This is Karen's current daily driver. It's got 35k on it, and so far not a problem one. Oh, she did get hit by a deer on the way home from school, though the only casualty was a broken passenger-side mirror.
Yes, it's a mere econo-box, but so far I couldn't be happier with it. I like the styling, it handles really well, and the base 2.0 L SOHC engine is fairly peppy. It's roomy enough that back-seat passengers don't require a trip the chiropractor after a long ride (though just!), and the factory stereo is actually good enough that I didn't feel the need to ditch it for an aftermarket unit. For the price, and considering the good mileage, what more could you ask?
Sorry for the grainy picture.. I'm fond of that photo, though, as it was taken on the very same day I bought the car.
08-14-2001 addendum; This is now Dana's car. It's currently in N. Illinois, where Dana is attending college at NIU in Dekalb. This will be the real test - how the car survives Dana on her own. ;-) I did my best with a crash 1-month course in Car Care, but I fear Dana will neglect it. Hey, she's a woman, right? };-) It's got 64,000 miles on it, and is still solid, so I'm hoping she'll be OK.
01-12-2005 addendum; I 'reinherited' the Neon in November of '04, when Dana got her Kia Spectra. It had 126,500 miles on it, and I've got to say that Dana took pretty good care of it. There were a few problems.. The trans started slipping a bit at 105,000. I had it back-flushed and filled, and that took care of the problem. Whew! Then there was the RH tie-rod end which seperated while she was backing out of a parking space. Yikes! Scary, that... The Illinois winters haven't been kind to the paint, and it's.. well, it's peeling like a tourist in Florida. :-/ Here's what it looks like now:
Also, Dana had one minor fender bender.. very minor, so we won't count that. ;-) It was is dire need of a wheel balance when I took it back but, other than that, it's pretty darned solid for a 120K+ car. Good job, Dana!
02-01-2006 addendum; Big problems.
Though, to be fair, 'twas mostly self-inflicted. What happened was that, at 130,000 miles, I decided to have the timing belt changed as a preventative measure. All well and good, except that the same belt drives the water pump, and I did not have that renewed. Doh! Big, big mistake. Yep, a few hundred miles later the water pump bearing disintegrated, taking out the timing belt, idler, and stranding me. And, of course, since the 2.0L Mopar engine doesn't 'freewheel', it bent several valves.
It could've been worse, though. My son Dustin did the repairs (new cylinder head, valves, timing belt, idler, and water pump) and, with him being "in the business", he used his contacts to get the job done at around $700. A walk-in at Bubba's Auto Repair would've run twice that, at least, so I reckon I did good.
Take it from me, whenever you replace a timing belt on a Neon, always, always, always replace the water pump at the same time! I make these stupid mistakes so that you, dear reader, don't have to.
08-12-2006 addendum; Dustin's vintage Toyota pickup blew a head gasket, so he has 'inherited' the Neon. This li'l car is gettin' passed around like a bad penny...
