my neon is cursed

R

rosconey

Joined
Dec 18, 2005
Messages
385
i swear im beginning to think its satans private little joke on me-parked it for a few weeks this summer and the altinator froze up-couple hundred for a new one,last week it dies $300 more,friday the new alt dies,real fun working in 20 degree weather under a snow and slush covered car-today i figure ill change the earl(oil) walk past the car and hear a hsssssssssssssssss-from one of the new tires i bought a few weeks ago-go to get it patched,cant be done-a stone ripped the tread off and the holes to big ,one in a million things-sit at wally world for 3.5hours:jerkit: they did replace it for free:thumbup:


car is on its 3rd motor,all struts replaced,2 power steering units,all gaskets replaced,new ac unit ,2 sets of bearings in the steering colum and about 70 million other things since i bought it-good thing i got a free extended warranty from chrysler because of all the issues since new-that ran out 5 thousand miles ago though-

so now im going to fill the whirlpool bath and smoke a big fat one and try to forget about my fun filled weekend with satans car-

I WILL OWN A TOYOTA OR HONDA WITHIN THE NEXT 6 MONTHS-THAT I VOW
 
"I WILL OWN A TOYOTA OR HONDA WITHIN THE NEXT 6 MONTHS-THAT I VOW"

I think that you have the right idea. There comes a point in time where a car is no longer worth owning.
 
i have always been a dodge guy-first car was a dart with 250 grand on the slant6-guy bought it for the motor before i put it on the road,so i bought a 62 polara 500 that was around 1982-i still have it-

lots of kcars and omni's and caravans along the way-this one is just a lemon thru and thru,i was tempted to drive thru a church parking lot for the heck of it on my way home
 
The neon lineup was never even remotely reliable on the whole. Dodge/Chrysler is vastly improving its image in the last couple of years, however. If you're a wealthy person who doesn't see any problem with dropping 45k on a new Jeep, anyway.

No one company is necessarily more reliable than any other, only unique cars, and then think about buying them more as a percentage likelyhood of reliability. Your best tools in this effort will start at www.carsurvey.org .

My point being, don't even consider buying a Toyota or a Honda. Instead, consider buying a Civic or Camry (hypothetically). Don't stop there either--then think of a 2002 Civic Si with a manual (or something like that--be as specific as possible). Cars like the Pontiac Grand Am, in several years of production, suffered huge problems with one package and was reliable in the other--you can buy two DIFFERENT cars with the name grand am on it, maybe more, and the same is true of most vehicles. When the upgraded package includes an entirely different engine, transmission, suspension package, interior controls...I mean, you see my point, that the bottom end version of that same car seems to be very reliable is almost no indication whatsoever about the reliability of the higher end version.
 
My 1980 LTD on the other hand, once I bought it I just replaced all the top-end hoses, rebuilt the carb, and put in a new alternator and battery. Still working great. Had one problem when it stalled cause the coil ground wire got loose, but tightened it back down and all is well. Now, save for the STOLEN HEAD UNIT last week, it has been a great daily driver. But I still got the pseudo-race car Camaro and the Grand Prix GTP ready to go.

Neons have never been known for reliability, Toyota holds that title with Honda in a close second. But at the same time, they have the most common and boring cars on the road. I couldn't stand to drive something that plain. Maybe something along the lines of a used Lincoln Mark VIII... now those are sexy. :)

I think what AM is refering to with the grand AM was the model level engine option that changed it form the 3100 engine with its massive head gasket problems, and the upgrade to the GT package giving you the venerable 3800 engine. The difference between the overall reliability, plus the increased horsepower of the 90* V6 over the 60* V6 is very much worth the extra cash.
 
Bad Joke I know but you do know R is not for race ? I feel for ya buddy . I had a ford Tempo and the tempo was short for temporary ! Good luck to you .
 
I have 2 cars right now. I drive the Subaru Forester.
The 99 Sedan DeVille has been driven once since I inherited it last summer.
Subarus rock, and the all wheel drive is awesome.

DaddyDett

P.S, I wish the Caddy was off my property taxes.
 
rosconey said:
i have always been a dodge guy-first car was a dart with 250 grand on the slant6-guy bought it for the motor before i put it on the road,so i bought a 62 polara 500 that was around 1982-i still have it-

lots of kcars and omni's and caravans along the way-this one is just a lemon thru and thru,i was tempted to drive thru a church parking lot for the heck of it on my way home
Click to expand...

Those Darts with the Super 225 HP slant sixes were indestructible! I put at least 250,000 miles on one in 3 years when I was driving cab. They were little rockets around town. I once ran one side down into a 4' deep ditch filled with rain water. A kid in a big 4X4 pulled it out for me with his winch for 10 bucks. I cut the rubber floor floor coverings and let the water run out, then took it back to the yard and mopped out the inside and hosed out the mud in the wheel wells so my boss wouldn't freak. Somehow it still ran and there was no damage. That was lucky as their big weakness was the distributor cap was on the underside of the engine and would get water up in there if you drive through heavy puddles and would have to be dried out.

Easy to work on as well. That was pre-smog and pre-computer of course.

Norm
 
The slant six is one of the all time well known "small" engines. Never used one myself though.

And yes, R is supposed to mean race. Apparently, at some time it did, before you could buy a Civic/Integra R which had a CD player, four seats, power everything, AC, etc. You can still get a type R Evo...I can't remember what the actual acronym for it is...the only thing keeping it from being a full on R is that it still has its back seat.
 
AM is thinking of the Type R cars.


But Kevin was referring to the R on the shifter. Shift from 1-2-3-4 then R for race!
 
Speaking of Subarus, my current race car is based on the WRX, and I have to say, it holds up like a champ and never dissapoints me in the handling category (except that it needs MORE of everything). I could lecture ad nausem about it, but I'll hold back.
 
Another Civic vote. I bought a 2002 for my wife some months back and have been very happy with it. Nice little 4 cyl auto that gets good gas milage, is fun to drive, and (my favorite feature for my wife to have) it has wall to wall airbags. SHe drives a minimum 60 miles a day. Most often it's more like 80-100 since she has to drive all over the county for the school system. The only thing we do to the little car is take it in every 3000 miles to a good mech that specializes in over seas cars. They change the oil, check the tire pressure, and top off of the window cleaner. Not a lick of trouble in several thousand miles.

Jake
 
I have owned a Honda Civic HB ('86) and CB750K. Both great products.
The main reason I didn't buy Honda this time, is that insurance is through the roof on em in my area. All the kids crasheing em as street racers, and the high theft rate are whacking the tables. I pay under 900 bucks a yr. for my Subby, increaased medical, full coverage $150 deductible. The quote on the Honda Civic was over a grand a yr more.

DaddyDett

DaddyDett
 
no deals on civics -very hot right now-not so with corolla's-just got off the phone with a dealer-looks like ill be in a new blue one monday if it arrives -
41mpg aint so bad-

if you look at resale value and reliability for toyota and honda cars its a no brainer-
didnt look at hyundai becuase of resale and long term reliability-but they are loaded for the money-
 
Sounds like great news. We looked at a couple of Corollas before we settled on the Civic. We actually lucked out. We bought it before oil went through the roof and people started go, "hmmm, maybe that 4WD tranny that I never use isn't worth 14 mpg?". Also, the civic, while always a great car, had not won every stinkin' award under the sun like it did this year. Plus, it's a new body year. They are always in demand...even though i think they now look like little street racin' punk pods:barf:
The little '02 we bought only had 15K miles on it and we got it for about 9K with a trade in. Sunroof, power windows/locks, wall to wall airbags, cruise, etc. Perfect for us, anyway. I bought it from a one armed salesman named Ralph who said he could talk me out of my Harley and into a Wrangler if i let him. Whatever, buddy. Just give me the damn keys:rolleyes:
Anyway, good luck on the car. Toyotas and Hondas are great for the $$$. As a matter of fact, i'm going to have to come up with an excuse to tell my buddy who works for Ford why I'm going Japanese again when I buy my next car;):D

Jake
 
friend of mine just got a toyota matrix - most of the dealers were very willing to deal, and one of them just said "look, invoice, some extras, why haggle?" - is the market that bad?

bladite
 
Bladite said:
friend of mine just got a toyota matrix - most of the dealers were very willing to deal, and one of them just said "look, invoice, some extras, why haggle?" - is the market that bad?

bladite
Click to expand...

I've never been a fan of the Matrix, although i'm sure it is a great car being a Toyota and all. I kind of see the Matrix as a "following suit" kind of car. They came out a little after the PT Cruiser made such a big splash. The Cruiser is novle, and a few companies tried to cash in on the wagony-thing-that-isn't-a-wagon-but-is-sporty-but-not-really-all-that-powerful concept. That really isn't a good fit for Japanese car companies selling in the US. Most people buy Japanese cars not because of the novlty, but the reliability. Unlike the US makers that like to make "compact mid-sized psuedo luxury optional 4X4's", the Japanese manufacturers K.I.S.S. You have your compacts here. You have your mid-sized here. Full sized sedans here. A couple kinds of trucks. Finally, you're SUVs here.
IMHO, the Matrix doesn't know what it wants to be. Plus, it never pulled off that unversal appeal that the PT Cruiser did. PT's had a fan base from the people that wanted something different, to old-timers longing for a car with flair of yester year, to younger people that got a kick out of something "retro". To me, the Matrix looks like a hatch back with a big butt;) I would have considered one if the price was right. However, one of the things my wife wanted was a car that was somewhat professional. It's hard to prove to people that you are not a kid trying to play grown up when you drive around in a kid's car;)
If someone were to write me a blank check and say "Go buy a Toyota car or truck." I think I'd go out and get me a little Celica GTS (don't tell my wife. She want's a land cruiser;)). A zippy, little fun car that will go for-freakin'-ever. My wife used and abused a '93 Celica from 1999-2003 without a problem. She trashed that thing AND learned how to drive a stick with it.

Jake
 
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