cars
I've had mine for over 9 years and it's been a great little car. The tragedy with the Dart was the fact that almost as soon as it was introduced Dodge lost interest in it and never developed an improved drivetrain or worked on a refresh. Had it been allowed to mature like most designs it could've evolved into a sporty little "poor man's Charger" and become popular. Unfortunately CEO Sergio Marchionne decided to abandon the compact car market altogether and had Dodge kill the Dart after a measly four-year production run.
If you buy one used go for the 2.4L and 6spd auto transmission. It is generally reliable and has adequate power. The 2.0 was famously called the 2.SLOW by Dart owners, and the 1.4 turbo had a host of reliability problems. The dual-clutch auto trans as well as the manual trans also had their share of issues, but they were mostly used with the 1.4 so you should be avoiding those anyway.
i prefer the 2.0 because of reliability and mpg (I know 1.4 gets better mpg but It's not reliable)
I worked at a Mopar dealer when these came out. I wanted a dodge with a manual- couldn’t afford a hemi challenger, or a viper 😂 so I bought a Dart GT. Factory ordered it, even did my own pre delivery inspection. Fun car, comfortable. But it had so many issues. Shit broke constantly. Oil leaks, clutch ended up chattering at 36k. Traded it in at a huge loss. Now I drive a WK2 and it’s fantastic.
211,000 miles on my 2015 sxt 2.4 and it's still going strong! Just need to add oil occasionally and do normal maintenance. It's a great little car!
When I was 17 my parents bought 2 compact sedans that I had to choose from. One went to me, one went to my sister. We bought the 2012 civic LX first, and the 2013 Dart SXT sport after that. Picking the Dart was the best thing that ever happened to me. I got fed up with Chrysler dealerships in my area taking weeks just to put on new tires and oil changes so I learned how to do it myself with this car. That kickstarted my career as an express tech and now I’m learning how to be a full on auto tech at Chrysler. Ive driven a dart with all 3 engines, 1.4 DCT, 2.0 6A, and 2.4 6A. Never drove a manual Dart. Out of all 3, the 1.4 is the one I wouldn’t buy. The turbo lag is ridiculous, and the DCT is a rough transmission. I’m happy I have the 2.0 because it is a fairly reliable engine, still no Honda. But the 1.4 and the 2.4 have a lot of problems. I think it drives good. Definitely not fast but it’s actually more quiet and comfortable than the civic I had and most other cars in its class. It handles great, even in the snow. And people were bothered when it first came out how they called it the Dart like the 60s and 70s muscle car when it wasn’t a muscle car. The new Dart shared a few cues from the old dart with a massive upsweeping side profile, and it did look like a baby charger. One more thing, dealerships hated selling this car because there was 6 trim levels, 3 engine and 3 transmission options, a whole bunch of packages like technology groups and sport groups, 14 paint colors. It was just a pain to order. And the profit margin for a dart was $520 for a dealer. So nobody on the corporate side really liked it either. But I like the car, it works for me. I wished it would have worked out and maybe we got an R/T or SRT4. But unfortunately that didn’t happen.
Yeah, we didn't like it in the 80s when dodge used all the muscle car names on the K cars but the K and G 4 cylinder is damn near bullet proof. I have a 95 Dakota with a G 4 cylinder and it has almost 250,000 and rides great for a midsized pickup.
When I worked at an Auto Parts store, when this car came out, they had soooooo many issues. We hated them. Every part would always come back and it was always the car not the parts fault. Soooo many issues.
Nothing that you stated here makes any sense at all
The srt4 wouldve saved it
They were going to make it but they cut off the dart like an infected limb
This is the sad truth 😢
They even put a bunch of money into R&D and funding Pastrana in a Dart Rallysport car but never brought it out
An srt4 would not have saved it. It didn’t save the neon. And the neon was a decent shit box. On the outside it looked great. But it’s Italian heritage is what killed it like the Jeep renegade. It was just junk. I’m currently waiting to see how the modern Kias will be after 5 years. Very nice when new, will they stay that way.
@@TraceyAllen srt4 may not have saved it but it would have given us srt4 freaks something but the interior is why I didn’t buy another srt4 and why I opted for my ion redline supercharged much better interior.
I have a 2015 Dodge Dart and it has been the most reliable car I've had so far. You just have to take care of it. I got into an accident, pretty much totaled it, so I decided to keep it and fix it. That's my baby, it kept my buns toasted in the winter, and it kept me safe from that accident.
That’s crazy I have pretty much the same story my 2015 dart was recently totaled but I love it so much I decided to keep it and fix it!
I have a 2015 dodge dart too I didn’t have a major problem till 100k miles.
My wife and I a 2013 Dart with the Multiair Turbo and DDCT. It was terrible! Oil leaks were common and the transmission didnt like "creeping" in slow traffic for too long. I suspected that the dry clutch would overheat in creeping scenarios being partially engaged. The car would shut down until it had enough time to cool. In terms of performance, Tommy is spot on. The car wasnt quick at all. Regarding interior quality...You cant expect a compact car to outshine its bigger brother, the Charger.
You had a dud. Mine is 8 years and going.
Can't forget that this was a small sedan being built in the age of SUV's and crossovers.
I drive a 2013 rallye 2.0 been the best car ever, has now 200k miles and still going strong have replaced alternator but that’s it even the 3 accidents haven’t stopped it, still have it today but have replaced my daily driver with a 2015 Chrysler 200c fully loaded
I had the Chrysler 200 variant as a work vehicle for about 7 years. The paint on the hood was bubbling up, there was a missing piece of trim on a rear door, and a couple wheel speed sensors replacements.
Despite that, I liked it. It was quite comfortable and did well on fuel.
Unfortunately, some a-hole decided to drive across the front end of it while we were going down the interstate. The car took a beating, but i walked away with nothing more than a little soreness.
I now have a 2018 Ford Focus for a work vehicle. I miss that Chrysler everyday i have to go somewhere for work.
The Chrysler 200 has absolutely nothing to do with the dark. The sister car to that would be the Dodge Avenger. They share no parts whatsoever
@@ubeuonly I figured they would have as they were both the small car of those respective name plates at the same time. Wouldn't the Avenger have been long gone by 2015?
@gdcommsense the Avenger and 200 were literally the exact car, so if the dart shared parts with the Avenger, it did with the 200. The 200 didn't change until 2015 and then I'm pretty sure it used the Dart platform...
@@nosah8415 the Chrysler 200 and the Dodge Avenger were sister cars Milton the same plants with the same Chrysler components. The dark is not related to those two cars in anyway it's a completely different platform and engine
I pasted on the Dart and bought a manual Focus, 11 years later my kids are driving it. I small repair, plus brakes, oil and tires. I "Dodged" a bullet by not buying the Dart.
I bought a 2016 Dart SXT w/2.4L engine in 2017. It now has 207500 + trouble free miles. I added Eibach sway bars and went to 215/55 R16 Michelin Defender 2 tires. I runs like new & handles even better ! No regrets.
My Son in Law bought a 2016 Dodge Dart Rallye when he was 18 years old. In 2023 he sold it to me to drive while I’m putting an engine in my old Jeep. It is 8 years old and I am impressed with its build quality. It is fast and handles incredibly for a small car. My plan was to sell it when my Jeep was finished. I’m now, so impressed with it, I’m thinking of keeping it as a summer car. Very nice little car.
I had a 2013 Rallye edition with a NA 2.0L and a 6MT. Aside from the design flaw of rain water flowing under the hood to rust the front strut mounts and causing cranky wheel turn noises, it was an OK little car to drive. It also had plenty of media options with Bluetooth, iPod/USB, an Aux jack and a CD player under the center armrest.
Is there anything you can do to prevent rain water from flowing underneath.
My Dodge Dart Gt is still going strong after 7 years. If your going to buy one of these cars, opt for the 2.4 or 2.0 engine.Tinkered and have made the car faster. Although they say that there are reliability issues...there are used Darts for sale that are OVER 100,000 miles still running strong. (Just don't ever buy ANY car with a turbo that is under 2.0...it won't last).
It would not have been any better if they had 20 years to work on it
Love my 2.0L! One of the most reliable cars I’ve owned, 104k miles and still running strong. CEL came on once for oil pressure switch, replaced it and cleared the code within an hour. That was 20k miles ago.
The fact this continued in MX as a Dodge Neon from 2016-2021 blows my mind. Things south of the border are just funky.
Considering they discontinued it the second after Chevy announced the Cruze were going away they were only ever going to go as far as their American competition. If they had benchmarked the leaders in the segment instead maybe they'd have had something special.
The 1991 Sentra was still sold new in Mexico until a few years ago, never mind the Beetle....
Very funky in Mexico they sell a Hyundai accent rebadged as a Dodge Attitude
Even in MX, the Dart disappeared due to very poor sales, so it was replaced by a rebadged Fiat Tipo sedan (Neon) in order to not leave the subcompact segment which is still successful in MX, but still, that one fell behind other offerings from KIA, Hyundai, Toyota etc.
Very relevant video for today's market, if looking on the cheap. Also very funny to see salvage-whatever linked in the description for a Dart video, I have to say! You guys should keep reviewing 2008 ish to 2016 ish vehicles, most 20 & 30 something year old buyers are probably looking for that range with this economy (well except the rich ones I suppose)...
For what they are, they're not bad cars. My fiancee had a 2013 new and traded at 70000 miles. Other then general maintenance, it was problem free mechanically. Cosmetically, a door handle broke and a visor broke which were covered under warranty. With the 2.0 it got 41 mpgs on a long trip. No real issues with it.
After the SRT-4 Neon and the SRT-4 Caliber, this should have been the SRT-4 Dart. I was actually expecting them to go this route when I heard about this car coming out, but it never happened!
I was waiting for it! Got a neon srt4 brand new in 04 , and hated the caliber. When this came out , I waited and waited. .. 😂. Still waiting
@@Emilthehun Dodge Hornet much?
@@lightsfansofthewest481 nah I got a turbo malibu instead. I already own an suv , and wanted a fun sedan like the srt4 was.
I have the 2016 2.4 Sport 6 speed automatic and it has delivered as my daily driver with no significant issues. Just hit 46K miles. I also like it as the instruments/dash are virtually identical to my 2016 Challenger.
When I was in high school a friend of mine had one of these new, it was super fun the stereo was pretty decent. Great for tooling around with high school buddies!
I've been driving my 2013 dart for 2 years now. I've beat the hell out of it, putting on 60,000 miles. I still love this car with all my heart and I will never stop loving it.
I still own and daily drive a 2015 Dart GT with a manual. Has about 85k miles. The only major repair was replacing rhe clutch and flywheel at 65k miles. Known issue. Other repairs were wheel bearings. Other than rhat, its been fine. Everything works. Touchscreen does randomly reboot but it doesnt happen often. The interior has held up well except for a broken clip holding the cabin air filter cover. Its not fast at all. The clutch has a very long pedal travel and rhe shifter isnt short throw. It also jerks in first gear.
In 2015 I was looking to replace my 2012 Mazda3 HB 2.5, I test drove the Dart, it drove nice and had a very nice interior, however the 2.4 Tigershark was waaay slower than my Mazda. I also remember a comparison video where the door handle is falling off, so it's build quality was as good as expected from a Chrysler.
I'll bet you $100 that the tiger shark Dart was just as fast as your Mazda in real world tests
It’s a darn door handle. Fix it and move on
@@Natethegreat200c maybe these idiots don't realize how many millions of Ford cars had to have all four door handles replaced. Every Focus every Fusion every Mustang every F-150 and every Fiesta and edge how much inconvenience and cost do you think that cost? And now we're replacing the harness on every 15 to 17 Mustang, every one of those 600 plus dollars for every Mustang on the street and that's just a small sampling all the recalls, can you imagine what it cost Ford? And that's a safety recall that will soon continue for the 18 to 21 model years because of design hasn't changed at all
@@ubeuonly Actually it was about a second slower
The Dart took the philosophy of Hyundai of lots of features for a cheap price and ran with it. Though they went more features and on a tighter budget and boy does it show, which is sad as while I've never had one, I always loved these things
I just bought a 2013 dart. Got it for 10k at only 27k miles. Im loving it so far. I needed something cheaper on gas for my work commute over my 2016 charger
The entire US loans were not dependent on building a 40 MPG vehicle (not CAFE MPG). Building the vehicle would give Fiat an extra 5% ownership of the former Chrysler for FREE. That is why Sergio rushed its development. But it came with typical Fiat quality.....which has been pulling all the North American brands down in the quality rankings.
Dodge Fart
It's predecessor, the 2000 Dodge Neon, was my first new car.
It was actually a good, likable first car, and I bought it with 1 mile on the odometer.
Rated at 27 city 35 highway, it got 22 city 29 highway, but it was a good car, just not efficient
was it the 3 speed automatic?
My wife owned a 2013 dart limited 2.0. It was a budget friendly car overall. The only issues we had was the transmission cable bushing broke that we paid for but became a recall a year later and all the radiator hoses need to be replaced with better quality ones cause they leaked wherever there was plastic. The navigation software quit working even after the dealer did a free “upgrade” and the AC didn’t blow at max speed even though the control was set to “Max AC”. Other than that it was about 85% reliable at 178k miles
I have a 2015 SXT 2.4 dodge dart. 145k miles and i still beat on it around windy roads… it has been a blast. There’s issues with the transmission that’s been fixed as well as the key fob but other than that it’s been PERFECT. All cars will have issues don’t hate on the dart they are great cars
I don’t understand why people who hate these cars, these actually had better stuff than the other junk that was out at the time. I have a 15 with 273k all original and still going perfectly fine, these cars where rushed into production and a lot didn’t happen that was supposed to and lame people ended up with them and they fell down hill
I always thought it should have been called the Neon from the get-go. "Dart" calls up images of angular cars for those who remember the old Dodge Darts.
I don't recall EVER hearing the "American Alfa Romeo" claims. I followed the card biz pretty closely at that time (I subscribed to 5 car magazines at the time).
One of the reasons the Dart was slow to start selling was it almost all of the early cars came the manual transmissions. I thought the design was pretty nice and my son liked it too and was briefly hoping that it would be his first car..... The interior however was really crappy. Although they were elements of the design that were clever, the materials and execution were really poor
It was a thing I remember calling it Alfa Romeo derived and DNA and such in various press articles. When I google searched it CBS news and Autoweek came up from 2012. I didn't dig deeper than that I just wanted to know if I dreamed it lol. It was right after FIAT took over Chrysler so I guess they wanted everyone thinking they were making european cars with all that hype behind those. Like Tommy says it's a shame they didn't go farther with it.
I know they were still manufacturing a foreign market neon at the time so maybe that’s why they couldn’t call it that.
I worked in the paint shop where they built the Dart. On the same production line they built the Jeep compass & Patriot. Then axes Dart, then patriot was axed & compass was sent 2 Mexico. They got the Cherokee but now they ended that & plant has been idled since summer ‘21. Rumor is elec truck will be built there.
I've owned an Abarth 500 since 2012, and I liked that the Dart turbo seemed to use same engine. Since I work on my own car that would mean more spare parts out there in the future - which is now. It's too bad they didn't offer a more powerful option, especially given the history of the hemi Dart of the 1960s, or as you say in the video a pared-down version of the Charger. They're nice looking & practical cars, just never got enough love from Dodge.
I bought a dart in 2014 and still have it. It has 142k miles and have maintained it. The only thing I needed to replace was oil pressure sensor and starter both one year ago. I been through 4 car batteries and three sets of tire. This car makes me money. A car can last forever if you take care of it. I expect to get another 150k or ten years out of it. Peace.
I have the 2014 Dodge Dart SXT with the 2.4L I4 Engine. I bought it brand new with 2 miles on the odometer from my test drive and now I have over 224,000 miles and it is still rolling strong. The clutch was replaced at 110,000 miles but that was the only major repair that had to be done in a shop. It still gets over 30 MPG so I say it is good buy if you get the 6-speed manual Transmission.
I believe the only unreliable one is the 1.4 turbo with 6 speed dual dry clutch
@@jamesr8103 as a Chrysler expert, I can confirm. The rest are Corolla , civic levels. These people are so lost.
I really wanted one of these when they first came out. I started to see them quite often in 2012-13, but barely 10 years later, I don't see them hardly at all.
I used to have a Porsche 911S. I also had a Grey Market BMW 635CSI brought in from Bavaria. I also used to own an Alfa Romeo 1600 GTV. All fun & fast cars! I currently have a 2015 Dodge Dart SXT 2.4L Tigershark engine & this Dart has the complete Rallye Pkg, along with good lookin wheels. I bought it new & broke it in properly for it to perform well. It is quick & pretty fast...tops out at about 126 mph & has the upgraded suspension that comes with the complete Rallye Kit. Gotta tell ya, tis a real SLEEPER! It is much quicker than it supposedly should be & I enjoy driving it about as much as any of the three (3) aforementioned cars! Perhaps I just lucked out?
Still driving my 2013 dart i bought new. Gonna hit 170k miles, no major issues besides my own basic maintenance. Lets keep on trucking baby
2014 dodge dart rallye 2.4. Never had any issues and only had to replace 2 wheel bearings 119k miles
My brother and his wife had one of these. It was a 2015 GT 2.4 auto that they bought new. That car was very nice especially for the time as it was fully loaded with leathed, upgraded sound, hetaed seats, etc. Only tjing is it was terribly unreliable. The car ate a transmission at 20k and the engine was replaced at 35k as it consumed a quart of oil every 500 miles. They traded it in 4 years later at 40k miles for a RAV4 due to all the issues.
The PR worked for my friend to buy a Dart. “My car has a Turbo too!” It was laughable against my GTI in 2015. My GF 1.8t Jetta was in the same boat trying to be sporty and economical, but VW knew how to do it and took their time. A drag race or canyon road against the Jetta was when he finally hit the last stage of grief, acceptance. But he did exhaust and tuning so it sounded like an 500 Abarth. I think FCA finally got a do over when Alfa made the Giulia and redeemed its less fancy cousin. There’s still plenty of cars I’d pass over before skipping the Dart.
I was new car shopping around the time the Dart came out. I remember not feeling too compelled by it. I was indifferent about the exterior design, but I really didn't like the huge, blob-shaped dashboard finished in super cheap-looking plastics. I also was leery about its reliability because of having a turbo engine and dual-clutch transmission.
G’day from Australia, love your content and info.
The Dart really is a tragic tale, it could have been something really special. It's still a really good looking car, I remember those Tom Brady ads. I forgot all about that crowd funded financing. It was also the first car I ever remember seeing with digital gauges. If I remember correctly the first ones that were available were manual only which also didn't help sales at the beginning, it's a shame, I could have been the next gen Neon if FCA would have handled it right.
One other thing that hurt the Dart was that it was launched with only manual transmissions. The Hyundai sourced automatics used with the 2.4 was not ready until months later. Unfortunately they had to go ahead with the manuals in order to meet the loan covenants, but it really tripped up the sales right out of the gate. Dart also launched at a time when demand for sedans was waining. The Patriot was equally priced and buyers overwhelmingly did what I did and chose it instead.
Silly to say in 2000's, the buttons and knobs feel cheap, they build millions a car a year, plenty of parts, in a parts bin. Typical manufacturing of autos, cut corners, charge more, no difference today. Great video guys!
Loved the video Tommy! I thought about buying one when it came out. So disappointed what could have been. Reminds of the neon. BTW cool Mission to Mars Moonswatch!
Great review, and perfectly said! My friend bought one of the first models and I was so excited to see it in person. Then I drove it and "meh".
My 2016 Dart limited 2.4 is at 150,000 mi , i have had noo problems , except for typical 150,000 mi car problems like sensors needing replaced and a coolant hose needing changed , the six speed auto equiped with a 2.4 is a very fun option .
Bought my 2013 Dart Aero new. Abarth powered, manual transmission. I still love driving it.
This was a neon replacement. I remember after initial release of the Dart 1st major recall after 1 yr was the piston rings were installed upside down on the turbo motors. Kids thought the turbo model was some kinda SRT-4 replacement but soon realized they blew up if you tried modifying them at all. Then quickly many people bought them and problems with quality were horrendous. Lots of angry customers.
When this car came out, in 2010, I used to work for a Chrysler, Ram, Jeep, Dodge dealership. Our main problem with the car was the name. Old dudes visited the dealership interested in a brand name they had back in the day, that used to be kind of a muscle car. But they left the dealership very pissed because that wasn't the kind of car that was related to they're old days cool car. We ended up selling just a few of this cars to younger people and budgeted minded people. The car was never a good seller, even though with the good technology available into them.
Because reviews like this by idiots ruined the reputation
I had the dodge dart GT as my first car when I was 16 and it had the 2.4 that was more powerful than the turbo. Wasn’t fast but it was fun with a muffler delete and interior ambient lighting and red leather stitching good value for what it was
I have a 2013 1.4 turbo with a manual and it has been the most reliable car I’ve owned. Currently at 275k miles on the original clutch
The historical point missed here is that development of small cars as a condition of the bailout was to save fuel, not to target affordability.
Recall, at that time, fuel prices were way up and the main reason Chrysler & GM needed bailouts was they had no competitive fuel efficient vehicles to go against the Asian brands & VW. The government was trying to force them to be competitive in the fuel-efficient market so they wouldn’t be right back in bankruptcy during the next fuel price spike.
GM did the Sonic/Cruz and Chrysler did the Dart…then they both gave up after a few years because the Asian small cars were still more reliable.
There's nothing wrong with the Dart except that it was rushed. I have a '16 with a 2.4L and 130 thousand miles. Just changed the plugs and coils, and it runs like a brand new car. And if you think it under performs, there's a few cheap mods that will give you a better driving experience. But there's no reason to say that you should never buy this car.
So what was the purpose of him making this whole video about this?
The OG Dodge Dart with the 225 slant six was a durable car prone only to the rust that plagued the era. I am looking for one now.
But the GT with the 2.4 tigershark was by far more sportier. 184 HP and loaded with tech for the time. Black with the satin rims was pretty pimp.
4:36 i feel like they could have fixed this by "going full hellcat"
I.e. - making a higher trim version with crazy numbers that they could use to pay for r&d costs to fix things, and then trickled those down onto the base model.
If they got the 2.4L earlier this car would still exist - i have a 2015 2.4L Rallye and it's a very fun and reliable car
Right at the very beginning that 1996 Honda Accord behind Tommy , my mom had the exact same car. I like 90s and 2000s Hondas.
Agree with you Tommy 💯! This could have been a great competitor to the Civic Si but only if FCA had invested more time in developing a more suitable powertrain like increasing the displacement of the 1.4 turbo multiair to a 1.8t or 2.0t then it probably would have been a real contender in the affodable enthusiasts market and worthy of the SRT4 badge! Great review on a missed opportunity from Dodge!
I remember test driving one of these when they first came out. On paper it looked like a sightly toned down version of the Neon SRT-4 (which is an awesome car) so I was excited, but I was extremely disappointed in the Dart. I drove the manual turbo version and did not like it at all.
Spot on analysis Tommy. I had high hopes for the Dart when announced that we might be getting the Gullietta hatchback too but no 🙁 Then the lukewarm reviews started coming in and it was down hill from there. A hot SRT and a hatch might have saved it.
That didn't save the caliber
@@Lexrolla-1 or the Neon.
@@chfpontiac5849 or focus or Mazda speed 3… if y’all gonna name one name them all
So you listen to reviews and need validation from reviews for a car to be good and keep your hopes high? A damn shame. 🐑
@@Natethegreat200c Nah. Just naming budget Chrysler junk that couldn't be saved by a high performance model. But thanks for asking for my suggestions! 👍(Sounds like someone owned one of those POS's based on the sensitive reaction 😆)
Almost bought one of these new, went with a ‘15 Forte SX Koup 1.6T manual because the interior was so much better.
Higher trim levels were pretty decent looking for what they were, I was surprised it didn’t do better.
I just finally got rid of my 2015 dodge dart aero. it was a fun little car for about 3-4 years, then it just had one problem after another. I had it for over 8 years, and it had been through a new engine, a new turbo, and all new suspension in that time. Recall after recall, issue after issue. I didnt exactly baby the thing but that dual dry clutch was the worst thing ever.
As a 1.4 owner with 83k miles and a grip of headaches from this car, 10/10 would stay away.
There was a fundamental misunderstanding of what people wanted in a compact car since the Caliber was aging fast and a total dud, but it had the right concept - a bit taller, a bit more rugged looking and a lot more useful than a normal compact sedan. It's just that the execution fell woefully short with an early, mooing CVT, an even worse, ultra-cheaped-out Daimler-era interior and only one model that could hit 30 MPG (base engine with manual).
Chrysler management wanted to hit the reset button and build a 3rd generation Neon though. I'll never understand why they didn't call this a Neon. Being a sedan it launched straight into the teeth of the Civic and Corolla; if it had a hatch it would be a model neither of those had in 2014.
Based on the point presented at the beginning of the video, I feel like FCA completely missed the point of the assignment here, and then by the end of the video, so did everyone else.
US Govt.: Make an affordable people's car.
>"The car was too expensive."
>"The car should have been specced as a discount Dodge Charger."
That doesn't make any sense. If the goal was to make an economical car that appealed to the masses in the post-recession world, then it should have favored utility over fashion. FCA already had a naturally aspirated 2.4 4-cylinder pre-Tigershark which they kept using in other FCA vehicles for years after the fact and could have thrown in the Dart to at least be more reliable. With how new the Tigershark was, why the hell would you shove it into a car like the Dart knowing it hadn't been fully tested? Also, Dodge sponsored the crowdfunded YT series "VGHS" around this time just so they could use it to market the Dart as a sport/drift car. In retrospect, why? Did they really think that was the government's target market here?
All they would have had to do was look at cars from the 1990s or early 2000s that were still on the road and say, "If we play it safe and refresh the look, we can meet this incredibly low bar." Stylistically, the Dart could have been a spiritual successor to the Neon or something. Though that's just my two cents.
I know a guy who excitedly bought one of these new in that loud Lime Green color, his first new car, made all sorts of upgrades, suspension, body parts, wheels etc… but hated it. We didn’t talk much, but the little bit I did hear from him about that car was pure disgust.
When the plug got pulled on those in 2016 I think it was, a dealership in the Dallas area was so desperate to get rid of them that they were selling them at buy one get one free 🤣
The 1750 turbo engine and 4wd system from the Giulietta QF would have been a better idea. Even the best version of the Alfa wasn't so good though, somehow managing to be less than the sum of its parts.
I never understood the complaining about interiors. People complain so much about interiors. What do you want it to be?? It's a car..it's not supposed to be as nice as the inside of your home. Hard plastics are easy to clean and fairly durable....
I have a 2013 Dart Rallye with the 1.4 turbo.
You keep talking about the suspension being squishy. Dude, get out of the Aero and into a Rallye that has the suspension upgrade. The difference between the Aero and Rallye suspension is like a VW Beetle versus a Corvette. The Rallye edition is a friggen BLAST to drive!! I can take 45 mph turns at 70!
With the 6 speed manual, it is a little rocket. The turbo kicks in at throttle at 2,500 rpm and you better have your hand on the gearshift because you will go from 2,500 to 4,000 rpm, and from 25 mph to 50 in the blink of an eye.
Granted, the gearing between 2nd and 3rd is pretty far apart, meaning if you are not hard on the throttle to engage the turbo, you have to wind out the engine to almost 4,000 rpm in 2nd gear to keep gaining speed at a steady rate. Shift to 3rd before 4,000 and the car falls on its face. Dodge should have lengthened 2nd or shortened 3rd. But, the car was designed as a grocery getter and in city driving, not a drag racer.
You said it is too quiet... roll down the windows. Dodge put a ton of sound dampening in the car. There is an inch of dampening underneath the spare tire cover for crying out loud. Roll down the window and you will hear that car makes some NOISE!
Reliability? My car has over 115,000 miles and has not given me any trouble at all... and I bought it used from people who had zero idea what the hell to do with vehicle care and maintenance. The only time I've had to be under the hood is to repair something that the previous owner screwed up.
My opinion on why the Dart failed is that people pictured the Dart of the 70's. The square box with an under powered engine and no design. Plus, the technology that was put in the car scared some people. I've had people tell me (11 years after the car was built) that it has so many gadgets that could fail that it's worrisome. They change the subject when I tell them every single thing in the car still works.
What I'm saying is..... I do not regret buying the car. It is easily the most fun car I have ever driven. If anyone is considering buying one, get the Rallye edition. The suspension upgrade is worth its weight in gold.
I always thought thought they should of put the pentastar v6 in it and made kind of a 300hp muscle version of it. At the time it would of been the highest horsepower compact on the market. If it was tuned like an Alfa it would of been a gti competitor. Really a shame I dreamed of a srt 6 dart.
Anybody with any sense, knew this when they announced that FIAT was going to insert thier car and call it a dart.
I had a 2013 Dart Rallye trim, i remember bringing it to the dealer a few times for recalls and randomly my AC wouldnt work lol
As a mechanic I wanted them to pay money back after I saw all the new bail out cars. Good episode 🤙🏼
The Chrysler deal was entirely loans, which they paid back early.
I actually got a ‘13 dart with the 1.4L and 6 speed manual. I’ve done a big turbo upgrade and supporting mods. I love the hell out of the car after all of that for the exact idea of building my own SRT version of the dart. Now I’m working on the exterior to get it up to that SRT level.
Would love to see a video on it on your channel
@@MrAnxious at some point I’ll do some videos explaining the work on it. I have a donor limited dart giving up its heated leather seats, digital gauge cluster and the fancy radio setup to my dart.
Hey Tommy, noticed you wearing the Moonswatch. As a fellow watch nerd, nice choice! 👍🏼
Love my 14 dart sxt rally 2.4. it has never left me stranded not even in the worst South Dakota winters. Dunno what your talking about this non reliability crap 🤣. And I didn't buy it to be a race car. But if I need to pass someone or get up to speed by the end of the on ramp the dart doesn't disappoint. But main fact is my car has been very reliable and it has about 139,000 miles on it without any problems. every vehicle you can think of has a Monday or Friday special 🤣 blow it out yet arse buddy.
I just drove test the 2016 one and it's freaking great The car drives well The acceleration is decent and a nice smooth drive, and a great steering wheel booster. Love it ! Love dodges now! I would buy it but i wasn't looking for this car . And bc i already have one!
I met a Dodge Dart owner and they told me that it was one of their biggest regrets and told us to never buy one.