00 plymouth neon

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FDF12389

Diamond Member
Sep 8, 2005
5,234
7
76
Anyone have one?

Family member(younger brother) is looking to buy a 2000 with 80,000 miles on it

2.0 16 SOHC 3-speed auto

Thats sounds pretty crappy to me, but he seems to think its a good car, I dont know what he is thinking about paying for it yet.
 
radioouman

radioouman

Diamond Member
Nov 4, 2002
8,632
0
0
80,000 miles is where the head gasket will fail.

The 3 speed auto is OK, but just doesn't get the gas mileage of the 4 speed.
 
M

MercenaryForHire

Lifer
Jan 31, 2002
40,819
2
0
Right, they didn't make the 4AT until 2001.

The 3-speed in my buddy's old Plymouth Acclaim held up for 400,000km - I imagine the Neon's should be durable for at least half of that. :p

- M4H
 
funboy6942

funboy6942

Lifer
Nov 13, 2001
15,362
416
126
DONT GET IT!!!!!!!!!!!! I worked for West Side Dodge as the night service manager. If it isnt the Head Gaskets its the Tranny. And FYI any Dodge with the 3 speed is crap. My trans guy had plenty of work with them and before I met my wife she bought a new 97 Neon. We had 4 transmissions, and the head gasket put in on that in less then 40K miles. CRAP CRAP CRAP.
 
S

sniperruff

Lifer
Apr 17, 2002
11,644
2
0
i can't believe i'm saying this, but i think the chevy cavalier and the ford escort/focus are more reliable.
 
iamwiz82

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
13
81
Originally posted by: funboy42
DONT GET IT!!!!!!!!!!!! I worked for West Side Dodge as the night service manager. If it isnt the Head Gaskets its the Tranny. And FYI any Dodge with the 3 speed is crap. My trans guy had plenty of work with them and before I met my wife she bought a new 97 Neon. We had 4 transmissions, and the head gasket put in on that in less then 40K miles. CRAP CRAP CRAP.
Click to expand...

It's scary to me that you worked at a Dodge dealer and don't know that the head gasket issues was fixed in 1998.

http://www.allpar.com/mopar/2.html

 
S

Sukhoi

Elite Member
Dec 5, 1999
15,346
106
106
Originally posted by: sniperruff
i can't believe i'm saying this, but i think the chevy cavalier and the ford escort/focus are more reliable.
Click to expand...

:laugh:

I have a Corolla with a 3-speed and damn do I wish I had another speed in there. It's a HUGE difference.
 
OS

OS

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
15,581
1
76
Originally posted by: Sukhoi
Originally posted by: sniperruff
i can't believe i'm saying this, but i think the chevy cavalier and the ford escort/focus are more reliable.
Click to expand...

:laugh:

I have a Corolla with a 3-speed and damn do I wish I had another speed in there. It's a HUGE difference.
Click to expand...

lol, my cousin and i used to have the same car, a 2000 prizm (corolla rebadge), but i had a 4 speed auto, he had a 3. There was a huge difference, the 3 speed felt like it was lugging/lagging everywhere.
 
S

Sukhoi

Elite Member
Dec 5, 1999
15,346
106
106
Originally posted by: OS
Originally posted by: Sukhoi
Originally posted by: sniperruff
i can't believe i'm saying this, but i think the chevy cavalier and the ford escort/focus are more reliable.
Click to expand...

:laugh:

I have a Corolla with a 3-speed and damn do I wish I had another speed in there. It's a HUGE difference.
Click to expand...

lol, my cousin and i used to have the same car, a 2000 prizm (corolla rebadge), but i had a 4 speed auto, he had a 3. There was a huge difference, the 3 speed felt like it was lugging/lagging everywhere.
Click to expand...

You should hear it when I have to merge onto the interstate on the way home from work. The idiots I'm always behind try to merge at 45 mph. That's about the low end of 3rd gear for me, and my car pretty much won't accelerate from that. So I have to floor it and run second gear up to 65-70 mph before I can get into 3rd and still have enough power to accelerate to 75 mph at a reasonable speed.
 
OS

OS

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
15,581
1
76
Originally posted by: Sukhoi
Originally posted by: OS
Originally posted by: Sukhoi
Originally posted by: sniperruff
i can't believe i'm saying this, but i think the chevy cavalier and the ford escort/focus are more reliable.
Click to expand...

:laugh:

I have a Corolla with a 3-speed and damn do I wish I had another speed in there. It's a HUGE difference.
Click to expand...

lol, my cousin and i used to have the same car, a 2000 prizm (corolla rebadge), but i had a 4 speed auto, he had a 3. There was a huge difference, the 3 speed felt like it was lugging/lagging everywhere.
Click to expand...

You should hear it when I have to merge onto the interstate on the way home from work. The idiots I'm always behind try to merge at 45 mph. That's about the low end of 3rd gear for me, and my car pretty much won't accelerate from that. So I have to floor it and run second gear up to 65-70 mph before I can get into 3rd and still have enough power to accelerate to 75 mph at a reasonable speed.
Click to expand...

heh, it's like you're being punished twice, once for the small engine, and then second with the wrong transmission to go with it.
 
Zenmervolt

Zenmervolt

Elite member
Oct 22, 2000
24,514
36
91
My sister had an ols (1982) BMW with a 3-speed auto. It felt like you were starting off from a stop in 2nd and like you were stuck in 3rd on the freeway. The problem with a 3-speed is that 1st is taller than the 1st gear in a 4-speed auto and 3rd is non-overdrive, so you get screwed twice and it feels like it's missing a lot more than just one gear.

ZV
 
funboy6942

funboy6942

Lifer
Nov 13, 2001
15,362
416
126
Originally posted by: iamwiz82
Originally posted by: funboy42
DONT GET IT!!!!!!!!!!!! I worked for West Side Dodge as the night service manager. If it isnt the Head Gaskets its the Tranny. And FYI any Dodge with the 3 speed is crap. My trans guy had plenty of work with them and before I met my wife she bought a new 97 Neon. We had 4 transmissions, and the head gasket put in on that in less then 40K miles. CRAP CRAP CRAP.
Click to expand...

It's scary to me that you worked at a Dodge dealer and don't know that the head gasket issues was fixed in 1998.

http://www.allpar.com/mopar/2.html
Click to expand...

Chrysler did introduce a revised (MLS) head gasket which works much better and seems to be designed to last the life of the car. It was brought out in 1998 models and should have eliminated the problem - if you get a new one.

Whats more scary is you didnt work for Dodge and didnt see quite a few still come through the shop ;) Maybe not quite as much as pre 1998 but I didnt think I was to write a book on it and go into more detail then the short of it, and answer his original qustion on the 3 speed tranny. I just thought I would give him a little more background on the car that it can be worse then a tranny problem since I have hands on experance dealing with Dodge vehicles of many different typs and years.

Yes they redid the headgaskets and we were installing them in the ones that came in with the failure. It still didnt fix all of them and we saw a fair share of them still come in with leaks. And I guess since Im going to be so nit picked on what I say I should mention I worked there in 2000 so I didnt see many 2000 come through the shop area but many 95-98 and its dodge so I really wouldnt think much has changed really. They sell nice looking cars that are porly made and fall apart quickly.
 
Number1

Number1

Diamond Member
Feb 24, 2006
7,881
549
126
Originally posted by: funboy42
Originally posted by: iamwiz82
Originally posted by: funboy42
DONT GET IT!!!!!!!!!!!! I worked for West Side Dodge as the night service manager. If it isnt the Head Gaskets its the Tranny. And FYI any Dodge with the 3 speed is crap. My trans guy had plenty of work with them and before I met my wife she bought a new 97 Neon. We had 4 transmissions, and the head gasket put in on that in less then 40K miles. CRAP CRAP CRAP.
Click to expand...

It's scary to me that you worked at a Dodge dealer and don't know that the head gasket issues was fixed in 1998.

http://www.allpar.com/mopar/2.html
Click to expand...

Chrysler did introduce a revised (MLS) head gasket which works much better and seems to be designed to last the life of the car. It was brought out in 1998 models and should have eliminated the problem - if you get a new one.

Whats more scary is you didnt work for Dodge and didnt see quite a few still come through the shop ;) Maybe not quite as much as pre 1998 but I didnt think I was to write a book on it and go into more detail then the short of it, and answer his original qustion on the 3 speed tranny. I just thought I would give him a little more background on the car that it can be worse then a tranny problem since I have hands on experance dealing with Dodge vehicles of many different typs and years.

Yes they redid the headgaskets and we were installing them in the ones that came in with the failure. It still didnt fix all of them and we saw a fair share of them still come in with leaks. And I guess since Im going to be so nit picked on what I say I should mention I worked there in 2000 so I didnt see many 2000 come through the shop area but many 95-98 and its dodge so I really wouldnt think much has changed really. They sell nice looking cars that are porly made and fall apart quickly.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the clarification.
 
T

thedarkwolf

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 1999
9,030
123
106
The trans has been around since I think 1982 so its had most of the quirks worked out. Its the same trans thats in my 89 turbo caravan making around 200hp and 270ft-lbs of torque. The trans if fine you just don't have an over drive which would be nice. The 4 speed will be peppier and turn a few less RPMs on the interstate but the 3 speed is dirt simple and will last a long time. Thanks to my turbo I don't need to worry about peppyness ;) but I do turn around 3200rpms at 75mph.
 
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