[Redpest]

Alright...i have been thinking about buying a new car for a very long time. I really like the srt4 and the SRT4 is the most reasonable choice, for the price, good looks, and hp rating. I wanted something brand new, a turbo, and good reliability. BUT... on the "problems" forum i have seen many threads about all types of problems that people had with their SRT4's. Now I'm curious... is the SRT4 a reliable car? I'm pretty sure the warranty would cover repairs, but i don't want the car sitting at the dealership longer than it being on the road. I know you can't really use "reliable" and "turboed" in the same sentence, but i thought the SRT4 was one of the more reliable turboed cars that i could afford. I'm mostly concerned with reliability, i've had big problems with my current car and i don't want to get a new car and have problems right off the back. So... is the car reliable enough to where i don't need to bring it to the dealership every so often? and if year produced makes a difference, should i get an 04' or wait next year for an 05'?( i really don't want to wait another year) Or should i choose a non-turboed car instead?
THANKS

 

[BlackSRT4GUY]

non turbod car will not have as many problems.......maybe go with an ls1 camaro?

 

[Redpest]

Yea...i probably shouldn't of added that last sentence but, I really want a car with a turbo, just so i can hear the turbo working. Also i say nay to the camaro, i wanna stick with compacts for now, until i get older and the insurance on the v8's don't kill me lol. But, if more people can answer the reliability questions better, it would help me out a lot.
THANKS

 

[Advans]

Reliabilty, it all matters. There's a few people on here that have 40,000 miles on there SRT's, and according to them they have had no problems with the vehicle. Mine, I have 9000 on the clock, and only "serious" problem i've had, was a bad TPS wire. Easy fix under the warrenty. So, it's up to you.

 

[jeeptoplesstx]

I have had a lot of the same worries here lately...thinking that this little engine putting out this much power has got to be bad in the long run...A turbo is a lot harder on a car correct? Or is it not...assuming I left the car completely stock until like 80000 miles when the warranty was up...do you think overall I would be good to go or would I still have more problems than say in a honda civic?

 

[srtboosthead]

It's not like they just slapped a turbo on the srt-4 block. It's been designed from the ground up around turbocharging. Yes turbocharging does put more stress on engine internals, generally speaking, but it's not a problem as long as it's designed to handle it. The compression is nice and low, making forced induction quite safe.

Besides, this crap about turbos = unreliable? riiiight... that's why every high output commercial engine uses turbos. They're perfectly safe as long as they're tuned right, and you stick premium fuel in the tank. If you treat it right, any car will last, as long as you're doing proper maintenance, and not beating the shit out of it on a daily basis. Look at all of the older turbo dodges still on the road today. DSM cars are still super popular. You just have to use common sense.

A civic follows a completely different engine building philosophy. They go the route of reliable naturally aspirated, lean-running, fuel efficient engines. If you want great gas mileage, get a civic. If you want to have turbocharged fun, get an SRT-4. You won't be sorry, and it's addictive.

 

[djpheer]

Its like computers man, of course if you goto the "problems" section, there will be PROBLEMS. All cars have problems. You never really hear about the ones that dont, because if you dont have problems you generally dont post or dont speak up. I have 13,500 miles on my car and not a single issue with it. I say go with the car, take care of it, dont beat on it TOO bad :eveilgrin and it should be fine for you, not counting bad luck at least.

 

[Redpest]

It's not like they just slapped a turbo on the srt-4 block. It's been designed from the ground up around turbocharging. Yes turbocharging does put more stress on engine internals, generally speaking, but it's not a problem as long as it's designed to handle it. The compression is nice and low, making forced induction quite safe.

Besides, this crap about turbos = unreliable? riiiight... that's why every high output commercial engine uses turbos. They're perfectly safe as long as they're tuned right, and you stick premium fuel in the tank. If you treat it right, any car will last, as long as you're doing proper maintenance, and not beating the shit out of it on a daily basis. Look at all of the older turbo dodges still on the road today. DSM cars are still super popular. You just have to use common sense.

Yea I know all about DSM's....i have a non-turboed version, but from the forums i know about the serious problems with turboed versions. That's why i refused to get a turboed eclipse because the problems, that's why i was curious if the reliability of the SRT4 was as sorry as the DSMs. I know doing maintenance work during each time period will help out car alot.
BUT... thanks guys for the input it really helped me out alot. I plan to get an SRT4 now, blue.. lol. But i'm also curious, this is off the subject, but how much insurance do you guys pay?, and please include age. And do you HAVE to do full coverage when paying monthly to the dealership?
THANKS alot, and keep the input coming.

 

[srt4#1]

35,000 miles and counting. stage 1, wga, bov on for 30,000. no probs except for the two broken axels(my fault for lots of wheel hop at the race track.) had my car checked w/no probs. by my mech. stock turbo still spins to 18-19 psi daily. 93+ octane and regular synthetic oil changes will keep you in the green for years.

 

[srt4#1]

was paying $99 per mo. before 150 mph reckless driving ticket. now $275 per mo. :wah?!: age= 29 going on 16.

 

[GERRY]

Trust me, if there was a section titled 'No Problems' it would be MUCH larger than the 'Problems' section. These cars are very well built, fun to drive, and easy to reliably upgrade. Get one and enjoy!

 

[skipdogg]

Look, we're not her to sell you a car. It's like what my tatoo artist says, If we have to try to sell this to you, you don't really want it.

Drive one and you'll fall in love like we all did.

 

[Redpest]

Look, we're not her to sell you a car. It's like what my tatoo artist says, If we have to try to sell this to you, you don't really want it.

Drive one and you'll fall in love like we all did.

I'm pretty sure i want one...it's just i'm curious what ya'll have to say about the car. lol, i'm pretty much sold on getting one now... i've been thinking about getting a new car, and the srt4 is the best choice for what i'm looking for. Now, i just gotta call my insurance company to see how much they'll charge me. If it's enormously high, i'll probably buy an srt4 in a year or two... but it's definately going to be the next car i get.

 

[Neo]

if it makes you feel better.. you will have a hard time finding many people who say "I got an SRT-4 and it was a piece of crap.. I immediately traded it in on XXX-brand import" Now I'm not saying they aren't out there (stupid people are around us everywhere.. and lemons happen.) Most people I've seen who gotten rid of them, it was to move up to something bigger and better (STI, EVO, Cobra, Vette, etc)

Definately go test drive one.

-A

 

[nastyblacksrt]

if it makes you feel any better, my 03 is going on two years old with 25k and only been to the dealership to get a fog lamp replaced.