[Slicknick]

so, i'm going to be getting a new neon, and was wondering what year/model you would buy if you could get any neon. right now i'm looking at a 2004 sxt.

 

[alaskaneon]

Depends. What do you want? A simple car to get good gas milage? If so, buy that 2004. If you want performance than a SRT-4. Period. If you buy a regular neon don't buy anything above a 2002. New Generation Computer in everything 2003 to 2005, so modding anything above a 2002 will result in wasting your money if you want performance.

 

[TX_Firehawk]

I think what Alaska said pretty much sums it up.

 

[rice_eater]

so, i'm going to be getting a new neon, and was wondering what year/model you would buy if you could get any neon. right now i'm looking at a 2004 sxt.

If I were you I'd look for a 1997 Sport, DOHC with a 5spd, preferably a black two door and buy from someone you know took good care of it because he enjoys neons as much as you. (***cough***read below***cough***)

 

[Slicknick]

well, i'm wanting it as a daily driver that does get good gas mileage, i'm not planning on going with any heavy mods, maybe some, like cold air intake or a pulley, small stuff like that. how much of a problem would the new generation computer be? i like fast cars and want one, but i need a car with rather good gas mileage, and there is no such thing as a fast car that gets good gas mileage. and i'm not gonna get an srt-4 because i cant find any around here for under $15,000. a bit out of my price range for now, i was thinking about making this sxt a show car, or a badazz looking neon anyways.lol

as for you rice, sorry man, but i think i'll pass, i'm looking for a newer neon with lower miles.

 

[rice_eater]

Pshhht. You want a heavy 2nd Gen that will get raped by my 1st Gen at the track, AND get crap mileage? LOL ok. The odometer may read 120k, but compression is 185-205psi across the board, great for a stock 2.0L. Clutch is new, brakes are new, trans has been replaced, CV seals are new, CV axles are new, motor mounts are new, blah blah. And all the mods are already done. And it gets 27-30mpg city average (sometimes better if you control your foot) and 37-40+mpg highway. And its much cheaper than any clean 2nd Gen you're going to find. And its been well taken care of. And I'm sick of stating reasons to buy it, I have two people already interested, and it's only been up for sale for a day.

 

[Slicknick]

haha, i never said it wasnt a good car rice, just not exactly what i'm looking for, i'm not a big fan of the first gen body styles. and the last car that i bought already modded ending up having problems and i didnt know much about it. i'd just prefer to start out from scratch, if you know what i mean. kinda learn it myself yah know. of course, if i do get another neon, i'll more than likely be asking your guys' advice, so get ready,lol

 

[alaskaneon]

I already gave you every bit of advice you need for buying a neon

 

[Slicknick]

yeh i know, i'm having trouble finding an 02 though, and i need a car NOW, lol

 

[alaskaneon]

I wouldn't be too afraid of an older neon if its been taken care of properly. If you don't feel comfortable making that distinction then ask someone who is to help you out and look it over before you buy. One of the reasons you had problems with your other neon is because you didn't understand turbos (don't worry - I don't either - and I don't have one) I would say that any older neon, non-turbo, would be great for you. If you go with a 1 gen neon you need to be looking for head gasket issues and ask about when the timing belt was replaced regardless as to whether it's a 1 or 2 gen neon.

 

[Slicknick]

yeh, you do have a point, i dont know much about turbos, i still think the car was getting ready to go though. i was just looking at a 2001 neon r/t with 95,000 miles for $7000. its in pretty good condition and does not have the new computer. Alaskaneon, i'm just wondering, but how many miles are on your car?

 

[alaskaneon]

$7000 is pretty steep for an 01 even for an R/T. I've got 70,000 miles on my car and paid $4500 for it (it had 47,000 on it then)

 

[Slicknick]

wow, where did you get your car? was it in alaska? all the neons i can find around here are between $5000 absolute minimum with high miles to 12 thousand for about a new one. one thing i have noticed when going around to all the call dealerships, is that most of the used cars are trucks or suvs, gas guzzlers. i think the neon pricing for a used one might of gone up a bit, because they get good gas mileage and gas is so freakin high. everybody is wanting one now, which also makes them sort of hard to find. i could prolly get them to go down on that r/t a thousand dollars or so.

 

[dodgeneonACR98]

I gave 6500 for my 98 ACR and it only had 37000 miles on it. I see neons around here going for 15-3500$ all day long. Not many SRT 4's in my area. Infact my freind Rick just got an 01 SX or sxt for 800$. I can't wait for him to get it out the shop so I can get those damn wheels he don't like. rotflol

 

[Fried Rice Mofo]

No delete button?! Gah!

 

[Fried Rice Mofo]

Look around. And if you go the stealership route, negotiate, negotiate, negotiate!

I ended up getting my 2005 SXT (about 48000 miles) for tad over 8500 (before tax, title, etc.). I'm happy with that. The stealership tried to offer it to me at 13500. Didn't mean to be too rude, but I laughed in his face anyway.