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New Caliber Owners - Give Us Your Report!
Congratulations on your new car! Be sure to post your first impressions here.
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Happy driving! Owning a new car is great....
I've got about 550 miles on it now and it looks to be giving right at 30 mpg. Also the new transmissions are great! Not like the "jerky" dodge transmissions of the Neons. I can't even hear the car shift, very nice. The Neons have been very good to me as far as reliability goes so I can't say anything bad about them.
I was told by the dealer to let the engine break in to around 6000 miles before putting synthetic oil in the engine. Anybody think differently on this?
As an alternative to carrying around a spare tire, some manufacturers are including those cans of puncture sealant sold at Walmart etc. plus an electric airpump you can run off the "accessory power outlet" (cigarette lighter) in your car. Not recommending that you do this, but I figure the idea is at least getting some legitimacy.
As to synthetic oil, on my cars I run the regular oil to 1,500 or so miles, then change to synthetic (Mobil 1) and thereafter do 5,000 mile oil changes (starting at 5,000 miles, so the first two changes are both "short").
I think to preserve the warranty on your new Dodge, you can't go beyond 6,000 miles between oil changes even in "non severe" service (used to be 7,500 miles, but they wised up).
I have heard, but not confirmed, that the Caliber includes an extended power train warranty (5/60?) even though Chrysler has discontinued the extended power train warranties on its other cars.
So I'd resist the urge to stretch any oil change beyond 6,000 miles for that reason alone.
Since you were asking for general "care and feeding" advice, I'll chime in with my unconventional recommendation to avoid lube shops, Walmart, and your own garage for oil changes, and to even stick with just one Dodge dealer for oil changes.
Dealer oil changes are lot cheaper than they used to be ($25-$35 with a multipoint inspection) and unless you are suscepible to "Jedi mind tricks" you won't get sold "extra" services you don't need. By going to the same dealer, you not only have the best possible records to support warranty claims, you also have someone to blame if they tell you that you need a new oil pan because the last person to do an oil change stripped the threads when overtightening the drain plug. Records of service at an authorized dealer also enchance trade-in and private party resale value. Finally, the dealer will always run your car through its computer for recalls, and will fix any warranty issues that otherwise you might be postponing.
I usually carry-in my own jug of synthetic oil; a lot of people do that these days and you won't be making your dealer mad.
As to the "dealer recommended" extra servicing they try to
foist off on yousell you at 30,000 miles and 15,000 miles - I usually just follow the owner's manual for recommended inspections, adjustments, and fluid changes, albeit on the accelerated "severe" service schedule - which is still much cheaper than "dealer recommended" service.You might want to find out how much an even more extended warranty would cost you (available at a discount from dealers on the internet). I would get one, if less than $1,000, just for the peace of mind on the CVT. Otherwise, given the newness of the CVT's, I'd consider trading it in before the extended power train warranty you got free expires (which is way in the future).
Finally, your transmission shifts smoothly because it is actually not shifting at all. There are no actual gears to switch, just a couple of pulleys with a "v" slot that opens and closes to move the belt up or down on each pully; these types of transmission are found in ski-mobiles and motor scooters , albeit on the Caliber it is a second generation Nissan transmission, like used on the Murano, all grown up with a sturdy metal "push" belt, and not a flimsy sythetic cord "pull" belt (those were the transmissions that didn't doo well in cars). The only complaint I have heard about CVT's is that they zoom up to a high rpm, and hold the rpm while your car accelerates, and only drop down to cruising rpm when you hit your cruising speed. This isn't a "defect" in CVT's, they are SUPPOSED to hit the optimal rpm/torque band and work out of it, but it isn't the "vroom-vroom" up and down of rpm most of us drivers are used to hearing.
(Since this is America, they have actually reprogrammed CVT's on some cars sold here - like the MINI - to throw "fake" gear shifts which makes the customers happier, at the expense of losing the efficiency benefits of the CVT.)
30 mpg is awesome!
Car drives like a tank for a compact and I like that about it. I agree that some of the interior surfaces are "hard" but I do not think that's a really bad thing about a car. After all, this is piece of machinery, not a living room set, that we are talking about.
Some have also complained about the rather small windows, but that goes along with the style of the car - which can't be beat in my opinion. The spare tire is super-sized compared to other compacts!
My kids (homeschooled) immediately wanted a test ride and they though it was the coolest thing ever - they called it a car-van because the sides are high like our van. They liked the individually reclining rear seats too. My 12-year-old even noticed the air bag markers on the sides of the car and asked about them.
The base audio system is fine for me and better than some others in this class. Suspension is "just-right" in my opinion, not too hard for in-town driving, but not too-soft for highway driving. My 12-year-old even commented that when turning corners the car did not lean. What can I say, she's a genius!
I did notice a neat thing about the CVT when I drove my daughter to her flute lesson today (which actually was cancelled). It was quite windy and I had the cruise set on 60 mph going and coming. I noticed that the rpm was about 200 higher when driving against the wind. When the wind let up for a few seconds, the rpm decreased slightly, but the speed remained the same. Then I remembered that the CVT always picks the optimum gear ratio for the conditions and engine efficiency - pretty cool.
As for MPG, it was a long-distance deal and the dealer had a older gentleman drive the car to me and take me trade-in back to him ( about 550 miles each way). He said that the car was filled before he left, but he did not think it was completely full. Along the way he stopped and put 11 gallons in it. When I got it, the gauge was a little below 1/2 tank. In my tooling around town and other driving, the ODO showed 600 miles total and I stopped and filled it really full. This took 9 gallons. So, assuming it was completely full to begin with, the car went 600 miles on 20 gallons of 87 octane, 30 MPG. If it was not completely full to begin with, the MPG would be a little higher. NOT BAD FOR BREAK-IN!
The only "oops" I've noticed on the car (and I'm picky about details) is that all of the trim around the windshield and the mirrors are flat black, but the aerial is silver. Tonight, I'll hold my black aerial from my silver Caravan up to the Caliber and see if it looks better. I'm thinking a swap would be in order.
So far, I am very impressed with this car, and so is everyone else who has seen it.
Also, you can go to dodge.com to get more information.
I don't think gas mileage or base price has been set, but I believe the SRT4 will be out either later this year or early next year.
It will have a 4 cylinder turbocharged engine rated at 300 HP, front wheel drive, a six-speed manual tranny and different styling.
- Greg
I love the AWD portion, I played with it on wet pavement really trying to break it free and the 18" tires really take a lot to slide. The 4 wheel disc & ABS help!!!
I have already added several MOPAR addons - mudflaps, window visors, hood deflector, sunroof deflector, stainless sill protectors. There are more on order.
Will keep you posted as we put miles on it, we average about 400 a week between work & play.
Will be getting an SRT the day the come out if things go well with the R/T.
I didn't know the RT had an autostick...? Actually, what exactly is autostick? My husband wants me to wait and get the SRT so he can drive it too but I'm not sure. I like the RT just fine. How does your wife like it? Is the inside too "utility-ish"?
Thanks,
Katie
If anyone sees me on the road they'll hear me first the sound system with the musicgate is awesome. I dont think I have found anything I'd change about the car except me being 10years younger IT"S A HOT CAR !!!
We love the color and the Sunroof especially, it really looks sharp and is VERY comfortable for us. My wife and I are just shy of 6 foot tall.
When you ask "utility-ish" I am not really sure what you mean. But if you mean "plain", it's really just a well laid out interior, each to his/her own opinion. The orange colored seats are great, so is the orange center applique.
The SRT may be hard to get and may be pricey. But it will have the new gen. six speed manual, so if YOU don't drive stick, YOU won't be driving it!!!!! lol
We paid 19,500 for our R/T, whats up with the 20,000 plus SXT's out there??? :confuse: :confuse:
OrangeRT, I actually wanted stick in the SXT but the salesman talked me out of it... He said the best thing about this car is the new auto trans it has in it and to go to a stick would be a shame, plus the resale value would be higher. I would like to test drive a manual Caliber but the salesman said he doesn't have any coming in. :confuse:
I would also like to see some models with the color inserts but again, none coming in!
You got a good deal on your RT. The SXT that the salesman and I "built" was about that price. What all does your RT have as far as options? I know you have the sunroof. I want a sunroof, driver convenience group, and musicgate.
I really need to learn more about buying a new car!
What I do know is that I better be sure when I buy it because I will have it for a long time!
The first year production of most cars really can be trial by fire (70 Ford Pinto- LOL!!)
We do not have the driver convenience group. I would have liked it, but this was the first R/T in our area and we bought it right after the truck unloaded it, supposed to be a display model I was told!
Sunroof appears to be the only non standard item on this R/T. The R/T package has pwr windows, door locks, and key fob. We do not have heated seats. I wanted the other items like convenience group and seats, but hey, the price ROCKED! Neither one of us really play the radio that loud, no musicgate. The garage door feature is nice, but.... we sometimes leave the car outside and a friend had his house broken into by someone breaking the car window and pressing the garage door button on the overhead console!!!
My mileage calculations are actual based upon the fuel capacity and the reciepts that we get for gas, using standard unleaded 87.
By the way, I understand that as of now you CANNOT get a stick with the 2.0 engine at all. It will probably change later in its lifetime though. I really want the SRT for myself, currently looking to sell my SXT neon and snag a 05 SRT4 Neon.
To Katie re: DRL and Fog lamps- I have both, and the DRLs work like your car does.
So far are no disappointments with this car, it is exactly what I had hoped and expected it to be. If, however, anyone has any good suggestions on how to increase the engine torque by 10-15lb-ft without turbo/supercharging the car I would love to hear them. I am not sure that my wife would appreciate you giving me this information, but she doesn't read the forum. :P
Before you do that though, you might want to find out how much torque that transmission was designed to take. If this CVT-design is pretty much maxxed out, you could end up causing a problem and not having a warranty (if they can show the failure was due to your increasing the power).
We still need to tint the windows, install the spoiler and chorme parts(our dealer is ordering a chrome grill for us free of charge), and install the rain guards but otherwise it is already attracting attention.
The stick shift drives much nicer than the automatic IMO. It has more power than that auto we test drove. LOVE the driver convience group, how neat that it tells you how many miles until your fuel tank is empty! Only drove it for a few mins so far, I am sure I will be back to brag some more!
Here is the front and back. Our car didn't come with the chrome grill like it's suppose to. It's being ordered.
Hmm that didn't sound right :P
I added some of the back with the trunk closed but I can take some with it open too.
Any other special picture requests?