I just bought this car almost a week ago and I am not sure if its me or if this is normal.
Its an 03' SXT and has about 71,000 miles on it. I bought it because of its style and thinking it would be a great commuter (otherwise I drive my tundra). However I'm really disapointed in the gas mileage. I get about 270 or so on a tank with all highway miles. I am a female so please bare with me I don't know much of anything about cars but after owning a Elipse for many years and than going to a damn sunfire I always thought I had good gas mileage and this it doesn't seem that good.... Also I noticed this car runs a little rough and the fan kicks on alot (does not heat up on the temp gage tho). Is this normal or something I should get checked out. It doesn't sound like it runs rough on the outside just on the inside but the fan is loud! I have never owned a dodge and its the only second American Car I owned the first was a sunfire and I only had a few months and hated it. I guess if you have any suggestions let me know. Thanks

 

i don't know much about cars, because i never come out of my cave, but I am having a similar problem with my 01 neon, but my mileage is worse, only about 160 to a tank, highway miles

 

Usually to improve gas mileage a regular scheduled tune up will fix these problems. running rough is a sign of age sometimes. My 2000 neon gets about 26 mpg but it also needs an engine rebuild. The 01 neon may or may not need engine mounts due to mileage. Have it checked as one of the engine mounts is extremely difficult to replace.
As far as getting better gas mileage try oil and filter change, spark plugs, wires and air filter. If it is in need of a tune up this will help. If you want you can opt for synthetic oil iut does make the car run smoother and faster but it is unadvisable to revert back to regular oil once you try synthetic as it has been known to cause leaks when switching back and forth.
Hope this helps.

 

Also a transmission service is would be recommendable for both cars if it has not been done in a while

 

alright sounds good, i have no paper history on my neon so i should probably have it tuned up anyways.
would you reccomend a franchise named garage or should i just try to find one around my town?

 

just changed the spark plugs yourself. VERY easy. it's gunna cost less than $20. yes, my fan kicks on every other minute. ugh. my mpg improved after I replaced my camshaft position sensor. I got a check engine light for this.

 

Doing this kind of work is pretty basic if you have the right tools sockets extensions etc.. but if you don't check prices for local garages that you trust.

This kind of maintenance is not usually expensive but having it all done at once does add up.

If you have a friend or someone that is somewhat mechanically inclined you may be able to convince them to do it for you.

All the parts are available usually over the counter at an auto parts store.