Found My Unicorn!

"Long_Voyager94" (yourenotavalidusername)
12/17/2019 at 10:06 • Filed to: unnecessary car shopping with Long-Voyager

Dodge Stratus RT sedan with a manual. Actually well cared for too:

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

I would actually consider selling the Acclaim and the Rally van to have this in my driveway.

Talk to the wife tonight and see if we can nab it this weekend, then I’ll list everything else for sale.

DISCUSSION (62)

pip bip - choose Corrour > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 07:47

just do it!

Cash Rewards > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 07:53

Thats a car that I will always have a negative view of purely because of one person I knew who owned one

vondon302 > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 07:53

I’ve heard they existed but never seen one.

Nice find.

Under_Score > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 08:00

Super NP.

E90M3 > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 08:08

That dash, like most American vehicles of the era, is a sea of plastic.

jimz > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 08:20

Double check the oil change intervals, 2002 was a prime sludging year for the 2.7.

jimz > E90M3
12/17/2019 at 08:21

Not true, it was actually padded/soft touch. 2006 is when Daimler took all the money out of it and made it hard plastic.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Cash Rewards
12/17/2019 at 08:39

It’s funny how much a shitty person can ruin something for you

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 08:56

Do it! Do it and make it a tribute to the old Stratus touring car!

Kinja'd!!!

DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 09:39

Kinja'd!!!

412GTI > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 09:54

Even though I had one as my first car (2.7 ES, Auto) and it blew up, I still am kinda nostalgic for these. I can’t say I’ve seen an R/T in the wild in years!

Long_Voyager94 > E90M3
12/17/2019 at 09:59

Have you looked inside new vehicles?

This is tame on plastic compared to new cars.

Roundbadge > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
12/17/2019 at 10:00

I so wanted the NATCC to do well...loved the factory-backed Stratuses too.

Long_Voyager94 > vondon302
12/17/2019 at 10:02

A friend of mine had an 01 RT sedan with a manual when I had my 06 SXT sedan. His was quicker out of the hole thanks to the manual, but mine would destroy his once we were moving thanks to intake, headers, full exhaust, and a tune.

Kinja'd!!!

Even still, I’ve always lusted for an RT sedan with the manual.

Long_Voyager94 > jimz
12/17/2019 at 10:02

Change intervals and oil used.

So long as it’s had synthetic on 3-4k intervals, it’ll be fine.

Long_Voyager94 > Cash Rewards
12/17/2019 at 10:04

We had an 06 we bought at 12k miles. We beat the hell out of it until 287k miles when we traded it on our F250. The only issue it ever gave was needed a suspension rebuild around 100-120k thanks to WI roads, otherwise that car was wonderful.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 10:04

Ooooh, very nice!!! I don’t think we got that gen of Str atus here in Canada, only as a Chrysler. Never knew they could be had with a stick! Very cool!!!

Long_Voyager94 > jimz
12/17/2019 at 10:05

The Stratus stayed the same through 2006 thankfully, so it didn’t see the interior cheapen.

Long_Voyager94 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
12/17/2019 at 10:05

Wrong body though?

Long_Voyager94 > 412GTI
12/17/2019 at 10:07

We had an 06 SXT that gave us over 250k miles of reliable service despite daily abuse, I’ve always lusted for a manual RT sedan.

Long_Voyager94 > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
12/17/2019 at 10:08

The manual is very rare, I’ve only ever seen 3 in the wild.

E90M3 > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 10:08

I have and most seem to have gone to more soft touch materials, hard to tell what that dash is actually made from.

Long_Voyager94 > E90M3
12/17/2019 at 10:22

Any new/newer car I’ve been in just feels cheap, regardless of maker.

Maybe I’m just jaded because I’m used to cloth door panels and comfy seats in a base model.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 10:27

My Corolla has heavily padded faux-leather in most surfaces. New cars have much nicer interior materials than anything more than 10 years old.

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back
12/17/2019 at 10:48

Came here to see this

MoCamino > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 10:49

We had a 98 Cirrus with the 2.5L. It was an A/T of course, as the manual wasn’t available on the Cirrus. It was deep cranberry with tan leather interior. It was a nice car, and while not a hot rod, it was decently peppy. It would have been a lot of fun with a five speed.

Sadly that car died at 167k miles due to oil sludging and my own idiocy. :(

HoustonRunner > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 10:59

Glad you are back. Unfortunately I’m in the camp of having not a great view of these due to the many rental spec ones I drove over my travels. I have to assume they all had some 4 cylinder and 4 speed auto.

But what I enjoy the most about Oppo is the diversity of interests. I read the BMW board when I need to research something on the E28, but I read Oppo multiple times a day for posts like this.

No knowledge on that drive train, what kind of power does the 2.7 make?

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 11:02

we traded it on our F250

Did they even give you scrap value at that point with 287k miles?

Arrivederci > HoustonRunner
12/17/2019 at 11:04

200hp/190lbft

Long_Voyager94 > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
12/17/2019 at 12:02

T he car was mint inside and out, the dealer actually gave us more on trade than I could get selling it outright, $4600.

mazda616 > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 12:03

I remember an old issue of Car and Driver that features this model in a comparison test. They didn’t hate it, which I found surprising.

fintail > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 12:03

It’s 2K. Snap it up now before someone else grabs it, deal with she who must be pleased later.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 12:05

How? Where is this magical dealer?

Long_Voyager94 > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
12/17/2019 at 12:06

Um, no?

I’m sorry, but fake leather, “soft touch” plastic, and hard seats , housed in a sea of hard plastic isn’t nicer than a 90s car with plush seats, cloth door panels, and soft touch everywhere.

It may be more “modern” than an older car, but that doesn’t make it nicer IMO.

I will give you the stretch from about 2007-2015 that cars were even worse than now, but that doesn’t make new cars good.

Long_Voyager94 > HoustonRunner
12/17/2019 at 12:09

200hp/190ft-lbs as Arrivederci said.

What makes them fun is the 2.7s rev happy nature combined with great gearing and the car’s relatively light 3,200lb curb weight.

That and they make amazing noises once the intake/exhaust are opened up.

Long_Voyager94 > MoCamino
12/17/2019 at 12:10

Owner idiocy killed A LOT of these cars.

They’re great if you take meticulous care of them. If you treat them like most Dodge buyers, they will take you for all you have.

Long_Voyager94 > mazda616
12/17/2019 at 12:11

They are really great driving cars considering the class they’re in. They handle quite well, the 2.7 lends them plenty of get up, and they ride very nice.

Long_Voyager94 > fintail
12/17/2019 at 12:12

Not sure how long I want to sleep on the couch......or in the car.......

fintail > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 12:14

Maybe buy it, hide it and “ask”, in that order ? Manual will make it a slow seller, but this seems like a very fair price, I’d be anxious about other buyers.

Long_Voyager94 > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
12/17/2019 at 12:15

These were selling for $8-10k+ with 150k miles at the time, so it actually still valued quite high.

It helped that they had another 06 on their lot with 180k miles that was beat to hell priced at $7500 to use as a bargaining chip too.

It was these guys: http://freitagauto.com/

They then sat on it for almost a year before a local kid finally bought it.

Long_Voyager94 > fintail
12/17/2019 at 12:17

It is a damn good price considering miles/condition. $2k is about what non-RT beater Stratus’s (Stratii?) sell for.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 12:20

Sounds like you made out pretty well. My limited experience with dealers is that anything with over 200k miles they lowball.

fintail > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 12:20

Maybe it’s the cost of living where I am, but I think any car that reliably starts, stops, drives, and looks reasonably presentable (rust isn’t an issue here) is a NP all day at 2K. CL and FB are full of much worse for a bit more. This one being a unicorn is icing on the cake. Do it!

Long_Voyager94 > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
12/17/2019 at 12:41

Oh they started out like that, I used the beat up one on their lot and the fact that the truck had been there for a while as leverage.

In the end I should have just walked away, that truck ended up being one of the worst vehicle’s we’ve ever owned.

Long_Voyager94 > fintail
12/17/2019 at 12:42

Owner is messaged, waiting to hear back.

The wife is going to be pissed.....

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 12:48

Fake leather is used in most cars now because there is a sizeable portion of car buyers for whom real leather is not something they want. The fake stuff also doesn’t dry out and crack like real leather does. The padded fake leather is much nicer to the touch than the rubberized plastic crap they put on everything in the 90s and 2000s.

Sure 90s pillow seats can be comfortable but they provide no support at all. I much prefer a modern seat which has good bolstering and actually holds you upright in a corner. My 2001 Outback had a soft seat and it was comfy around town but my back would kill me after an hour or so. I can do 6+ hours in the Corolla with zero discomfort.

Not sure how soft touch everywhere is a negative in a brand new car but a positive in a 20 year old car.

fintail > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 12:49

She’ll get over it.

Who knows if you’ll ever get another chance at one , and at this price point , this car needs you just as much as you want it. You’ll save it, most others will run it into the ground.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 13:22

This car is good Oppo, do it

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 13:28

That last part I can confirm.

MoCamino > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 13:48

Which is exactly what happened to us, much to my embarrassment . I did my own oil changes, but with cheap oil, not often enough, and ignored tell tale signs of that being an issue.

Basically I was dumb and got exactly what I deserved - a car that died about six months after we paid it off, with nobody to blame but myself.

/confession mode=off

Long_Voyager94 > nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul
12/17/2019 at 15:59

Had a Weapon R Intake, custom headers, and full 2.5" exhaust with a single resonator on mine.

Sounded like a big block at idle, sounded like a racecar at WOT.

Long_Voyager94 > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
12/17/2019 at 16:07

90s vehicles generally had padded cloth everywhere one had to touch regularly, which is better in pretty much every aspect to the “soft touch” that’s everywhere in new cars. Even most econoboxes had padded cloth on the doors and armrests, replaced by the plastic/soft touch in modern econoboxes.

The fake leather doesn’t dry out and crack, it just wears off and begins peeling instead, it’s trading one issue for another.

Hard/overly bolstered seats are uncomfortable for me and being a smaller person, don’t offer any real support anyway. For a daily, plush bench with good lumbar is the only way to go, I have no need for giant bolsters to cruise the highway or sit in stop and go.

If you like the soft touch/plastic/overly styled interiors of today, great, I prefer comfortable/simple/padded.

Long_Voyager94 > fintail
12/17/2019 at 16:08

And realistically, I’ll end up making about $2k once the car/van sell, so we’ll essentially get paid $2k to buy it. ;)

fintail > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 16:42

Excellent justification. If it is as good as it looks, especially for the money, you’ll regret not pursuing it.

Long_Voyager94 > fintail
12/17/2019 at 16:49

The owner got back to me, she has someone very interested supposed to be coming back this afternoon.

I wished her good luck and told her to let me know either way, so now it’s just the waiting game.

fintail > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 16:56

Good luck! With the amount of flakes out there, you still have a chance.

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > Long_Voyager94
12/17/2019 at 19:23

Piecemealed intake with AEM filter, straight pipes resonator and flowmaster super 44. A H bit droney but likes to burble.

Headera would be amazing but that would be a chunk of change plus I guess the cats had to get relocated right?

Long_Voyager94 > nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul
12/18/2019 at 06:54

The headers were actually a solve for clogged cats around 50k miles.

It was going to cost $1800+labor to get the cats replaced at the time, or for $1200 a local shop built the headers, did the full exhaust, and tuned it.

M.T. Blake > Long_Voyager94
12/23/2019 at 15:35

I never knew they offered a manual with a Stratus... Good luck picking it up, let us all know!

Long_Voyager94 > M.T. Blake
12/23/2019 at 15:59

She sold it before I could check it out sadly.

Manual RT sedans are extremely rare!

M.T. Blake > Long_Voyager94
12/23/2019 at 15:59

Bummer!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Long_Voyager94
01/10/2020 at 11:56

Have you seen my posts about the Crown Vic bomber I recently purchased? I want to paint the doors black so the body is all black and the roof remains white. As well, I am going to do some creative straightening, but I am not going to replace any body panels. Get the thing driveable, then sell it. I’d rather do minimal effort and maybe lose a couple hundo than spend more money on it and constantly be chasing diminishing returns.

ANYWHO, to paint those doors, I’m thinking rattle can black and then a coat of rattle can clear over top. Thoughts on that? How many door panels do you think I can coat with a rattle can?