2000 dodge neon. Got the car for free from my sister but she bought it for like 1500, so im guessing the car is worth around 1500. All the repairs will eventually amount to that much so im wondering whether i should even get it fixed or get a new one, what do u think? it has 135k on it but it runs great.

Some stuff i have to repair is (according to mechanic):

-Rear struts, both
-lower tie rod ends, both
-lower motor mounts
-an alignment

Im wondering which is the most important to fix first? and how much should be a good price?

i know for a fact that one of the tie rod ends is completely broken off on one side, and the motor mounts dont look to good, im not sure if they struts are actually bad or not.

i also need 4 new tires, and the engine oil and brake fluid are leaking in little amounts, and sometimes radiator fluid but rarely.

I would like to get the most important done first, im thinking the tie rods just because i know one is completely detached or broken from some other part. What should i prioritize? and should i even consider fixing it?

 

Depends how you feel about the following: each item you've listed are wear and tear items that will eventually need to be serviced on any vehicle after so long. So, is it worth it to you to replace some more basic wear and tear items and have a car that is GTG, or get something else that could have worse problems?

 

thats exactly what i was thinking, i wouldnt have alot to spend on a different but i am afraid itll be even worse seeing as how i wouldnt know what to check when buying one.

i did the test where u push down back of the car to see if the back jump to see if the struts were bad. just like shown here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMrYV3nU_AU

the car does not vibrate as bad as the car is the video, if any at all. What should i fix first? i would have to do it once at a time

 

If the tires are still decent, I'd go with the tie rod ends and alignment (those really aren't an either/or; they should be done together). Even if they aren't, the tie rods are still what I would do first, except you could get away with a "poorboy" alignment.

 

i plan on doing the tie rods and alignment this tuesday then. I got quoted 70 for each side of the tie rods, is that a good price? i would have to get the alignment but did not receive a price for that but im guessing 60-80.

Can u tell me what can happen if i dont replace the the struts, motor mounts, etc? (for example, i read that if the tie rods break, i can lose control of the steering which is really bad)
It would really help me determine what to do afterwards.

 

also, sometimes when i turn and there is a bump or pothole, i hear a loud popping sound coming from the front right side wheel. is that because of the tie rods or the struts? thing is, thats where i know the tie rod is not completely attached

 

I believe I paid ~$70 for each Moog tie rod end. Sounds right. 4-wheel alignment is generally in that price range as well.
Bad struts just mean you'll have a less than smooth ride. Bumps and such will be more pronounced. I don't know of any "bad" things happening due to blown struts. If you thought about lowering the car ever, that would be a good time to get aftermarket struts.
Could be either of those, and maybe a bad strut tophat or bad lower control arm bushing.

 

tie rod end/alignment and they should be done together.

broken tie rod end could strand you or worse yet, possibly hurt you if it failed at speed

 

im gonna prioritize the tie rods then,. not sure about the struts because i feel like bumps effect my car as any other car. I work as a valet so i drive many cars and do not see a difference between those cars and mine.

hopefully the pooping noise will stop once i get the tie rods fixed but ill see tomorrow how it goes. Thanks i really appreciate the info

 

thing is, i been driving on them for almost a year now without knowing this. thank god nothing happened