I am a 19 year old college student. A few months back, I was faced with the decision of what kind of car I wanted to bring to college. I looked at about every two door coupe imaginable (believe me). I test drove three cars (besides the Avenger): the 1999 Mercury Cougar, a 1999 Ford Mustang, and a 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS. I am a relatively big kid, I am 6 feet tall. The truth is that I simply cannot fit into the Mustang, Eclipse or the Cougar. In the Eclipse, I had a friend in the back seat. He would have been comfortable if he were an olympic female gymnist, but he was my size. I loved the Eclipse, it looked sporty, it is also a driver's car. It came down to the fact that I am in college and will probably be taking people in the back seat (because the kids with cars on campus are designated taxi serviced at times). In the Cougar, my head would be touching the ceiling, which I thought would be irritating on road trips. The decision came down to the Mustang and the Avenger. I have to admit, the Mustang is a good car. The problem came down to practicality again. The trunk might have been able to hold my golf clubs with room to spare my golf shoes, while the Avenger's trunk had ample room. I am amazed with Dodge, the Avenger is a small looking car, similar to a Mustang, yet inside comfortably holds five people. The back seats are tilted in such a way to maximize space. I can have the set fully back and the person behind me insists that they have room! I usually don't even keep the seat back all of the way.
You are probably thinking by now: "I realize the car is practical, probably at the cost of performance." I will admit, my car has a 2.5 liter V6, which is the bigger engine, yet it cannot match the power of the Mustang (3.8 liter). The Cougar's performance is similar. The Eclipse had smooth acceleration. The Avenger has decent power, especially on the V6. The option that I like is a push button overdrive system. With a push of a button, I can generate more torque when passing someone on the highway. I never had to use it, but it is fun to play with from time to time.
I also invested in the better sound system, Dodge unlike other domestic vehicles (Chevy, Ford), makes a pretty good sound system. I get compliments on my system. I have the CD/Cassette player.
Overall, this car is perfect for my lifestyle, looks great (receive compliments), and probably is the most practical coupe on the road. I also get pretty good gas mileage (22 mpg). My complaints are minor: the acceleration doesn't match its looks, and (if anyone from Dodge is reading this) the base hub caps are really ugly in the 1999 model year, they look like they belong on a station wagon. As strengths are concerned, I live in Philadelphia, and visit friends in Rochester, NY (snow capital of the world), this car handles superb in snow. I had to give people rides to school to people who's cars handled poorly in winter conditions.