Considering purchasing an SRT4 Caliber as a commuter.

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by diboblo, Jun 27, 2009.

  1. diboblo

    diboblo Just call me Bob.

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    So, to save commuter wear and tear on our RT Magnum and our SRT8 Charger, we're considering getting into an SRT4 Caliber.

    What do you Caliber owners think about the cars you own and are there any quirks I should know about when looking for the right car?

    Thanks,
    Bob
     
  2. mrgm

    mrgm Not So Fresh Meat

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    good gas. pretty much bullet proof. make 330+- to wheels couple of mods. kind of a rough ride, more for road racing. make 450+- tq with turbine upgrade easy, the smallest wheel you can fit to front is 18". can seat 4 comfortably, has stuff for kid seat, rear seats lay back for tons of room. weights about 3200 pounds. Stage one, dp, cai, will run faster than srt8 from about a 40 roll (traction is an issue) and will do about a 13.50 in 1/4 on chitty stock tires 12's with slicks. wing on some cars comes loose but easy fix with loctite. 2009 would be a better way to go if you want the nav and extras. 0-60 about 6 sec with wheel spin and a below avg driver. no turbo lag. 1st, 2nd gears are power limited by computer. After market for this car is lacking for visuals. power adders are the way to go from realtune (realtuned.com). you can hit up caliberforums.com for more info.
     
  3. TNCHARGER

    TNCHARGER Moderator

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    Dang....took 6 months for someone to answer this thread???...maybe why Bob aint logged on in over 2 months...:(
     
  4. mrgm

    mrgm Not So Fresh Meat

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    yea i hope he bought one. they are fun as hell. You guys will be seeing these things running 10/9's with no problems. hopfully it gets a proper tuner soon
     
  5. TNCHARGER

    TNCHARGER Moderator

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    I aint a fan of the looks but was impressed it's performance when I drove one at the last SRT Track event I attended.....it hung with the 8s on the road course..
     
  6. loxmith

    loxmith Recovering Post Whore...

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    Not trying to upset anyone, the following is just my opinion. I don't think there are many people who are fans of the way the caliber looks. SRT did as good a job as they could with the thing, but when you are starting with a caliber, there is only so much they could do. Again, just my opinion.
     
  7. Quick

    Quick Mgmt. - I can't help you

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    heh, it's kind of styled like a mini-magnum...
     
  8. loxmith

    loxmith Recovering Post Whore...

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    ^ Yeah...only uglier.
     
  9. Cygnus

    Cygnus Platinum Supporting Member

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    To answer this thread, I personally don't own a Caliber SRT-4 but have some friends that do. I've test driven them though including the Exhaust Depot one that was lightly modded.

    They are IMO great cars as far as a commuter. Also very road friendly. They do come equipped with radio controls on the steering wheel, cruise control, a storage cooler compartment for drinks/food, the dome light is also removable to be used as a flash light. Its got other perks too compare to my plain ol Neon SRT-4.
     
  10. mrgm

    mrgm Not So Fresh Meat

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    I prefer the caliber srt over the neon srt any day. Looks better, performs better, and has way more room.

    i thought they were ugly when I was looking at them online, looks waaaay better in person.
     
  11. loxmith

    loxmith Recovering Post Whore...

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    IDK...I'm not a big fan of the looks of either of the SRT-4's. I drive the Neon, 'cause I have always loved Dodges, and the Neon. Not many cars that I can comfortably drive that get 30 MPG...and the SRT is the most fun to drive Neon. But If I had to pick a newer car to drive, as much as it kills me not to pick a Dodge, I wouldn't pick the caliber. IMO, there are better options out there...like the speed3 just to list one option. Plus, every dealer I've ever seen with a NEW Caliber SRT was asking way to much for it, IMO. All that being said...everything I ever heard about the Caliber said it was more comfortable, with the same, or little better performance than the Neon.
     
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2010
  12. Cygnus

    Cygnus Platinum Supporting Member

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    Looks better, thats something that can be argued but then again its personal opinion/preference. I happen to like both :bigwink:

    Performs better? How so? I would like to know.

    Room... can't argue there. The Caliber has a lot more room in-cabin then the Neon does and to me seems more comfortable then the Neon.

    I still want a Caliber SRT-4, but Neon vs Caliber... each have their strengths and weakness's as well as positive and negative.
     
  13. desertsoldier22

    desertsoldier22 Resident Smartass

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    I owned one for a little over a year and I have mixed feelings about the car. I sold it mostly because I felt Dodge was not going to follow its warranty obligations with it. The transmission had a micro-fracture in the case after the dealer replaced the clutch at 1200 miles. They refused to repair it, even after I had the case NDI flux tested showing it was an impact crack not a stress crack (they tried to say my urethane motor mounts caused the crack, when in reality someone dropped the tranny).

    The car had excellent interior room, good features...such as bluetooth, chill zone and a IPOD connectivity cable. However the interior materials were worse than my Neon, which is no BMW. The stock acceleration compared to the Neon was identical on the drag strip, however the engine was peakier and was a bit more refined. Also with a minimum of bolt-ons the car made an additional 30WHP. The ride was very firm, almost excessively. Handling wise the car needed to to be lower, stiffer sway bars and a true LSD. Compared to the Neon the Caliber wallows a bit in the corners and the steering was less responsive, however like its SRT-4 predecessor it would totally make up for it in brute power. This car would not be my first choice in an autocross, but for a weekday warrior it was pretty good.

    If you dealer is being a jerk about the price, carmax has several low mileage used ones in the mid-teens.
     
  14. mrgm

    mrgm Not So Fresh Meat

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    also, their are flahses that are finally coming out. First dyno that has been reported has been 340ftlb of torque. That was on a stock car with CAI with stock exhaust. will get better with a couple more bolt ons