Repair or Replace-2003 Dodge Neon

[John Croucher]

My Daughter decided She wanted to pack up and move 1,000 miles from home to attend college.  Great, She completed 4 years on the Deans list and graduated. Yeah, I'm broke, put my hobbies on hold and have not been on a vacation in 4 years. 

I sent Her off with a 2003 Dodge Neon with 72,000 miles.  It now has 101,000 miles on it.  It is in great shape body wise, but has some problems due to the Daughter not listening to preventative maintenance.  She wants a newer car, I want Her to get a JOB and start taking care of Herself. Of course, that is easier said than done as a Dad.  I recently looked at used car prices and mileage.  A Ford Focus with 185,000 miles is selling for over $16,000.  I told the Daughter for that amount of money I can rebuild Her car and it will do the quarter mile in 10 seconds. 

She said She just needs wheels to get around.  Here is My question.  She lives in St. Petersburg, Florida. I am in Southern Indiana.  I need to find a Mechanic Shop that can do a thorough maintenance and repairs to Her Neon in St. Petersburg.  At the going rate of used cars, I am willing to throw several thousand dollars at the car. 

[Tom]

Change out the following if not done:

1)  timing belt & water pump.
2)  camshaft sensor.
3)  crankshaft sensor.
4)  Maf and/or map sensor.
5)  Fuel filter.

Besides the normal change of fluids.  Better to change out ahead of time before the car dies on the road and/or have a tow policy.  BTDT.  Had to tow a couple of times.   

[RinkRat II]

      Send her a check for 10,000 dollars with a promissory note for three years no interest loan. She can sell the Neon, buy whatever she wants and pays you back in 36 mo. Time to be an adult. My$.02

      Paul B 

[Moparnut72]

I don’t know what year Chrysler upgraded the head gasket but early ones were prone to failure. They were actually pretty good cars despite popular opinion, kind of like Guzzis. PT Cruisers are basically the same. They are hard to work on due to the tight quarters under the hood. There is a SRT4 in town that I have had my eye on for years but it never comes up for sale.
kk

[nc43bsa]

As Tom and Ray (Click and Clack) used to say, "It's always cheaper to repair an old car you own rather than take on a car note."

I would add, "That's generally true."

Also, if you haven't kept your eye on the used car market lately, things have gotten very expensive in the last year or so.

[xackley]

If it ain't rusted, fix it. You might buy a used car and have to spend the money anyway a few miles down the road.
100K is nothing if there have been a few oil changes in the last 30K.
Don

[Tom]

Road trip out of IN to FL to check on mechanics.

[Guzzidad]

   There's no shortage of auto repair shops in St. Pete/Tampa area. Hundreds, maybe thousands. I just took a part time retirement gig as a delivery driver for NAPA. Been to many shops I never knew existed.

[jetmechmarty]

Once upon a time, I acquired a 1998 Dodge Neon with over 100,000 miles on it.  It was given to me.  Kids had it and didn't care for it properly.  I smoked pretty bad.  After 15,000 miles or so, I got a bad oil leak.  I did engine overhaul without pulling the block.  The issue was stuck rings.  Along with everything else, it got a water pump and timing belt.  It went over another 100,000 miles then the water pump seized.  That took out the belt and bent valves.  I paid someone to fix it.  Not too expensive.  Then I let my youngest daughter drive it.  She drove it, did not care for it.  She left it for dead at the local Walgreens.  I fixed it and drove it myself.  Anyway, I sold it for $500.  It had well over 300,000 miles on it, ice cold AC and everything working.  A transmission leak the only issue.  It also looked absolutely terrible.
The Achilles heel of a Neon is the timing belt driven water pump.  It's a very cheap car, but with proper care, I think it's a good car.  Mine had the single cam engine.  Good luck!

[sidecarnutz]

IME high maintenance daughters will break your back and not give a damn. Hand her a couple wheels and tell her to make good on the promise to get around on them. ;-)

[wymple]

A Ford Focus with 185K on it is not worth 1/3 of 16 grand.

[jetmechmarty]

A Ford Focus with 185K on it is not worth 1/3 of 16 grand.

I have a 2012 Focus.  Mine has just over 100K on it.  I looked a KBB or NADA some time ago and they had it at about $2500.  More recently with a lot more miles on it, it's listed now at more than twice that!  This phenomena has not ever happened in my world.  But yeah, I don't believe I'd be willing to pay $5000 for a Focus with 185,000 miles on it.  With those miles, I probably wouldn't consider it at any price.  I'd go with the Neon, because of it's simplicity.

[9fingers]

I don’t know what year Chrysler upgraded the head gasket but early ones were prone to failure. They were actually pretty good cars despite popular opinion, kind of like Guzzis. PT Cruisers are basically the same. They are hard to work on due to the tight quarters under the hood. There is a SRT4 in town that I have had my eye on for years but it never comes up for sale.
kk

Did you just compare Moto Guzzis to a Dodge Neon? OMG I feel ill!
Scott

[9fingers]

As a dad with a 21 year old daughter paying for her own apartment in NYC,,,$1,800 a month......sit back and make your "Deans list daughter" get a job and take care of her self. Companies are BEGGING for good employees and paying big bucks. it will do her (and you) good.
Scott

[Moparnut72]

Did you just compare Moto Guzzis to a Dodge Neon? OMG I feel ill!
Scott

In my town Neons and PT Cruisers are all over the place but I never see another Guzzi.   
kk

[aklawok]

 might I suggest you let your daughter pick her next car herself, and help by co-signing the loan for her. sometimes this is a bad idea but by the way you talk about her she must be a great kid!
 Advantage is that it shows trust on your part, builds credit for her and helps her become responsible. another good thing is keeping the insurance in your name and her as a co-driver; this gives her an insurance record without paying out the wazoo, and you more piece of mind.

p.s.; the only thing worse than adult kids is having teenagers!

[Bulldog9]

Not the best time to be buying a car, especially a used one.

The Neon was a decent car and too early abandoned by Chrysler.  I've put 4 through college, and
helped all my kids with their first and second cars. I'd find a decent shop (may get a good referral here)  Have the car gone over, run A full can of sea foam or MMO through the oil for a day or two to clean up sludge and such, change the oil/filter, new timing belt and water pump, plugs, brakes, check CV boots, trans fluid (filter if auto) change etc, and maybe a full detail in and out. If it needs new tires, get a set of rims too.

I bought a new Truck in 2017, and kept my 2006 Commander as a backup vehicle. Two summers ago, I 'gave' it to my daughter for the price she sold her Jeep Liberty for. That allowed me to go over and get it all straight before she took possession.  My wife did the same with our youngest, gave him her 2005 Outback, and got herself a new car.

They figure it out eventually, but seems like kids these days need to be closer to 30. I was on my own at 16, and independent by 18.

[SIR REAL ED]

They figure it out eventually, but seems like kids these days need to be closer to 30. I was on my own at 16, and independent by 18.

That mirrors my own observations and the observations of many parents I know.  30 years old today is often barely out of adolescence.

[berniebee]

If the question is "Should she get rid of this low quality POS?", the answer is yes.  An old Dodge Neon with 100K is a good cheap beater - if you're a DIYer. Otherwise it will be death by a thousand cuts to her (your?) wallet. The repairs after your planned repairs will keep coming, non stop.

I am the extended family "car guy" and whenever I'm asked me about an older, low cost used car for a new or non-mechanically inclined driver, I always recommend an Asian car.(Except for Nissan.)  Honda and Toyota are great but it's hard to find a good deal on them. I'm now a fan of Hyundai/Kia for bang for the buck. My favorite beater: Hyundai Elantra 4th Gen 2006-2010. (All years look identical.)  Sweet spot for these cars, because by then Hyundai's quality was excellent, but most people hadn't realized it yet and so Hyundai was forced to price them well under the Japanese competition. Scorned by racer boys, bought and driven by old fogeys who read consumer reports and change the oil regularly.  If it does break down, parts are cheap and any garage can fix these simple cars.

Two years ago when my not so mechanically inclined daughter needed her first car in a hurry so that she could commute to a new summer job, the only decent cheap car we could find was a four cylinder '08 Hyundai Sonata for $1500 with 240,000 kms (150,000 miles) on it. It had a leaking oil pan due to rust. (That's one disadvantage of an oil tight engine in the rust belt.  ) I installed a new one, a cheap and easy fix. The car purchase was intended to make it through the summer and then be sold or scrapped, but she has kept it for two years.  It's been very reliable except for a dead battery, which she replaced it herself with borrowed tools and a video call to dad - I'm very proud!

[usedtobefast]

So she is out of college and doing what now?  Working?  Going to grad school?  Looking for work?

I just did a quick craigslist search on cars in Tampa, $4000 - $9000 and got 1611 results!   Seems like there would have to be a few OK cars in there. 

A few years back, my niece had just finished college, starting a job, thinking of buying a beater car for $4K ish, would have to pay for it all up front (buying from an individual).  As the family "car guy" they talked with me about it ... I suggested a brand new car.  I put in $1000, mom put in $2000, my sister put in some amount ... and my niece bought a brand new low cost car (like $16k ish I think) and monthly payments were like $150 a month (spread over many years).  That way she had nothing to worry about, no break downs, she isn't the type to notice odd noises and deal with getting the car fixed, so the new car was excellent for her.  She could easily handle the $150 a month payment.