im thinking of buying a used dodge neon year 2000 or newer, ive never owned a dodge before and am wondering is it worth buying this car used with mileage 100,000 to 140,000 or with the engine or tranny quit before 200,000 miles thanks
It better be real cheap…they are by no means a reliable car.
Yep, they had lots of problems. Probably the last car I’d look at of that type.
On many Dodge Neons the transmission goes at about 100,000 miles and head gaskets usually blow at that mileage as well.
A running 2000 Dodge Neon is a crap shoot. If someone GIVES it to you with that many miles on it, it will still be expensive to keep running for 5 years.
The '02 & '03 Neons are on Consumer Reports list of “worst cars” for reliability.
I wouldn’t touch one with a ten foot pole.
They stopped making Oldsmobiles, then they stopped making Saturns; some people were sad. What happened when Neons went out of production? Nobody knows.
You should only consider buying a 10 year old Neon if you typically walk around with a sign on your back saying, “Kick Me”.
Only someone who is a glutton for punishment should consider buying a car that was not very good when it was new, and could only have gotten worse over the course of 10 years/100k+ miles.
Any 10 year old car with 6 digit mileage is a crap shoot no matter who makes it.
The motoring public is an equal opportunity thrasher.
Just my opinion, but most problems are caused by the owners of those cars. In the case of the Neons, I’ve seen several brand new ones (generally turbocharged) with the paper tags being whaled on at the drag strip on Saturday nights and also saw one that had a dealer DEMO plate on it. That one was apparently being thrashed by a car salesman and any future buyer of that car along with ones sold by the individuals mentioned above likely bought real headaches. Odds are they blamed the problems on Chrysler without knowing the real truth.
A local Security service here ran a small fleet of Neons for about 10 years until production ended and I think they even still have a few holdovers they use. This company performs very regular basic maintenance work on their own and the cars held up very well for the type of use, which was stop and go and idling all night long.
If the cars were chronic headaches they would have never allowed their bottom line to get butchered for 10+ years.
An old Neon is too expensive even if it is free.
ok i understand what everyone is saying, but again im not looking for a brand new car my budget is 2800- 3000
In that price category any car is likely to be old and in need of ongoing repairs, but if you focus on the best of the bunch, you will have a better-than-average chance of getting a car that won’t take you to the poorhouse.
In that price category, you should be looking at the most reliable cars, namely:
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Echo
Hyundai Accent
Chevrolet Prizm (clone of the Corolla)
Honda Civic
Acura Integra
Is there some particular Neon that you have in mind and you know the owner and history of the car? In your price range,the condition of the car is more important than the make. I have a colleague drives a Neon he purchased new. The car has gone well over 100,000 miles with no major repairs. However, the paint has come off the top in huge strips.
If I needed a car in your price range, I wouldn’t be specifically looking for a Neon, but if I found one that checked out o.k. for an older vehicle, I might consider it.
Now that your budget numbers are stated, it seems lear that you would waste at least $1,500 on that neon. It is worth $1500 if it is perfect. You shouldn’t spend all your budget on junkers.
If your budget is cash, congratulations. There is hope for you. You can realize the potential of that hope now, but twenty years from now would be more likely. If you must learn lessons the hard way; by all means buy the Neon.
At $1,500, the odds of making a bad bet are only about 30%. At $3,000 and a 2000 Neon, the odds are closer to 80%. The odds are worse because at $3,000, vs. $1,500 there isn’t a second chance.
If you complain about that advice, remember that money is worth something but most people don’t start saving it until they are over forty years old. Hold on to some of it because you will need it.
I always thought that Chrysler Corporation missed the boat on the Neon. Had the car been built with a little more quality, attention to detail, and marketed well, it could have been the VW Beetle of the late 1990’s. It did have a unique appearance and if it could have tapped into the young adult market, it would have been a hit.
I agree with ok4450 on this subject. The biggest problem with the Neon is that it was an inexpensive car that was bought by a lot of cheap people, or people who did not plan or intend to plan to do regular maintenance on it. They were seen, and perhaps marketed, as a cheap, appliance-like, throwaway car, and that attitude carries over today. A different demographic tends to buy and use (and maintain) cars that are highly regarded for their reliability, like the Accord, Camry, Civic, and Corolla. If these cars were treated the way most of the Neons of the world have been treated, they would probably have a lousy reputation as well.
If you can find a Neon in your price range (preferably below your price range) that has been well maintained (and documented) and driven sensibly, you could have a good car. The same would go for any of the Japanese makes which are touted for their reliability and consequently priced out of your reach on the used car market.
Not a great car in general. One with 120K+ miles that still feels solid and tight on the road might be worth investigating. Before buying one, have a pre-sale mechanic inspection. If you know the previous owner and can document the car was well cared for that is a plus.
Lots of Neons for sale so the price should be cheap. Keep some money in reserve to handle repairs. Expect a few rattles, and some knobs that either don’t work or fall off as the Neon isn’t built nearly as well as a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla. On the flip side a Neon should be 1,000’s less that a Civic and/or Corolla too.