Hey guys I just picked up a 1998 4 door automatic SOHC neon from the original owner. It has only 50,2xx miles on it and it runs excellent. I am unsure if any maintenance has been done on this car at all so my question is...

Other than an oil + filter, spark plug, spark plug wires, air filter and radiator fluid drain and refill with Peak 50/50 should I replace anything else?

I do not want to go overboard if I don't have to, but I want this thing to be super reliable. Should I replace the weak head gasket now with a MLS gasket or should it last until ~100k (probably won't own the car for that long)? If I do the head gasket then I would do head bolts, valve cover gasket, cam seal, timing belt and water pump while I am at it. I have a mechanically inclined friend who could do this all for me for a decent price, but if there is no point doing this work until 100k+ miles then I don't want to waste the money.

Thanks in advance!!

 

Sounds good to me, don't fix it if it ain't broke...

 

Whats the timing belt replacement interval?

 

Timing belt replacement is normally 90/100K miles. But the timing belt is 16 years old and I'm guessing dried out. I would do the timing belt, water pump, and tensioner. As for the valve cover gasket as long as there is no leaks and the plugs are dry I would leave them for now. I would do a compression test before considering changing the head gasket. I have a feeling that if you did all that work listed you may not get your money back when you sell it.