How reliable are Neon's ?

[b5blue]

I'm looking at (well) used cars that would end up going to my son. I found a clean 98 Neon R/T for under 2K, it has 133K miles on it. Are Neon's any good? Reliable transportation is a problem for me as I'm so far out of market I don't know was is good or bad for the last 15 years. 

[ITSA426]

My nephew would say not very since his is forever broken, but most people I know don't have any serious problems with them.  I'd like to find a stick shift R/T to play with.  I think the older ones had problems with the heads cracking. 

[b5blue]

Thanks! This is a stick, blue with white stripes and gray guts. Looks nice in the photos. Bad heads huh.....you think nephew is beating on it too much and that's why it's breaking? I use to beat the crap out of all my cars when young. 

[Aero426]

I have two of them, a 96 2 dr and a 99 4dr.    Both are SOHC and owe me nothing.   The 96 has a ton of miles on it.   Neons can be a little noisy on initial startup, like piston slap.  But as long as it goes away after a minute of warming, that's pretty normal.   Most of them that have had head gasket problems are now old enough now to be through that.  

Go look at it like any ten year old used car.  If it starts up, runs and drives OK and isn't rusty underneath, I would say go for it.   If I could find another cheap clean stick car, I'd be all over it.

[RD]

i have a 98 with SOHC motor.  215,000 miles without any major issues.  the only thing i have had to replace is/was:

fuel pump assembly
oil pan gasket
cam seal
timing belt
egr valve

all of which have spanned across the miles since i bought the car in 2002 with 62,000 miles on the clock.

i have a 5 spd which helps out alot.

[b5blue]

Thanks guys  I want to get something to replace the 200K+ mile 90 New Yorker that's slowly kicking the bucket. (very worn out but still going) I need something to use while I start getting the 70 ready for paint. What ever is left of what I buy will go to one of my sons.

[chargerboy69]

My wife had a 99 Neon when we met.  Head gaskets are the main issue with Neons and she had to have hers replaced.  Watch out for transmission issues too.  This is my personal opinion, but I would avoid the Neon.  But, I avoid all Chrysler built stuff (except Jeep) from the mid 70's to present.

[RD]

head gaskets were really only an issue pre-98... they fixed the head gasket after that.  any head gasket that craps out since this is either due to age, natural wear, or owner not maintaining their vehicle properly.  just an fyi.

trans issues are specific to automatics.. manual transmission issues are more concerned with shifter cables.

[b5blue]

Any input is welcome good or bad Thanks! 

[Cooter]

RUN! Fast, get away from a NEON as far as you can!

1. Head gaskets leaking
2. Dash wiring problems
3. Transmissions are junk
4. Head cracks if you look at it wrong


Those cars are Big 'ol POS Same thing with the PT Losers...

[RD]

RUN! Fast, get away from a NEON as far as you can!

1. Head gaskets leaking
2. Dash wiring problems
3. Transmissions are junk
4. Head cracks if you look at it wrong


Those cars are Big 'ol POS Same thing with the PT Losers...

umm.... i guess my neon is crap too huh?  no offense mate, but generalizations without actually providing proof to your claims in regards to the overall effectiveness and ability of a vehicle are about as worthless as tits on a boar IMO.  especially if said opinions are based upon what you read and not what you personally experience.  if you have personal experience, state the year and the issues.  broad generalizations wont help this guy out in regards to purchasing a vehicle.

lastly, what you claim can be said for hundreds of vehicles.

[b5blue]

Thank both of you....Cooter may be in a position where he only sees the bad side as they come to him to be fixed, but the information is all useful as I don't know squat ether way. All I know from real experience is the nut down the road got a fairly nice purple one and it was running great till he beat the crap out of it then tried to soup it up with the standard fart cannon tuner crap and blew it up. No car he's had ever lasted 6 months before or since. What I'm getting here is to be certain not to get one that's been beat on that's for sure. (no ex kid cars)     

[Silver R/T]

first generation had head gasket problems. I can find one with blown headgasket on craiglist any day of the week. Later ones are not so bad, good first car

[miller]

I had a 1998 Neon Highline Sport. It was a very fun little car. The headgasket went at 70,000 miles (I talked with dodge enough to provide the part free of charge), and the Speedometer and Tachometer would sometimes quit working (all it took to fix it was some of that gel sold for electric connections).

Just a little word of advise, the Automatics can not peel out, even with the DOHC motor, so dont try it, you will only hurt it.

I would buy one again in a heart beat, given that the head gasket was already replaced of course.

[skip68]

    I knew a guy that had one and I would say it was reliable.   It drove all the way off a cliff under it's own power.        JK.

I would think it would be a good choice for a first car or even a cheap A to B car for anyone.    

[b5blue]

So pre 98? Odd thing is this one is the cheapest, the only 2 door, stick shift, R/T (what could that be other than stripes and stickers with a little wing on the trunk), and a nice shade of blue (for some reason their mostly red down here) Oh and a sunroof. For me it would only go 4 miles a day round trip to work.

[skip68]

If it runs great, buy it.      One thing to keep in mind with any car like this is that they made millions of them.   So, since there are so many made you can expect to hear more problems about them.   Not that it's a bad car, it's just mass produced and it probably has the same percentage (per 100,000 built) of problems that any car has.

[ITSA426]

Thanks! This is a stick, blue with white stripes and gray guts. Looks nice in the photos. Bad heads huh.....you think nephew is beating on it too much and that's why it's breaking? I use to beat the crap out of all my cars when young. 

He's 16 and it's his first car.  Enough said?

[b5blue]

Been there, seen it......even bought the shirt! 

[71ChallengeHer]

Stay away from 95's and older. Shelby had one. Left her sit 5 times in the 1st 2 months. It was a big headache. The guys in the Neon club told her they would never buy a 95 or older, too many problems. Anything newer your good.

[b5blue]

Thanks! 

[Todd Wilson]

We had a 2000 Neon   new body style and it was a great little car until it got hit by a pick up truck. It did its job in the wreck but was totaled. I really miss that car.
Hated to see Mopar stop making the Neon.


Todd

[Smokey Bear]

umm.... i guess my neon is crap too huh?  no offense mate, but generalizations without actually providing proof to your claims in regards to the overall effectiveness and ability of a vehicle are about as worthless as tits on a boar IMO.  especially if said opinions are based upon what you read and not what you personally experience.  if you have personal experience, state the year and the issues.  broad generalizations wont help this guy out in regards to purchasing a vehicle.

My 95 sucked. In 4 years it spent 4 months total time at the shop for head gasket, head, rear main, throttle body and trans. Head failure was so prevalent that the thing sat in the shop for 2 months waiting for enough to be made to cover the problem. I read an older thread or where someone had nearly the exact same experience.

One bad experience does not make the car. Neither does one good one. However, the consumer reporting on these cars shows that they are statistically abysmal when it comes to reliability and repairs. So perhaps you CAN learn something from reading and not base it just on personal experience? It depends on what you are reading.

Did anyone else notice how many of the 95-98 models were running around one point and then they just sort of dwindled away after 7-8 years?

[RD]

umm.... i guess my neon is crap too huh?  no offense mate, but generalizations without actually providing proof to your claims in regards to the overall effectiveness and ability of a vehicle are about as worthless as tits on a boar IMO.  especially if said opinions are based upon what you read and not what you personally experience.  if you have personal experience, state the year and the issues.  broad generalizations wont help this guy out in regards to purchasing a vehicle.

My 95 sucked. In 4 years it spent 4 months total time at the shop for head gasket, head, rear main, throttle body and trans. Head failure was so prevalent that the thing sat in the shop for 2 months waiting for enough to be made to cover the problem. I read an older thread or where someone had nearly the exact same experience.

One bad experience does not make the car. Neither does one good one. However, the consumer reporting on these cars shows that they are statistically abysmal when it comes to reliability and repairs. So perhaps you CAN learn something from reading and not base it just on personal experience? It depends on what you are reading.

Did anyone else notice how many of the 95-98 models were running around one point and then they just sort of dwindled away after 7-8 years?

w/o dragging this down into a debate of inconsequential proportions... dude (b5blue) go find a neon.. if it runs, drive it.  Homey made is point, his 95 was shit, he had to deal with it.. of course HE BROUGHT IN HIS PERSONAL EXPERIENCE TO BACK IT UP (obviously he didnt read about it).

All cars have their quirks (e.g. QUAD 4 anyone?) but to label an entire line of cars CRAP without distinguishing between the years and consequent upgrades to the vehicle, is just assinine if you ask me.

So.. on that note, I still say and always will say, if you read it somewhere, bring forth a reference or a resource ( i.e. cite your sources; first rule in english when writing research papers).  If you have personal experience, lay it out for all to see.  But do not make generalizations on a topic in the attempt to imbue your opinion on another because it is just baseless and misleading jargon that will not constructively help the discussion.

[66chargerkid]

R/T Neons are pretty cool.
133k isn't too bad. Should be a stick if it is an R/T. I would say go get it!
Q

[miller]

So pre 98? Odd thing is this one is the cheapest, the only 2 door, stick shift, R/T (what could that be other than stripes and stickers with a little wing on the trunk), and a nice shade of blue (for some reason their mostly red down here) Oh and a sunroof. For me it would only go 4 miles a day round trip to work.

The R/T had the DOHC 150 horse motor, upgraded exhaust and stiffer suspension than its non-R/T counterparts.

[b5blue]

Well I found enough positives here to look at it and thanks all (if I counted correct 13+ and 4- or so) allpar's site has the 98 R/T as car of the month for June of 09 (I think) with something like 400,000 miles on it and going strong. But I know to be sure not to consider one that is beat from the responses here and what potential problems to focus on. My 90 New Yorker came from a good home and has served the family much much longer that I ever figured it would. It's been as tough as any Dart/Duster known, it's shaking and loose but just won't die. I wanted real world opinion and not some vague "report". I couldn't buy it tomorrow anyway I'd be using my tax return that's due soon. Anyone please feel free to pipe in as after 7 months of loosely looking for a Dart or Duster I've found they just are not cheaper cars anymore but bring strong money (rightly so). This is a Mopar or no car family and with my new job and plans for the Charger I need a backup (the Charger has done 2 years as a daily driver and can use a break for bodywork)      

[Cooter]

RUN! Fast, get away from a NEON as far as you can!

1. Head gaskets leaking
2. Dash wiring problems
3. Transmissions are junk
4. Head cracks if you look at it wrong


Those cars are Big 'ol POS Same thing with the PT Losers...

umm.... i guess my neon is crap too huh?  no offense mate, but generalizations without actually providing proof to your claims in regards to the overall effectiveness and ability of a vehicle are about as worthless as tits on a boar IMO.  especially if said opinions are based upon what you read and not what you personally experience.  if you have personal experience, state the year and the issues.  broad generalizations wont help this guy out in regards to purchasing a vehicle.

lastly, what you claim can be said for hundreds of vehicles.

"Dude" I don't "read" anything and post it...I actually get my hands dirty.. I work on Neon's Do you?......If your gonna support the Neon as a great automobile, at least "Back it up" with "personal mechanical experience"....
I work on these pieces of sh*t DAILY and I can surely tell you anybody that buys a 10 year old Neon, is looking for problems....These cars were junk and will continue to be junk....Don't believe me? go right ahead and buy one that's 10 years old and see for yourself....Yes, Some people have good luck with them, and light shines on a dog's ass every now and then but 90% of the Neon's were junk...To buy one of these cars that's 10 plus years old is just "Assinine" IMO..I offered my OPINION on the "Discussion" and that's it...Some people stand on the RR track and hear the whistle blowing, see the smoke rising, listen to the rails for the train, someone tells them the train is a comin, and they have to be hit by that train before they reallize it was the wrong thing to do....

How did Johnny Cash put it? "I hear a train a comin', it's rollin' around the bend"............

[b5blue]

Thanks for your honest opinion Cooter your warning has me contacting 2 of my best friends who have there own repair shops to see if they feel like you do.  It's a bit of a long shot as your other post stated right car-time-price 

[TeeWJay426]

I'll chime in with my personal experience. I bought a 2000 Neon almost 4 years ago for my kids to use. It had around 67K on it at the time; it is now up to almost 120K. Hasn't had any major issues other than a freaky brake problem- had one rear wheel that would lock up intermittently when parked. It took a few trips to the mechanic to get that cured, but otherwise it's been trouble free. It's the 2.0L automatic, ES package, fairly well optioned for a small car (AC, PW, moonroof, PDL, etc). It is noisy, and not much on comfort, but it has served my purposes well and my son is still driving it almost everyday.

[firefighter3931]

I just purchased a low milage 2003 Neon SX 2.0 with std trans....need an economical commuter car. Mint shape with 50K miles on the clock. 


After speaking with my buddy Jeff who works as the lead tech at a local Dodge dealer he convinced me to purchase something newer than 2000. The earlier versions had/have head gasket isues and he's serviced well over 100 of those over the years. There is also an issue with the radiators letting go...specificly the auto trans cooler that ruptures and floods the cooling system with trans fluid. That of course leads to trans failure. The transmisions themselves are reliable...the radiator is the problem. He did say that if i found one withan auto trans...swap the rad out ASAP to avoid potential issues. I wanted a std trans anyway so it was a non issue for me. 

I like the look and feel of the car and it's roomy enough inside for me. I'm gonna luv the increased fuel economy....it'll be twice as good as my ram 1500 and save me a bunch in fuel costs. More cash for race goodies. 

My 



Ron

[b5blue]

I'm in your camp Ron, I just got off the phone with Steve. This one being a stick won't have that issue but he said check the rad. as they only last so long. He also mentioned the dash problem is they loose ground, just run new isolated grounds and your good from there experience. I got to call this guy and see if he is willing to wait for his money awhile to even be in the game first.   

[451-74Charger]

RUN! Fast, get away from a NEON as far as you can!

1. Head gaskets leaking
2. Dash wiring problems
3. Transmissions are junk
4. Head cracks if you look at it wrong


Those cars are Big 'ol POS Same thing with the PT Losers...

I had a 98 Neon and it was fine.
There was a TSB on the head Gasket $100 co-pay when it fails (and it will) had 3
Also sunroof motor uses plastic assembly and will bend/strip on 2nd or 3rd use on a cold day
Window motor fail, tracks shift and windows wont line up
Trunks fill with water due to rear light gasket...

I could go on and on and on
BUT... For what youd pay for a good used on (I just sold mine last yr for 1500) you cant beat them.

If its for a younger person, the Insurance is MORE than a Transam due to the high number of youngsters wrecking them.

[b5blue]

Good point about insurance better check on that. 

[Aero426]

"Dude" I don't "read" anything and post it...I actually get my hands dirty.. I work on Neon's Do you?......If your gonna support the Neon as a great automobile, at least "Back it up" with "personal mechanical experience"....
I work on these pieces of sh*t DAILY and I can surely tell you anybody that buys a 10 year old Neon, is looking for problems....These cars were junk and will continue to be junk....Don't believe me? go right ahead and buy one that's 10 years old and see for yourself....Yes, Some people have good luck with them, and light shines on a dog's ass every now and then but 90% of the Neon's were junk...To buy one of these cars that's 10 plus years old is just "Assinine" IMO..I offered my OPINION on the "Discussion" and that's it...Some people stand on the RR track and hear the whistle blowing, see the smoke rising, listen to the rails for the train, someone tells them the train is a comin, and they have to be hit by that train before they reallize it was the wrong thing to do....

How did Johnny Cash put it? "I hear a train a comin', it's rollin' around the bend"............

Cooter, we all know Neons have had their issues.   But just for the sake of discussion,  what particular ten year old car would you recommend?   It's gotta be in clean shape, get good mileage, at a max $2000 price point (like the Neon).

[gtx6970]

for there intended market Neons are and were a good car.
I've owned 2,,,had a 95 sohc with 150000 miles on it when I sold it. and the new owner still drives it daily with over 200000 miles on it, it's never let her down one time.

I sold a 2001 this past spring with 120K on it . the girl that owns it absolutely loves it. I bought it needed the trans re-built from a broken radiator trans cooler filled the trans with engine coolant. I paid $500 for it and put about $800 into it. But I probably fixed that things that the average wouldn't have fixed. I sold it for $2400 to the 1st person that looked at it

IMO find one thats been maintained and drive it. A 2000 or 2001 are not hard to find in the $2000 range

and btw , I've worked on hundreds of them ( dodge dealer tech)
IMO they are good cars for a secondary driver, aka teenager- or find a 2.0 dohc with a stick for  just a fine little car to toss around on a dreary day

[Cooter]

"Dude" I don't "read" anything and post it...I actually get my hands dirty.. I work on Neon's Do you?......If your gonna support the Neon as a great automobile, at least "Back it up" with "personal mechanical experience"....
I work on these pieces of sh*t DAILY and I can surely tell you anybody that buys a 10 year old Neon, is looking for problems....These cars were junk and will continue to be junk....Don't believe me? go right ahead and buy one that's 10 years old and see for yourself....Yes, Some people have good luck with them, and light shines on a dog's ass every now and then but 90% of the Neon's were junk...To buy one of these cars that's 10 plus years old is just "Assinine" IMO..I offered my OPINION on the "Discussion" and that's it...Some people stand on the RR track and hear the whistle blowing, see the smoke rising, listen to the rails for the train, someone tells them the train is a comin, and they have to be hit by that train before they reallize it was the wrong thing to do....

How did Johnny Cash put it? "I hear a train a comin', it's rollin' around the bend"............

Cooter, we all know Neons have had their issues.   But just for the sake of discussion,  what particular ten year old car would you recommend?   It's gotta be in clean shape, get good mileage, at a max $2000 price point (like the Neon).

You are asking the wrong person about which car to buy for $2000.00 as coming from a Tech's point of view, there are none..I was simply trying to keep someone from making a mistake....I have to offer an opinion based on the fact that not all people who are into classic cars can actually repair/work on them...I made this mistake on another site, so My opinion is offered as for the ones who don't/didn't want a huge repair cost....I see trying to help someone out of this type situation  was an unfortunate mistake here..Won't happen again....Folks come in the shop all the time asking this very question: "What's the best car to buy today?"
I tell them, well let me first translate what your asking if I may?"
"What's the best car to buy today that I can get 400K miles out of it, pass it down to my teenager and Trust him/her with it, then re-sell it for three times what I paid for it?" Not saying this is your idea, but you would be surprized at how many laugh when I say this as that is EXACTLY what they were thinking......

There is only one answer..........None of 'em....Tis' true, they all have their problems, but when you see ALOT of the Neon/PT Cruisers with head gasket problems, you tend to be a little bias'd towards those type cars as cars not to buy, or recommend...I have NO PROBLEM buying a POS Neon and letting my kid drive it as I can repair it myself, but for someone that can't I feel like I should try and steer them clear of that type thing...I see now that I shouldn't even try because for every nay, there's another that says go for it...All I can do is wish you luck....

[b5blue]

Thanks for not beating around the bush Cooter. Your comments are appreciated by me. They lead to me making calls to my front line mechanics who know my skills and situation. After discussing the pros and cons generally they mentioned what you pointed out without knowing your remarks. Wiring, Head gaskets, radiators and such are all warnings I now know to look for now and flag. My concern is do they fail repeatedly, do you re-repair the same cars over and over for the same problem? Trust me I bought a Vega when I was a kid, I blew the motor, tranny, and axle in that order. I upgraded every repair and the friend that bought it beat the beans out of it. It held up fine till Ricky put it in a ditch at 40mph 2 years later. Know here I will always consider and respect anyone's opinion. Don't think for 1 minute I would not be digging hard on exactly the details you took time to explain and warn me of. I would not touch any non American car and that would raise many uproars from people who like them, but I have my own reasons and respect theirs. In mentioning Neons some of my friends brought up PT Cruisers as (other than an early batch of bad harnesses) a car they just do not see come in for repair so for what ever reason down here they don't see what you experience where you are.( I did warn them that you saw lots of failures where you are)     

[RD]

"Dude" I don't "read" anything and post it...I actually get my hands dirty.. I work on Neon's Do you?

yes I do, see signature, see my first post in this thread

......If your gonna support the Neon as a great automobile, at least "Back it up" with "personal mechanical experience"....

I did, again see my first post.

I work on these pieces of sh*t DAILY and I can surely tell you anybody that buys a 10 year old Neon, is looking for problems....These cars were junk and will continue to be junk....Don't believe me? go right ahead and buy one that's 10 years old and see for yourself

Mine is 12 years old

....Yes, Some people have good luck with them, and light shines on a dog's ass every now and then but 90% of the Neon's were junk...To buy one of these cars that's 10 plus years old is just "Assinine" IMO..I offered my OPINION on the "Discussion" and that's it...Some people stand on the RR track and hear the whistle blowing, see the smoke rising, listen to the rails for the train, someone tells them the train is a comin, and they have to be hit by that train before they reallize it was the wrong thing to do....

How did Johnny Cash put it? "I hear a train a comin', it's rollin' around the bend"............

so when did your train hit you?  Seriously, you missed my entire point.  If you HAVE all this experience, then say you do, tell us why you dislike the car, just dont say you "hate it" and expect us / we / me or anyone to take your claim seriously.  90% of all neons are not junk, they cant be, and without any derivative proof stating otherwise, you are not in a position to say that 90% of them are.  Have you worked on the entire 90% of all the neons out there? I think not.

anywho, this leads me back to my original point.  If you are going to say something positive or negative about a car, then back it up with personal experience, like:

"I had to change this and this and this in all a matter of X months" or "it cost me this much $$$ for that stupid part and I did it" or " I have worked on 90% of all the neons ever produced and can tell you as a tech, I have had to replace these vital components over and over and they are just no good cars"

But please, spare me with the holier than thou rhetoric of I know what I am doing because I say so stuff... show me something more, or your opinion is nothing but a fantasy to me.

[moparstuart]

great little economy cars ,  we sell cavaliers and grand ams and escorts used and they all sell but the neons hold up alittle better in my used car experience .

[b5blue]

I put a call in and found it has a bad front axle bearing (they have the parts but uncle was in surgery and he was going to replace it, the owner is 31 and sadly lost his job).

[TylerCharger69]

The head gasket issue.....Number one...The original head gasket is a piece of crap....Number two.....As you're looking at the engine from the front,  the head bolt at the top right....well...that's the usual place for head gasket failure....Why?... Because the head bolt actually bottoms out before reaching proper torque value (older models), meaning torque wrench says it's proper, but in all actuality its not.  So actual torque between bolt and head is next to nothing.  Ive replaced 4 gaskets in 4 different Neons  and it was all the same thing, same area.  Learned the cause from Allpar.  The new bolt kit, which with an aluminum head is required to replace them, does not have the shorter bolt and needs to be slightly cut down and re-threaded.  Transmissions...well....If the car isnt driven like a Nascar piece, they are okay.  Tranny and motor mounts are notorious also for those particular models, thus leading to strut, and cv shaft failure.  Water pumps are a weak link too.  So...if your lucky enough to have a Neon that hasnt blown the gasket yet.....change out that bolt, and keep tabs on your mounts!!!

[b5blue]

More good info! Thanks! 

[bull]

My wife had a 99 Neon when we met.  Head gaskets are the main issue with Neons and she had to have hers replaced.  Watch out for transmission issues too.  This is my personal opinion, but I would avoid the Neon.  But, I avoid all Chrysler built stuff (except Jeep) from the mid 70's to present.

That might be a bit extreme. You avoid ALL Chrysler stuff from mid 70s to present? I've owned or currently own a 1985 Ram 1/2 ton pickup (great), a 1989 Dakota (pretty good), a 1994 Chrysler T&C (not so good), a 1994 Dakota (great) and a 2003 Durango (great). You can't write them all off.

[b5blue]

I spoke with the owner today but I'm concerned now here's what's up: he bought it from a guy in Tampa who put a correct rebuilt engine (DOHC) new fans and rad. with a "cold air intake" and Mopar performance chip. One front bearing is bad, they have the part, A/C not cold, drivers window (electric) runs up and down but won't stay up. He swears it "Hauls Ass" and "Runs Great".   My fear is someone has raced the crap out of it.   Also I found some claiming tires are 200.00 each! I'm going to look tomorrow.  

[bill440rt]

Can't say I'm exactly a "mechanic", but my '01 PT Cruiser (same platform as the Neon) has turned out to be a GREAT car. Other than some routine maintenance and a timing belt (at around 90K) it's been a great lil' beater. I've put about 20K on it since I've owned it. It already had a new rad & a battery in it when I got it so no problems there, either. If I had to do it again, I'd definitely buy another one. A very versatile second car.

B5, good luck to you with whatever car you find. I'm sure you'll make the right decision when the time comes. Too many kids today are driving BRAND-NEW BMW's, Acura's, etc. I learned to drive on my mom's '86 Horizon, and a fixer-upper '71 Satellite. Taught me a lot about cars...

[b5blue]

THANKS much Bill....I was telling my neighbor and she is checking with her sister.....seems sis my have a very cherry Windstar cheap also? I really don't want a car that's been beat on no matter how fast it can go. (I didn't tell Mike that I have a 440 much less a six-pack) I also found a 2001 purple PT that's cherry for 2500 but that is cutting into Charger cash.

[Smokey Bear]

Most everything posted here is anecdotal, really. Even the best cars ever made will have failures and someone will have a story about it, and even the worst cars will have successes. There is probably a Yugo out there with a half-million miles on it and a satisfied customer.

The real story is told by compiling as much data as possible because that is going to give you the most accurate picture as to what the odds will be for the car you intend to buy. The actual data from thousands of Neon owners as collected and analyzed by Consumer Reports magazine tells an undeniable story: The early Neons had numerous problems and were rated amongst the worst cars of their period by an aggregate of people who actually owned them. These were real people who experienced the inconvenience and cost of repairs that were found to happen at a higher rate compared to other vehicles. I didnt make this stuff up, it's not based on limited personal experience, and it's pretty much the definitive answer to how history has judged these cars no matter what anyone here says.

If you want to play against the odds and buy a Neon, I hope it works out for you.

Homey made is point, his 95 was shit, he had to deal with it.. of course HE BROUGHT IN HIS PERSONAL EXPERIENCE TO BACK IT UP (obviously he didnt read about it).

Actually I did read about it, which was part of the point. Unfortunately I did not read about it until after I had been screwed. B5 has the opportunity to read the historical data on these cars and make an informed decision apart from all the anecdotes here. If he does, I would think that he would be inclined to pass unless he is feeling lucky, because as was stated before, the aggregate data says that these  cars "were shit".

[1969chargerrtse]

A guy up the road from me has a bunch of them in his driveway.  He told me they were great little cars.

[chargerboy69]

My wife had a 99 Neon when we met.  Head gaskets are the main issue with Neons and she had to have hers replaced.  Watch out for transmission issues too.  This is my personal opinion, but I would avoid the Neon.  But, I avoid all Chrysler built stuff (except Jeep) from the mid 70's to present.

That might be a bit extreme. You avoid ALL Chrysler stuff from mid 70s to present? I've owned or currently own a 1985 Ram 1/2 ton pickup (great), a 1989 Dakota (pretty good), a 1994 Chrysler T&C (not so good), a 1994 Dakota (great) and a 2003 Durango (great). You can't write them all off.

Maybe it is Bull, but I have had my fair share of Chrysler products, so it is not like I never gave them a chance.  I have had a three Daytonas, a Dakota, a Neon, two Chrysler Town and Countrys and a Talon.  I would not recommend any of them.  Both Town and Countrys, Talon and the Neon needed transmissions.  The A/C system took a sh!t on one of the Town and Countrys( which I bought new) within the first 100 miles.  And the Neon was plagued with problems.

Then I have several friends with Chryslers products too.  One friend has had nothing but trouble with his PT Cruiser.  Another buddy has a 2006 Ram Cummins dually.  He has had to replace the transmission and the front end already in his truck, not to mention several other little things which have gone wrong with it.  Then his son has a 1998 Ram 1500, and has had to put two transmissions in his, and have the front end re-built.

We do have a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited which my wife drives, and she just loves it.  And I have had four Jeeps myself, which were all trouble free.  You can not beat the Jeep 4.0L.  I now drive GM.  I have owned a older 2 door GMC Yukon SLT for about ten years now and love it as much as the day I bought her.  She has about 250,000 miles on her and still runs and looks great.  I also have a eight year old GMC 3500 Crew Cab Long Bed 4X4 SLT with a 454.  I love this d@mn truck.  She just turned 150,000 miles and is still pulling anything I throw at him.  There is no way I am trading my GMC trucks in for a problem plagued Ram. Unless it is another Jeep, Chrysler will not be getting my business anytime soon.

[gtx6970]

I spoke with the owner today but I'm concerned now here's what's up: he bought it from a guy in Tampa who put a correct rebuilt engine (DOHC) new fans and rad. with a "cold air intake" and Mopar performance chip. One front bearing is bad, they have the part, A/C not cold, drivers window (electric) runs up and down but won't stay up. He swears it "Hauls Ass" and "Runs Great".   My fear is someone has raced the crap out of it.   Also I found some claiming tires are 200.00 each! I'm going to look tomorrow.  

I wouldn't bother looking at it unless it was cheap , it's not like good neons are hard to find

[b5blue]

Actually this is the only one I found that ether wasn't junk or over 4 grand.

[bull]

Both Town and Countrys, Talon and the Neon needed transmissions. Another buddy has a 2006 Ram Cummins dually.  He has had to replace the transmission and the front end already in his truck, not to mention several other little things which have gone wrong with it. Then his son has a 1998 Ram 1500, and has had to put two transmissions in his, and have the front end re-built.

There's definitely a pattern here and I've heard it repeated more than once. The trans in my T&C was a POS but that's the only one I've had issues with. I don't know why Chrysler ever got rid of the 727. They've never had a better transmission than that one and it could have easily moved forward with the technology. My dad had a lot of trouble with his Cummins dually transmission too and he often said he wished it just had a 727 behind it. However, I think Chrysler finally got most of those trans issues cleared up. You mentioned the PT Cruiser and yes, I wouldn't touch one of those things. I'd rather walk.

[1969chargerrtse]

Whenever a chrsyler product is mentioned there seems to be a TRANSMISSION problem ahead.

[b5blue]

This one is a 5 speed stick.

[moparstuart]

Whenever a chrsyler product is mentioned there seems to be a TRANSMISSION problem ahead.

its not just chrysler , we sell tons of late model transmissions and no manufacture really make bullet proof transmissions .  Imports are the worst lately selling the hell out of toyota and honda's and they cost twice as much as domestics .  

[RD]

the key point is this.. 97 and below, you are paying for a gamble, 98 and above, much better product.

next key point, automatic, expect issues... 5 speed, you are in the clear.

lastly, the car is a good car, well engineered, easy to work on, and gets great gas mileage.

you are looking at a 98 with a 5 speed, so all the rhetoric about transmissions will NOT apply to you, and all the rhetoric about head gaskets will most likely not apply to you (considering I do not know how hard the past owners treated the vehicle, but the chances of no issues are a lot greater considering it is NOT a 97 and below).

[chargerboy69]

Both Town and Countrys, Talon and the Neon needed transmissions. Another buddy has a 2006 Ram Cummins dually.  He has had to replace the transmission and the front end already in his truck, not to mention several other little things which have gone wrong with it. Then his son has a 1998 Ram 1500, and has had to put two transmissions in his, and have the front end re-built.

There's definitely a pattern here and I've heard it repeated more than once. The trans in my T&C was a POS but that's the only one I've had issues with. I don't know why Chrysler ever got rid of the 727. They've never had a better transmission than that one and it could have easily moved forward with the technology. My dad had a lot of trouble with his Cummins dually transmission too and he often said he wished it just had a 727 behind it. However, I think Chrysler finally got most of those trans issues cleared up. You mentioned the PT Cruiser and yes, I wouldn't touch one of those things. I'd rather walk.

That is  true.  Chryslers transmissions I feel are the weakest link.  I agree with you, the 727 was a great transmission.  I  wish they would have thrown a overdrive in it and offered it.  I have heard nothing but good things about the Cummins in the Ram, but the transmissions are questionable at best.  Sorry to highjack the thread.

[69charger2002]

i had an 03 neon, got it with 99k on it, sold it with 106k on it. it was a good little beater, got 27 mpg, and for a little car wasn't ALL that uncomfortable for me, at 6'2. i had no issues with mine, but then again i only had it 6 months. i bought it for $2500, sold it for $2800, did nothing to it but put a new belt on it.  for a cheap car, if i got in that position again and needed one to get around, i'd probably get one. i would never buy another one for daily transportation.. if i had another choice.

[gtx6970]

I  wish they would have thrown a overdrive in it and offered it. 

No offense meant but an A518 IS nothing more than a 727 with an overdive on the back of it, A500 is just an 904 with an overdrive on the back of it

In my experiance( I'm a trans guy at a dealer btw )
Most ( not saying all ) trans issues might have somethign to do with how it's used, as an example
Guy comes in to the shop a few years back with trans troubles in his Ram 2500 diesel , I ck it out and find the torque convertor has failed. No biggie R+R it and replace it and go thru the trans under warrenty.

2 months later he brings same truck back in, same troubles - torque conv lockup issues and chatters if it locks up at all. I pull it back again ( presumed warrenty and the conv case is dark blue this time, literaly looks like some one took a torch and heated the front of the outside shell
So I started doing a bit of digging around on the truck. and found a wire run to a toggle switch from a battery source. turns out the guy used said truck to pull a backhoe and he had rigged up a switch to apply the torque convertor on hard pulls when the computer was trying to turn it off. He cooked it so bad the convertor would not come out of the case .

[RD]

...He cooked it so bad the convertor would not come out of the case .

I got a A500 with that same issue Bill and I totally agree with you.

[Silver R/T]

Had a buddy who has 01, his clutch went at 40K miles or so....of course he beat crap out of it

[Todd Wilson]

Both Town and Countrys, Talon and the Neon needed transmissions. Another buddy has a 2006 Ram Cummins dually.  He has had to replace the transmission and the front end already in his truck, not to mention several other little things which have gone wrong with it. Then his son has a 1998 Ram 1500, and has had to put two transmissions in his, and have the front end re-built.

There's definitely a pattern here and I've heard it repeated more than once. The trans in my T&C was a POS but that's the only one I've had issues with. I don't know why Chrysler ever got rid of the 727. They've never had a better transmission than that one and it could have easily moved forward with the technology.

I got a blowed up 727 right now in a truck! Damn the 727! Junk JUnk Junk!


Todd

[Todd Wilson]

I  wish they would have thrown a overdrive in it and offered it. 

No offense meant but an A518 IS nothing more than a 727 with an overdive on the back of it, A500 is just an 904 with an overdrive on the back of it

In my experiance( I'm a trans guy at a dealer btw )
Most ( not saying all ) trans issues might have somethign to do with how it's used, as an example
Guy comes in to the shop a few years back with trans troubles in his Ram 2500 diesel , I ck it out and find the torque convertor has failed. No biggie R+R it and replace it and go thru the trans under warrenty.

2 months later he brings same truck back in, same troubles - torque conv lockup issues and chatters if it locks up at all. I pull it back again ( presumed warrenty and the conv case is dark blue this time, literaly looks like some one took a torch and heated the front of the outside shell
So I started doing a bit of digging around on the truck. and found a wire run to a toggle switch from a battery source. turns out the guy used said truck to pull a backhoe and he had rigged up a switch to apply the torque convertor on hard pulls when the computer was trying to turn it off. He cooked it so bad the convertor would not come out of the case .

Exactly! The owners most of the time kill the transmissions by not following the  owners manual. They dont shut the OD off and pull heavy loads with the diesel. Then you get the owenrs who mod like your example.


Todd

[b5blue]

On this point the only problem my trusty New Yorker had other than a tiny leak in the injector rail was a tranny computer fail, luckily for me Trico Transmission knew to fully diagnose the problem. We installed a new Chrysler part rather than a used one and it still runs flawlessly after over 200K miles. Contrary to what many stated this 90 Chrysler model has been one durable unit. It has had some normal wear and tear service like water pump, CV joint, brake work and such but now I'm wishing I had gutted the 40K mile Dynasty I found at the junkyard. I could have dropped the whole front assembly and swapped it out (I believe it was there because of the tranny computer) I ran into others who had their trannys rebuilt by shops that that were mystified with sensors and computers interaction and cost owners 1000s and had them think the cars were junk. You must address competency and quality of components used in repairs along with owners abuse and unit durability and that is really hard to compute. With 2 crap rebuilt dist. by A1 Cardone a new now failed Standard brand ignition switch, incorrect gaskets and valley pan for the six packs intake and center carb along with improperly manufactured fuel lines by Right Stuff you would start to think 440's are crap. But we know differently.       

[METROID]

  I made my girlfriend buy a Neon. She is from a Ford family they had a Ford van, truck, and Torus. Her sister got a Torus to all cars are POS the only one not constantly in the shop and that has not blown a head gasket is the newer truck.


Girlfriend has a 2002 or 2004: Her Neon is some what fuel efficient think she gets mid 20's. The car has had minor issues but over all just routine issues any car has. The lock on the driverside door broke two weeks ago and now she has to crawl across from the passengerside. Car sucks going up hill.

Her Brother has owned 2 Neon's both 2002-2004: He has had no issues at all with them, he even totaled on by flipping it and came out in great shape .

INMO nothing beats a 98-2000 Unmolested unaltered Honda Civic. If you can find one that hasn't been riced out you will have a great first beginner car .

Pros: Good Resale, Safe, Reliable, 30+ miles per gallon, seats 4, cheap parts, cheap and easy repairs, good torque for an econo car, Sun and Moon roof, and can comfortably drive without my head hitting the ceiling (I am six foot two).


Cons: It's Not a Mopar, it's not a Charger, and it is not American Made.

[BronzeOnSteelies]

I remember reading Consumer reports used car guide a couple years ago and they rated the later model years as good used cars to get. That is unusual for an American made car in that mag. I think those years are later than what you are talking about.

Mark

[b5blue]

Thanks everyone I've gotten from this being an unknown, to unsure, to undecided.   

[billssuperbird]

i just got a 2003 dodge neon sxt with 81.837. for 4000. is that a go deal.and how reliable.

[b5blue]

From what I have seen yea good price, keep a close eye on the rad though. Down here they are ether shot or 4K up?

[SRT-440]

I know this is an old thread.. but I must chime in..I have a 2004 Dodge SRT-4 (Neon) and bought it new..it now has 91,000+ miles on it and has never had a problem (knock on wood). Still has stock clutch and stock brakes and pads.
I realize the average neon is a total different animal than my SRT but it's held up very good!
Ran a best of 13.5 in the quarter, gets 26-30mpg on highway and can give 99.9% of the cars on the road a run for their money and stops on a dime.
But, I'm sure there are some guys that ran too much boost and screwed theirs up so I'm certain there are "bad experiences" but mine's been good. U can pick up a '03-05 for around $6,000 nowadays.
Btw, although the engine is completely different (SRT has a forged bottomend and almost bullet proof up to about 500hp) the head gasket is never a problem on these cars. 

[b5blue]

Thanks for a small car I still like them but insurance $$$ killed it for my son (He's young) 

[Lizey]

if its a 2.5 automatic run away and run fast!

[66chargerkid]

2.5's are great cars wirh a little maintenance.
First gen neons are a joke. The later 2.4 version is great. Real problem
with neons is that people drive them like go carts. Who wants to drive a Honda civic like a ba when they are gutless?
Srt-4's have mixed reviews because again they drive them and beat the crap out of them. Neons are good cars when taken care of.

[TX9AAR]

Thanks for the warning on the trans cooler/radiator failures, I have a 01 with an automatic I put an external trans cooler on the car to avoid ruining the trans if/when the radiator fails.