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I'm glad you've had a good experience. How many miles have you got on your neon? And what year is it? I think the good 99s and on are decent cars, save for the electrical problems and the crappy door seals, oh, and a shimmying problem I've read about with newer models.
Of all the people I know that personally own or owned neons, three of five had the head gasket problem (not including myself). So, if you're around 50,000 miles, be aware that you're at risk.
Good luck to you.
- j
I'm considering buying a 1996 Neon Sedan w/ 42K miles for 6,000 bucks. I was hoping anyone out there would give me their opinion about this purchase. I would buy it from family, it has been well taken care of. Probably no warranty. But I'm a bit concerned about the head gasket problem I'm hearing about. I don't really care about aesthetics (wind & road noise, static shock, poor stereo) but I'd like a car that will be a good commute car (20-30 minute commute ea. way). My boyfriend and I have driven his 1992 Ford Ranger for 5 years now, and other than that my only vehicle is a 1965 Volkswagen panel van (and a head gasket on that is easy . So, obviously, no frills is okay with me! Any suggestions/stories about 1996 Neons would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Ingrid
P.S. A lot of you guys are either illiterate or just too lazy to use proper grammar and spelling. What kind of impression are you giving the elitist foreign car fanatics?
Resspectfully;
Protegextwo
On the subject of modifications, ordering up koni struts, thicker roll bars and high rate springs this week--WOOHOO
-B
Respectfully;
Larry
There is a big difference between the way Toyota handled the 3.0L truck-V6 gasket problem and the way DaimlerChrysler has handled its problems.
Toyota notified owners of the problem, offered to fix it for free (up to and including a replacement engine if necessary) for 100,000 miles. DaimlerChrysler left its customers, as usual, to twist in the wind - forcing them to ask for recompense from the dealers.
That may in part explain why Toyota is setting sales records, while DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group is planning the expiration of the Neon, closing plants, and laying off workers.
-Beanboy
-Larry
Ironically, when we had our Chryslers (Dodges), the dealer was great (which was a good thing, since we usually saw them a couple of times a month) - it was Chrysler Corporation itself that was ridiculous to deal with. Between our two Dodge cars, they shelled out over $3000 in warranty (actually, service contract) repairs, so we actually did OK until the extended warranties expired, excepting the inconvenience of constant troubles and breakdowns.
I am still waiting on a good review of the 2001 ACR model to see if it's even better for road racing, or more of a tamed down sales tool.
I also am waiting to hear more about the turbo 215 HP model due out maybe for 2002. It would be a good test bed for the PT Cruiser while 'boosting' neon sales. If it ends up being anywhere near the price of a WRX though I fear it won't sell as well lacking the AWD of the Subaru.
-beanboy
-Larry
Beanboy: Don't mind you checking my facts at all. Matter of fact, I do research for a living, so try to be right on about my info. I shouldn't really magnify the negative about the Neon experience I have had (with my roommate's), but just want consumers (as to say, people who check this board) to know so they don't get into the same mess as my roommate is in. I wish Dodge would get the refinement and customer service down on the Neon, because I think it's a nice little economical set of wheels. And it seems there are good and bad Neons, as with any car, so you just have to hope for a "lucky hand" when purchasing I guess.
-Larry
well here is the full skinny on this expresso stuff from www.neons.org in their FAQ section:
vocus is right as for the 96 model year, I an right for 97 on, I don't think the 95 models were actually labeled anything but it was called the sport package.
"1.3 Neon Sport and Expresso Sedan/Coupe
The Neon Sport debuted as the top-of-the line model. Most of the features that were optional on other cars were standard for the Sport, such as antilock brakes and 14-inch wheels. Very early Sports had steel wheels; alloys became standard when the Sport Coupe appeared in late 1994. Other identifying factors are the special fascia with fog lights; when the DOHC appeared, all Sports received the "power bulge" hood, even for SOHCs.
The Sport line has undergone more changes than any other. Like all Neons, it was originally available only as the SOHC-powered Sedan. This car had the same SDC (Touring) suspension as the Highline. The Sport Coupe, which appeared at the end of 1994, was a somewhat different animal. While keeping all of the standard Sport features, it added standard DOHC (which could be deleted for credit) and performance ratio gearing for manual transmission cars. It also featured the SDE (Sport) suspension, with stiffer struts (not quite the ACR competition-stiff units), front and rear swaybars, and the slightly quicker steering ratio found on the ACR.
In the 1996 m/y, Chrysler introduced the Expresso for both Dodge and Plymouth, which was an option package based on the Highline car. It had most of the comfort and appearance items of the Sport, though alloy wheels were no longer standard (all '96 Expressos had white bubble wheelcovers or white alloys, regardless of body color), and Coupes used the SDC suspension. Antilock brakes were optional rather than standard. The seats were the Sport level, with a special Tango upholstery, also known as "confetti".
For 1997 and up Neons, the Sport was made into a similar option package, rather than an individual model. Dodge cars are called Sport, Plymouth uses the Expresso name. Both are similar to the '96 Expresso, though the newer style alloy wheels are optional and are silver on non-white cars. This package relates to the Highline car the way the R/T relates to the ACR." -neons.org
I've owned this car since day 1, with regular oil changes, mostly rural highway miles. I don't abuse this car and while I enjoy it as a commuter, I had some bad news about it the other day. For the past few weeks when I start the engine in the mornings, (And in Wisconsin, they can be *cold*) I've heard a light tapping sound from the motor, which goes away after the temp. stabilizes. For a while I thought it may be temp. related, or perhaps because the oil was needing a change. I changed the oil from the 5W-30 mix I use in the winter to a 30W I use other times. Still had the ticking. Really no other way to describe it. You only hear it under moderate load, not at idle and not when accelerating. Otherwise it had good performance, mileage is still about 35-40 MPG and doesn't seem to burn or leak oil.
At about 89,000 miles I had the entire head replaced. From reading a bunch of prior posts,I had the typical head gasket go out on me. It took me a while to get it serviced, but with a 100,000 mile ext. warranty, it was replaced more or less with minimal charge. I had all the hoses and belts, including timing belt replaced at the same time, thinking this would give me a few more years with this car. The body is solid, mechanically seems to be in good shape otherwise, and I just replaced the front rotors myself - really pretty easy. I've changed the oil and filter roughly every 5000 miles.
So about the ticking. I took it to the dealer I bought it from, he told me they think it's piston slap and possibly some rod knock. They call for a complete short block replacement...About $3000 total. Well I'm going to get a second opinion from another nearby dealer who I've had business for years. I described the same symptoms to the service manager at the second place, he stated it may be a sticky lifter, or something else somewhat minor.
So if it's the worst case, what advice do any of you have? Having just gone past the 100K ext. warranty, with a well-maintained engine. From what I see this motor does seem pretty stout on the bottom end - cast iron block, etc. Honestly, 101K rural highway miles in 4 years doesn't seem that extreme. Any advice or more info would be sincerely appreciated. Thank You.
Respectfully,
Larry
It's just now paid off. And I can live with some things which are essentially cosmetic or are not safety/running related. Heck, I'd even put up with a busted AC at this point.
But you point out the same thoughts I'm having.
Kind of hard to face spending big money when I can get a new Kia Rio 4 door econobox for $9000 - including a 100K powertrain warranty. I don't know much about Kia, but the price and warranty has me interested in knowing more.
I guess if anyone has specific ideas how to deal with service on this, such as would I have a ghost of a chance pressing for warranty coverage, or even partial reimbursment? You hear about folks getting some informal assistance fairly often, just that sometimes it takes some doing.
Thanks much,
Will
Could anyone tell me what the EPA rating is on the 2001 Neon (base not HO Magnum engine) with a 5-spd? I seem to recall the 2000 model as being rated 28 city / 35 highway.
Now I see it rated as 27 city / 33 highway on Edmunds. I'm not sure if they botched the info when keying it in (I'm thinking maybe that's the rating for the HO version), if the EPA revised its estimate or if Chrysler fiddled with the gear ratios (personally, I'd take an extra 2 mpg on the highway over a three-tenths of a sec drop in 0-60 times any day of the week...particularly now with petro running at just over 7 dollars a gallon or so). I'd like to know what the deal is though.
I'm just a couple thousand away from purchasing (with cash) a new Neon ES now. After driving a few more cars lately, I'm remaining steadfast. If you can live with the "noise" (which I can - it's limo quiet compared to the Isuzu Stylus XS I drove back in college...perhaps I'm deaf from that experience), I think the cute little bobtail Neon is the most rewarding small car out there (unless your idea of rewarding is a soft ride, in which the nod would have to go to that new Civic). But, I digress.
We bought our '99 Expresso 2.0L 4-Cyl DOHC brand new and have maintained it on schedule the last 2 years. Now, when you have your foot on the brake and put it into gear (reverse or drive) it makes a horrible grinding noise. If you put it into gear without your foot on the brake, there's no noise.
It's still under the original warranty, so we're not worried about the $$ and have an appointment with the dealer, but I was wondering if this sounded familiar to anyone and what it might be.
Thanks!
Antonia
"I am (your name here)and I have a (least 4-6 year old Neon) and I thought that after paying 2500 - 5000 dollars less for my car than a Civic/Carolla/Sentra/Protege with 1.9% financing for 60 months I should be able to drive it for 150,000 miles and never have any problems with the car - ever.
Now, I have paid 500 dollars in a timing belt/head gasket/sensor and I am pissed. How can Chrysler sell such junk? Everyone knows those other cars never break, need oil, tires or brakes. My mothers, uncles cousins girlfriend has one of those other cars and never had a problem with it in 25 years.
This car has been a problem since the day I had it. After one year, I had to get it inspected. I am sure those other cars are so good, my state does not require them to be inspected. But since my damn Neon is such a peice of crap, I have to submit to yearly inspections.
Then at 25 - 50,000 miles I had to have my head gasked replaced under warrentee. The car never left me anyhere and my mechanic found the problem while it was being inspected. I am pissed.
In 100,000 miles I have gone though 5 sets of Pep Boys tires, the head gasket, timing belt, 2 sets of spark plugs, a pvc valve, 3 brake jobs 2 sets of front rotors, 30 oil/filter changes, 5 wiper blades, a feul filter, 10 air filters, 2 coolant changes, new belts & hoses, tire rod ends, 2 alignments, and had my transmission serviced.
This car is taking me for everything I got. Some of you (I assume you are a small minority) report you have not needed any major repairs. I guess you just got lucky and got one of the few good ones. I am sure if I bought another one I would have even more problems.
If you have one, you better sell it, or trade it in now before you start having to do all the things I had to just to keep it on the road.
I am a former owner of Accord 99LX (wrecked it a month ago), my wife drives 2K Neon. For your new purchase, visit Accord's problem topic and get yourself familiar to potential problems. You will need it.
edsword; good job dude
from what ive heard about neons, this is a darn good one.
edswords: very good job! i read a post in the pickups board about a guy who was thoroughly pissed about his eight-year-old Dakota because it needed its tranny rebuilt once, saying he'll never buy a dodge again. What a whiner.
One quick question. I am planning on looking for a used '95-99 Neon sometime in the near future. I've driven a '96 4-door SOHC automatic for a few days and thoroughly enjoyed it, even though the tranny was junk and the A/C didnt produce any noticeable results other than to surge the engine.
Does the coupe give up a significant amount of interior space to the sedan? I'm gunning for a Highline Sedan for the versatility and possibly lower insurance, but if there's a Coupe that I really like ill settle for that instead.
Oh, one more thing: Say I bought a '95 and the head gasket went. If I took it into the dealer, would they replace it with one that won't blow out on me again (Assume no warranty)? And, are blown gaskets related to abusive (read: enthusiastic) drivers or does it just seem to "happen?"
Look at Toyota Sienna- engine sludge problem
Toyota 4Runner-head gasket (certain years)problem
Honda Accord - V6 transmission problem (limited production)
Honda Accord - Trans.oil leak -engine oil leak, poor construction compared with previous generations
Honda Civic - stereo and CVT transmission problem
Chevy malibu - break problems........
So the list goes on. No matter what you buy you will inherit certain type of problems. There is no perfect car for the money you are willing to spend. Based on my personal experience and readings, DC has the best customer service if you know how to deal with them. Try to submit something to Honda, you will see how arrogant they are.
Good luck to you with your new purchase.
This is the also the only message board with regular posters who routinely disparage Neons to get reactions from their owners for who knows what reasons.
It makes me wonder, how hard is it to get a new I.D. (name and password) and post a few negative comments, then get another new name and post some more?
Im going to keep my Neon a long time, 100,000 miles + (already got 25,000 trouble free miles on my 5 speed 2k) and I would rather come to this board and discuss how to solve problems that inevitably occur so I can continue to enjoy my car.
The same people, some of which do not even own Neons, are still here disrespecting our cars for 2 years! Get a life!
I'm still dragging my feet on a new car purchase waiting for my crash-rebound car, a 91 Chrysler New Yorker with 174k now, to die but it won't. I figure I might as well keep driving it since it doesn't give me any problems. But...when it does...I think it's going to be Neon time.
I guess I'm not that at all shocked to find so many anti-Chrysler people here. The company makes a lot of cars, and whenever that's the case, it's going to have upset customers. It's unfortunate that some people have purchased some really trouble-prone Neons, but considering Chrysler has sold over a million of these babies worldwide, I'm surprised I haven't seen more negative Neon postings on this site.
It's a sheer numbers thing. You don't hear many blatantly anti-Daewoo people out there, but I suspect if Daewoo actually sold a million Lanoses (Lani?), the fit would hit the shan.
Also, a bit of advice for those of you who might experience a problem with your car (any make): stay calm and be polite when dealing with manufacturer reps.
I did a couple part-time customer service gigs in college and was amazed by the people whose first approach with customer service was one of belligerence and intimidation.
While there ARE some very poor service reps out there (I had the pleasure of working with a couple), you'd be amazed by the number of hostile customers out there who will proceed to tear you and your employer a new one and then expect you to be courteous, helpful and professional in return.
Well, I took Psychology 1001 too. The last thing you want to do as a service rep is go the extra mile for rude people and reward them for their behavior. Behavior rewarded is behavior repeated. I suspect a lot of these Chrysler service reps have my attitude.
Oh well...long live everyone's Neon.