Unsatisfied Dodge Neon owner

Well, that's it, I can't put any more money into this shitbox. I
bought the 1995 Dodge Neon Sport 2.0L SOHC a little over two years ago
and have no money left for any more repairs.

Two months after having the O2 sensors replaced for the second time, I
sprong a leak in the rad, but that happens to many cars. So I took it
into my mechanic to find out that yes, the rad needs to be replaced
($400 Cdn) and "oh by the way" the antifreeze is full of OIL, HEAD
GASKET needs replacing (+$1200 Cdn)!

The car only has 148,000km (92,500 miles). The head gasket should last
a lot longer then that. Did a few searches on the net to find that I
am not alone and that a few people have a problem with the head
gaskets on the 1995-2000 Dodge Neons.

The car has until May 2005 until I'm done paying for it, so I can't
even sell it or throw it out until then.

I contacted Dodge-Chrysler Canada and was told that it was outside of
warrentte and there is nothing they are prepared to do.
Well, I don't have the money for the repairs and I can't even sell the
thing until May 2005.

So I've decided to put a big sign on it that says "IN MY OPINION,
DODGE NEONS ARE CRAP. SAVE YOUR MONEY AND BUY SOMETHING ELSE" and park
it at the end of my driveway beside the very busy street I live on. If
I can't get satisfaction, then I want to make sure that the 1000's of
people a day that will see it will not make the same mistake I made by
buying one in the first place.
It'll sit there for the next 20 months warning people.

Mike

 

AND, call your local news station and/or radio station. If they do a
story about you and put it on the news you will reach millions! I have
a 97 and 98 neon...both had the head gaskets go at about 3-4 years old
out of warranty. Chrysler did extend the warranty for me because it
was close and replaced them for $100 each, but that does not change
the fact that they went with low mileage so obviously something is
wrong. Go get em. I currently own three Chrysler products..my nect car
is going to be a Hundai which I am shopping for right now. They may
suck...but they will cover me for ten years.

 

Oog. First-year Neon. Not a particularly good choice of car. I don't
defend the degree to which US automakers tended at the time to release
very buggy first-year models and let the first customers be the test
engineers. Nevertheless, *you* should've done your homework. Pretty much
any source -- auto ratings, public forums, owners of that year and model,
the mechanic at the corner service station -- could've told you in advance
that the '95 Neons were fairly problematic.

This is not a common problem on the car -- it sounds as if it wasn't done
right the first time. It's also fairly uncommon to need both O2 sensors at
the same time even once, let alone twice.

The head gasket *is* a known weakness on the early-production Neons.

....so why didn't you do a few searches on the net *before* you bought the
car?

Whoah...you bought a six-year-old Neon (2001 - 1995) and you won't be done
paying for it for two MORE years, when the car is TEN years old??! How
much did you spend for it?!

Sounds like you made a *really* poor choice of used car.

DS

 

Sounds like a troll, actually.

 

Kia has the same warranty(Hyundai bought them out, IIRC) but IMO,
they have nicer features and more powerful engines. The little
Rio Cinco is a hard car to beat for basic transportation. It uses
the same components as the Aspire and Festiva, but has a whopping 40HP
more in the same weight.

Very nice budget cars. Few problems with that 10 year warranty.

Yeah - the Neon was never as good as the Colt(Mitsubishi Mirage)
it replaced. Ford's Escort was also not as good as its other models.
Unfortunately, this is typical - the bottom line cars are usually
substandard no matter which brand you get.

At least with Hyundai and Kia, you get a bulletproof engine for
ten years - even if it has to be fixed several times. Warranties
are great things

All are 2003 models

Kia Rio:
104HP/104 ft-lbs 2403lbs
$8995 after rebates for a basic model including delivery.
$10495 for the microwagon.

Kia Spectra
124HP/119 ft-lbs 2661lbs
$9495 after $2500 rebate(ouch!) - superb deal on basic transportation.

Hyundai Accent. Not as nice interior-wise, and not as good on
reviews. $9539 for the base 2-door coupe. Get the Spectra. 4 doors,
and better features. More power.

(same for the three above)
Basic: 5 yr. / 60,000 mi.
Drivetrain: 10 yr. / 100,000 mi.
Roadside: 5 yr. / Unlimited mi.
Rust: 5 yr. / 100,000 mi.
As close to bulletproof 5 year loan as you're likely to find.

Dodge Neon SE
132HP/130ft-lbs 2581lbs
$11075 after $2500 rebate for the base model. I'd save $1500 and not
sweat the 8hp.
Basic: 3 yr. / 36,000 mi.
Drivetrain: 7 yr. / 70,000 mi.
Roadside: 3 yr. / 36,000 mi.
Rust: 5 yr. / 100,000 mi.

The first two kind of suck. The two extra years are vital - you should
be covered completely during your loan period, IMO. Makes for a good
experience. When the car is paid off, then you can drive it into
the ground.

 

Actually, Kias are very reliable. The little Festiva Ford sold was
made by Kia and put the Escort to shame in terms of reliability.
So did the Aspire(though it had no power - the Rio fixes that).

 

Kind of reminds me of the saying........ "a fool and his money are soon
parted"

 

Warranties are NOT great things. They are tantamount to over-paying
up-front for expensive repairs on poorly-designed equipment. I'd rather
have a reliable car WITHOUT any warranty at all than a junker Kia or
Hyundai even if it came with a 50-year warranty.

 

You are thinking of the old Hyundai. Kia makes better cars than
Hyundai and is why Hyundai's quality shot up so fast once they bought
Kia out. For under $10K out the door, you can get a car that is guaranteed
good for 100,000 miles. That's not a bad thing.

They actually don't need repairs on their engines any more often than
most other imports. Not Toyota, to be sure, but nowhere near as bad
as GM and Ford.

Ford's little Focus is not better built than the KIA, but costs
a good 2-3K more for basic transportation. The Neon is also in the
same situation - more money for a car that has a worse warranty and
no better construction. At $9000 after rebates, that buys a lot
of repairs(cept with the 10 year warranty you'll get the dealer
to fix anything mechanical).

P.S. you want truly bad warranties? GM. Oh - and you'll need
it for as long as it lasts. They are the only car other than
Ford that buying an extended warranty is actually a prudent thing
to do.

 

I sure am glad I read this post. My wife is looking for a new car. She
has narrowed it to a dodge nean...toyota corrola...honda civic....no
question the neon is out....thanks for the info..by the way consumer
reports does not reccomend the neon...used or new...

 

If you think that warranty comes for free, you're delusional. Imagine
how cheap a Kia would be without them having to cover their crappy cars
for 100k miles!

 

Thats kinda like saying cows make better manure than horses.

 

Moot point, one can not buy one without a warranty.


mike hunt

 

to that guy thinkig about Toyota or Nissan, give your head a shake why give the
Japanese money for their country invest in your own. Hello you been paying
attention to the economy lately.

 

I'd have to look at the fine print, to be honest. My guess is
that well - if you are stupid enough to neglect the timing belt
on any engine, you're SOL. Neon or Mercedes - makes no difference.

It's kind of a moot point - given proper maintainence that you'd
do with ANY car, it'll last you 100K or they fix it for you.

OTOH, if it dies at 55K, they owe you a new engine. Dodge
would have long gone past the warranty period, btw.

Warranties work and are a consideration, IMO, in a purchase.
Really - considering that a Neon or Focus or Rio or Metro are all
about the same - crappy little cheap transportation from point
A to B - why not get the best warranty you can if every penny counts
and all you want is something basic with wheels?

Now, if it was comparing a high-end(?) Kia Optima to a Camry, yes,
I'd agree with you about quality, but the little budget boxes
are pizza delivery machines and nothing more.

I think all of them do. Perhaps that's why they have timing belts.

 

Latest version is recognizable by the turn signals inset into the
headlamps among many other changes, the first two versions had separate
lamps. And yes, its just a styling change, but its the third distinctive
iteration of the Neon.

 

If someone posts a shitty experience with a civic, will it be out too?

 

Nope. It's not an "iteration" or a "Generation". It's just had a minor
facelift (in North America only -- everywhere else, they didn't bother
because they don't sell enough of them to be worth the costs for new lamp
tool-up). They're still 2nd-generation cars, just with shittier headlamps
and different taillamps, and a couple other minor styling changes.

DS

 

OTOH, if it dies at 55K, they owe you a new engine. Dodge

So the 7 year / 70,000 mile waranty won't cover this ? Why not ?

 

| On Wed, 27 Aug 2003, Steve wrote:
|
| > > There are no 3rd-generation Neons. There are only 1st-generation and
| > > 2nd-generation ones.
|
| > Latest version is recognizable by the turn signals inset into the
| > headlamps among many other changes, the first two versions had separate
| > lamps. And yes, its just a styling change, but its the third distinctive
| > iteration of the Neon.
|
| Nope. It's not an "iteration" or a "Generation". It's just had a minor
| facelift (in North America only -- everywhere else, they didn't bother
| because they don't sell enough of them to be worth the costs for new lamp
| tool-up). They're still 2nd-generation cars, just with shittier headlamps
| and different taillamps, and a couple other minor styling changes.
|
| DS
|

Dan, do you find it harder to "see" the turn signal lamp functioning (when
the headlamps are on) when it's so closely integrated in with the headlamp
reflector? The other day I was across from a new Accord at a stoplight and
the angle had me close to being in the headlamp beam... I could just barely
tell that the turn signal was blinking. The car next to it (two lanes
turning, but had a separate turn signal lamp) was considerably easier to
"see" in comparison. What gives allowing the turn signals to be in such
close proximity to the headlamp these days anyway?