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sometimes i wish i got a Neon instead

2K views 31 replies 16 participants last post by  kagekun 
#1 ·
I puchased the Caliber SRT4 in July, all because i figure it would be easier to get in and out of... but sometimes i wish i would have gotten the Neon instead....
 
#3 ·
I love both my Caliber SRT-4 and my Neon SRT-4! They are both the same to get in and out of.
 
#9 ·
I had both.
My caliber for a year, my neon for almost a year.
My caliber looked way better, orange sunburst, blacked out windows and tails, she was so pretty.
Interior, crap, handling, decent, vision was terrible, did I mention the interior? Then I found out I wasn't going to be having a kid(well my ex wasent). So I sold it and bought my teenage dream car the neon srt4.

The caliber for sure is an adult car, the neon is just the hopes and dreams of all of my car love.

The caliber was much easier to get into, sat a few inches taller, bigger interior room.
 
#10 ·
Wow I feel old. I was 21 when the neon srt4 came out! Both of my kids are young and dont ride in any of my srt4's thats why I bought a xterra 5 years ago to carry my family around in!
 
#11 ·
^^^YOU feel old? I got my NSRT when I was 28, when it first came out. It's a fun DD/beater. I don't feel like I could really outgrow it like one would probably outgrow, say, a riced out civic. But also I don't have kids. Trust me, it's the kids that make you feel old. :jester:

As for caliber, I don't like the styling at all. Turned out to be a flop as we all know despite good intentions for the car. Maybe the Dart SRT will redeem the SRT-4 name. It would be awesome if they made SRT-4s for other models instead of just one car, like they do with the SRT-8s. A Chrysler 200 SRT-4 would be nice, or maybe a Jeep Compass SRT-4... Better yet some sort of 2-seat roadster with RWD, like the Demon prototype from a few years back, in SRT-4 trim....!
 
#12 ·
haha yeah you got me on the age thing! Im with ya on the SRT-4 trim thing, they need more! But the caliber SRT-4 is not bad at all, I love the car actually. The seats are comfy, it handles really well to be a family car! Only thing is the dash and all that stuff is kind of crappy but I have not had any problems with it! I also got it because it is rare and there are not many left because of wrecks. Also they keep there resale value unlike most cars.
 
#13 ·
The dash is terrible. The plastic gets ruined so easily. I had marks where I put my license plates on the dash while I put stickers on them to install when I first got it.
And the doors. They felt like 5lbs, every fucking time, slam slam slam. I felt like I had to yell at my passengers before they closed the door, be gentle! But those seats are comfy. Just not as comfy imo as my srt4. Those things feel like they love me and want me safe.

I sold mine for 500 less than I bought it for. Lol. Resale value ftw.

I bought the caliber 100% for the looks and kid potential.

Crossfire srt is money.
 
#15 ·
Well I live in FL so no plate for the front and yes the doors feel like feathers lol, but Im the only one that really sits in my CSRT4 so im cool with it! I bought the caliber to add to the SRT4 collection and will never sell it. Now I am waiting for the Dart SRT4 to come out!
 
#14 · (Edited)
For me to reallly Love my CSRT4, i have plans... such as eibach springs to lower a bit, FMIC to the lower part and were it can be easier seen, and i would never know why Dodge used a single exhaust when dual is better, so that too is on my list.
But yet, i would trade it in a heartbeat for a NSRT4.. and i think mine would trade cause it does come with a unlimited mileage warranty for the next 3 1/2yrs. Covers everything but fuel injectors and timing belt(which is routine maintenence anyway). It was an option i purchased when i purchased the CSRT4 since it was a used car


AND,, i would trade for a neon Just to make me feel young again HAHAHAHA... im 38
 
#28 ·
...and i would never know why Dodge used a single exhaust when dual is better...
I beg to differ...yeah, on a V-8 or V-6 a dual exhaust is better, but there is absolutely no point to a dual exhaust in a straight 4. All you are doing is splitting it up for looks. Which personally I hated about my Neon. That's why I had the factory tips cut off, and had a single welded in it's place.


As for the Caliber...I drove one. It was better than I expected it to be. It was also modded, and to what extent I do not now. That being said...I would NOT have given up my Neon for it, but if I could have con'd the Mrs into a manual transmission. :thumbupsq
 
#16 ·
I have both now..NSRT-4 and CSRT-4.


The caliber looks sexy as hell from the outside...True.

Interior is ugly as hell, seats are full of stains just from dropping water on them, vision is not that good...Handling is hella amazing with coilovers + 255s tho! I still prefer my NSRT!
 
#19 ·
On the NSRT4 i think a single exhaust would've been less restrictive than the wtf were they thinking attempt at a "y" pipe. But I've come to expect silly stuff like that from Daimler Chrysler. lol.

I personally like the style of the caliber. But I'm also a wagon lover. AWD SRT4 caliber = would be amazing..My NSRT4 would be amazing as awd too, though. lol
 
#20 ·
My Caliber SRT4 does NOT look like a bus and is very roomy inside which I like since I have 2 kids. Its also fast and its funny when people that have no clue what it is try to run me. Both of my daughters love the car and so do I. Now its time to get my hands on a GC SRT8 for my wife to drive for another family car.
 
#21 ·
I dont know why people hate on the CSRT4? Im a DODGE and a SRT enthusiast, I love ALL SRT's will soon have a ALL SRT garage and will buy nothing else but. MOPAR OR NO CAR.
 
#24 · (Edited)
It's not so much that I hate the CSRT-4 as much as it is that I just hate the Caliber. I actually considered test driving a CSRT when it came out. I liked the 19" rims, the seats, and the 6 speed manual Getrag trans. I just couldn't see getting rid of my N-SRT after just paying it off to get into payments again for the next 5 years on a car I didn't absolutely love.

I like Dodge too and all SRTs but you have to admit the Caliber itself was a failure and the CSRT is the red-headed step-child of the SRT lineup. Although the SRT designers had good intentions for the CSRT, it would have fared better had it not failed to be a step up in performance from the NSRT, which at the end of the day is what most SRT buyers want to see in a successor model. But instead we got a slower car (although more stock horsepower and torque perhaps) with questionable looks and little aftermarket support, and for a higher price.

That being said, would I prefer to drive a CSRT over a regular Caliber? Of course. Over about 70% of the cars on the road? Probably. Over most other equally performing cars in its price range? Probably not. Would I prefer it over my NSRT? No way!

But I will say I have high hopes for the Dart SRT-4, and I think they learned a lesson with the Caliber. The Dart is a decent looking car and from the rumors I've heard, the performance will be on par with or better than the NSRT, and the interior fit & finish plus the exterior styling upgrades will result in a successful car.

I still think they should make a few different SRT-4 models instead of just the Dart. Why not a Chrysler 200 SRT-4? How bout a 2-seat RWD SRT-4 roadster? Maybe a Jeep Compass or Dodge Journey SRT-4? (maybe that's stretching it a bit)... But why should the SRT-4 be limited to only one model when there are four SRT-8s?



They made an r/t caliber that was awd right? Why didn't they just swap an Srt engine into it?
Fixed that for ya! :thumbsup: They don't make Calibers anymore. Production ceased in 2011, and 2012 was the last model year. The CSRT was discontinued after '09.


Anyway it was not that simple. The standard AWD system in the R/T couldn't handle the abuse the SRT powertrain would have put on it. To make an adequate AWD system it would have jacked the price up quite a bit. That is why they didn't go with AWD on the SRT-4s.

They want to squeeze big performance out of FWD for a reasonable price. That is why the NSRT was so successful. Big bang for buck factor.
 
#23 ·
Its been done on calibersrt4.net. There is one guy on there that has done it but he has been having issues for awhile with it. I have been never into show and all go and the caliber is all go and NO show. dynoing around 275HP at the wheels on different dyno's with no mods. They rate it at 285HP from the factory but we all know that fact.
 
#27 ·
I can say half the neons on this site are ugly as hell to and thats a facted. Trust me I still own my neon and I am the original owner of it. I have kids and my caliber takes them around just like my GC SRT8 will once i own one sometime this year. Would I buy a reg caliber hell no but the CSRT4 is an amazing car with really good handling the way it sets, stock and I would never trade it in or sell it.
 
#29 ·
Oh I wouldnt give my neon up for a CSRT4 thats why I didnt have have both my NSRT4 and my CSRT4. But I also only have one car payment right now and thats my CSRT and I only pay 276 a month for it. The neon has been paid off since 08.
 
#30 ·
I was never really impressed with the Caliber. Even less so when i found out just how bad it turned out in the end. (The Caliber had good initial plans, and absolutely terrible follow-thru). I'd never want to own one, and it's obvious most people dont like it. Hence why only 1/5th as many CSRT were made as the NSRT.

Rare car? Yes.
Ugly? From many angles.
Tunable? Not really.
Lacking LSD? Yes.
Electronic Nannies? Yes.
Handling? Worse than the Neon.
Worthy successor to the NSRT? No.

That said. I'm looking forward to the DSRT and how it turns out. Many little details can make or break that car. I hope they get it right.
 
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