How the English consumer views American cars today has altered significantly over the past decade which in no small way has much to do with the attitude of the American motor industry which came around to the idea that the UK public possessed sufficient in common with their American counterparts to make selling cars in the UK worthwhile. Although a dramatic increase in the volume of American cars sold in the UK has grown, it is still small by comparison to sales from European competitors. However that may be about to change as Dodge is beginning to let the UK public catch sight of cars such as the Dodge Stratus.

For a few years now the UK has witnessed a fairly rapid increase in the number of American cars sold on these shores. The trickle of American hardware with wheels began to get noticeable in the ‘90s when owning a US built 4×4 began to register as not simply different but also as a worthy alternative to what was on offer locally, from Europe and Japan.

To the UK consumer American cars have always boasted size, power and at times an incredibly exciting appearance. US motor manufacturer brands readily recognized by the UK public has included Dodge although like other American marques if you were in England you rarely got to see one in the metal. The shame of this is that living in England meant that you were left out of experiencing a significant part of motoring history. Shoehorning big V8s into medium sized European saloons began to be popular in the ‘70s but by comparison to what was happening in the US at the time with cars such as the Dodge Charger Hemi loose on the prowl meant that car enthusiasts could only be allowed to dream or watch American movies with car chases.

However by the ‘90s a sufficient number of American 4×4s had been sold in the UK to raise an awareness of the potential market ready to absorb more products from Detroit. OK, it was never going to be easy because UK built cars have their steering wheel on the right side of the vehicle and American cars on the left, but heck why did that prove so difficult to overcome until now? Since the 1996 Dodge Stratus began to appear in glossy car magazines the English populations’ interest in American vehicles other than 4×4s began to acknowledge that American saloons not only looked good they might also be fun to drive and since by that time lots of American 4×4s were roaming around on English roads the prospect of owning say a 1999 Dodge Stratus began to seem ever more possible.

With interest in American saloons such as the 2001 Dodge Stratus gradually developing within the English community it began to appear worthwhile to expect Dodge to present a display at the British Motor Show, even if it was only going to be a small contribution. The 2002 Dodge Stratus and the 2004 Dodge Stratus provided the English public with a glimpse of what the American public expected of their vehicles. The cars were good looking and very reasonably priced for example a 2004 Dodge Stratus was priced from just under $19,000 to a little over $23,000. The 2005 Dodge Stratus appears a little sexier with a Dodge Stratus spoiler that accentuates the vehicles rear lines to good effect. While the 2006 Dodge Stratus somehow manages to appear even sexier much as a maturing wine improves with age so it seems does the Dodge Stratus. A 2006 Dodge Stratus for sale appears good in most colours so it’s really down to personal preference as the bodylines are attractive whichever angle you care to view the Stratus.

Buying a Dodge Stratus in the UK

If you come to the conclusion that you cannot stop yourself from purchasing a Dodge Stratus be aware that the Dodge Stratus engine does not always do the car justice. The Dodge Stratus problem with its engine seems to focus on the head gasket. Apparently the Dodge Stratus head gasket has a history of failing therefore a used example should be purchased with a full service history to ensure that the manufacturer’s maintenance regime has been correctly followed.