What are the pros and cons of getting a new or used engine put in my car?

 

Pros, you can build it, lower miles, longer life. Cons................Money, time, labor

 

New (or rebuilt, or remanufactured) - pro's:
- Usually built to factory spec tolerances
- Longer life expected
- Warranty often available

New - con's:
- Cost
- Warranty may require professional installation - cost...

Used (salvage yard, ebay, etc.) - pro's:
- Cost
- Most salvage yards will have a 30-90 day warranty

Used - con's:
- No guarantee on condition of critical parts (bearings, oil pump, water pump, valves, etc.)
- Might have to run through 2 or 3 salvage yard engines to find a good one - time...

Best of luck!

 

How much would it cost to get the dealer to install a brand new engine? Would other major, original parts start to die on the car, like the transmission? What are some other major parts that would potentially break, how much do they cost for parts and labor?

 

Dealer, brand new complete engine - look at $4500-6000, seriously...

If you can't do a lot of work on the car yourself, the Neon can get expensive. Most people will jsut sell them at a huge loss and buy something else... just like other inexpensive cars out there. If you can find parts at a salvage yard and can follow the instructions in a haynes manual, the neon is wicked cheap to maintain.

Biggest expenses are going to be the water pump and timing belt at the 100k mile point or so ($500-800), and the clutch not long after ($600-800). Little things pop up, but they usually don't cost "little" when taken to a shop.