# Upgrades for 2004 Dodge Neon to Improve Comfort and Reliability **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [May 2, 2026, 9:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/upgrades-for-2004-dodge-neon-to-improve-comfort-and-reliability/205597 "2026-05-02T21:07:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![malcolmparked\_197265](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/59ef9b/32.png) [@malcolmparked\_197265](https://community.cartalk.com/u/malcolmparked_197265)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 1:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/upgrades-for-2004-dodge-neon-to-improve-comfort-and-reliability/205597/41 "2026-09-04T13:20:44Z")
If you’re going to keep an old Neon running, you’re going to spend a lot of time under it. Tight engine bay and low ground clearance mean every little oil change or timing belt job is a pain on your knees. I finally got tired of crawling on cold concrete and started looking into a 2 post lift setup for the garage, best decision I made for my back. Good luck with the car. Those 2.0s are simple enough to work on, just don’t neglect that timing belt or you’ll be replacing bent valves real quick. ---
**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2026, 12:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/upgrades-for-2004-dodge-neon-to-improve-comfort-and-reliability/205597/42 "2026-09-06T12:24:15Z")
Well since this thread was resuscitated, I wonder what car I was posting about. Certainly not about a neon. ---
**Author:** ![Old-Days-Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7feea3/32.png) [@Old-Days-Rick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Old-Days-Rick)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 11:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/upgrades-for-2004-dodge-neon-to-improve-comfort-and-reliability/205597/43 "2026-09-08T23:32:52Z")
I hardly see any neons around here anymore, they would rust terribly by 15 years old. I know a few that had them with 200k plus miles on them. The last person I know to have one had to get rid of it because of rust, not mechanical issues. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 12:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/upgrades-for-2004-dodge-neon-to-improve-comfort-and-reliability/205597/44 "2026-09-09T00:22:46Z")
There aren’t many 25-year-old compact cars for sale in my area, of any make. Lots of old trucks for sale. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2026, 3:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/upgrades-for-2004-dodge-neon-to-improve-comfort-and-reliability/205597/45 "2026-09-15T15:05:45Z")
> [@Old-Days-Rick](#): > > I hardly see any neons around here anymore, they would rust terribly by 15 years old. I do see PT Cruisers every now and then. They are built on the Neon platform. But still an extremely unreliable vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2026, 3:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/upgrades-for-2004-dodge-neon-to-improve-comfort-and-reliability/205597/46 "2026-09-15T15:23:07Z")
In the south, rust is almost a non issue, vehicles go to the salvage yards for other reasons, still see Neon’s and PT Cruisers around town, most die because they jumped timing or wrecked… ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2026, 10:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/upgrades-for-2004-dodge-neon-to-improve-comfort-and-reliability/205597/47 "2026-09-15T22:53:04Z")
> [@MikeInNH](#): > > I do see PT Cruisers every now and then. They are built on the Neon platform. But still an extremely unreliable vehicle. Strange that people would choose to drive 20-year-old extremely unreliable vehicles. I worked on PT Cruisers while working at a Chrysler dealer. Front wheel bearings couldn’t handle the brake heat created by street racing. Besides that, I don’t recall unusual reliability problems. ---
**Author:** ![bcohen2010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bcohen2010](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bcohen2010)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2026, 11:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/upgrades-for-2004-dodge-neon-to-improve-comfort-and-reliability/205597/48 "2026-09-15T23:49:33Z")
> [@MikeInNH](#): > > I do see PT Cruisers every now and then. They are built on the Neon platform. But still an extremely unreliable vehicle. You must live in rust country. Here in southern Arizona, the PT Cruiser remains a common sight on our roads. I have no idea how reliable they are compared to anything else on the road, but the fact that so many are still in use, despite their relatively low monetary value would tend to suggest that they aren’t so bad. Neons are much less common than PT Cruisers, and this is likely due to the demographic of owners who skipped necessary maintenance. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 12:14am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/upgrades-for-2004-dodge-neon-to-improve-comfort-and-reliability/205597/49 "2026-09-16T00:14:14Z")
I live in relatively rust-free southern California PT Cruisers are a rare sight and have been for some time The rust didn’t get them So that leaves plenty of other reasons 😆 ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 12:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/upgrades-for-2004-dodge-neon-to-improve-comfort-and-reliability/205597/50 "2026-09-16T00:19:47Z")
> [@bcohen2010](#): > > Neons are much less common than PT Cruisers, and this is likely due to the demographic of owners who skipped necessary maintenance. That is correct, timing belts age out. The scholars tell people not to spend money on a car based on a vehicle’s value. A timing belt replacement is significant compared to the value of the car, but less than the sales tax on a good used car. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 12:55am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/upgrades-for-2004-dodge-neon-to-improve-comfort-and-reliability/205597/51 "2026-09-16T00:55:44Z")
> [@Nevada\_545](#): > > Besides that, I don’t recall unusual reliability problems. I knew a few people that owned them and they had far better reliability from other manufactures. The best rating could find for them was 3.5 (slightly below average). Some early years had engine problems. ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 12:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/upgrades-for-2004-dodge-neon-to-improve-comfort-and-reliability/205597/52 "2026-09-16T12:21:35Z")
It’s rare to see a PT Cruiser around here as well. When I do see one, I am struck by how dated the styling appears. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 12:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/upgrades-for-2004-dodge-neon-to-improve-comfort-and-reliability/205597/53 "2026-09-16T12:57:20Z")
I thought the whole purpose of the Part Time Cruiser was to have a dated design. ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 1:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/upgrades-for-2004-dodge-neon-to-improve-comfort-and-reliability/205597/54 "2026-09-16T13:29:38Z")
Mission accomplished, not. Where they failed is having a newer model leverage a timeless design aesthetic and still look good years later. Look at the new Challenger. Carries enough of the original design to pay homage but also looks killer modern and probably will for many years to come. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 1:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/upgrades-for-2004-dodge-neon-to-improve-comfort-and-reliability/205597/55 "2026-09-16T13:54:23Z")
> [@VOLVO-V70](#): > > I thought the whole purpose of the Part Time Cruiser was to have a dated design. +1 But, some people’s perceptions of designs can be… strange. One of my work colleagues said that she hated the sight of the PT Cruiser. When I asked her why, she said that “it looks like a bunch of N a z i stormtroopers will come piling out”. Huh? Aside from the diminutive size of the PT as compared to touring cars of the '30s & '40s, the PT looks nothing like vehicles that were used by the Nazis, such as the Mercedes G4. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/5/2/52874d01b7d8356bd10d9c9c4cf0bf4df8c721b0.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 2:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/upgrades-for-2004-dodge-neon-to-improve-comfort-and-reliability/205597/56 "2026-09-16T14:05:58Z")
> [@VOLVO-V70](#): > > I thought the whole purpose of the Part Time Cruiser was to have a dated design. I think they were going for something like the1940s Suburban, like the 1941 shown below. ![IMG_0189](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/9/c/9c6042cec88d6f6d67103d3a9b5e6c78fd686538.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 2:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/upgrades-for-2004-dodge-neon-to-improve-comfort-and-reliability/205597/57 "2026-09-16T14:14:18Z")
The PT Cruiser has been a lightning rod for criticism from day 1. Other folks loved it. Google ‘custom PT Cruiser’ and see all the variations folks have built. ---
**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 4:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/upgrades-for-2004-dodge-neon-to-improve-comfort-and-reliability/205597/58 "2026-09-16T16:47:13Z")
There was a 41/42 GMC version near me for sale, but like that Chevy, had been “customized”. ---
**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 4:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/upgrades-for-2004-dodge-neon-to-improve-comfort-and-reliability/205597/59 "2026-09-16T16:49:40Z")
The era of retro, Chevy HHR, 2005 Mustang. I had a 2006 Mustang, liked it. [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/upgrades-for-2004-dodge-neon-to-improve-comfort-and-reliability/205597.md?page=2)