Category Archives: Dodge – DO NOT USE

The 2013 SRT Viper Steals the Show in New York

Many cars made their North American and world debuts at the New York International Auto Show last week, but the SRT Viper stole the show. The 2013 SRT Viper is the first of its namesake to not bear the Dodge name, and its stunning design was more than enough to keep Auto Show guests mouths watering.

Designers created the car with functionality in the forefront, and also paid attention to subtle details, such as the menacing snake-like headlights and the muscled "hips" that stand out above the rear wheels. The car, much like Vipers of years past, features an extremely pronounced front-end with numerous air intake cut-outs. The roof bubbles over the driver's and passenger seats, which allows for racecar drivers wearing helmets to comfortably fit inside the decadent muscle car.

Under the hood, the SRT Viper is even more impressive than many may imagine. The 8.4-liter V10 engine that comes standard in this sporty car boasts 640 horsepower and 600 lb-ft. of torque, making it one of the most powerful vehicles in its class. It also features a revamped suspension to allow for better control.

The headlights feature low-profile LED dayrunners, and the turn signals mirror their shape across the top of the light. When the turn signals are used, they give the vehicle a devilish appearance similar to "angry eyebrows," one of the designers told CarBuzz. The rear lights are equally as eye-catching, and the recessed turning lights are nearly invisible, appearing black in the middle of the taillights when they're not in use instead of the typical amber associated with turn lights.

The new SRT Viper may not be in everyone's price range with an expected asking price of $100,000, but there are plenty of affordable used sports cars for the car enthusiast who is shopping on a budget. New Jersey State Auto Auction has a wide selection of makes and models from sports cars to more conservative vehicles.

Shell partners with Penske for 2011 racing season

Shell Oil Company and Penske Corporation have announced a business alliance to increase their motor sports presence in the 2011 racing season, extending sponsorhsip to former champion Kurt Busch, who has driven the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge since 2006.

As a result, rival company ExxonMobil fired back by announcing that it is also cutting ties with Penske after this season. Its withdrawal means Penske has to look for a new sponsor for Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge.

“It has been a long and successful relationship, and we wish the Penske team continued success on the track,” the ExxonMobil said in a statement as reported by the Associated Press.

Penske’s deal with Shell will make Pennzoil the primary sponsor for Busch, who will move to the No. 22 Dodge, according to the news provider.

In a new release, Penske said that Pennzoil will become the “official motor oil” of its racing season next year, including all of its entries in the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the Nationwide Series and the IZOD IndyCar Series.

Penske first partnered with Pennzoil in 1983 as part of its IndyCar teams. The partnership won the 1984 and 1988 Indianapolis 500 Mile Races. Busch also drove a Pennzoil-supported car for another team when it won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship in 2004.

Carl Edwards gets a slap on the wrist after wrecking Brad Keselowski

On Tuesday, NASCAR veteran Carl Edwards was placed on three weeks probation for deliberately wrecking Brad Keselowski’s number 12 Dodge at last weekend’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

In the NASCAR world, Edwards’ punishment is actually being looked at as rather light, as he admitted to purposefully spinning out Keselowski as an act of retribution.

Early on in the race, the four-time Atlanta champion was bumped from behind by Keselowski, sending Edwards’ car careening into the wall, essentially ending his day.

However, after sitting in the garage for over an hour, and falling 153 laps behind the leaders, Edwards drove his car out of the shop and back on the racetrack with vengeance on his mind.

Edwards spent over a lap attempting to chase down Keselowski, who was running in the top ten at the time of the “accident.” After Edwards made contact with Keselowski’s Dodge, the car went airborne and smashed into the catch-fence while inverted. Fortunately, no injuries occurred, but the harrowing scene made some commentators believe that Edwards would be suspended.

Keselowski’s Penske Racing teammate Kurt Busch won the race, his first victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Danica Patrick crashes in her final spring NASCAR race

On Saturday, racing superstar Danica Patrick wrecked in her third and final NASCAR race before she will head back to the IndyCar Series.

Patrick, who has had an unceremonious beginning to her NASCAR career, collided with Michael McDowell on lap 83 of this weekend’s Sam’s Town 300 Nationwide Series race.

After getting fresh tires, Patrick quickly caught up to McDowell’s slowing Dodge that had lost its rear end in a previous accident. Outside of turn one, Patrick tried to pass McDowell on the inside, but he drifted low into her path, causing her number 7 Chevy to wreck. The accident ended the day for both drivers.

“I tried to give the outside, I saw her coming into it and I closed the door,” said McDowell. “It was completely 100 percent my fault. I hate it for everyone at JR Motorsports. Like I said, I take 100 percent responsibility.”

The crash was especially unfortunate for Patrick, who was having her best race of the season and even found herself in third place after a strategic pit stop.

The media darling will now head to the IndyCar Series for four months before coming back to NASCAR for a few races at the end of the summer. Veteran driver Kevin Harvick took the checkered flag on Saturday after leading 83 of the 200 laps.

Top used family SUVs with towing capacity

Although the weather in New York and New Jersey may paint a different picture, spring is just around the corner. Owners of trailers, campers and boats who are expectantly waiting for warmer weather will soon be relying on one thing – a capable tow vehicle.

However, some consumers don’t have a lifestyle that can accommodate a heavy duty truck. For those individuals, the 2004 Nissan Armada or the 2004 Dodge Durango may be the perfect vehicle. Both SUVs have accomplished towing capacities, but are also terrific family automobiles that won’t cost and arm and a leg.

The 2004 Armada has many similarities to a full-size truck. In fact, it actually shares the same powertrain with the Nissan Titan pickup. It comes standard with a 5.6-liter V8 and a 5-speed automatic transmission with tow-haul mode.

Available in SE, SE Off-Road and LE models, the ’04 Armada is offered with rear-wheel and four-wheel drive with low-range gearing. The Off-Road model includes skid plates, special shock absorbers, a low final-drive ratio and 17-inch wheels, according to Consumer Guide Auto. Optional features include a navigation system, satellite radio and a rear-seat DVD entertainment system. It seats eight passengers, and its 2nd and 3rd row seats fold flush to the floor, making travel a breeze.

With all of its family-friendly features, the Nissan Armada tows more than 9,000 pounds, making it ideal for weekend warriors. In 2004, a brand new Armada was priced at just over $33,000.

In the same year, the Dodge Durango was completely redesigned. The 2004 Durango is 7 inches longer, 2 inches wider and more than 3 inches taller than its predecessor, according to Cars.com.

A standard Durango is equipped with a 210 horsepower 3.7-liter V6 engine. However, the most popular models are powered by a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 that cranks out 335 hp and 370 pound feet of torque.

Durango models with V-8 engines come with either rear-wheel or four-wheel drive and have a tow/haul feature built into the transmission, which can limit gear searching while towing. While it is not quite a full-size SUV, the 2004 Dodge Durango has a towing capacity of nearly 9,000 pounds.

In 2004, a new Durango was priced at around $26,000.

2005 Dodge Durango combines power, utility and comfort

Consumers in the market for a tough, powerful, truck-like sports utility vehicle may want to check out the 2005 Dodge Durango, one of the more rugged SUVs on the road today.

Although three different engines are available for the ’05 Durango, the 5.7-liter hemi V-8 is the most powerful and popular option. The hemi produces 335-horsepower and 370 pound-feet of torque.

Even with its tall, massive frame, the Durango handles curves exceptionally well. It possesses off-road capability, has expansive cargo space and an impressive towing capacity of 8,700 pounds.

The 2005 Dodge Durango is not your traditional 21st century SUV.

“There’s nothing cutesy about its shape or its bulk,” says About.com. “This is a full size working truck. For someone who has a genuine need for a large, powerful truck, the Durango is an excellent choice.”

The obvious downside to the Durango is that it gets below average gas mileage. However, it has an optional rear seat DVD-entertainment system, satellite radio, a sunroof and an above average sound system.

Viper to emerge from hiatus Italian

In early November, Dodge CEO Ralph Gilles announced the company would stop manufacturing one of its most powerful sports cars, meaning used Vipers in New Jersey could become a hot ticket item.

Only 500 more Vipers will be built by July, 2010, when manufacturing will cease in Detroit, according to MotorCrave.com. Dodge decided to limit production because it wants to preserve the value of the Vipers that are already on the road, rather than flood the market with the model in hopes of squeezing every last penny out of the muscle car.

The Viper was first displayed at the North American International Auto show in 1989, reports Edmunds.com. The first generation model was originally called the RT/10 Roadster, which became available for purchase in 1992. The most striking features of the Viper were its massive 8-liter V10 and six-speed transmission, which allowed the car to accelerate to 60 MPH in 4.6 seconds and then on to 100 in just 4.6 more.

Since its inception 20 years ago, the Viper has been redesigned three times. Its third generation was built under DaimlerChrysler beginning in 2003, says the website. Critics liked this version of the Viper because it was faster than past generations and also more practical.

“There’s no denying the functional improvements afforded by the new Viper’s exterior design – not to mention the collective sigh of relief by every new Viper owner’s insurance agent due to the elimination of the expensive one-piece hinged front end,” wrote the publication’s Karl Brauer after driving the 2003 Viper for the first time.

The third generation Viper was built until 2006 and also featured a V10, according to Edmunds. But this motor was 0.3 of a liter bigger than the original and produced 510 horsepower, a 110 HP gain. Combined with a burly T56 Tremec six-speed manual gearbox, the ’06 Viper got to 60 in 3.9 seconds and to 100 in about 8.4.

In 2007, no models were produced and America learned the fourth generation would only become available the following year, meaning Viper lovers know how to play the waiting game. That’s fortunate because they’ll have to wait until 2012 for the fifth generation Viper, according to Motor Trend.

The future of the Viper is uncertain since, as most Americans know, the U.S. auto industry has been on the ropes lately. On June 1, 2009, Chrysler and Fiat announced they would be joining forces because the American manufacturer was suffering financially.

“We are very grateful to loyal Chrysler customers who have supported us throughout this process and assure them Chrysler Group is well prepared to produce and support quality vehicles under the Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler brands,” said Robert Nardelli, CEO of Chrysler.

Reaction to Chrysler-Fiat deal has been mixed. Some American car enthusiasts are excited because Fiat owns Ferrari and Alfa Romeo, meaning new Chryslers could offer a certain amount of European charm. Others are afraid the Italian company will go too far and try to tame Chrysler muscle cars like the Viper.

“I fear that the Italians don’t want a $90K Dodge to outperform a $200K Ferrari,” wrote one Motor Trend contributor. “It’s possible they will hold the Viper back and keep it from being the monster that it is today.”

It seems Americans are going to have to say goodbye to the Viper for a little while, like it or not. Officials aren’t sure whether the sports car will come back, menacing V10 and all. What is almost certain, however, is that used Vipers in New Jersey could become quite popular when car buyers learn only 500 more purely American models will be manufactured in the foreseeable future.

Bugatti crash could increase sales of used Caravans in New York

A man in Texas recently drove his expensive sports car into a salt marsh because of a pelican and the amusing details of this story might inspire car shoppers to look for slower and cheaper vehicles like used Caravans in New York.

Many men and women spend their lives longing for an exotic sports car, but what they don’t dream about is what it’s like to completely ruin one. The Huffington Post recently published a story about a man in La Marque, Texas who drove his $1.25 million Bugatti Veyron into a marsh after a pelican came in for a closer look at the masterpiece and distracted him. Stricken, the man dropped his cell phone and lost control of the car when he reached to the floor for it. He was not injured.

“Salt water isn’t good for anything,” said local police officer lieutenant Greg Gilchrist to the news source.

Unfortunately, car accidents are just a fact of life. Most motorists are responsible and protect themselves by car paying for auto insurance. Moreover, most motorist don’t drive Veyrons because they’re too expensive and useless for people who need a car they can bring their kids to school in, like a Dodge Caravan. Perhaps this Bugatti crash will make auto shoppers look for vehicles like used Caravans in New York instead of this year’s hottest sports car.

Owners of used Dodges in New Jersey may want to check out new Mopar offerings

Gearheads likely know that many automakers have a performance division, such as Nissan’s NISMO, or General Motor’s aptly named GM Performance. An update to the classic Mopar’s list of offerings could be a reason to check out used Dodges in New Jersey, as well as Plymouths and Chryslers.

The company has upgraded its website and introduced new product offerings for people looking to get a little more performance out of their cars and trucks, with crate engines featuring the classic Hemi, as well as interior upgrades like live mobile TV.

Mopar recognizes that it needed to get into the web to maintain its customer base, and that means that owners of used Dodge Rams in New Jersey can check out different parts without leaving their computer chair.

“Over the past year, approximately 40 percent of consumers who were in the market to purchase parts and accessories have shopped online,” said Pietro Gorlier, the firm’s president and CEO. “Our Mopar eStore addresses this market and will be a critical sales channel for the brand.”

Automaker shakeup means used cars in New Jersey may be only option for some models

When Fiat announced that it was buying a stake in Chrysler, automotive enthusiasts understood that some models of the ailing corporation would only be available in the future as used cars in New Jersey. But a new report indicates that a healthy percentage of the automaker’s product line will no longer be sold.

Chrysler sells cars under its own name, as well as Dodges and Jeeps. According to the Wall Street Journal, Italian automaker Fiat will be eliminating production of the Chrysler PT Cuiser and Sebring, as well as the Dodge Caliber, Nitro, Avenger and Grand Caravan. Also set to be taken off new car dealer showroom floors are the Jeep Commander, Compass and Patriot.

In their place, buyers will see Alfa Romeos and the Fiat 500, a subcompact that is popular in Europe according to the news provider. It notes that the new offerings will arrive in 2012, and Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne will need to keep the company afloat while the changes are made.

Buyers can add those models to the lists of vehicles only available by researching used cars in New Jersey, thanks to automakers’ cutbacks. Other cars that are no longer produced include Pontiac’s G-series and all Saturns.