Welcome to Trade-In Tuesday, a regular feature in which I drive a vehicle that has been traded in to Galpin, The Autopian’s sister-company run by cofounder Beau Boeckmann. Today’s trade-in is a 2007 Dodge Nitro, Dodge’s self-proclaimed first-ever mid-size SUV and a Daimler-Chrysler posterchild for automotive mediocrity.
And the vehicle I drove was no ordinary Dodge Nitro, it was one that had had its catalytic converter hacked out. Here’s what it was like driving this mediocre version of mediocrity.
Today’s trade-in comes to us from Galpin Honda, a gorgeous dealership featuring not just a great cafe, but also a vintage old Honda N360 in the showroom. Someone had traded in this white Dodge Nitro, and, as I’ve always been curious about these machines, I decided to give it a spin around the block. [FYI the video is embedded below. If you can’t see it you can watch it here on YouTube]
Before I get into my review, I have to give the Nitro a bit of credit, because not only is it far from boring, it’s also really close to the concept car that Dodge introduced at the 2005 Chicago Auto Show. That’s this thing:
Here’s how Dodge described the Nitro Concept in its February 2005 press release:
What happens when you bring the Dodge brand’s “Grab Life by the Horns” attitude to the mid-size SUV market? You get the Dodge Nitro concept. Making its debut at the 2005 Chicago Auto Show, the Dodge Nitro is a mid-size SUV concept with a uniquely bold, powerful design statement that would ignite an automotive segment more typically characterized by bland styling.
Once again, the Dodge brand is breaking the rules and exploring yet another bold proportion with the Dodge Nitro concept. The Dodge Nitro concept would be the first mid-size SUV for Dodge, completing the brand’s current lineup, which now consists of passenger cars, minivans, trucks and a full-size SUV. The five-passenger Nitro is designed to attract a customer seeking style, performance and utility.
“The Dodge Nitro concept is brimming with character; it evokes emotion through its rugged styling and dominant stance,” said Trevor Creed, Senior Vice President – Chrysler Group Design. “This is more than just another typical mid-size SUV design statement.”
By October, Dodge gave the vehicle the green light right around the same time that it greenlit the Dodge Caliber, writing in a press release:
At the California International Auto Show today, the Chrysler Group confirmed production of the Dodge Nitro mid-size SUV for the 2007 model year. Nitro will be the first mid-size SUV for Dodge, completing the brand’s current lineup of cars, minivans, trucks, commercial vehicles and a full-size SUV.
“The Dodge Nitro will strengthen and grow the Dodge brand by allowing us to attract a new buyer,” said Steven Landry, Vice President – Dodge Marketing, Chrysler Group. “Dodge Nitro will be more than just another typical mid-size SUV; it will attract customers looking for distinctive style, affordable performance and utility.”
By 2006, just a single year after the concept car’s debut, the Nitro production car made its debut in Chicago, and came with a couple of V6s, a couple of automatics, and the same stick shift (!) as the one in the 2007 Jeep Wrangler:
Three models are available: Dodge Nitro, Dodge Nitro SLT and Dodge Nitro R/T. Available on the Dodge Nitro and Dodge Nitro SLT is a 3.7-liter SOHC V-6 engine. It produces 210 hp (157 kW) @ 5,200 rpm and 235 lb.-ft. (319 N•m) @ 4,000 rpm. The Dodge Nitro R/T features a new 4.0-liter V-6 engine that delivers 255 hp (190 kW) @ 5,800 rpm and 275 lb.-ft. torque (360 N•m) @ 4,000 rpm. Standard on the Dodge Nitro R/T and optional on the Nitro SLT is a new performance suspension and 20-inch tires and chrome-clad aluminum wheels, providing performance-oriented drivers with fun-to-drive handling and a firm ride.
Three transmissions — one manual and two automatic — will be offered. The Dodge Nitro comes with a standard six-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic. The Dodge Nitro SLT has a standard four-speed automatic. The Dodge Nitro R/T has a standard five-speed automatic. All U.S. models offer 4×2 and 4×4 capability. The new mid-size SUV boasts excellent acceleration, braking, handling and towing capacity of 5,000 lbs. when properly equipped.
It’s always cool when the production car actually looks like the concept, which, like I said before, was anything but boring. It’s a bold look!
The base production vehicle offered a 210 horsepower 3.7-liter hooked to a four-speed slushbox, and was generally considered on the slow side thanks to a 4,000-pound curb weight, but the 255 horsepower V6 hooked to a five-speed auto in the R/T models was definitely no slouch. Stickshift versions were probably acceptable, but they were rare to come by.
Initial reviews of the Nitro — which shared the “KK” Liberty’s platform but lacked a low-range transfer case — were mixed; many praised the bold styling, the powerful 4.0-liter engine, and the large interior:
But, especially as time marched on and fuel prices reached a peak in 2008, the gas-sucking Nitro’s reputation tanked (the 3.7-liter auto offered 18 MPG combined, the 4.0 managed only 17), and as it neared closer to its final model year, 2011, many criticized its interior materials, overall quality, handling, fuel economy, and base-engine acceleration. Here’s U.S. News.
And here’s Consumer Reports:
What did I think of the traded-in 2007 at the Galpin Honda wholesale lot? Well, looking at it in person, i have to say that the styling looks a bit childish — bold, sure, but almost as if it had been initially sketched by a child with a crayon.
The base 3.7-liter V6 was quick enough in town, where I drove it, though to be fair, the Nitro I was driving was a bit beat up and certainly not running correctly:
That became very clear when I fired up that 3.7-liter V6. Here’s how I reacted when I first heard that motor fire up:
I would later discover the source of this deafening exhaust noise; someone had hacked out one of the vehicle’s two catalytic converters:
Though it was hard to concentrate over that left bank of cylinders shooting explosions into my ears, I did find the steering radius to be rather tight and the ride to be fantastic, which is counter to what a lot of reviewers wrote. I thought the double-wishbone front suspension and the five-link coil-sprung solid axle really let the Nitro float down the street.
Does it make for a great handling machine? Absolutely not, but did anyone think this brick-shaped 4×4 would carve up a track? No, this thing is a cruiser:
The interior quality wasn’t great, but in 2007, you could say that about a lot of vehicles.
Aside from the narrow front footwells thanks to the wide transmission tunnel, there’s plenty of space in the Nitro, with good visibility, solid rear head and legroom, and decent cargo space, especially with the second row folded. Obviously, the trade-in I was driving wasn’t the finest example, with a nasty peeling steering wheel and stains everywhere, but overall I thought the interior wasn’t that bad, and was legitimately useful:
I like this little cubby in the dashboard:
And in the rear, there’s a false-floor to hide small items in:
Sadly, the 2007 that I drove did not come with the nifty slide-out:
Anyway, watch that video towards the top of this article to hear more of my thoughts on this dirty 2007 Dodge Nitro Trade-In, and to hear that insanely loud exhaust. Overall, I went in expecting to hate the Nitro after all the bad reviews I’ve read, but I can’t.
They’re cheap (good examples tend to go for under five grand), and if you get the 4.0 with the Mercedes A580, you get a practical machine that will do 0-60 in under 7 seconds and should be reasonably reliable. I can’t hate on that. The base 3.7-liter hooked to Chrysler 42RLE, though? You couldn’t pay me enough to buy one, not because it’s a bit slow, it’s because that four-speed slushbox is known to be a bit of a pile.
I had the same 3.7/42RLE in my Dakota. The only knock I ever had on it and is a knock I have for any vehicle with this asinine design, is the shifter linkage at the transmission had some rubber seal and a metal ball that hooked? onto the side of it, had no protection from the elements. After a year it started to stick from deterioration and rust, and I had to play shifter roulette to try and get it into gear.
I made a promise to myself after dealing with that shifter that I will never own a column shift truck in my life again. Otherwise, it wasn’t that bad.
I’d definitely like to experience the R/T though with the 4L. That’d be sweet!
This should be in a crapbox showdown. Can’t wait for more!
David’s highs- Neat prop rod design!
David’s lows- Everything aft of the prop rod.
The place-holder intro on the video is absolute gold. May it forever hold that place with zero changes. ZERO CHANGES! 😛
I’m glad that DT can find the positive, even in a Dodge Nitro.
I can’t.
This is basically the Liberty of that time without the low range. It never really made sense as a product. As much as the styling is sort of bizarre, I always sort of liked the ridiculous bold brick styling of this and the Liberty.
But that interior! No, most cars in 2007 had pretty nice interiors. In fact, for a lot of brands this was sort of a sweet spot for decent materials before the screens began to invade. These and all other Chryslers of the time had some of the worst interior plastics ever put into vehicles. The seats in this/the Liberty were horribly uncomfortable. And the driving position! The worst I’ve ever experienced. The dash intrudes on the driver’s footwell so dramatically that you basically need to keep your right foot at an awkward angle to use the gas pedal. Unacceptable ergonomics.
Oh and while every third car in my neck of the woods was a Liberty in the mid to late aughts, they are all but extinct now. Hardly any of these made it substantially past the 7 year loans that were given out for them.
I’d argue that cars like this are one of the reasons CDJR dealers are sitting on a massive inventory right now.
It made sense for Dodge back then as it filled a gap in their showrooms. And it sold quite decently the first couple of years.
Of course in the long term it would bite them in the @ss since many people have stuck with a mental image of poor quality interiors and unreliability through this day. Specimens like the Nitro, Caliber and Avenger are a great example.
Regardless, I’m sure Dodge dealers would kill for a current Nitro nowadays as they are starving for more vehicles
I don’t know about decently – after 2007, the first full year of sales (75k) it dropped off significantly, only breaking 30k in 2008. Which wasn’t unusual for Chrysler products that year of course especially light trucks, but some had some upticks a year or two after that, the Nitro stayed low. The timing couldn’t have been worse for a vehicle like the Nitro, the Journey was much more the right product for the time and wasn’t that far behind the Nitro.
They’d probably have gotten more out of Nitro-style looks on a more dedicated small crossover based on the Caliber/Compass/Patriot. In a Dodge showroom that would be less overlap than the Jeeps had. That’s a gap that (aside from the pricepoint of the Journey for most of the 2010s) has remained for Dodge until the Hornet now.
Video Intro can’t be improved, leave it alone.
There was a payoff, your video. It was hilarious.
1) I haven’t seen one of those in years. What happened to them?
2) when a dealer takes in a car in this condition as a trade-in, how do the finances work? How much would a dealer conceivably give in trade-in value for something like this?
They won’t be able to resell this thing at retail in this condition, so maybe wholesale or at auction, which will yield … Not a lot. And then what happens to the car?
This one will go straight to auction. There’s no upside for Galpin in keeping it around any longer than they have to. In my experience, dealerships take trade ins like this one for the sake of completing the sale.
As awful as the Nitro is, I hope this one doesn’t go to the scrapyard just yet. Someone who can source a replacement cat for it (preferably legally) could turn it back into a serviceable daily or a cheap box for hauling stuff. The miles are low and it seems mechanically solid outside of the theft damage.
That’s a job for Supergossin.
If you could put a little PT Cruise style up front and some simulated wood grain on the sides, Ooh La La.
I was thinking that they may have thought, well the PT sold well, this is kinda like that. It’s a psudeo jeep. Of course David thinks it’s ugly.
“Today’s trade-in is a 2007 Dodge Nitro, Dodge’s first-ever mid-size SUV”
Uhhhh, the 1998 Dodge Durango would like a word with you.
Yep, distinctly remember Edward Herrmann calling it the “just-right sized Dodge Durango”
They looked good. So did the Dakota they were based off of. Well, the minivan hatch and taillights on them was a touch wonky, but overall they were handsome.
My neighbor is actually still rocking an OG Durango.
When I rarel;y see one still operational around here, it has lost significant portions of its lower bodywork to rust. I’m not talking rusty metal, I’m talking completely missing metal with rusty edges around the holes.
This one certainly isn’t mint, but it’s surprisingly not rusty. I’m in Chicago too, so solidly in the rust belt.
That amazes me based on the ones I’ve seen. At this point I probably see only one or two operational early Durangoes per year.
Yeah, I rarely see them either. And it’s not garage kept or particularly well taken care of either. It’s incredible.
Isn’t the Durango full-size? It definitely doesn’t seem ‘mid-size’ to me..
Nope. Not the first gen anyways. It’s based off of the mid-size Durango pick-up.
First generation was midsize, 2nd and 3rd generations were/are full-size
Oddly, Dodge itself calls the Nitro its first-ever mid-size SUV.
Well, the Durango had been up-sized by the time the Nitro appeared, so they were probably just hoping people would forget about that. The press material talks a lot about the Nitro filling a crucial hole in the lineup, which it certainly did, taking the space left over when the Durango was embiggened
Well, Dodge itself is full of shit. The first gen Durango was mid-sized. And its advertising campaign was all about that. BUT, you witnessed firsthand how much turnover that company had endured in the 2000’s, so how many people there were around when the first gen Durango was launched? Probably not many.
Great review. I have an ‘08 Liberty on the farm which shares the same platform. It’s interesting you mention turning radius, my Liberty has a great radius as well. Mine is very different about ride, however. It’s possible mine is sprung differently, but my Liberty is choppy and nervous in rough pavement. I replaced the front and rear shocks/struts about 15000 miles ago because I was certain they were the culprit, but that hasn’t proven to be the case. I can’t say I really like driving it, and the interior (particularly the peeling steering wheel) is garbage, but it only cost me $850 and is a perfectly useful farm beater. It has the 3.7 4spd auto and so far we are rolling at 210k miles, so I can’t complain too much.
I always thought that Chrysler got the Nitro and Liberty backwards – the Nitro body should have been the new generation Jeep Cherokee (especially with the 4.0 V6!) and the Liberty should have been the Durango Jr. or something.
The Liberty was the better of the two vehicles because of the Jeep brand’s insistence on build quality standards that they wouldn’t compromise on (all Jeeps come with stainless steel brake lines, while lesser Mopars got steel brake lines, as one trivial example). But the styling of the Nitro was the better of the two vehicles that shared the platform, IMO.
> the Jeep brand’s insistence on build quality standards that they wouldn’t compromise on
Not sure if serious
Look, they’ve been owned by Chrysler, and before that AMC. Not a lot to work with… XD
My point was that the Jeep brand has different requirements for their vehicles than the other brands with whom they share platforms, and they do make a difference (or at least they did at one time – I haven’t been closely associated with a Jeep product for some time).
It’s cool that they have those stainless brake lines. A buddy of mine had a jeep a while back that was about 10 years old. A key feature of his was that when you applied the brakes, fluid would spray all over the rear wheel.
I am specifically writing this before reading the rest on purpose: David’s excitement for anything Dodge/Chrysler/Ram is so infectious I find myself almost nearly getting excited, too.
Then I remember I’m reading a story about a Nitro, whose billboards are still famously plastered around my otherwise pristine copy of Crackdown, and is the automotive equivalent of a yawn where you accidentally fart a little bit.
Edit: I’ve finished reading and damn if I shouldn’t have in the I-thought-I-was-joking part about a four-speed auto in 2007.
Are you implying that a four speed auto was outdated in 2007 or something?
“… automotive equivalent of a yawn where you accidentally fart a little bit.” Autopian gold. *chef’s kiss
We bought a 2008 Nitro R/T brand new, during the early part of the global meltdown. Deals were damn good. We first drove a Nitro SLT with the 3.7L/4spd auto combination. What a big pile of garbage. Underpowered, noisy, wallowed around town.
It was a drastic difference stepping up the R/T with the bigger 4.0L and the 5-spd auto. The R/T suspension tuning was much better, helped by the bigger 20″ wheels. The interior was also much nicer in the R/T with the leather and all black interior.
We had it for about 5 years and over 120K miles on it. Even after several accidents, it was still mostly rattle free and solid. Sold it after my husband got a 2012 Benz EcoDiesel.
The only CARB compliant cat for this on Rock Auto is $1500, which makes this thing have scrap value only. But I like this series, please keep it up.
Only in Carb states, this deserves to live another life somewhere else. And catalytic converter thieves should be scrapped.
Galpin are located in California. That Nitro belongs at the front of one of those crap trains pulling 3-4 other crapcans south to Mexico or other points south.
But… No rust.
Hopefully, you will treat us to some nicer trade-ins that are actually destined to stay on the lot for resale. Not this sort of utter trash that may only dubiously make it through the auction line. I need a shower after watching this video.
David, nice entertaining new segment! As a fellow alumni of our former employer (from the John Ricardo & Eugene Cafiero days to post-Cerberus), my fight against initiatives like SCORE and MCM were reminding everyone charged with those demoralizing assignments to keep the faith. MCM really stood for “Making Customers Mad.”
We sold a SH!T ton of these at the second tier credit union specific dealership I worked at from 2007-2009. I drove many of them. They were mostly ex rentals and were merely adequate and 90% of them had the 3.7 and 4 speed auto. They were thirsty, under powered, big on the outside and tiny on the inside. They looked like most mopars of the era with hard plastic terrible interiors with a few interesting features like David’s cute little cubby.
They were mostly sold to younger customers with not so perfect credit on long term loans with next to nothing down. They were customers who wanted something with 4wd (it was Colorado) that would fit the vibe. Most came in at 10am with a smile on their faces, wanting a new 4runner, pathfinder, Xterra or Wrangler Rubicon and left the dealership at 9pm with their tails between their legs, exhausted and broken with an 80 month, 19 percent loan, extended warranty, GAP, Lojack, tire nitrogen, wheel protection and PPF and worst of all….. a 47k mile base Nitro that will be upside down long after its transmission has puked its guts out at the general parking lot at Winter Park.
I remember that no one liked them except the used car manager who would drag his sweaty bulk to the auto auction and snap up every one he could find to pack the lot. We would sit there when the shaggers would show up with the seemingly endless train of gray, black, white and silver Nitros would show up, smoking around the corner of the dealership feeling sorry for the poor customers we know would be sh@thammered into these satin’s crapboxes.
Only thing on the lot’s that garnered more loathing by the staff were the ex Enterprise Versa’s. But those were reserved for the most hated customers.
so you are trying to make your story entertaining. don’t do that. you were part of an organization that deceived, misrepresented and took advantage of your customers. Not so fucking funny. were you the F& I guy? they are the most successful assholes
It’s not really deceptive to sell a car to someone at a car dealership.
Used car manager probably loved the Nitro because he could buy them all day long from rental fleets and could sell them to anyone looking for an SUV (I assume that was/is most of the traffic).
so you think putting someone financially ignorant into a negative equity situation is ok. which is telling. I think it is predatory.
If you get into a negative equity situation on a used Dodge Nitro, you were in no position to be shopping in the first place.
I wish people were more financially-literate and it burns me inside to be siding with the dealer. There should be more consumer protections.
I can see the dealer’s side that maybe they made it possible for someone who desperately needed a vehicle to get one. Hopefully a vehicle opens up better employment opportunities and the buyer will be in a better position next time.
In general, though, car loans with terms that stretch beyond the reasonable useful lifetime of a vehicle just shouldn’t be available. I put that more on banks than dealerships.
so you disagree with yourself?
I wasn’t a salesperson, I was an IT guy. Sometimes we have to do jobs that we hate because we love our wives or children. to get through the day we have to look back on things and laugh. I got out of there the second I could. Those sales guys weren’t crooks, they were guys stuck there… the F&I guys and managers were crooks.
so the villains are the victims? like good nazi’s?
Dude, you are comparing for a car dealership to nazi’s. I find that very very offensive. Both as a Jewish person AND as someone who happened to work at a car dealership.
There is a big difference between a crooked car dealership and the entire industry and their basic practices. My dealership didn’t do anything out of the ordinary that wasn’t being done at the time at every single dealership. Does that make it right? NO, but it doesn’t make the people evil. Also, what about personal responsibility? Did they people HAVE to have one of these? could they have gone to their credit union or bank directly and gotten a loan, done research on cars and learned how bad they were? could they have walked to the other part of the lot where we had 25 Camrys, 20 Accords, 15 Rav4’s and other cars which would have been much better but weren’t “Cool and rugged 4X4’s”? NO. Could they have said NO to any of those lame add on’s in the finance box? YES.. and I can say that because when I worked there I bought a really nice 2002 bug eye WRX wagon when I was there, I got a 7 percent loan with iffy credit, I paid a fair price and walked out of finance with nothing extra. Was it a challenge? yes but I was an informed customer.
I don’t know how you can have the gaul to suggest that people are evil for not protecting people from their own stupidity. And even if they were bad and criminals for ripping people off, then do you blame all the salespeople and employees (what about the janitors or service advisors?) are all of these guys evil too? For not quitting their job because they are so bad? And even if you say well, people NEED CARS and have no other choice? Well they do, its called craigslist, friends, facebook and the other 500 dealerships. But to compare that to people who killed over 6 million people, you are just offensive and ignorant and you need to get over yourself. Learn to buy a car…
get over myself? take you own advice. your excuses just incriminate you more. were there any good nazis? I say no, they were all bad. are there good people in the auto sales biz? some. but many are like you who justify the shit they did. Like a nazi, what choice did I have?. You may not like the analogy, too bad for you. I don’t care if you are Jewish or anything else. You are justifying your actions. I guess you were just a victim and had to rip people off? Are you a zionist also?
I am not a Zionist, I can be offended without being a Zionist. Fine I am an evil bastard because I made a joke about a bad car dealership I worked at 15 years ago that my job was to keep the computers working on so I could keep my wife and kid fed and warm. I am sure you are righteous and have lived a life that is morally unambiguous. Enjoy your day.
I like how in the video David is initially repulsed by the previous owner’s personal belongings still on the dash/front seat. Doesn’t he have a holy grail ZJ at home with a family of wildebeests or cats living in it? Lol =D
Do people trade cars in with their dirty laundry still in them? Is this a thing?
Yeah, I’ve seen it, and worse (at a Mercedes dealer!). People are nasty.
I briefly worked at a retail clothing store with a generous return policy. One day I was working the return desk when a woman came in to return a swimsuit. It was still wet. I processed the return, then picked the sopping suit up with a pen and dropped it (and the pen) into the trash. The look she gave me was priceless.
So I guess I’m not surprised at the crap in this “Jeep”.
Shortly after my wife and I started dating her dad helped her buy a used Jeep Liberty with the dreaded 3.7L/4spd auto. Within 2 months the original transmission died and her bf had to rescue her from a 5 way stop in rush hour traffic. Luckily at the time I worked as a service advisor and was able to get the commission from installing a reman unit.
Then about 1.5 months later, during a snowstorm the 3.7L dropped a valve from a broken spring and died on the side of I-5. Unfortunately I was too far away to rescue her this time. They spent all winter break replacing the broken valve spring to get it up and running.
Fast forward 2-4 more months and the A/C went out. Couple that with a long commute at 16mpg and my now fiancé decided to sell it. I helped her purchase a 04′ Focus that is likely still running like a top. My now wife has sworn off any CDJR products and I always wish I would have talked her out of the Liberty from the get go.
> her bf had to rescue her
The identity of said bf was confusing for a moment
Huh, that’s what got you? I got stuck on “Shortly after my wife and I started dating her dad..” What???
I don’t kink-shame
That car auctioned outside of CA might be a decent, cheap beater for someone. Maybe it gets auctioned for $500 – 1000, clean the interior and engine bay, replacement cats outside of CA does not have to be in CA compliance so it is much cheaper. 124K miles isn’t that many miles either.
The window for “cheaper than CA compliance” is closing as more states sign on to CA’s emissions laws verbatim (ex: Colorado, where cats for my mom’s ’07 Prius got quoted at almost $3K IF you could find them).
Welcome to the club, you’re one of us now!
Thing is, that $1,500 CARB compliant rock auto Cat doesn’t come w/ the foot of bent exhaust pipe on either side of the actual converter. I’ve always wondered why the walking excrement saws alling the converters off the cars don’t do it between the flanges that bolt in the converters. Would make the car owner’s pain slightly less.
All this Nitro needs is some glycerin.
My mom had the same generation of Liberty and I hated that car. Slow, thirsty, and somehow too big and too small at the same time. An enormous car that you felt crammed into.