Just looking for some info on Neons. I want like a 96-99 with a 5 speed and the 150 horsepower engine. What do I look for, how rare, how to identify? Thanks!
O noes!
I am not very educated on the Neons or anything but the 150 hp engines are the R/T's I believe. I have mostly seen the newer body in red, and the older body in blue with white racing stripes. It appears to be the most common... (They have badging BTW)
You can get any neon with the 150Hp engine, it does not have to be a R/T. I had a 97 Neon expresso with the 150hp DOHC before my cavalier. Look for a bulge in the hood instead of a flat hood. Secondly look for a dual tip muffler instead of a single tip. A good site to check out for neons is
Neonspeed.com
However, those two items i mentioned *CAN* be on a car with the SOHC engine as well. Some earlier neons had the bulge hood with the SOHC engine, and some people put the DOHC muffler on the SOHC engine. The best way to tell for sure is to pop the hood and look. When you open it up, the air intake snorkel will say something like 2.0l DOHC on it.
It's true that many of the neons came with the dohc. Some of the cars would be upgraded with the dohc engine. This also happened when there was a shortage of the sohc and they put the dohc into the cars. The two main cars are the R/T and the ACR. Depending on what you want it for. If it is autocross then you should go with the ACR. Which was actually built just for that. It has no options to reduce wight, came stock with koni yellow struts, front and rear sway bar, and 4 wheel disc brakes. The R/T is basically the luxury part of this car. With less ridged sport struts, and all the extras like A/C, power windows and such.
As I said many of the Neons came with the DOHC but there are some differences between the standard models and the the R/T and ACR. The biggest diffrerence, is that the R/T and ACR use a transmission with a better gear ratio. Check out this website. It has a lot of info.
http://www.allpar.com/neon/neon.html
It has all the info on all the different kinds of neons.
My Car: 1998 Mazda Roadster (Miata): Tein flex Coilovers, Potenza GIII 195/50/15
http://www.highperformancejdm.com
its a neon that all you need to know.!
I've got a 3inch wiper blade that keeps my headlight clean during a rain storm
The early ones were known to have some head gasket problems. That is easily fixed. Relaibility wise about the same as a cavalier. You can take that as meaning good or bad.
My Car: 1998 Mazda Roadster (Miata): Tein flex Coilovers, Potenza GIII 195/50/15
http://www.highperformancejdm.com
I personally know a guy here in CO with a 96 turbo neon. He's currently pushing 22psi on a built motor. It pretty bad arse! I've also seen 3 turbo'd neons at the track pull consistent 13.3's. That's at Mile High elevation!!!!
there way over rated my buddy beat one on the high way with his all motor quad 4 and he don't have alot done
The neon is like the rest of dodges cars. They are actually under rated. Even though everyone is always down on neons here...I hate to say it but the car probably has more potential than a cavalier. Yes it's true that the cav engine can be built up great. The neon however has a pretty good engine, with a much better top end, lots of support and parts, and will definitely out-handle a cavalier. The pre-00 ACR will out-handle a srt-4 no problem. And Yes the quad 4 motor would beat the standard neon. The standard neon would probably beat the 2.2 base model. Now put the quad 4 against the r/t or acr and it becomes a drivers race.
My Car: 1998 Mazda Roadster (Miata): Tein flex Coilovers, Potenza GIII 195/50/15
http://www.highperformancejdm.com
I had a 97 Neon. It was the SOHC with an auto unfortunately, but I loved it. It handled WAY better than my new Z24. It was also WAY better on gas. Mine was a 3 speed auto with no overdrive and I would routinely get >45 mpg. I had the head gasket problem, but that was about it. I beat on it for 136000 KM's, and nothing ever broke. I also took psycho good care of it, and when I sold it, it literally looked like new. And so I sold it for about twice the book value. I actuall kind of wish I had kept it, instead of buying my cav.
i dont have much experience with neons but i drive a dodge Dakota R/T and it breaks a lot. (i guess a 6 liter engine dropped in a little truck with a transmission for going real fast real fast its bound to have a lot of problems tho.) i dont know if i'd buy another chrystler product real soon if it didnt start with the letters "V" or "M" and rhyme with "iper" or "agnum". just my $.02 as a dodge owner.
Lemme know when they come out with the Vagnum.
Wife had a 95- I really-REAALLLY-hated the head gasket issue..twice..
Other than that-good car.It got beat on, and only a few other things broke. (A few
annoying things, I might add.)
It got great gas milage, even when it was drinking 4 bottles of oil a week.
I kinda miss that car.
