hi there,

just wondering how everyone thinks about comparing the dodge caliber to the honda fit. yes, i am greatly aware that we will be biased. the only reason i'm considering this caliber against the fit is that i get a discount on both cars, but the discount is much more beneficial for the dodge than the honda... just curious...

 

Simple measure I'd use:
Quality Control

http://www.daimlerchryslervehiclepro...m/about_us.htm

 

hmm, did i mention this place is biased?? ;) jk... i work for chyrsler making dashboards for the 300/magnum/charger (they're all the same car) and let me tell you, i wouldn't buy one hell, i wouldn't take one if it were given to me. i'm not allowed to say why... but i wouldn't want to get into an accident with one of those things if you know what i mean...

 

My cousin also works for Chrysler on the Caravan line. She teased me that we should have bought a Caravan instead of the Odyssey, but she cracked on her own and said she’d never get one herself. Tells you something when the people building them aren’t interested in buying them.

From what I’ve noticed over the years, lease a North American car, buy a Japanese car.

 

Wow do you work for GM corporate? All the dealers I do car commercials for say the same thing is preached to them from GMAC!

 

Hell no. GM wouldn’t be where it’s at if I worked there.

One of my 1992 Integras had an electrical fire. I was stuck in a 2006 Pontiac G6 GT for 3 weeks. I was happy to give it back and hop into a 1993 Civic DX as a daily driver until the Fit is available.

Why buy something that has horrible resale value, and typically needs a bunch of repairs once the warranty expires (or even before)?

 

i would still like to see a comparison.. doesnt the calibre have a 1.8L DOHC? with 145hp?! it must not be getting to great MPGs.. but i have seen a few of them around where i live and have yet to see a Fit..

 

Check out Car & Driver - it was included in the new Subcompact comparison and came in towards the back of the pack...:rolleyes: Fit won by 25 points...:cool:

 

http://automobiles.honda.com/images/...141_eprint.pdf

:)

 

American cars aren't all bad.....drive a Corvette or an STS Type-V sometime.

Superbang, don't you already own a Caliber? Or was this thread started before you bought yours.

Anyway, I'd definitely take the Fit over the Caliber, even if just on looks alone. I don't like the Caliber's pseudo-SUVish presence, but to those who don't detest SUV's it might look alright.

I have to admit, the SRT Caliber looks to be a helluva thing, ugly or not. I don't yet know how the handling dynamics stack up to the Neon.

I imagine that by the end of the year Calibers will have some wild incentives on them.

 

The Caliber looks like a Neon and PT cruiser and offspring.

Jonniedee is right QC baby ;)

 

haven't driven a vette but i have driven a viper. and i must say that i didn't like it all. it just felt cheap and like it was about to fall apart. i was very disappointed. :( i dunno about the news ones though.

 

Vette >>>> Viper

I intensely dislike Vipers, at least the first-generation car. Angled seating position, awful materials, bad build quality, et cetera.

I mean, a Corvette isn't going to have the interior quality of, say, an Audi or something, but they're screwed together pretty well, especially the C6's.

Vipers also just aren't really fun to drive, they're too uncompromising. It's like driving a Countach or something (which is a real nightmare, IMO). It's an anomaly, not a sports car.

I still prefer the ZR-1 over any of the modern 'vettes, but I also haven't driven a new Z06 with the dry-sumped titanium-conrod-equipped high-revving LS7.

 

yeah, in the viper, you have to have long legs and a really short torso. i had to scoot the seat up, but then it made the steering wheel too close. not to mention, you can barely see anything out the front windshield cause the roof comes down too low.

oh here is that top gear review of the countach. hehe

please be kind to my bandwidth and right click and save. :)

http://error404notfound.net/vids/Top...Murcielago.avi

 

i've tested both cars and it would be a difficult decision. but we (gf and i) went for the Honda b/c well, its a honda :D. caliber is a huge step up from a neon and is a pretty practical car for its price. i'd buy the SRT-4 or AWD R/T version only though, but more costly than the Fit.

 

The caliber DOES fare well tho (for the time it works). For a car that size and 148hp, it gets impressive mileage (28 observed, the same as nissan versa!!!)

However, reliability....

Dodge caliber is just a simple car. it's easy to get a lot of interior space if u make it a bigger car. Fit is great cuz it uses what it has very well.

 

Check this out from Autoweek:
http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dl...2003/1005/FREE

"I like the Dodge Caliber less the more I drive it. As a Neon replacement, how-ever, it’s pretty good; I would take it any day over a Toyota Yaris, for example.

The ride feels nice until the pavement gets bad, then it becomes crashy and bangy. The 158 hp is enough, but barely.

And the plastics inside are awful. I know, hard nasty plastic is the wave of the future in this class, but c’mon...

Anything positive? Sure: It’s roomy, the hatch is handy and at least it looks different."

Ouch!
Crash and Bang is the first thing I noticed that our new Fit did not do compared to our departing Chrysler Town & Country!

 

When I first started looking, I compared the Fit to the Caliber. I like the Caliber with its extra features, I liked the AWD, the little cooler, and the styling was ok. But, then I saw the price, it would have to be a heck of discount to equal the value of the Fit. Granted, no AWD or cooler, slightly less horsepower, but also lighter.

Another side note, out of the cars that I have owned, the only ones that I have had major problems with have been gm, and chrysler.

 

When I first started looking, I compared the Fit to the Caliber. I like the Caliber with its extra features, I liked the AWD, the little cooler, and the styling was ok. But, then I saw the price, it would have to be a heck of discount to equal the value of the Fit. Granted, no AWD or cooler, slightly less horsepower, but also lighter.

Another side note, out of the cars that I have owned, the only ones that I have had major problems with have been gm, and chrysler.

 

I went to the dealer to look at a Caliper and just wasn't impressed with the looks of the interior quality or the exterior styling...sorry Dodge...my wife and I love her Durango but the Caliper is big zero. LOVE MY FiT!!!!!