I have a 2001 dodge neon sitting in my driveway, it hasn’t run in over 5 years. Is it worth it to have it towed and fixed?
It all depends what’s wrong with it. It may be something very simple and inexpensive to repair. Can you tell us (a) why you stopped driving it? (b) why you didn’t attend to it right away? © why you kept it all this time? Well, at least give us (a).
I would say yes. As it is right now, it is costing you in reduced value and lost space in your driveway. As noted, we don’t have enough information to suggest towing it to be fixed or towing it to the junk yard. I would suggest one or the other.
I would do something with it. Have it towed to a shop and find out what the problem(s) is and then decide what to do. You could fix it and drive it, fix it and sell it, sell it “as-is,” or just junk it. It depends on what it will cost to fix it and what it’s worth.
It was my brother’s car. He as all guys have to “upgraded” the car and shorted the wiring. I am gonna buy a new battery and things to see if I can get it started. It hasn’t started or been started in over 5 years.
If he really “shorted the wiring” I suggest that you start tracing shorts with an ohmeter before you put in a new battery. “Shorts” will just keep blowing fuses, and you will have to fix the shorts before you can do anything else.
However, if the short is in something separable that you can do without (like the 1,000W stereo, rather than the ignition or computer), you can go ahead an blow the fuses, and then get the car running before you fix the short.
how much is an ohmeter and where can i get one? can i do this myself?
You can get an ohmmeter (digital multimeter) for as little as $4.99 at Harbor Freight. See here:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92020
I have one of them and it works well for me. But I don’t agree that tracing shorts is the way to go. No doubt you have a few blown fuses but that might not be the real problem. (If it were you could get this little car running again real easy. But life is not always that simple.)
Here’s my advice. Get your brother to sign the title over to you, and don’t make another move until he does so. That way, if anyone makes you an offer at any time you can quickly holler “SOLD!”
Then find a friend who has some basic knowledge of auto repair. Try a new battery. See if the engine cranks. He’ll check for spark and fuel. Even if you cannot get the car running your friend will have a vague idea of what to tell a real mechanic – electrical, ignition, whatever. Then you can make your first real decision.