The GF has a 2005 dodge neon. Just the regular model, so srt-4 or anything special. Im looking for some sites that sell parts for base neons and ideas on what to do to the car. Shes no speed chick so no exhaust, intake or any of that stuff for her. Already got the sub, speakers and head unit with blue tooth and gps so shes good in that area. Im looking for mods that would improve the car itself. Just driving it im afraid its going to fall apart. I know its a cheap car but is there anything dodge really cut costs on that i can replace with aftermaket parts? Im not experienced enough to tell if its the suspension, wheels, chasis or whatever else.
Anyone have any suggestions on what to do/get to make this car more reliable? Im looking to make it last as long as possible, not sound like a lawn mower and blow the poor girls engine in a year.
ok well if you don’t know what you r doing get the car checked by a shop
Umm… if nothing is wrong with it, and its only 4 years old, I would guess that it will be fine for a while.
im looking for some actual help. The car has been to the dealership god knows how many times. they just send it back each time charging a fee to look at it then saying its the way the car is. Obviously no shop is going to do anything which is why im looking for advice from the community here on aftermarket parts.
Point me to some sites or recommend something. let me worry about if i know how to install it or not.
theres nothing more reliable than stock (most of the time), the car will last, why wouldnt it? ive had the same 2 neons in my family for 15 years, replace the timing belt and HG/WP at 75k and keep up on maintenance
Help on what? I know neons as good as anyone on this site, so if you explain what you are trying to fix, I can point you in the right direction.
Are there any known issues with these cars? Dealers dont like to tell you if there was a recall on a part so any recalls I can go to the dealer with?
Are there any strut bars or braces of some sort that will help make the car more solid? I know they are used for handling and performance but do they also stiffen the chasis and make it stonger?
Not sure exactly what im looking for on this one. just looking to improve the drive feel.
um okay, if u want to make it stiffer or whatever, u can get strut bars, anti sway bars, stiffer springs
idk anything about neons lol… better subframe bushings?
theyre are also lower control arm kits, subframe braces, all sorts of types of shit… but this is for hondas, idk what the deal is on neons, im sure they have the same stuff
There are no hidden recalls or anything for them, and they are pretty stiff from the factory, so I wouldn’t spend any money on that stuff. If you wanted too stiffen it up to compete in like autox or something, you could do larger front and rear sway bars, and a rear strut tower bar. You do not need a front strut tower bar, they do nothing.
Really though, OEM is the way to go, I wouldn’t spend a dime on that suspension stuff.
99% of the time, the tires are going to be the part that flexes in the car before anything else, so if you want it to handle better, I would start out with tires, and see how much that improves the feel. Go from there. Maintain oil changes, brake jobs, and the car will last for a long time.
Did Chrysler ever fix the head gasket issue?
maybe u need an alignment?
The head gasket issue was fixed in … 97.5 was it? Was not a problem on any 2g neons.
wooord
Ok it is a economy car. Not going to ride like a full size sedan. If you want a stiffer ride I would start with stiffer suspension bushings. These cars are notorious for bad control arm bushings. Then I guess you could go with a Some lowering springs. Car will handle better it will still ride like shit
buy a set of good tires and you will always notice an improvement over cheap ones. Does that help?
According to tirerack.com these are on the car now. I know the tires havent been changed since she bought the car and im guessing the mileage is around 40k by now. I gotta see how worn the tires are but maybe if they are close enough ill just start with getting new tires. i know the car is never going to be as solid and smooth as a bmw but there are improvements to be made.
Any thoughts on tire brands? Ive always thought Michelin is good.
post pics
People hate on neons, but they are a good reliable economy car.
My girlfriend had a 2000, thing ran perfect but the body rusted away, and the frame actually had too much rust on it for it to pass inspection.
In a southern state, or out west we would be driving that car forever.
I would tell her to undercoat the car every year, and keep up on the oil changes and scheduled maintenance.
Its honestly a pretty tough little car, she beat the shit out of hers, and it never let her down.
I might buy one for myself, if I were in that market for that type of a car, but for some reason it is the only dodge product that holds a little bit of its resale money. I find them to be a little too expensive for what you get.
An 05 neon goes for similar money to what a cobalt would…
As for the tires, put some good cheap tires on it. I put a set of hankooks on her car, made a world of difference over the previous crap.
fixed
My neon had 178k on it, a motor that ate more oil than gas, and it still got 40 mpg and was reliable enough for me to drive to Baltimore and back every week. They are not bad cars, and no one will ever argue their original purpose. It is when people start to mod them and fail miserably that people start to make fun of them.
Two things off the top of my head, make sure the transmission oil gets changed. I do it even before the 100k schedule. It should take that ATF+4 unless they changed it.
Also this motor really beats up oil, its one of the cars that I would not go beyond 4k mile intervals. 5w30 in the winter, it seemed to run quieter with 10w30 in the summer. I just ran the supertech oil and filter, no problems at all.