[TWX]

Good! I'm glad that the mileage is decent. A friend of mine hasn't been too happy with is Caliber, and is getting less than that. Of course, he's a bit of a lead-foot like me, which might account for that.

I take it that you do quite a bit of highway driving to have 10,000 miles in seven months...

[Bob Lincoln]

Quote

The milage is about 26.5 in mixed driving and about 30 on the highway at legal speeds.

So that's with the V-6 and 6-speed auto? Great! Imagine what it could be with a 5 or 6 speed manual, geared for highway driving. This would be the Chrysler product I'm most likely to buy, except that it's an auto, and I won't buy an auto.

Are the seats comfortable and supportive on a long ride? My Daytona is, and I hate to give that up. I've heard that these seats are harder. I'd buy cloth.

[dodge-guy]

Bob Lincoln, on Dec 12 2007, 08:56 AM, said:

So that's with the V-6 and 6-speed auto? Great! Imagine what it could be with a 5 or 6 speed manual, geared for highway driving. This would be the Chrysler product I'm most likely to buy, except that it's an auto, and I won't buy an auto.

Are the seats comfortable and supportive on a long ride? My Daytona is, and I hate to give that up. I've heard that these seats are harder. I'd buy cloth.

If you can manage to get to the south you can buy an AVENGER SE with MANUAL and 2.0 Liter, a real econo combo mileage wise

The seats have YES ESSENTIALS cloth and about one millimeter of soft cushoning, meaning They are HARD...good to keep you awake at night though ;)

[aeromaestro]

Bob, the SXT V6 uses the 4 speed transmission.

[TWX]

dodge-guy, on Dec 12 2007, 09:25 AM, said:

If you can manage to get to the south you can buy an AVENGER SE with MANUAL and 2.0 Liter, a real econo combo mileage wise

The seats have YES ESSENTIALS cloth and about one millimeter of soft cushoning, meaning They are HARD...good to keep you awake at night though ;)

Which 2.0L is it? That seems like an awfully small engine for that heavy (3405lb), as the first-generation Stratii were 2876lb, and still weren't exactly speed demons with their 2.0L...

[Bob Lincoln]

Maybe he's talking about a 96 Avenger (Mitsu). No thanks.

The new Avenger does not come with a manual transmission in the US.

[marlon_jbt]

If you were a registered user, you would not be seeing this!

Bob Lincoln, on Dec 13 2007, 09:05 PM, said:

Maybe he's talking about a 96 Avenger (Mitsu). No thanks.

The new Avenger does not come with a manual transmission in the US.

dodge-guy is in Mexico.

[marlon_jbt]

Well this is somewhat on topic, I know I still have my Liberty in my signature but I replaced it with an '08 Avenger.

It's a 2.4L, SXT with the Sport Appearance Package and not much else.

I got it slightly used, it's a Chrysler Corporate Lease vehicle and I've put some miles on it since. I finally did a mileage calculation, and I'm only averaging 17.6MPG? I know I'm a bit of a leadfoot at times, but I really did try to keep a lightfoot this time, and I'm greeted with this for mileage? I'm not too happy right now.

I was thinking that maybe I should disconnect the battery so the transmission will "learn" my driving habits and clear the computer of all other learned means of running?

Is this a good idea? Also, where is the battery?

[Stratuscaster]

marlon_jbt, on Dec 21 2007, 03:01 PM, said:

I got it slightly used, it's a Chrysler Corporate Lease vehicle and I've put some miles on it since. I finally did a mileage calculation, and I'm only averaging 17.6MPG? I know I'm a bit of a leadfoot at times, but I really did try to keep a lightfoot this time, and I'm greeted with this for mileage? I'm not too happy right now.

Does the season have anything to do with it? I know my MPG drops a bit in the winter.

marlon_jbt, on Dec 21 2007, 03:01 PM, said:

I was thinking that maybe I should disconnect the battery so the transmission will "learn" my driving habits and clear the computer of all other learned means of running?

I would do it myself. If anything just so you know you are starting from "scratch."

marlon_jbt, on Dec 21 2007, 03:01 PM, said:

Is this a good idea? Also, where is the battery?

I think it's a good idea. And the battery - IIRC - is in the fender well - driver's side. There should be a negative battery connection under the hood - you can disconnect it from there.

And to confirm others - yes, you can get a 2.0/5-speed Avenger in Mexico. (Alas, the 2.0/5-speed model does not qualify for the current "free insurance for a year" program.)

FWIW, the 1995 Stratus 2.0/5-speed was within .1 second 0-60 from the 2.5/4-auto drivetrain. While it may not have been fast, it was fuel thrifty.

[TWX]

Stratuscaster, on Dec 21 2007, 02:48 PM, said:

FWIW, the 1995 Stratus 2.0/5-speed was within .1 second 0-60 from the 2.5/4-auto drivetrain. While it may not have been fast, it was fuel thrifty.

I guess that I shouldn't harp on it too much if the manual transmission helped offset the power reduction with that engine. Of course, the car's reasonable curb weight helped a lot too...

[marlon_jbt]

I've driven 2.0L/5 Speed Stratuses and 2.5L Stratuses at work... that 2.5L is darn near useless... I'd rather have the 2.0L/5 Speed and save fuel.

Thanks Stratuscaster, I'll try that. I know it's wintertime and all, but I wasn't expecting anything that low.

I'll let you know how it turns out. :)

[marlon_jbt]

While that DID help, I only went up to 19MPG.

I did however just find out what the problem was about 10 minutes ago. ALL TIRES ARE ONLY INFLATED TO 20PSI.

Never trust a dealership to have a car in tip top shape when it's delivered to you. All they want is your money. :angry: I've learned my lesson here!

It wasn't washed.
Tire pressures weren't checked.

Oh but the interior was spotless! (Seems like buyers care about that more than anything else... ugh)

I think I'm gonna go get an oil change later today, just to be safe. :angry:

This post has been edited by marlon_jbt: 26 December 2007 - 03:12 AM

[Stratuscaster]

Yup - that'll definitely kill your MPG. Your handling probably improved a bit, too.

I'd make a stink at the dealer over it. Wasn't it lower tire pressures that cause problems with Explorers? That's a safety issue. Demand satisfaction.

At the very least, be vocal and tell them you aren't coming back because of the unacceptable service.

[marlon_jbt]

Stratuscaster, on Dec 26 2007, 09:06 AM, said:

Yup - that'll definitely kill your MPG. Your handling probably improved a bit, too.

I'd make a stink at the dealer over it. Wasn't it lower tire pressures that cause problems with Explorers? That's a safety issue. Demand satisfaction.

At the very least, be vocal and tell them you aren't coming back because of the unacceptable service.

I think they already know that I'm never coming back.. they made me angry enough just buying the car.

[Chris The Mopar Man]

Quote

I'd make a stink at the dealer over it. Wasn't it lower tire pressures that cause problems with Explorers? That's a safety issue. Demand satisfaction.

Oh no! That was the defective Firestone tires! The ones that wore like iron on any other vehicle. Not the fact that FORD RECOMMENDED A DANGEROUS TRIE INFLATION PRACTICE, SOLD A VEHICLE ALMOST AS UNSAFE AS THE SAMURAI TO UNSUSPECTING CUSTOMERS, OR ALLOWED ITS DEALERS TO PROMOTE UNSAFE DRIVING PRACTICES INCLUDING "LOADING MORE WEIGHT ON IT WILL IMPROVE THE HANDLING" AND "YES, YOU CAN DRIVE IT AT 45 MPH WITH THE 4WD ON." None of that stuff ever happened.

[Ian]

Bob Lincoln, on Dec 13 2007, 09:05 PM, said:

Maybe he's talking about a 96 Avenger (Mitsu). No thanks.

The new Avenger does not come with a manual transmission in the US.

Why would they sell a car with a manual transmission in a country and not available in another when the cars are built at the same plant... :blink:

[Stratuscaster]

Ian, on Dec 31 2007, 12:16 PM, said:

Why would they sell a car with a manual transmission in a country and not available in another when the cars are built at the same plant... :blink:

Because it depends on where that particular car is being sold. Outside North America, diesels sell and manuals sell. Inside North America, the majority of vehicles are sold with automatics. Some of it is customer preference/ability, some is government regulations.

Recall that the turbocharged Stratus/Cirrus/Sebring models were also built in Michigan, but not sold here - only sold in Mexico.

Remember what we've been told - to offer a manual 2008 Avenger, there is an entire certification process - costing millions - that goes along with it. They tried it on the 2G Stratus R/T and 2G Sebring GTC Convertible - offered a manual along with the 2.7 engine. It didn't sell very well at all apparently, as they killed that option within 2 years. (Ignore the fact that the manual option was not promoted or advertised, that it might have been a different story if it was available with the 2.4L I4 instead of the 2.7, and didn't offer much, if any, benefit in speed or mileage.)

Could that change? Sure. Will it change? Will Americans actively go out and PAY for manual transmission driver training to learn it? Probably not.

[Erik Latranyi]

marlon_jbt, on Dec 26 2007, 01:27 PM, said:

I think they already know that I'm never coming back.. they made me angry enough just buying the car.

You may want to check the fuel you are using. If it is blended with ethanol, you will lose about 20% of your fuel economy.

My 07 Sebring with the 2.4 averages around 30 mpg and I have a heavy right foot. When I used Sunoco fuel, it dropped to about 24 mpg due to the ethanol blending.

[Stratuscaster]

Erik Latranyi, on Jan 5 2008, 02:40 PM, said:

You may want to check the fuel you are using. If it is blended with ethanol, you will lose about 20% of your fuel economy.

My 07 Sebring with the 2.4 averages around 30 mpg and I have a heavy right foot. When I used Sunoco fuel, it dropped to about 24 mpg due to the ethanol blending.

In some states (like Illinois) ethanol blending is mandated - you cannot purchase gas without it.