I am looking at buying this 1999 Plymouth Neon. There's a lot of reasons
not to buy a Neon, but with all the constraints, this is the car I am
seriously considering.
Anyway, nothing wrong was found in the $40 Goodyear buyer's check. The
guy at the garage mentioned that the dealer has detailed the engine, so
they wouldn't be able to tell whether there had been anything wrong (ie
gasget) in the past. He said the tire pressure was 'funny', because they
are 'perfectly' right. The dealer must be an extremly careful man. The
car runs good in 3 speed automatics trans (very smooth). However, when I
accelorate it really hard (which means push the padel to the end for a good 5
seconds from 60mph) on the highway, my wife (driving another car behind)
noticed a light 'gray' smoke came out of the exhaustion pipe. At more
than 60mph, the smoke was gone in a second, can did not came out again.
After a half hour drive, the pipe is dry and there's no residuals.
Could this be a 'sign' of problem? If so, what kind of problem could it be?
Please help, thanks.
It's normal to see gray exhaust when a car hasn't yet warmed up or it is cold outside. In fact, up here in MN, your car can be running all day in the winter (completely warmed up) and you'll still see gray exhaust if you punch it or travel at high speeds down the freeway.
Be concerned if you see bluish exhaust (burning oil) or lots of whitish/light grey exhaust on a warmed up car on a mild or warm day (blown head gasket).
That said, the prev generation Neon has had its fair share of head gasket problems, but I believe it usually resulted in actual engine oil leakage rather than coolant mixing in with the oil. Then again, I could be wrong.
I am thinking of buying a used Neon... I saw one good post from a used Neon owner... Consumer reports appear to be poor... are there any other good feelings about used Neons out there?
2003.5 Neon SRT (Launch scheduled for three models on Dec 10)
This definitely adds excitement to our Neon line up. The SRT will feature a 2.4L turbo engine with 225HP with a manual transmission and a top speed of 150mph. We plan on building 5,000 units per year. The SRT build definitely adds process and build complexity, as 193 unique parts will be required. The SRT will come in four exterior colors of Red, Solar Yellow, Black and Bright Silver. It will also feature 17" tires and race style pedal pads.
In terms of acceleration per dollar the Neon is going to spank it's competition.
Chrysler Group, trying to capitalize on the renewed popularity of compact race cars, or so-called pocket rockets, is introducing the 2003 Dodge SRT-4, a souped-up version of the automaker's Neon. The SRT-4 comes equipped with Viper-style racing seats, 17-inch aluminum performance wheels and performance gauges.
SRT-4 is the second-quickest car in the Dodge lineup, accelerating from 0-60 miles per hour in 5.9 seconds, trailing only the Dodge Viper SRT-10.
It has a 2.4-liter, turbocharged, 205-horsepower engine. Appropriately, "SRT" is an acronym for street, road and track.
The car is priced at $19,995.
#869 of 1772 Hello....New guy with ?????
by johnny282
Jan 07, 2002 (8:37 am)
Hello. I recently saw a 2002 Neon R/T on a dealer lot and am hoping to test drive it today. I can't believe how much I liked the car. As the owner of a 96 Plymouth Neon Sport Coupe I really didn't think I'd ever consider another Neon, but that R/T looks really cool and it seems like alot of performance for the money (just like my 96 was). Have the Neons really improved over the years? Are there any known problems with the new ones? Have they addressed/corrected past issues such as electrical, trim, and head gasket problems? Does it still feel like an anchor has been thrown overboard when the A/C is turned on? I read about the turbo coming in 2003, and not sure if I'm interested. I had an 86 Shelby Charger back in 1990 and have very ugly memories of numerous turbo problems. Considering that Dodge hasn't produced alot of turbo vehicles, I'm not sure if I'm ready to try one. Also, if anyone is considering a used 96 sport coupe I can say that other than minor electrical problems I've had 88,000 miles of trouble free, really fun driving. I still get 33 mpg and the car doesn't use oil. It has developed some valve/lifter noise that subsides eventually, perhaps a lifter that's slow to fill. $18000 will buy some pretty good cars these days, I'd just like to know from some of the owners here if the '02 R/T is worth the money.
John