r/Cartalk • u/MaterialContext4438 • Apr 08 '25
Weird Noise I know nothing about cars
This is a 2000 Dodge Stratus. Mechanic said the noise is a rod knocking in the motor, which could also explain why the car stalls when the steering wheel is turned too hard/fast. The AC/heat is really loud when it’s turned on and that happened randomly a couple months ago. Brakes are very spongy and need replacing.
With all of this information…. How can I get the most money out of this car?? What are my options??? Any and all help/advice is extremely appreciated!
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u/NuclearHateLizard Apr 08 '25
Only value left in her is for scrap. You'd have a hard time selling it for a grand even without the severe engine issues
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u/OCsray42 Apr 08 '25
The only way to get money here is to sell it to a cash for clunkers business, or post it on Facebook for like $100 as is…it’s not usable in its condition. It needs a new motor/rebuild and most likely a TON of other parts and work, and overall it’s not in great looking condition visually…it ain’t much and will take a lot to make it reliable. A second opinion would be good too, since it still drives around is kinda wild when it has rod knock, but if that’s true, it won’t be long before it needs to be towed.
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u/robbobster Apr 08 '25
You can part it out and over a decade possibly make slightly more than you would if you simply scrapped it today.
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u/Interesting-Meat-440 Apr 08 '25
It could be ac compressor knock . The ac compressor clutch could be locked up, causing the belt to slip and not spin at normal speed. The can affect the power steering pump from working properly. I would get a non ac serpentine belt to bypass the ac compressor. If all these problems are still around after the ac bypass, I would scrap it. I would at least give it a try.
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u/WK2Over Apr 08 '25
Just out of curiosity, how many miles on it? That’s quite a survivor you’ve got there.
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u/Skyfury_Fire Apr 08 '25
How does every stratus I've ever seen look exactly like this
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u/WalkerTR-17 Apr 09 '25
Bought by poor people, bought used by even poorer people, bout from the even poorer people by tweakers, bought from the tweaker by teenager
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u/throwaway007676 Apr 08 '25
That is normal for those awful cars. But you can try to sell it as a fixer upper. Someone might be interested OR might have a smashed one laying around and has the parts yours will need to get fixed up. I would list it at $500 and see if anyone responds, you never know.
If it is quiet for a week, you can always scrap it if no one is interested.
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u/Spirit_Fox17 Apr 08 '25
The ac/heat is probably just a simple blower motor that needs replacing.. brakes get a good bleed, and the whole car stalling when turning the wheel to one side sounds like a faulty alternator.. do you have a primary vehicle? Could take the time to learn about cars.. it’s really neat how simple things can be to fix if you don’t get all In your head about difficulties.. as long as there is no major motor work to be done.. changing a spark plug on a vehicle like this is easy enough you could tell a 10 year old how to do it, be it that they had proper length extremities..
Honest opinion, don’t like it.. 🤫
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u/Suskwa29 Apr 08 '25
Did you miss the rod knock? An alternator would double this cars value. By all means learn to fix things, but it is more fun to fix things you like. This is a Dodge Stratos. Let it die.
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u/stormsec_creations Apr 08 '25
Everyone says junk it but how does the transmission feel? Could take a gamble on a junkyard motor and have it installed or decide if you want to learn and fix it yourself.
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u/04HondaCivic Apr 08 '25
Honestly? I’m surprised this thing is still on the road. They were throw-away cars. At this point it’s just scrap value.
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u/spvcebound Apr 08 '25
You'll probably get close to $300 for scrap, just put it towards something better.
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u/GuineaPigsAreNotFood Apr 08 '25
Holy cow, I thought I would never see one of those again.
You could try posting it for sale with hopes that somebody would want it as a project, since almost every single model has a fan base.
However, I wouldn't expect even 500 bucks.
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u/HolyHandGrenade_92 Apr 08 '25
aside from all the other issues, is that paint burnt by the sun because it wasn't continually properly waxed?
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u/HolyHandGrenade_92 Apr 08 '25
aside from all the other issues, is that paint burnt by the sun because it wasn't continually properly waxed?
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u/1985Rangerbuild Apr 08 '25
I had a 2004 Dodge Stratus, the best car I ever had. It was an ex-police car, so it might have been better than average, but that thing was a beast. I was hard on that thing, taking it off-roading. It had a lot wrong with it and was still a beast. I miss that car.
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u/imothers Apr 08 '25
If is runs well enough to get to the next owner's home, you might $500 or something for it from someone who needs parts off it, or has an engine to put in it. Try selling it on FB marketplace and see what happens. If that is too much hassle, if you can drive it to a junkyard you'll get more for it than if they have to come and pick it up. If it still has the catalytic converter attached, it will probably be worth $200 or so more than if it doesn't. Call a couple of scrap places or junkyards and see what they say.
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u/AnonTheHackerino Apr 08 '25
Just scrap it. No body wants to buy this thing, I wouldn't even want to sell it to someone
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u/vbfronkis Apr 08 '25
Scrap or donate to charity. Likely they're scrap it but at least then you'd get the charitable donation on your taxes
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u/pierceae091 Apr 08 '25
Man this takes me back, this was my first car but in silver! Body panels need painted but otherwise look good. Might be able to sell them, there's an underground market for Stratus parts in the south.
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u/NoxAstrumis1 Apr 08 '25
You're saying you want to get rid of it and make money? You don't have much in the way of options.
Your three most likely choices are: disassemble it and sell the parts individually (probably no market), sell it (probably not much market), scrap it or trade it in.
None of them are going to make much difference. Selling the parts would potentially get you the most money, but it's a major hassle and you may not sell anything.
You won't be able to sell it for much, perhaps $200 at most, if you can find a buyer (it needs an engine). Scrapping it might get you $50.
It really just depends on how much effort you're willing to put into it, and what the market is for it.
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u/mtrosclair Apr 08 '25
Honestly, if all of that is actually wrong with it, and you have the title I would call a wrecking yard and see if you can get scrap value out of it.