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Dodge Announces Caliber SRT4 Pricing To Start At $22,995

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GreenN_Gold
09/02/09

In reply to Dodge Caliber SRT4 Taken Out Back, Shot By Italians
I'm a bit disappointed whenever a "performance" model is axed, but I can't say I'm surprised in this case. There are only two 2008 model year vehicles left at the nearest Dodge dealers in my area, and both of them are Caliber SRT4's. They obviously didn't sell well.
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gotsmart
09/02/09

In reply to Dodge Caliber SRT4 Taken Out Back, Shot By Italians
I was never a huge fan of the Caliber's looks... it always struck me as trying to be too "butch", like they were trying to make it appeal to more men than the Neon ever managed to. Yet most of the Calibers i see are still driven by women.

There's something about the SRT4 that i like, though. The more over-the-top styling actually works. The huge wheels, outrageous body kit and different hood cut line make it look much more aggressive. The hood cut line alone was more pleasing aesthetically on the SRT4, and i don't know why they didn't do it the same on all Calibers.

I would have considered one if it weren't for the god-awful interior. I've seen better plastics in the Rubbermaid aisle at Home Depot.
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Formerlythegreatestdriver promoted this comment gotsmart was starred gotsmart was unstarred

scroggzilla raids again
09/02/09

In reply to Dodge Caliber SRT4 Taken Out Back, Shot By Italians
Matt, the correct term would be "whacked". Thank you.
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Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig)
09/02/09

@scroggs: That reminds me of one of the best Simpsons lines of all times. Joe Mantegna, as Fat Tony, on his wife: "Sadly, my Anna Maria was whacked by natural causes"
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scroggzilla raids again
09/02/09

@Ash78: Fat Tony's appearance in any Simpsons episode guarantees laughter.

Joey: Boss, should I shoot him gangland or executioner style?
Fat Tony: Listen to your heart.
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smalleyxb122
09/02/09

In reply to Dodge Caliber SRT4 Taken Out Back, Shot By Italians
Someone at the building next door drives a Caliber, and I hate myself for growing accustomed to its looks. I'm beginning to think that it looks alright, and it is a shame that the most enthusiat-worthy model in the lineup is getting the axe.

However, until there is a fundamental shift in the market, American car makers will always have a tough time selling sporty compacts.

Buyers that like compacts, like Hondas, and buyers that like American cars like V8s and RWD.

The 4 banger isn't a deal breaker for me, but wrong wheel drive is.

It's an impressive powertrain in the SRT4, so I think that Dodge should Fiero-fy it (or MR2-ize it, for you Fiero haters), and drop it into a mid-rear 2 seater, and bring us the M4S that we (or at least, I) have lusted after for the past 2 decades.

Done right, and priced around $25k, they could sell quite a few of them, but given the limited market for 2-seaters, it would probably be better to build it to a higher standard, and undercut the base model Corvette by $5k-$10k, and try to get a higher margin on each vehicle to make up for lack of volume.
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danio3834
09/02/09

In reply to Dodge Caliber SRT4 Taken Out Back, Shot By Italians
Its too bad. They were a performance bargain. I know quite a few people who have them and after hooning them a bit, I think they're fun. Very easy to make extremely fast as well.
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Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig)
09/02/09

In reply to Dodge Caliber SRT4 Taken Out Back, Shot By Italians
I could really overlook this car's drawbacks for $17k. Seriously. GTwhat? Whosedaspeed3?
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pauljones
09/02/09

@Ash78: Same here. I rather liked it for what it was, just as I liked the old "Don't-call-it-a-Neon" SRT4.
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Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig)
09/02/09

@pauljones: Those are the only Neons I still see anymore (that don't include massive body damage). People actually CARE about them, which is more than we can say for most Chrysler vehicles in the last 10 years.
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that ain't the way to have fun, son
09/02/09

@pauljones:

I'm not a small-car kinda guy, just prefer those with "back", and even I liked SRT's of every model, if not for daily-driver use, then as a hoonalicious machine on the cheap.
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YankBoffin
09/02/09

In reply to Dodge Caliber SRT4 Taken Out Back, Shot By Italians
In any iteration, it did a very poor job of trying to be a compact. A pig with extra boost is just a sporty pig, which is still not a sporty car.
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TV's Paul Y. promoted this comment YankBoffin was starred YankBoffin was unstarred

Paul Y. don't drive too fast.
09/02/09

@YankBoffin: Right, they really are not "compact" per se. My pseudo-sister-in-law has a standard Caliber, and hates it, because it's about double the size of her old 1st-gen neon, and about half as good.
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P161911 probably shoudn't have
09/02/09

In reply to Dodge Caliber SRT4 Taken Out Back, Shot By Italians
Maybe they should have just turned them in under cash for clunkers.
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Mazda Eric
09/02/09

In reply to Dodge Caliber SRT4 Taken Out Back, Shot By Italians
As An Italian American I am EXTREMELY insulted by this post title. We do not shoot people...we stab them in the back of their necks with an ice pick while heading to the Roosevelt Diner for a danish.
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P161911 promoted this comment Mazda Eric was starred Mazda Eric was unstarred

DocWalt
09/02/09

In reply to Dodge Caliber SRT4 Taken Out Back, Shot By Italians
That's really too bad... Oh wait, no it isn't. Dodge is stupid for replacing the Neon with something that sold worse. Did they even test drive the Calibers before they decided to sell them? Complete trash in every aspect.
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Leeeeena the Jalopchick
09/02/09

In reply to Dodge Caliber SRT4 Taken Out Back, Shot By Italians
I thought the Italians' preferred MO was a set of concrete shoes and a nice stroll along the river?
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pauljones
09/02/09

@Leeeeena a Jalopchick: Unless they really, really don't like you, at which point they shoot you in the face as a sign of complete and utter disrespect to you and your family, as it prevents you from having an open state funeral as many Italians prefer to hold.
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Dhillaz 2.0
09/02/09

@Leeeeena a Jalopchick: They stopped doing that ever since the amphibious NSX managed to escape and snitch to the cops.
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Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig)
09/02/09

In reply to Dodge Caliber SRT4 Taken Out Back, Shot By Italians
I'm still holding out hope for a Dodge Journey SRT model. Don't stop believing.
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pauljones
09/02/09

@Ash78: Hold on to that feeling.
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MarywithanM™
09/02/09

@Ash78: Do you get a Rush when you Head East on the Highway of Love?
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pauljones
09/02/09

@MarywithanM: as you were: Only when the lights go down in the city, and the sun shines on the bay.
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Six Flags Over Tomsk
09/02/09

@Ash78: Only if it's born and raised in South Detroit.
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pauljones
09/02/09

In reply to Dodge Caliber SRT4 Taken Out Back, Shot By Italians
You know, dammit, it really was not that bad of a car. It was the only Caliber that could justify it's existence. All Calibers are crude, unrefined, and look like they are screwed together by a bunch or spider monkeys.

But at least the SRT4 Caliber made up for some of it by being redonkulously fast for what it was. looking somewhat cool, and having the capacity to overcome a great deal of it's dynamic flaws with a little home-made lovin' straight out of Ma Mopar's parts and recipe catalog.
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Flagrant German Fanboy
09/02/09

@pauljones: While I completely understand your stance and reasoning on this, I still can't love the Caliber. But I can apply the same school of thought to the generally oh-so-boring Charger. Being in central WI, I see a bazillion of those horrible base-model things, and was really beginning to get pretty stale in opinion on them, until I saw a Super Bee edition Charger R/T in Madison ... and you know what? It actually looked cool! It sounded awesome, and it had room for 5 passengers and all the luggage you could dream of! Why not?

Shame that more cars like this don't actually roll off the lots on a regular basis.
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pauljones promoted this comment Edited by Flagrant German Fanboy at 09/02/09 9:52 AM

pauljones
09/02/09

@Flagrant German Fanboy: Despite how much I like to bash on Chrysler as being a jumbled pile of jungle poop, I really do like the LX/LY platform cars. They are great, comfortable cars, in some versions (SRT8) have great handling, are generally well screwed together, and have styling that I like. I also love Challengers and consider them to be completely dragon worthy in any form; the only problem is that they are over-priced.
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Flagrant German Fanboy
09/02/09

@pauljones: Yeah, for being commonly used as a family-wagon (at least around here), they are a unique looking vehicle in a world of earth-toned shark-nosed Camry clones.
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danio3834
12/27/08

In reply to CarMax: 285 HP Dodge Caliber SRT4 For $16,769, $10K Off MSRP
Yeah, ugly, but I've never let that stop me before.

I thought this car was seriously too much fun to drive. Suicidally fun to drive. I like that in a car.
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kingedwin
12/27/08

In reply to CarMax: 285 HP Dodge Caliber SRT4 For $16,769, $10K Off MSRP
So, why would I want this over a used Mazdaspeed 3?
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MushyHeirloom
12/27/08

@kingedwin: If you have to ask...
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