How reliable is a 95' Dodge Neon?

[mztykal]

Is it reliable enough that I won't have to worry about problems as soon as I get it. How is the electrical and engine? Is there any major problems to worry about? The guy selling the car says its in good condition. The car has 90,000 miles (which I'm thinking is a lot for a 95'). But if the engine is in really good mechanical condition that shouldn't be a problem, right? LMK if you've ever driven on or if you have one. Any and all help is appreciated. Oh yah, the car is a 5 speed. =)



-MzTyKaL <----Has been posting a lot about used cars, yah?

 

[N8Magic]

Check this out.

Oh and BTW, my 95 Cavalier Z24 has 111,000 miles, and still going strong! <knock on wood>

 

[mztykal]

Thanks for the link man. Gonna go read it now. I love Cavaliers. Would love to get one. Can't find a 95' though. Oh well, maybe if I wait and don't get something soon. Thanks again!

 

[Wingznut]

(Keep in mind, I'm an ex-Chrysler technician...)

In general, they aren't bad cars. Of course, each one can have different results.

 

[Pocatello]

How much are you willing to spend? A late model like 97 or 98 should have less mileage. I had a 97 Dogde Neon, which had a shorted circuit in the gauges cluster, had it fixed for $150 including parts and labor. I had a great time with it, until I totaled it two weeks ago .

 

[mztykal]

Wing - You used to work for Chrysler? I had a 95' Cirrus and spent over 3k in repairs. The air cond multiple times and some engine work. Was that a freak problem or a problem all of them shared? Is it the same for the Neon? Take into consideration I'm coming from owning a 93' Corolla. Thanks for the reply!

 

[Pocatello]

I must say that my Neon saved my life. The front end was banged up very badly, all I got was a bloody lips from the deployed air-bag.

 

[mztykal]

I got around 3-4k to spend. Thats why I'm looking at the first gen models. If I had more I might get a newer version or a totally different car.

 

[Soybomb]

Did you look at all at the 3k car thread from yesterday as I recommened? hehe

 

[Wingznut]

Depends on the engine... But in general the first Cirrus/Stratus's were problem cars. After a couple years in existance, they got the bugs worked out.

Fwiw, I own a '98 Neon and '98 Stratus.

 

[SVTPower]

Guarantee without even lookin at it the Headgasket is shot, get that replaced and you'll be fine.

 

[mztykal]

How much would a typical head gasket and install cost?

 

[SVTPower]

Gasket about $80, Install if you have it done would depend on where you live, DON'T take it to a dealer if you want to save money. Dealer would prolly be over $300 for labor. Find out if he already had it taken care of, it's a VERY common problem on those cars and I'm suprised it wasn't a recall for as many they had with that problem. Good job on the 5-speed decision though the Neon auto's are Total Slush boxes, actually any car that comes with anything less then a 6-cyl comes with a slush package for that matter

 

[Wingznut]

There's a decent chance that the headgasket has already been replaced. So, be sure to check on that.

 

[iamwiz82]

actually, make sure the car is leaking before you have the HG fixed, cuz it might already have been switched to the MLS type head gasket, which doesnt fail. The older ones usually blew between 10,000 and 50,000 miles, though mine went at 65,000.

Wingz, you said it before me, dammit =]. I assume you live in Mi, since you are a wings fan, what plant did you work at?

 

[Emulex]

i have a 95 cavalier (low end) 80K miles, runs flawless, it had the head replaced under warranty so its in very fit shape Its worth about $3k i figure, ugly car, but hay its reliable.

 

[nd]

I have a '96 Neon with about 43k miles on it. I've had lots of problems with this car... a cracked block which rendered it useless for awhile (dealer replaced nearly the whole engine for free under warrant, though).. had bad oil leaks, trunk leak (so everytime it rains you get that musky smell), and some other minor problems. It's not horrible, though..

 

[StageLeft]

A friend of mine has a first gen cirrus and said its the worst car, bar none, he has ever had to drive. Its unbelievable the problems they've had.

My neighbor has a '95 Cavalier with about 80K miles on it and other than the rust spot developing over the rear wheel rim last year alone he had to replace the radiator, get the ABS fixed, and do some other stuff to it.

 

[SuperSix]

One word:

Dodge

 

[bigbootydaddy]

STOP!!!!!!!!!!!

I used to have an eclipse, motor and almost everything under the hood was chrysler...i had electrical problems up the butt. a lot of the neon parts were interchangeable. my ecu died....twice. short circuits everywhere. make usre you get it looked at by a mechanic.

 

[Emulex]

anyone that lets rust develop on their car obviously doesnt care for their vehicle!!

crazy!!

 

[iamwiz82]

rust is caused by a lack of care on the part of the driver. Rust doesnt just appear, it has to form slowly, overly several months.

 

[loup garou]

To add to the anti-Dodge sentiment. I have a 95 Chrysler Sebring. Problems up the wazoo (electrical problems, complete transmission breakdown @ 55,000 miles, suspension problems, everything fscking rattles evertime I hit a bump...I know that sounds minor, but it gets really annoying). Keep in mind, though, the 95 is the first year my car was produced. From what I've heard, first year Chryslers/Dodges, etc have tons of problems. When was the first year the Neon was produced? It wasn't 95 was it? My grandfather did testing for Consumer Reports for a little while, and he panned the first-year Neon in his long term test. Just a little warning.

 

[StageLeft]

iamawiz Whatever the cause if you have an import with their wicked rust perforation warranties you can give your car a salt bath every day and the warranty will cover it for something like a decade.

 

[geno]

BBD, Mitsubishi made 90% of that car, and they're well known for their electrical problems. Thankfully, no one out there can really doubt that, because it's a proven fact. I haven't heard of many electrical probs with the Neon, but who knows..