Question about Dodge Neons...

So I'm about to buy a 2005 Dodge Neon with only 50,000 miles on it.

This one person I know told me that every Dodge Neon he has ever seen had a problem with a blown head gasket at many points in it's lifetime. The bad thing about this is the Neon I want to buy was leaking a bit of oil at the lot I went to, so the dude that owns the lot said he'd take it to the mechanic to get it fixed.

My question is should I even buy this car? If Dodge Neons have a history of blown head gaskets, I don't wanna just buy the car and then have it fuck up on me all the time. Cuz it's like $3500 to get it fixed, and I don't have that kind of money to spare.

So does anybody have experiences with Neons? Good or bad ones?

Id rather buy a z24 cavalier

no run away! everyone i know who has had a neon has had then engine blow up on them. I;ve owned a 1996 cavalier for 4+ years and ive only had minor problems you would expect from a 15 year old car

yea mopars in general, besides jeep cherokee's and certain other models are notorious for blowing engines and transmissions every 75000 miles or so. I used to have a cavalier too. had 150,000 when I crashed it, never had to have a single piece of engine or body work done to it, besides one belt change. it's a very comparable car which, imo, is much much better.

neons are built really shitty its not worth it
get a civic they last a long time and have a lot of potential to be customized

I own an '02 Neon with 140k miles on it. Engine runs like a champ, and I haven't changed the oil or checked fluid levels in forever! (where the hell is the transmission fluid located at, anyway?) And I've driven it hard. Never heard of this blown head gasket problem.

The only major issues I know of are that the A/C will most definitely fail, and that the battery can easily corrode the fuel lines since it sits so close. I'm not gonna even bother fixing the A/C since it'll cost half the price this pile of junk is worth.

Even if the car was trouble-free, it has got to have the ugliest interior I've ever seen. The dashboard is absolutely hideous, even in an SRT-4.

The most positive thing I can say about this car is that I get 45 MPG if I'm driving carefully; 34 MPG if I floor it. Who needs a hybrid?

My friend has a neon and she's never had major problems with it. And it's a 300k+ mileage car. Good beater car.

neons are built really shitty its not worth it
get a civic they last a long time and have a lot of potential to be customized

Don't listen to this fool

And Neons are kinda shitty. I would look at other options

If he did take it to a mechanic see and verify that the work was done.

yea mopars in general, besides jeep cherokee's and certain other models are notorious for blowing engines and transmissions every 75000 miles or so. I used to have a cavalier too. had 150,000 when I crashed it, never had to have a single piece of engine or body work done to it, besides one belt change. it's a very comparable car which, imo, is much much better.

Nope... So QFT please. I own a 2004 grand caravan and that thing still burns rubber with 128,000 hard miles on it, original trans and engine... Love the smell of burning rubber the only problems i have had with it is it dies when i fill it up (i need a new fuel pump) and the one time it was misfiring... Mopars will last if you take care of them OP, just neons are generally shit... Get an avenger with a 3.3L

Neons aren't known for blown head gaskets, SRT-4's are, it's specifically a turbo related issue.

Neon's were replaced by Calibers due to low safety ratings...

But anyways, $3500 for a blown head gasket? you can pick up a performance mopar replacement and do it yourself for a helllll of a lot cheaper, head gaskets are cake to replace.

But anyways, I enjoyed my neon until I totalled it on I-95, but I wouldn't get another one, you can get a charger sxt for mad cheap anyways.

I would just stay away from domestics made after 2000 in general. America sucks at making cars now (for the most part.) In comparison to a Neon, I would look into a civic or maybe a camry. Both reliable as well as affordable. Fuck the new dodge, they had their peak of good cars in the 90's

I would just stay away from domestics made after 2000 in general. America sucks at making cars now (for the most part.) In comparison to a Neon, I would look into a civic or maybe a camry. Both reliable as well as affordable. Fuck the new dodge, they had their peak of good cars in the 90's

whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? there is some bossss ass new dodges

2011Durango


2011 challenger

whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? there is some bossss ass new dodges

2011Durango


2011 challenger

Yeah they're alright but no where near comparison to a Neon. Lol

Neon=Fail


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Edit*

Get a manual v6 camry

Or if your looking for a four door 4 banger the camry comes like that too.

What did you end up doing OP? first gen Neons are the best (95-99). Just bought a ACR Neon coupe. Runs perfect, spins the tires, ready to go anywhere. the good thing about neons are they are actually pretty easy to work on and great mpg.

From someone in the automotive industry.

Neons of EARLIER generations have horrid headgasket issues. As of late models are much better. The biggest thing you will have an issue with are automatic transmissions (as with any chrysler), cheap junky interior, and a piss poor exterior design.

More or less you are looking at the worse end of the economy car stick. If you want an inexpensive, reliable, good daily driver look at the following:

VW Golf - Regardless of people's personal opinions... one of the all time BEST cars built. Won car of the world 2010....
VW Jetta - I've owned 4, they've all had between 140k - 205k. No major issues, just typical wear and tear.

If you get something european expect silly issues that you will learn to love/hate, however they offer excellent longevity, fun behind the wheel, and 99% of the time, better interiors than equal cars of their age and class.

if you go domestic expect it to be an all around POS. the US hasn't built a truly proper car in DECADES. chrysler automatics are garbage, as are GMs. Ford's are hit or miss. Personally i'd avoid anything US built/designed.

If you search from japanese / korean automakers you will find cars that run forever. thats it. they are no fun, have no soul, and have horrendous interiors. However, if you want a car that needs minimal work, and will simple go .A -> .B they are the way to go.


All of those factors out there, i myself would buy my 6th volkswagen over anything on the market for 3500.

From someone in the automotive industry.

Neons of EARLIER generations have horrid headgasket issues. As of late models are much better. The biggest thing you will have an issue with are automatic transmissions (as with any chrysler), cheap junky interior, and a piss poor exterior design.

More or less you are looking at the worse end of the economy car stick. If you want an inexpensive, reliable, good daily driver look at the following:

VW Golf - Regardless of people's personal opinions... one of the all time BEST cars built. Won car of the world 2010....
VW Jetta - I've owned 4, they've all had between 140k - 205k. No major issues, just typical wear and tear.

If you get something european expect silly issues that you will learn to love/hate, however they offer excellent longevity, fun behind the wheel, and 99% of the time, better interiors than equal cars of their age and class.

if you go domestic expect it to be an all around POS. the US hasn't built a truly proper car in DECADES. chrysler automatics are garbage, as are GMs. Ford's are hit or miss. Personally i'd avoid anything US built/designed.

If you search from japanese / korean automakers you will find cars that run forever. thats it. they are no fun, have no soul, and have horrendous interiors. However, if you want a car that needs minimal work, and will simple go .A -> .B they are the way to go.


All of those factors out there, i myself would buy my 6th volkswagen over anything on the market for 3500.

Thats were I would disagree. Now my point of view which is based off my experience in the automotive industry. First off, I support cars built in the US, crap or not, Im not about to buy a foreign vehicle. Second off, the 1st gen neons 2.0l is the newer version of the 80's 2.2l engine (perhaps the easiest engine to work on ever). The Neon is a extremely reliable, compact, high mpg, commuter. The interior which may not be to your liking, was designed to cut weight in order to increase mpg. Designs arent the best, but its a cheap reliable car. Parts are cheap and you can do most any repair with basic knowledge. bought a neon offline for a little over a G, and was offered $3200 a week later. They are cheap to buy, but dont expect a big profit unless its a srt4 or a acr. Factory competition package= 4 wheel disc brakes, koni adjustable damper struts, bigger sway bars, weight reduction, upgraded 3.94/0.81 ratio performance 5sp which. quotes off allpar.com "Car & Driver recently did a skidpad and autocross between a 1997 Cobra, Saturn, Neon, and Miata. On race slicks, the Neon was the *only* car able to pull over 1G of lateral acceleration." Also came with aluminum wheels and an unlimited speed controller.

What did you end up doing OP? first gen Neons are the best (95-99). Just bought a ACR Neon coupe. Runs perfect, spins the tires, ready to go anywhere. the good thing about neons are they are actually pretty easy to work on and great mpg.

I had a first gen ACR coupe it was an awesome car very fun to drive. The SRT4's are monster little cars they go way too for fast for way too little $$. You get a lot of bang for your buck with a neon, especially if you dont mind a little wrenching.

I had a first gen ACR coupe it was an awesome car very fun to drive. The SRT4's are monster little cars they go way too for fast for way too little $$. You get a lot of bang for your buck with a neon, especially if you dont mind a little wrenching.

Couldnt of said it better