My SRT-4 One Year Review
Oct 11, 2004, 10:29 AM
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My SRT-4 One Year Review
well, I've now owned my bone stock 2004 SRT-4 for a year now and have 11k miles on it and figured I would post my opinions so far since there seem to be many people (like me) on this forum who want EVO's but only have an SRT-4 budget 
The first thing I can say is that the car is dead reliable. I'm usually a big hater of domestics because of quality issues however this car has been a pleasant surprise. I have only had 2 issues with it. One was a crap rim/tire which they replaced and the other was an injector which went bad on one of the cylinders. I still don't have a single squeak or rattle anywhere which I'm really happy about. Also worth mentioning is that the Dodge Service Department has been absolutely the best. The idiots over at Nissan and Mitsu could take a lesson from the Dodge 5 star dealerships about how to make a customer happy when getting service. They go the extra mile every time.
As far as engine performance the power of this little car has got me addicted. It still goes like stink....especially 3rd gear roll-ons.....the car just goes. The fact that all that torque is available at lower RPM's make this car really great for driving around town and shooting past slower cars at will without having to rev the hell out of it. I bet with the Stage II upgrade this car is downright wicked.
The handling still leaves a lot to be desired but honestly it's not that big of a deal when just driving around town. When you do decide to hang a corner though you get a good deal of chassis flex and body roll which I'd sure like to take care of with the Stage II Mopar Coilovers and a big thick swaybar. I'd probably do this first before I did engine mods because the handling needs more help.
Overall I'm happy with the car. It's been to the shop for warranty repairs less times than my Mazdaspeed and is showing no signs of slowing down or falling apart. So far, my pre-conceived notions about Dodge quality have been proven wrong. This has been a great car that is TONS of fun for the price. If you're buying in the $21k range this is your car.......
The first thing I can say is that the car is dead reliable. I'm usually a big hater of domestics because of quality issues however this car has been a pleasant surprise. I have only had 2 issues with it. One was a crap rim/tire which they replaced and the other was an injector which went bad on one of the cylinders. I still don't have a single squeak or rattle anywhere which I'm really happy about. Also worth mentioning is that the Dodge Service Department has been absolutely the best. The idiots over at Nissan and Mitsu could take a lesson from the Dodge 5 star dealerships about how to make a customer happy when getting service. They go the extra mile every time.
As far as engine performance the power of this little car has got me addicted. It still goes like stink....especially 3rd gear roll-ons.....the car just goes. The fact that all that torque is available at lower RPM's make this car really great for driving around town and shooting past slower cars at will without having to rev the hell out of it. I bet with the Stage II upgrade this car is downright wicked.
The handling still leaves a lot to be desired but honestly it's not that big of a deal when just driving around town. When you do decide to hang a corner though you get a good deal of chassis flex and body roll which I'd sure like to take care of with the Stage II Mopar Coilovers and a big thick swaybar. I'd probably do this first before I did engine mods because the handling needs more help.
Overall I'm happy with the car. It's been to the shop for warranty repairs less times than my Mazdaspeed and is showing no signs of slowing down or falling apart. So far, my pre-conceived notions about Dodge quality have been proven wrong. This has been a great car that is TONS of fun for the price. If you're buying in the $21k range this is your car.......
Oct 11, 2004, 11:07 AM
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The SRT-4 is the best vehicle in its price range for certain. This review shows an honest evaluation of what is a great value, much like the Evo. Personally, I would have waited to get a pre-owned 2003 Evo. How ever if you want the new car smell, IMHO this is the best bang for the buck in 21 K range.
Oct 11, 2004, 11:27 AM
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Originally Posted by BADWRX
Those damn things are really fast. I would be interested to hear your reliability comments after 100K miles though.
lol....I don't think I'll keep it that long. I go through cars at least every 2 years
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Oct 11, 2004, 12:42 PM
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Good review. I got my 03 evo with 5 miles on it for 27500 and if I hadn't been able to get such a good deal I would have probly gone with an SRT-4 instead. Those things are wicked fast and like you said, from a roll they can keep up with most cars out there, including stock evos. I love the AWD and am addicted to the way you can just floor in mid corner and not break the tires loose... However the maintence on the evo is way more and the mitsu specific issues are kinda anoying (luckily mine has been very reliable).
Enjoy the low end torque (its one of the few things I wish I had a bit more of on this car).
Enjoy the low end torque (its one of the few things I wish I had a bit more of on this car).
Oct 11, 2004, 01:16 PM
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If I may also add to this thread, I too have recently exceeded my one year ownership with my 03 SRT-4.
I've only had two minor issues: clutch pedal and a/c. I took the car in to a local dealer to have them check out my clutch pedal. I could feel a little vibration and noise when I press on it. There is no problem with shifting or clutch engagement its just a little wierd vibration when I step on it. I usually can only feel it when I have my thin soled work shoes for the office but with my casual thicker shoes I don't really feel it. I never did take it back to get it worked on because frankly I don't trust dealerships. So I've lived with it and have gotten used to it. I forget it even does it anymore. When I replace the stock clutch for the Mopar upgraded unit next year I will address it further at that time.
The a/c was kicking and alive last summer. This summer it died. I'm sure it's just a simple recharge but again my dealer phobia has left my *** sweating on hot days.
Ah, oh well its fall already and I don't need it.
Other than that the car has been such a joy to drive. No regrets and with the mods that I have done to it already it makes the car even better. Next year for me comes the new Mopar Stage 3 turbo upgrade, Mopar clutch and maybe Mopar S2 coilovers. I can't wait.
I've only had two minor issues: clutch pedal and a/c. I took the car in to a local dealer to have them check out my clutch pedal. I could feel a little vibration and noise when I press on it. There is no problem with shifting or clutch engagement its just a little wierd vibration when I step on it. I usually can only feel it when I have my thin soled work shoes for the office but with my casual thicker shoes I don't really feel it. I never did take it back to get it worked on because frankly I don't trust dealerships. So I've lived with it and have gotten used to it. I forget it even does it anymore. When I replace the stock clutch for the Mopar upgraded unit next year I will address it further at that time.
The a/c was kicking and alive last summer. This summer it died. I'm sure it's just a simple recharge but again my dealer phobia has left my *** sweating on hot days.
Ah, oh well its fall already and I don't need it.Other than that the car has been such a joy to drive. No regrets and with the mods that I have done to it already it makes the car even better. Next year for me comes the new Mopar Stage 3 turbo upgrade, Mopar clutch and maybe Mopar S2 coilovers. I can't wait.
Last edited by evo77; Oct 11, 2004 at 01:19 PM.
Oct 11, 2004, 02:36 PM
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Originally Posted by evo77
If I may also add to this thread, I too have recently exceeded my one year ownership with my 03 SRT-4.
I've only had two minor issues: clutch pedal and a/c. I took the car in to a local dealer to have them check out my clutch pedal. I could feel a little vibration and noise when I press on it. There is no problem with shifting or clutch engagement its just a little wierd vibration when I step on it. I usually can only feel it when I have my thin soled work shoes for the office but with my casual thicker shoes I don't really feel it. I never did take it back to get it worked on because frankly I don't trust dealerships. So I've lived with it and have gotten used to it. I forget it even does it anymore. When I replace the stock clutch for the Mopar upgraded unit next year I will address it further at that time.
The a/c was kicking and alive last summer. This summer it died. I'm sure it's just a simple recharge but again my dealer phobia has left my *** sweating on hot days. Ah, oh well its fall already and I don't need it.
Other than that the car has been such a joy to drive. No regrets and with the mods that I have done to it already it makes the car even better. Next year for me comes the new Mopar Stage 3 turbo upgrade, Mopar clutch and maybe Mopar S2 coilovers. I can't wait.
I've only had two minor issues: clutch pedal and a/c. I took the car in to a local dealer to have them check out my clutch pedal. I could feel a little vibration and noise when I press on it. There is no problem with shifting or clutch engagement its just a little wierd vibration when I step on it. I usually can only feel it when I have my thin soled work shoes for the office but with my casual thicker shoes I don't really feel it. I never did take it back to get it worked on because frankly I don't trust dealerships. So I've lived with it and have gotten used to it. I forget it even does it anymore. When I replace the stock clutch for the Mopar upgraded unit next year I will address it further at that time.
The a/c was kicking and alive last summer. This summer it died. I'm sure it's just a simple recharge but again my dealer phobia has left my *** sweating on hot days.
Ah, oh well its fall already and I don't need it.Other than that the car has been such a joy to drive. No regrets and with the mods that I have done to it already it makes the car even better. Next year for me comes the new Mopar Stage 3 turbo upgrade, Mopar clutch and maybe Mopar S2 coilovers. I can't wait.
what performance mods do you have to get those HP and torque numbers.....that's nice!!!!
Oct 12, 2004, 08:46 AM
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Originally Posted by loj68
what performance mods do you have to get those HP and torque numbers.....that's nice!!!!
- AEM short ram *
- AGP wga *
- Crane Firewires
- SD ignition coil
- Mopar Stage 1 *
I have since removed the mods above with * and now I have:
- Mopar Stage 2 (no toys)
- Mopar Cat-back
- ATP 3" downpipe (no cat)
- JLM 3" o2 housing
- stock everything else!
Oct 12, 2004, 08:55 AM
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I'd actually like to thank the non-hating people posting in this thread. It's nice to see people not bashing on another car for no good reason!
And to the SRT4 owners, glad you're enjoying your cars, thanks for the objective reviews
And to the SRT4 owners, glad you're enjoying your cars, thanks for the objective reviews
