Hey everyone! I'm looking for some advice and some tips on what to look for. I want to buy a used '04 or '05 SX 2.0/Neon, to travel the 250 kms from home to work (4 days on/4 days off) and back again. I'm using my '05 F150 King Ranch, but the gas mileage is brutal. I am going with a manual transmission, and that is the only requirement I have. I owned a new '04 SX 2.0, fully loaded with no leather, for about 18 months, and loved it, but decided to trade it in for a new '05 Liberty and now I need one again. I need to know what problems to look for when I'm test-driving and looking at them and if there are any tips on how to test for problems that may just be starting. Thanks for the help.

 

There is a thread titled "Looking to get a Neon...some questions". Search for that thread and you will find some useful tips for your purchase inspection.

 

Thanks, I browsed, but saw nothing.

 

The auto transmissions are hit or miss. I think you just tend to hear more of the bad on the forums because people come here specifically to fix them. Check the fluid and see what it looks like, just on any other car. Same with the coolant. Check the lower control arm bushings, tie rod ends and ball joints if possible. The lower control arm bushings tend to go on these in the upper tens of thousands of miles. The other two are hit or miss on when they will go.

Probably the most common thing to look for is broken, torn torque struts. If these are torn, the engine mount is much more prone to being broken/torn as well. Generally if any are broken, there will be some vibration in the cab, mostly noticeable in the steering wheel probably.

 

Thanks, going to check a few out tomorrow and going to an auction on Saturday.