New Dodge Challenger Spy Shots...

[Jay 02 TA ws6]

I'm in love. This thing looks so unbelievably awesome...

[img][/img]

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Removed by me.

[wolfdogs]

its a DC man............. can you say "no quality control"..........can you say "maint nightmares"......... i could tell you horror stories from the DC vehicles we have in our GSA Fleet of over 200,000 vehicles...1/3 of which are DC.... and 75% of the maint problems.....are......your guessed it.......DC.

she's all yours, not this dude.........

[M3EATER - GG '00 WS6 T/A]

However...... style wise .... that gets an A+ (whatever it actually is.....).

If GM did an F-body come back like that...........................

[fastTa]

I think it's sick! And, if it gets the rumored 450+ HP Hemi..........

[94 formula]

its a DC man............. can you say "no quality control"..........can you say "maint nightmares"......... i could tell you horror stories from the DC vehicles we have in our GSA Fleet of over 200,000 vehicles...1/3 of which are DC.... and 75% of the maint problems.....are......your guessed it.......DC.

she's all yours, not this dude.........

What engines are in the fleet vehicles? My brother is a mechanic at a DC garage and has commented on how horrible some of the mitsubish engines they have in the cars are. My father has a 99 intrepid with the 2.7 the car is babied and had the timing chain break at 60k miles ruining the engine and it sounds like its ready to go again but its just not worth replacing for what it costs to replace and what you can pick a used one up for. From what I've seen American motors put in Chrysler vehicles such as the PowerTech 4.0 used in many Jeeps are indestructable but the ones from mitsubishi are horrible. They are developing a new 4cyl that will be used in many of their vehicles that Mitsubish is calling the New World Engine and some of the mechanics have been sent to school to learn about them and not a single one of them has a good thing to say about it.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

We now own 2 Chrysler products. We traded in a 1997 van with 144k miles for a 2001 Grand Caravan. We also have a PT Cruiser with the same 2.4L motor the 1997 van had in it. The PT has been flawless. The van has a funny rattle like a bushing is bad but other than that it has been problem free. I find it hard to believe the Charger can be so different. I'm sure it's made at a different plant.

I don't know if the 2.4L 4 valve DOHC is Mitsubishi or not. The engine in the van leaked from the head gasket from about 30k miles on. At 140k it finally blew. I talked to a friend of mine who is a Chrysler mechanic and he said that they must have fixed the gasket problem around 2000 because after that they don't blow them.

Everyone knows about the front wheel drive transmission problems Chrysler has. The 1997 van went at 30,002 miles. The PT Cruiser has a Chrysler reman in it from the previous owner. It had 58k on the clock when we got it. Of coarse the V8 rear wheel drives use a variance of the old torque flight which is just about indestructible. My friend the mechanic said they don't get many trans problems in anymore.

I still want one. Being an old Mopar fan Someday I want to own a Hemi.

[Joe 1320]

What engines are in the fleet vehicles? My brother is a mechanic at a DC garage and has commented on how horrible some of the mitsubish engines they have in the cars are. My father has a 99 intrepid with the 2.7 the car is babied and had the timing chain break at 60k miles ruining the engine and it sounds like its ready to go again but its just not worth replacing for what it costs to replace and what you can pick a used one up for. From what I've seen American motors put in Chrysler vehicles such as the PowerTech 4.0 used in many Jeeps are indestructable but the ones from mitsubishi are horrible. They are developing a new 4cyl that will be used in many of their vehicles that Mitsubish is calling the New World Engine and some of the mechanics have been sent to school to learn about them and not a single one of them has a good thing to say about it.

As I've always said, Mitsubishi bites.

[94 formula]

As I've always said, Mitsubishi bites.

Good call. I've done some research on these motors (2.7) especially after my dads went. The problem is they run so stinking hot normal operating temp is in the 230-240 range. This causes the oil to break down very fast which the engine can't handle which inturn messes up the tensioners on the timing chain which allows the timing chain to slap around until finally it breaks and we all know what happens when DOHC engines break the timing chain or belt...kaboom. The best remedy is having the thermostat changed out which is atleast a 4hr job or running full synthetic oil and making sure to change it no later than every 3k miles. Most people who buy vans and cars with these engines have no idea about this and are stuck footing the bill 75k miles down the road to replace the motor which is a very expensive job.

[Joe K. 99 Zeee!!]

Well, this is good to know as it's the engine in my Sebring. I'll be even more vigilent with the oil changes now. I bought it at 70k and it's now at 80k. First thing I did when I bought it was to get that timing belt done. Just finished changing plugs and wires, took a day to finish. It's not the easiest engine to work on.

[edit]whoops...2.7L is in the new Sebring Vert, not mine. I have a 2.5L V6 SOHC that's not related to the 2.7L which is an all chrysler design. 2.5L is a mitsu.

[thomas]

What engines are in the fleet vehicles? My brother is a mechanic at a DC garage and has commented on how horrible some of the mitsubish engines they have in the cars are. My father has a 99 intrepid with the 2.7 the car is babied and had the timing chain break at 60k miles ruining the engine and it sounds like its ready to go again but its just not worth replacing for what it costs to replace and what you can pick a used one up for. From what I've seen American motors put in Chrysler vehicles such as the PowerTech 4.0 used in many Jeeps are indestructable but the ones from mitsubishi are horrible. They are developing a new 4cyl that will be used in many of their vehicles that Mitsubish is calling the New World Engine and some of the mechanics have been sent to school to learn about them and not a single one of them has a good thing to say about it.

Tell him to get rid of that dodge!!!!! Ive had to replace about 10 motors in those cars!! Bad motors man.

[wolfdogs]

What engines are in the fleet vehicles? My brother is a mechanic at a DC garage and has commented on how horrible some of the mitsubish engines they have in the cars are. My father has a 99 intrepid with the 2.7 the car is babied and had the timing chain break at 60k miles ruining the engine and it sounds like its ready to go again but its just not worth replacing for what it costs to replace and what you can pick a used one up for. From what I've seen American motors put in Chrysler vehicles such as the PowerTech 4.0 used in many Jeeps are indestructable but the ones from mitsubishi are horrible. They are developing a new 4cyl that will be used in many of their vehicles that Mitsubish is calling the New World Engine and some of the mechanics have been sent to school to learn about them and not a single one of them has a good thing to say about it.

we have just about every model DC builds, except the sports models of course....from sedans to light trucks...

[Performin Norman]

I'll take one.
I wish they could bring back the Cuda Version. I like it better.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

I'll take one.
I wish they could bring back the Cuda Version. I like it better.

Yea I like the grill on the 71 Cuda the best.

Since this will have a 6 speed I wonder if it is a T56. And if so, I'm thinking pistol grip in my Camaro.

[wolfdogs]

i got a dumb question.........if this car is the "challenger proto"...why is the picture from Calif? that van's tags are cali tags, the scenery is not Detroit... Detroit is where proto's emerge from...... is there a plant close to that spot then?...but these cars are almost hand built, tooling has not been done yet for robots..... interesting.

[markd79ta]

its a DC man............. can you say "no quality control"..........can you say "maint nightmares"......... i could tell you horror stories from the DC vehicles we have in our GSA Fleet of over 200,000 vehicles...1/3 of which are DC.... and 75% of the maint problems.....are......your guessed it.......DC.

she's all yours, not this dude.........

Quality control? My 2000 Bonneville is the biggest overpriced and now worthless piece of junk on the road. A car the leaks through body seams, throws transmissions, blows intake gaskets, and has a permanent back order on intermediate steering shafts that fail is nothing but poor quality. If you think I am exaggerating, spend some time on the Bonneville forum http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/ Sadly, my elderly parents lost a ton of money on a '99 Park Avenue that wouldn't heat because of a poor temp control head unit design and the car stalled going through intersections. After countless trips to the dealer who never fixed any of it while it was under warrenty, my parents cut their losses and dumped it when it was just three years old. The 4T60E or the newer 4T65E can't hold up in the mountains (at all!) My sisters Buick Regal lost a tranny at 68K and a colleague lost the tranny in his Bonneville at 54k. ...both cars dropped the tranny in the mountains which is rather common in Colorado

Anyhow, this is an old tired argument. I think we are all aware of the problems Chrysler had over the last thirty years. Yes, I am sure the fleet 2.7 Intrepid and Stratus cars have their problems, but the Intrepid is gone and the Stratus will be re-engineered or re-invented soon. DC things to stay away from include Mitsubishi powered anything, 2.7 powered anything, 2nd gen 1/2 ton Rams, and the mid to late 90s Caravan's. From '95 on, the 3/4 ton and 1 ton RAMs were the best especially anything with the Cummins. From '98-'04 the 3.2 and 3.5 cars were great. My X's 3.2 Concorde LXi ran flawlessly. However, it did have some weird brake issues that required me to change them out more often then I would like. Anyhow, it has been a long hard road for that company, but they are coming out with cars that kick GM in the shorts. GM is quickly eroding to the place where Chrysler was in '73.

DC's new line of cars are phenomenal, and they are winning awards in every category including quality. GM can't even come close to comparing to the 300, Charger, and Magnum. As their R&D expands across their entire line and they emerge from the doldrums, the old argument of QC will be over.

Speaking of which, my '96 Dodge Ram is exceptional...I wouldn't even rent a Silverado. I purchased this vehicle from the original owner so I have the maintenance records. With 113,000 on the clock, it only had two unscheduled mechanical repairs...a thermostat and a MAP sensor...far better then any of my GM cars and trucks.