Hi everyone my name is Bruce and as my screen name suggests I'm an old guy. I just bought an '05 Neon base model with 76K on it.
As with any used car i buy the first thing i do is change the plugs. I bought NKG V groove as i saw they were recommended by some on this forum.
Well first thing was I couldn't get the boots off so i warmed it up a bit and with some yanking they came off. When i got the plugs out they were horrible. They were Champions and probably the original plugs.So i put a coat of anti seize on the threads and some boot grease on the plugs and installed them. First thing i noticed was the idle was a lot smoother. Now i checked the mileage for the first two tankfuls and got 33 mpg mostly highway driving. I wonder if new plugs will raise that. So i am mostly into repair and maintenance. My son has told me there are a lot of performance mods on the net and I told him to feel free to buy anything he wants and install it (I'm kind of cheap also). So that's about it. If there is anything else that is a weak spot on these cars i would like to know.
Thanks

 

Welcome to the home of Neon's!

We have good cars, not alot of weak spots if they are taken care of right! Oil, Pugs, wires and a filter should do ya good, might want to do the tranny fluid and filter to be on the safe side also.....


As far as mods, be careful, there are lots of great mods, some ok ones, and some that are not worth a penny, but will cost ya! (such as performance chips!)

 

-Another "old guy" here. I'm 43. Your mileage is about on par for Neons. I've been getting 31-32 mpg lately. But when we head out on vacation is when it really shines. I've gotten upwards of 37.5 mpg going from Ohio to Myrtle Beach. I hit that mark every time we go.

L8R,
Matt

 

i get 34mpg in my stock 05 sxt, and it is a great daily driver.... the normal maintance of these cars is the best "mod" u can do, they will last forever as long as they are well taken care of....

good luck with the new car, and welcome to dodgeforum

 

43? You are 20 years behind me sonny!LoL.
When I test drove the car there was a grinding coming from the left front wheel. I left the car so they could put new tires on it and check out the noise. When I picked up the car they said they could find nothing wrong and it had been sitting awhile and I should drive it and see if it would go away. So 300 hundred miles ( 1 week) later I took it back and they took it into their shop and showed me that everything looked good with the entire front end. But they thought that the front pads were probably real cheap ones and they replaced them with NAPA ceramics for free. The grinding sound went away. Pretty good used car dealership.The tires they put on were Capital Negotiator HP touring made in China. Anybody have any experience with these? I know they are the cheapest they could get but at least they are brand new.

 

The best mileage I've noted so far was 31 but that was combined city and highway.

 

-Then you're doing pretty good. If I drive mine nowhere but in town, my mileage drops all the was down to around 23-25 mpg. This past week I hit 33 mpg combined, but that's about 70/30 highway-city driving.

L8R,
Matt

 

I just purchased an 05 also and the things to look out for are shaking at idle water leaks in the passenger right front . I'm getting a shaking at high speeds I have had both struts changed the cv joint changed the bearing changed the lower ball joint changed and guess what? It's still freakin there ! The only thing left is the lower control arm bushings and that will be next but I'm already 800 dollars into this and need to take a break !

 

PS I bought it with 39000 miles !

 

-Not too bad. I bought mine in July '07 with 19k on it. Three years later it's sitting at 75k. The only issues I've had with it are a dead battery and the water on the passenger's front floor. I've already used sealer along all of the factory seals at the cowling, but next I'm going to check that drain hose that I never knew about until recently. Just put all brand new shoes on it, Cooper CS4s. So far these are the best all around, all season touring tire I've come across.

L8R,
Matt