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What is this discussion about? Dodge Neon, Plymouth Neon, Sedan

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#543 of 1758 Thanks! (six weeks late), or "A Love Story" by fc3grrl Jan 02, 2001 (12:53 pm)
I said I'd post after our purchase of a '01, so here it is, just a little late...   We couldn't get the 5-speed unless we ordered one and waited two months (so they said), so we ended up with an automatic ES, Clearcoat Black with the Sun & Sport package. This, combined with the fact that they gave me half of what my RX-7 was worth, was disappointing. Luckily that disappointment lasted only half an hour. It's been nothing but pleasure since.   It's funny to me that I had thought I'd be sacrificing performance for a back seat. While I'm no longer racing Mustangs and Honda's or rolling into the curves like I did in my 'seven, I'm still zipping onto the interstate and gliding down the highway with power to spare.   This car was full of surprises like that; it's roomy, and handles like a much bigger, more luxurious car. Bumpy roads no longer rattle my teeth, and I certainly don't miss the occasional cramp in my clutch-knee, either, thanks to the automatic, which I must admit is kind of nice *grin*. The much-ranted engine noise is non-existent; the 'seven was *much* louder, and I can no longer hear my husband pull around the corner and into the driveway when he's in the Neon. The auto-fading overhead light was a whimsical surprise, too.   The biggest surprise is our friends' reactions. Suddenly the guy with the Mercedes wants to ride in my back seat. We fit four adults comfortably. They also adore the re-designed body, and everyone we talk to has a story about someone else's Neon and how happy they are with it.   So far we've had absolutely no problems with the car, and we've got about 1200 miles on it. Mileage is averaging about 30, which is more than double what we are used to, and with regular octane instead of premium, an appreciable savings! The trunk is huge, too, and I really made use of the space when Christmas shopping, and was able to fit a new folding table into the trunk, laid completely flat with the back seats still upright. We feel that we made a smart choice, and if we had it to do over again, we'd still go with what we got.   Thanks again for all of the information and encouragement. The decision to buy this car was left up to me, and I really would've heard it forever if my husband wasn't pleased. He brags that I did good, and that's another bonus!   I love my Neon! Bev
#544 of 1758 by eneth Jan 02, 2001 (4:14 pm)
Hersbird,   If you can get a head gasket on a Neon replaced for $100-400, more power to you. You must live in a low-cost labor area. Around here, it's over $1200 for a V6 for head gaskets, and more like $700-900 for a 4-cylinder model for labor and for parts. Whether it's a Honda or a Neon, labor is labor - and it's expensive.
#545 of 1758 more cost updates by hersbird Jan 03, 2001 (9:53 pm)
Well I checked more into neon headgasket costs. All factory parts required are less then $100. The actual labor involved is pretty simple, it's easy to access and goes pretty quick. Common prices paid for labor ranges from $200 at you local grease monkey shop to $500 at a five star dealer. The warranty has been extended to 5 years and 100000 miles on the headgasket with a $100 deductable. If the failure happens it almost always occures on the drivers side rear of the block and only involves the leaking of oil, seldom does a headgasket failure on a neon result in the mixing of any fluids. If you have an oil leak at this point still don't panic yet, the most common cause, (much more likely then headgasket) is the cam position sensor seal which costs under $5 for the part and 15 minutes tops to install. Many people have this slight headgasket leak for a long time before it gets worse. A few people at www.neons.org ran upwards of 50000 miles with the headgasket leaking oil before it finally started leaking collant as well, still the neon continued to march on until the fix was made. Of course a V-6 will cost more, it is exactly twice the work and parts with reduced accesibility. By your math if a V-6 costs $1200 a inline 4 cylinder should cost less then $600. Maybe other 4 cylinders are more difficult to work on then the neon, and I'm pretty sure a factory set of top end gaskets on a Honda will cost more then the $88 the neon's do. Anyway enough death and gloom about this headgasket thing. My point is there are so many other cars out there, that have more common problems, that will leave you walking in Hayward at 1 am, and ultimately cost more then the neon's headgasket.
#546 of 1758 Headgaskets by edswords Jan 06, 2001 (10:24 am)
Thanks Hersbird for shedding a little light on the 'horrible' Neon head gasket problem. I ran my 95 Neon to 94,000 miles with the original head gasket and found out after I sold it that the minor oil leak at the back of the engine was not
#547 of 1758 Headgaskets by edswords Jan 06, 2001 (10:31 am)
Thanks Hers bird for shedding a little light on the horrible' Neon head gasket problem. I ran my 95 Neon to 94,000 miles with the original head gasket. I found out after I sold it that the minor oil leak at the back of the engine was not from the valve cover but from the head gasket.   The car ran fine and dint smell like coolant or lose coolant. The problem is hardly ever criticle. I have been quoted head gasket replacements for less than 400 dollars(or about the same of a good set of tires)   If you have 50,000+ on the car its a good time to consider replacing the timing belt which wont siginficantly increase the cost of the entire job.
#548 of 1758 Speaking of Tires by edswords Jan 06, 2001 (10:41 am)
I have a 2K Neon with the 14" wheels and 185/65 Goodyear Eagle GA's with 20,000 miles on them. The tires were barely adequate last winter at 10,000 miles and they are terrible in the snow this year.   I still love my Neon but if anyone from Dodge reads the Edmunds Town Hall is reading this I just want them to know the Goodyears are the worst set of tires I have ever had. I was hoping to get 40-50,000 miles out of them, but now I will be lucky to get 25,000.   One failed on me at 1000 miles (sidewall failure, not from a curb or punture) and Goodyear did nothing about it. I have to get the tires balanced every 5000 miles to stop them from wobbeling. It works for a while but the wobble always comes back.   Has anyone else had problems with the Goodyears?   I am also receptive to recommendations on good all weather replacement tires.
#549 of 1758 Goodyears and other items by 71charger Jan 08, 2001 (6:42 am)
I must agree with edswords about the Eagle As. They came as original equipment on our Jeep and were completely worn out before 25,000. My Neon with the 15" wheels came with Good year AS tires and, so far, I've been pleased with them. I'm at about 13K with no discernible wear on them. They got me to work and back (80 mile round trip) in an ice storm. I do have traction control though.   On the oil filter. The Neon 2.0 calls for the same filter that most of the old 2.2s (along with many Toyotas and Yugos) called for, Farm PH3614. It's a tiny filter and doesn't provided a great deal of filtering area. The short V-8 filter is an easy fit (Farm PH43) and it holds about an extra half a quart of oil as well as the increased area of the filtration media. I'm not advocating Farm or any other filter, Fram's just seem to be the numbers most people are familiar with.   Also, I'd still like to hear from anyone who has had the PVC recall work done. Any change in driveability?
#550 of 1758 What the heck happened, won't use spell check again by 71charger Jan 08, 2001 (6:45 am)
On my last post I thought I had just told it to fix my spelling of discernible and it changed a bunch of stuff. Farm should be Fram, Eagle As should be Eagle GAs, Good year AS should be Goodyear LS. Oh well, live and learn.
#551 of 1758 tires by hersbird Jan 08, 2001 (9:27 pm)
This winter I got a set of BF Goodrich studded winterfires mounted and balanced for $240 at Costco. They are great studded snows and I think better and cheeper for around town driving then the 'studless' tires like Blizzacks. My Jeep had Goodyear GSA's (Get Stuck Anywhere) as original equipment as well, just about anything would be better. The neon has 23K miles on the Goodyears and although they still have over 50% of the tread left I don't think I'll put them back on the factory rims in the spring. Instead I'll get a set of aftermarket 15 or 16" wheels and tires and leave the studs mounted. Even with studded snows when you get the light neon on a solid icy hill it's pretty hard to get going with the clutch and 150hp on tap, maybe I should use 2nd gear more. Spellcheck always wants to change what's right as well as what's wrong, It's why I stopped using it long ago. At least this new format has a 'edit' button you can go back and fix stuff.
#552 of 1758 head gasket and Eagle GAs by krzyss Jan 09, 2001 (1:58 pm)
Hi !   I am happy original owner of 96 Neon (Sport Sedan). My head gasket gave way around 50000 miles. My Five star dealer did work for (I wish I remember 500 to 700 USD) x dollars and I asked them to write on the bill that it was not due to abuse but else (typical damage was the wording). So I called the DC got the address and sent them the bill. Month later I got check which covered all the expenses. So I am paying it back by claiming how well I was treated but it should have been designed properly first.   Now about the tires. My both cars came with Eagle GAs: Neon 185/65R14 and Passat 215/50R15. These both sets lasted around 30000 miles. On the Neon I had exact the same problem. Side of the tire developed air leak (no sign of damage) and it took me 3 or 4 Goodyear dealers to get one which replaced it for free but I bought from them additional service (roadhazard or something) but still cheaper than new tire. The Passat had different problem. Close to the end of their thread life the tires started developing cracks in the grooves. I had them patched first time but after second I bought new tires (Dunlop SP9000 and Pirelli Winter Ice).   It is good that GAs do not last longer because I would not be able to enjoy different tires. My current Neon tires are Dunlop D60A2 and they are quite decent. My Neon has 60000 and by the end of the summer I will need new tires or sooner.                                     Krzys

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