Neon in Thailand (help please)

[allthai]

Hi guys and Gals,

My wife and I went around used car lots here in Chiang mai Thailand and my wife loved the Chysler Neon (that is what it is called in Thailand). We didn't get to look inside or open the hood but the emblem shows it is a 2.0 engine with automatic transmission.

After checking some forums and web sites I believe it is a 1997 or 98 model. I noted what problems to look for but it seems everyone is talking about the USA version. Does anyone know about those available in Thailand? Where it was made? associated problems?

Any help before I make the possible purchase later this week is helpful.

Thank you in advance, Oh Happy new Year
Randy and Ning

[alaskaneon]

Is there an equivalency of a VIN number for the car as there is in USA? Much can be read from a VIN number but I don't know how that works elsewhere in the world.

[allthai]

HI Alaskaneon,

I will try to go to the lot tomorrow and get the VIN number. I will also take a few photos and post them here.

Thanks,
Randy and Ning

[HoodooGuru]

They are exactly the same spec as the usa ones. All neons are made in the same spot, which was new mexico wasn't it?
We only got the sohc version of the 2 litre in asia, australia and new zealand.
Same car, just right hand drive.

[95moparracer]

yea is it right hand drive? how much do they want? how many miles on it? will they let u test drive? and post pics!

[95moparracer]

lol if i could find a red right hand drive 2nd gen neon i would strip it down and strip down my srt-4 and swap it all out and make myself a right hand drive srt-4.... hoodoo is ur tranny still on the driver side? if not that would be wierd shit lol! post some pics up of ur right hand drive stuff , like inside the car under the hood please please!

[alaskaneon]

Hoodoo, I was reluctant in my answer because I thought there was a Neon offered in Europe that had a 1.8 under the hood. I know that car isn't offered in the USA. Neons were also made in Mexico as well. Not sure about where else in the world.

Allthai: If the car has a USA style VIN number on it or was imported from USA or Mexico you can read the VIN number to get the info you want, I pulled this off the web:

How do you tell where your NEON was made? Check the VIN....for anyone who has wondered what the numbers in the VIN mean...here goes!

The VIN or Vehicle Identification Number is a 17 digit code used to identify a particular car from all others. The number is alphanumeric, meaning that it is made up of both letters and numbers. A typical Neon VIN looks like the following:
1P3ES22Y8WDxxxxxx (where xxxxxx is the last six digits)

With this number, one can identify almost all the information about what year the car was made, which engine it should have, and other assorted information. Decoding can be accomplished by following this chart:

First Digit (Country of origin):
1 (US, Belvidere)
3 (Mexico, Toluca)

Second Digit (Make):
D or B (Dodge)
P (Plymouth)
C (Chrysler, built for export)

Third Digit (Vehicle type):
3 (Passenger Car)

Fourth Digit (Passenger Safety):
E (Active Restraints, dual front air-bags)

Fifth Digit (Vehicle Line):
S (Neon/Neon Sport sold in USA/Canada/Export)
6 (Neon/Neon Sport sold in Mexico)

Sixth Digit (Series):
2 (Baseline '95-'97 and Highline '98-'99 US/Canada)
4 (Highline '95-'97 and Sport '98-'99 US/Canada)
6 (Sport '95-'97 US/Canada)
M (Manual SE BUX cars)
A (Automatic BUX cars)

Seventh Digit (Body Style):
2 (Coupe)
7 (Sedan)

Eighth Digit (Engine):
C (2.0L SOHC)
Y (2.0L DOHC)
? (1.8L SOHC) [yes, thatís really a question mark]

Ninth Digit (Check Digit):
The check digit is used to determine the authenticity of any given serial number. It is derived from a mathematical formula based on the first half of the serial number (all digits to the left of the check digit). If you are interested in how the check digit is determined, email me at <duke@neons.org>. I have the formula but it is too large and obscure to include in the FAQ at this time.

Tenth Digit (Model Year):
S (1995)
T (1996)
V (1997)
W (1998)
X (1999)

Eleventh Digit (Assembly Plant):
D (Belvidere, Illinois - US/Canada/Export)
T (Toluca, Mexico - US/Canada/Mexico)

Twelth-Seventeenth Digits (Build Sequence Number):
Tells what number car it was that came off the assembly line that year.

Using our original example VIN: 1P3ESS22Y8WDxxxxxx, we can determine that this was a 1998 Plymouth Neon Expresso coupe with a DOHC engine for sale in the United States and built at the Belvidere plant. The xxxxxx would have been what number the car was off the assembly line. [Updated VIN information courtesy of Dan Stewart]


Fun Neon Plant Facts:
It took about 14 hours to build up a Neon from start to finish
Two shifts produce 1064 neons/day at Belvidere, IL plant.

[allthai]

Thanks Alaskaneon,

We are going to the lot to check it out today. We will be able to test drive it and check everything out.

Looking at other forums I read some horrible reviews. Paint peeling, fire under the dash, wrong sized bolts in the headers, head gasket to thin. timing belt issues, and a whole lot of other problems.

The price for the Neon is around $5000USD in Thai Baht 180000. I also saw two listed for 199,000 Thai baht on the internet that are for sale in Bangkok.

Thanks guy, keep them coming,
Randy and Ning

[alaskaneon]

Some 1st generation neons (1995-1999) had head gasket problems, so I've been told. I own a 2nd generation neon (2000-2005) it's 6 years old and I'm happy with it, meaning I haven't had anything major go wrong with it.

Paint peeling was known to be a 1st generation neon problem, mostly from the neons made in Mexico. You can figure out where the neon you are looking to buy was made from the VIN number. Fires under the dash, wrong sized bolts in the headers, head gasket to thin, I've not heard of before. Timing belt issues - yes. If the car has more than 80,000 miles on it and the belt has not been changed or you can't find out if it has been changed then you will want to get it replaced. If the belt breaks you will have major problems (i.e. bent valves etc...). Neons are inexpensive economy cars that get good gas milage and are, in my opinion, just as reliable as any other car in their price range and size. I personally wouldn't have bought mine if I thought it was unreliable or a lemon. Good luck and happy hunting!

[HoodooGuru]

Euro neons actually had a choice of a 1.6, 1.8 or 2.0. The 1.6 is actually the engine they used to use in the new mini. Euro spec neons are a bit odd though. Even the 2.0 euro spec neon only puts out 110hp! Compared to usa and asia ratings of 132hp.
Dunno why. Australia has the same emmissions testing as europe as far as I know.
Atleast Im happy to say my neon aint no where near 132hp now! Aussie first gens are generally all good. Our neons are rated to run on min 91 octane fuel as opposed to usa versions of which some use 87 octane! I think our neons here are slightly tricked up to run the higher grade fuels. I have never seen a first or second gen neon with bad paint or blowing any smoke. I would suspect the fuel in bangkok asia area to be a lower quality to here but I don't know for sure. Either way it doesn't sound like ur shopping for a car to modify anyway!
Moparracer, gearbox etc is all in the same spot. I have posted pics in the interior section of the forums. Shows the new sports seats and gauges. I also have an older post in the performance section showing the new stage 1 race spec clutch install.
As for changing the cars over just to get a right hand drive car to simply be different....................UR NUTZ WITH TOO MUCH TIME ON UR HANDS! LOL

[95moparracer]

lol yea but be the first right hand drive srt-4 in the US!