- #12 of 25
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Re: Neon VS Cavalier [matchgame1974]
by shymerm8
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Aug 28, 2005 (4:23 pm)
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Replying to: matchgame1974 (Aug 20, 2005 7:22 pm)
Okay,
Hopefully my experience will help you make a decision. Okay neons are bad cars they break down A LOT. I have a 2000 and it is in the shop every 3 months no joke I've had a cam sensor, speed sensor, power steering pump g, head gasket, just had my freeze plugs done, 2 windows, a door, 2 motor mounts and tons of electrial problems go out and all had to be replaced. It has really been a nightmare and it only has 90,000 on it  Okay so if you need more proof they are bad cars my best friend had one too transmission went out  50,000, right after we bought ours. That was one reason we bought ours because hers was doing so well and hers was the same year just not the sporty edition. Oh yes her transmission went out again 80,000 Okay on to the focus not good cars either my brother in law actually won his case in court that it was a lemon. His kept breaking down no matter how many times he kept replacing the same part. Okay the cavelliar I don't think I spelled that right but you know what I mean. My very good firend has one it is a 2000 it always overheats when the air conditioner is on so she has not used it in a longgggggggg time. But other than that she has not had to many other problems and loves her car. Oh yes you really should go to intellichoice.com to check the car rating too to decide. I know for sure the neon got a poor rating I think the arrow would have fallen lower off the scale if that was made possiable lolol this poor rating is for even the new 2005's . Hopefully I have helped a little so you can make a decision. But please do not buy a neon unless you want a headache, don't waste your money on these pieces of junk. There is a reason they are discontinuing these cars soon. Anyways have a great day and good luck with your choice. Oh yes dodge and chrysler also has verrrrrrrrrrrry poooooor customer service.  
Shy
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- #13 of 25
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Re: Neon VS Cavalier [darestie]
by streetneon
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Sep 03, 2005 (10:29 pm)
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Replying to: darestie (Aug 24, 2005 6:21 pm)
2 years ago i had a stock 1995 neon (2.0 16 valve dohc 5 spd) and i smoked a 2000 cavalier z24 with a 2.4 twin cam with intercooler and slightly modified at 130mph in 4th gear at 4,500 rpms i didnt even get to enjoy 5th
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- #14 of 25
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Re: Neon VS Cavalier [streetneon]
by marchi1
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Jan 04, 2006 (12:16 pm)
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Replying to: streetneon (Sep 03, 2005 10:29 pm)
As a couple of notes to this post (#13):
1) Why did the car have an intercooler? The 2000 Cavalier Z24 doesn't have any kind of boost as stock. If it did have a power adder then a GM supercharger is the obvious choice for this vehicles, but that also does not have an aftercooler on it do to the location of the supercharger on the car. It may have had a air-water-air intercooler, but it would have been very small and not noticeable when viewing the car from a drivers seat. Most likely you saw the OEM radiator which is silver on these vehicles and hangs rather low and could appear as an intercooler.
2) 130 MPH? The Cavalier is OEM governed at 107 MPH by GM, and until just recently there were very few ways to over ride this except elimination of the VSS which would also disable your speedo and odo (illegal in all 50 states).
3) Unless you know the person, the differences between the different years of the car are very subtle, and almost inpercetible to the layman.
Comparing a Neon and a Cavalier is nice, but the Neon will win in most situation hands down as it is lighter and does have more power. Claiming that an stock Neon with the DOHC beat a boosted Cavalier is a little amazing.
I like my Cavalier, but I also accept that in stock form it will be beat, repeatedly, by a Neon. I have a great respect for the SRT-4 as it is an amazing vehicle, but question some of the decision made by DCX on the vehicle, like installing power front windows, and cranks in the back.
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- #15 of 25
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Another option...
by 79customd
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Mar 18, 2006 (4:19 pm)
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Try looking at the 06 PT Cruisers. Great cars from what it sounds. Talked to some of the mechanics around town and it sounds as though these cars are "bullet proof". The 2.4L is a bigger displacement engine than the 2.0L of the Neon or the 2.2L of the Cavelier, and with Chryslers new autostik tranny on GT models the car is more attractive than ever. Put 230 horses to whatever the base Neon or Cavailer can do. The GT is not bad on price neither. Seen em for $19500 around town. Spread out of the months for payment, the PT will pay for itself in performane, capability( hatch instead of smaller sedan body ) and the mileage is dead even( providing you drive it right ) Clearly if you want a sporty car with good mileage and capability "that you want to last awhile" go with the PT. 
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- #16 of 25
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Re: Neon VS Cavalier [shymerm8]
by whiskerrat
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May 09, 2006 (8:40 pm)
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Replying to: shymerm8 (Aug 28, 2005 4:23 pm)
I guess there are a number of factors that determine what kind of experience a person gets in owning a certain vehicle (where it was purchased, how well it is maintained, how it is driven, etc.). A good friend of mine owned a 1st generation Neon and it was very reliable for many years before it started having radiator problems (I suspect he didn't flush it once a year). In 2001, two other friends got 2nd gen Neons and they were reliable, even though they didn't always follow the recommended maintenance. I ended up with one of those cars for a little over a year and only had to have some work done on the car because of the previous driver's poor maintenance and suspected sloppy driving on bumpy roads. I eventually traded it in for a 2005 model because a dealership offered me a deal that was almost impossible to refuse. The offer was so good, I told someone else about it and he bought one too. So far, his car is working perfectly. The only problems I had with the new Neon was the trunk was misaligned and a strange noise was eminating from the engine bay. I took the car to a different dealership (as a matter of convenience) and they "repaired" the problems with no hassle and in a timely manner - the warranty covered both. The trunk repair was fine, but the noise was still present. I spoke to one of the mechanics on the phone and he suggested that I continue to drive the car as normal and if the problem persisted after awhile, I should bring it back in. After about a month the noise is gone and the car is still working perfectly. I am currently averaging about 31 mpg, with use of air conditioning.
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- #17 of 25
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wonder
by randydriver
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May 25, 2006 (8:11 pm)
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I wonder if the kid that asked the original question last year had got one or the other car by now. 
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- #18 of 25
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Re: Neon VS Cavalier [whiskerrat]
by whiskerrat
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Jun 06, 2006 (8:11 pm)
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Replying to: whiskerrat (May 09, 2006 8:40 pm)
Just an update!! In late April I hit an all-time high for my Neon! 406 miles on 12.5 gallons of gas. This was a mix if city and highway driving which included a few bad traffic jams and the use of AIR CONDITIONING! Can a Cavalier do that?
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- #19 of 25
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Re: Neon VS Cavalier [matchgame1974]
by joe602
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Jun 07, 2006 (10:53 am)
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Replying to: matchgame1974 (Aug 20, 2005 7:22 pm)
My mom owned a 2000 Chevy Cavalier and until it was .... heh repo'd she constantly was not able to drive it because of problems.....It was a convertable and the first month when she was putting the top down the back window busted and started coming off.....Chevy said they couldnt do anything about that.....the next month the ignition switch broke.....my mom went to a mechanic who had said that the switch was on recall....when my mom went to Chevy they said it wasnt it and that it did not need replacing. They told her it was the battery and then attempted to sell her a 100 dollar battery....she (for some reason) got the battery and 3 days later she was having the same problems. She went back the dealer and then they replaced the ignition switch. For about 3 months the car ran great until it started overheating because the thermostat broke. I myself have a 2005 Dodge Neon SXT. It runs great but I am not to sure how it will run in the future since ive had it for less then a month....from what i can see though I have way better gas mileage then she ever did and I also have better acceleration...even though we had the same size engine. I would try going with a Dodge neon if I were you.
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- #20 of 25
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Re: Neon VS Cavalier [joe602]
by whiskerrat
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Jun 25, 2006 (5:57 pm)
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Replying to: joe602 (Jun 07, 2006 10:53 am)
The Cavalier has a slightly larger engine and is considered a compact while the Neon is a subcompact, so the Neon's gas mileage will be better. Later Cavalier models got a more powerful engine, so the excelleration should actually be about the same as the Neon, if not a little bit stronger. I think both cars has a trail of horror stories, but those are the exceptions, not the rule (at least for second generation Neon's).
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- #21 of 25
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Re: Neon VS Cavalier [streetneon]
by crimsonreign67
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Oct 30, 2006 (2:46 pm)
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Replying to: streetneon (Sep 03, 2005 10:29 pm)
well im happy that you were able to beat that cavalier but i think your boat is full of holes. like the other cognisent person said, unless you do some major racing mods to a cavalier you cannot get the cavy to do more than 107 in any situation without disabling the speedometer, and if you know so much about the car then why did you mistake a radiator for an inter cooler? besides that an engine that places 132hp vs a 150hp car to the wheels with mods seems a little bit far fetched i have a blue 2005 chevy cavalier with intake and exhaust mods its up to 189 hp and i have beaten a hell of a lot of cars including a lexus is300 215 hp by a fender and ive definitely beaten a 95 neon by i dunno 10 lengths ive had this car for a year and have raced the hell out of it and the only problem ive ever had was a slave cylinder break in below freezing weather (im in the rockies)besides that ive gotten awesome fuel economy 450 miles on 13 gallons (city highway and a couple of outrun races) in denver traffic ive been a mechanic for 2 1/2 years and all ive ever done on cavaliers that come in to the shop are basic jobs, brakes tune ups and the occasional head gasket from neglecting oil changes but neons are always in for everything from thrown rods to frozen thermostats and of course timing belts and transmissions ive driven them and have worked on them as well as pt cruisers and they are terrible cars on par with early hondas and geos id take a cavy over those cars any day and if you wanna race your neon head to denver ill probably see you broken down on i25 if your car can make it.  
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