Any Experience with Dodge Neons?

[dhinch279]

Anyone have any experience with Dodge Neons. Saturday I am picking up a 2002 Dodge Neon 4cyl 5 speed 4 door for my daily driver. I am only paying $400 for it, but it does have 174,000 miles on it. I only put about 30-40 miles a week on my DD so the mileage doesn't worry me too much. I guess my question would be, how much more life can I expect to get out of it. Even if I only get 6 months out of it and it craps out on me, it was still worth the $400. It's a one owner car and I have known the car since it was bought new and the owner has taken very good care of the car, but I haven't seen a whole lot of neons running around with 200k+ miles on them, but then again, I never paid much attention to Neons.

 

[Psychopete]

I would have already bought it.

 

[dhinch279]

Its a friend of mine's car and he doesn't get back in town until tomorrow, otherwise it would be sitting in my driveway

 

[martin]

They seem to be either very good or very bad. I know a few people that have had nothing but trouble with them (big trouble). I also know know people that have never had a single issue with them. probably not much help but if it's gone this far without much trouble it's probably one of the good ones.

 

[Psychopete]

Its a friend of mine's car and he doesn't get back in town until tomorrow, otherwise it would be sitting in my driveway

Like what martin said, it's hard to predict when something like that would fail - but I agree that if it's been going this long, it probably has a lot more to dish out. But $400 for a car, can't go wrong! Sounds like he is giving you a gravy deal!

 

[dhinch279]

Yep, I imagine it will be alright. I bought a 91 Toyota Celica a few years back for $500. It had 212,000 miles when I bought it and when I sold it 2 years later it had 254,000. That was a good car.

I picked up the neon, I even got him to throw in the safety and emmissions inspections. Which he is doing today, so by noon I should have the car licensed and ready to go.

 

[Daven]

Lol Well, i had a run-in with a 2000 neon... It brokeded now along with my truck :/

They seem to be decent aside from my new hate for them lol.

 

[ranger_mclaren]

Pain in the ass to work on changing the starter or the alternator is half a saturday. But what now a day what isn't a pain to fix. I got a 98 neon 5speed for free a couple years ago just needed a battery, rear brake lines and a engine tune. Wish I kept it. I did parking lot drives it seemed to be pretty peppy.

 

[shane96ranger]

There are a couple guys at work that bought them when Chrysler first started making them and they had nothing but issues with head gaskets. Funny thing is, both of them traded them in for the newer body style when it came out and those seemed much improved. Neither of them have those anymore, but both bought Chrysler products again (PT Cruiser and Caliber). So that might say something.

But like everyone said, for 400 bones man, if it lasts a year you've made out like a bandit in my opinion.

 

[88_Eddie]

i had a few people that were regulars at the autozone i worked at, they cussed the neon, always saying they were gonna sell it, then a month later, they'd be back in there buying something else for it. at least they're small enough that you can just pick them up and get under them, the engine weighs less than my lunchbox