How many miles can a Dodge Caliber last? When you’re in the market for a second-hand Caliber, that’s, of course, a very reasonable question to ask. After all, you’re probably looking to get the most bang for your buck. In this blog, we’ll look at the most popular models but first, let’s start with a quick answer:
On average, a Dodge Caliber lasts between 180,000 – 200,000 miles. A Dodge Caliber needs to go to the garage for unscheduled repairs about 0.24 times per year with an 11% change of the severe problem. Furthermore, Dodge Caliber owners spend an average of $501 per year on repair costs.
Having said that, we’re certainly not done. Below we’ll first explain in more detail how many miles a Dodge Caliber can last. After that, we’ll compare the Caliber to its main competitors in terms of potential mileage and compare the Caliber to other Dodges. Furthermore, we also discuss the common problems that a Caliber can have for the models produced between 2007 to 2012, how much maintenance will cost per year, and how to maintain a Caliber. Read on!
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Want to know how many miles this Dodge can still last with an almost empty fuel tank? Read this blog we wrote earlier.
How Many Miles Can A Dodge Caliber Last?
Let’s first take a deeper dive into the question of how many miles a Dodge Caliber can actually last. To formulate a proper answer, we used data that we retrieved from autotrader.com. We selected all available Dodge Calibers (330 in total) and sorted them by the number of miles they had already driven.
The table that you see below is the result of this research. What becomes clear immediately is that the Dodge Caliber does seem to be a very sturdy car in terms of potential mileage. 23,33% of the researched cars had already crossed the 150,000 miles mark, with another 47,88% having crossed the 100,000 miles mark.
Now, let it be clear that Dodge stopped producing the Caliber in 2012 and that this car has therefore had a long time to get to higher mileage. Still, the fact that such a big percentage of the available cars has reached a higher mileage shows that there has to be something that the Caliber does right.
Amount Of Miles | Percentage Of Cars |
Cars With 150.000+ | 23.33% |
Cars With 100.000 – 149.000 | 47.88% |
Cars With 45.000 – 99.999 | 27.88% |
Cars With 0 – 44.999 | 0.91% |
Furthermore, we also looked at the highest record mileage of the Dodge Calibers available on the website. The reason for this is that this can give you a good indication of what’s the absolute best a Dodge Caliber seems to be able to do. The highest recorded mileage was 230,000 miles, which shows that Dodge Calibers can reach 200,000 miles easily.
How Reliable Is A Dodge Caliber Compared To It’s Competition
Besides knowing how reliable the Dodge Caliber is in itself, it’s also important to compare it to its competition. This gives you an even better idea about if the Dodge Caliber is actually a good car compared to the other options that you have.
In the table below, we, therefore, compared Caliber to its four main competitors. What becomes clear here is that the Caliber does seem to perform very well when looking at how many of them reach the 150,000 miles mark.
However, we have to say that the comparison here is not completely far given that the Golf, Mazda3, and the Ford Focus are still in production, and therefore there’s a lot of new models that haven’t yet had time to reach the 150,000 miles mark.
However, the Toyota Matrix is a far comparison since most of these cars have already had a long time to reach this particular mileage. In that case, the Matrix does seem to outperform the Caliber.
Model | Sample Size | Cars With 150.000+ Miles | % Percentage Of Cars With 150.000+ | Highest Mileage |
Dodge Caliber | 330 | 77 | 23.33% | 230,000 |
Volkswagen Golf | 1754 | 38 | 2.17% | 230,000 |
Mazda 3 | 7595 | 351 | 4.62% | 240,000 |
Toyota Matrix | 318 | 101 | 31.76% | 270,000 |
Ford Focus | 8141 | 522 | 6.41% | 240,000 |
Furthermore, it’s also important to compare the Caliber to the other cars in terms of the highest recorded mileage. What we see here is that the Dodge Caliber underperforms the other cars slightly. 230,000 miles is certainly not bad but a bit worse than the Mazda3 and the Focus, whereas it’s certainly not as good as the Matrix.
However, overall we would say that the Caliber holds its own in this comparison and that it does seem to be a reliable car.
How Reliable Is A Dodge Caliber Compared To Other Dodges?
Finally, it’s also good to compare the Dodge Caliber to other Dodge cars. The reason for this is that this gives you a clear idea of what kind of quality standard Dodge normally produces and how the Caliber fits in that picture.
We see here that the Caliber does seem to perform exactly in line with the other older models such as the Nitro, Dakota, and Avenger. It does slightly better than the Avenger, slightly worse than the Dakota and Nitro.
Comparing the Caliber to the other Dodges wouldn’t be fair given that these are newer models which haven’t had time to go to high mileages yet.
Model | Sample Size | Cars With 150.000+ Miles | % Percentage Of Cars With 150.000+ | Highest Mileage |
Dodge Grand Caravan | 5635 | 541 | 9.60% | 290,000 |
Dodge Charger | 13,465 | 252 | 1.87% | 250,000 |
Dodge Dart | 1355 | 44 | 3.25% | 180,000 |
Dodge Challenger | 12698 | 86 | 0.68% | 230,000 |
Dodge Journey | 8087 | 280 | 3.46% | 240,000 |
Dodge Durango | 10485 | 438 | 4.18% | 280,000 |
Dodge Caliber | 330 | 77 | 23.33% | 230,000 |
Dodge Nitro | 271 | 77 | 28.41% | 260,000 |
Dodge Dakota | 548 | 182 | 33.21% | 300,000 |
Dodge Avenger | 829 | 162 | 19.54% | 250,000 |
However, a fair comparison can be made by comparing the Caliber to the other cars in terms of the highest recorded mileage. What we see here is that the Caliber is on the lower end of the list. It does better than the Dodge Dart but slightly underperforms all the other Dodges.
Still, we would say that the Caliber seems to be reliable, but other Dodges seem to perform slightly better than the Caliber does in terms of the highest possible mileage.
How Much Does A Dodge Caliber Cost In Maintenance Per Year?
Besides knowing how many miles a Dodge Caliber can go, it’s also important to know how much maintenance costs annually. There’s almost no point in having a car that can go many miles when you have to pay an enormous amount of maintenance costs.
Using data from repairpal.com, we created the list you can see below. The Dodge Caliber was only produced from 2007 to 2012. For each production year, you can see how much you can expect to pay annually.
We can conclude from this table that the maintenance costs of a Dodge Caliber seem to be normal and in line with what you would expect from a car that’s this size. No production years seem to perform significantly worse than the others, which is a good thing.
Year Of Manufacturing | Dodge Caliber Maintenance Cost |
2012 | $ 539 |
2011 | $ 497 |
2010 | $ 492 |
2009 | $ 533 |
2008 | $ 483 |
2007 | $ 422 |
Also read: The Complete Cost Of Maintaining A Dodge
Dodge Caliber Common Problems
Below we’ve listed the most common problems of a Dodge Caliber. The reason for this is that this gives you a clear idea of what you can expect when driving a Caliber to higher mileage. Please note that these are the most common issues. The Caliber has a whole lot of small issues that we don’t discuss here. Of course, these have already been taken into account in the maintenance cost that we discussed earlier.
NOTE: Before buying a used car, I always like to make sure the vehicle isn´t having any problems that you should be aware of. The easiest way to do this is by buying an OBD2 scanner. These scanners can easily be plugged into any car you’re interested in, and they’ll give you a rundown of potential problems.
Engine Won’t Start
In all model years, there can be a problem with the theft system. This means the car won’t crank and won’t start. Replacing the wireless control module normally fixes this issue. Expect to pay around $300
Water Leak From Headliner
A common problem with cars that have sunroofs is that the drainage tubes may clog up. This will result in water leaking into the car via the headliner. Cleaning the drainage tubes of the headliner normally fixes this problem and is something you can easily do yourself.
Front Struts Wear Prematurely
In all model years, the front struts can wear prematurely. This will result in a rougher ride and poor handling overall. In 2007 – 2009 models, the jounce bumper needs to be inspected when replacing the front struts. If this is a piece of black rubber made of one part, it should be replaced by the new jounce bumper end dust shield. Replacing front struts is expensive. Expect to pay between $500 – $800 for the pair.
Engine And Transmission Control Need Update At The Same Time
In some cases, the engine and transmission control modules need to be updated at the same time. Otherwise, the car may start to malfunction, resulting in several error codes in the control modules of the car. Expect to pay around $50 – $100 to upgrade these modules.
Faulty Radio Drains Battery
The battery in pre-2011 models may drain too quickly because of problems with the cabin compartment node. A software update is available to fix this issue. Expect to pay around $50 – $100.
Is The Dodge Caliber A Smart Buy?
Finally, it’s good to know if the Dodge Caliber is a smart buy or not. To conclude, we have to consider the mileage the car can do, the maintenance costs you can expect to pay, the trouble the car will bring, and how much value you get for your money.
As we already discussed, the Dodge Caliber seems to be a reliable car in terms of mileage, with the car probably can reach 200,000 miles with proper maintenance. Also, the maintenance cost of the Caliber is very reasonable for a car this size. Furthermore, the car does not seem to have many major problems (apart from the front struts), which means you also don’t have to worry a lot about unexpected repairs. All points are, therefore, in favor of the Caliber.
Finally, we want to see how much value you get for your money today. Using autopadre.com, we can see that a Dodge Caliber from 2012 currently has a residual value of 30%.
Now, let’s assume a 2012 Caliber already has driven 135,000 miles. With an average of 13,500 miles per year and an expected maximum of 200,000 miles in total, that would mean the Caliber still has 4 years and 10 months left. Therefore, the Caliber seems to be a good option if you want a cheaper car that has already depreciated a lot but has almost 5 years to go.
Are you in the market for this Dodge? Don’t forget to check out our extensive list of the largest Dodge dealers per state!
Dodge Caliber Maintenance Schedule
For A Dodge Caliber to reach higher mileages, it’s important to properly take care of the car. To do this, you need to know what the recommended maintenance schedule is for the car. Below we’ve outlined the maintenance schedule as advised by Dodge.
- Change the oil every 6,000 miles
- Rotate the tires every 6,000 miles
- Replace the air filter every 12,000 miles
- Replace the spark plugs every 30,000 miles
- Change power transfer unit fluid every 60,000 miles
- Change rear drive assembly fluid every 60,000 miles
- Flush and change the coolant every 102,000 miles
- Replace the drive belt every 120,000 miles
Sources
Hi! My name is Stefan; I’m the owner and lead writer at TheDriverAdviser.com.
I’m an active writer on this blog myself, as well as a novice car mechanic. For the really technical stuff, I find writers with experience as a mechanic or who have studied mechanical engineering.
Read more about our fantastic team on our about page!