I find this funny in a way. you guys are always sayin ford vehicles are always havin breakdowns, well for the third time in less then a month my moms neon has been in the shop!! the first time was when the tie rod broke, the second time the master cylinder had to be replaced, and this time a brake shoe broke off and and did some damage to some of the other brake components. My Mustang was only in the shop 2 times. once to have the trans redone, and once beacuse the timing jumped. im sure there were more times but this is what i can remember, and they didn't happen in less than a month and the stang is 16 yrs old!

 

Well smart ***. It all depends on the year. Early Neons had a lot of trouble. And I don't know what you mean by, "you guys" are always saying Ford break down. It's mostly all Dodge owners that say that. Mostly us Neon owners keep to our selves.

 

yep im a smart ***, first donkey w/ an I.Q. over 200 just thought id share this event with you, and pointing out that my stang is doin better than 5 yr old neon.


and by "you guys" i meant all the people who talk Sh*t about ford.

 

not all neon owners talk **** about fords, i do but i also own a 92 tarus that i talk about, trans problems cooling problems but i wont talk about your car cuz i dont know it but hey my tarus is fair game to me, dont get me wrong some fords are top notch but some dodges are too, its just personal preference, and i'me sorry to hear about your moms bad luck that really sucks.

 

So..... post it in Off Topic

 

brake problems in a neon ....are like one in a million. Your mom prolly didnt take it to the shop when she was s'posed to on the brake pad cracking...the fault of dodge???? Since when are brake pads soley the manufacturers problem? The master cylinder....okay that was a problem but its very rare....too. TIE rods are s'posed to be replaced every now and then your mom shoulda felt it when it went bad...being the "good son that you are" you should have fixed it instead of your moms cuz it takes no time and you could save her money....

Transmission REBUILD=$4000 vs brake job and master cyl. and tie rods= $500
Ive owned three neons new and old...and never had problems unless going w/ out scheduled PMS...Save it for the mustang forums and off topic.

 

I wasnt talking about cost!! and my dad works for the dodge dealer that she gets every thing fixed at. and she felt the tie rod, her wheel was facing the inside of her car. and she has gone in for the scheduled check ups. adn as fot the stang its sitting in the back of my dad dodge dealer.

the shoe broke about a week after the cylinder was replaced. and the shoe broke some of the other stuff on the brakes setup also.

 

dont trust dealer mechanics theyre only really there for warranty work...your better off just taking it to a specialist...

 

A quick search isn't showing up anything where Neon owners are talking about Fords breaking down, so I have no idea where you got that.

Let me know when your 'stang hits 237,000 miles. I've only had my car "to the shop" once since the 165,000 mile mark, and only because I was more than 1000 miles from home (and 1000 miles from my brother's house where I was headed). The only other trips to the shop for repairs was after it was stolen and recovered.

Fords have been in my family for years - I owned a Festiva that I put 135k miles on or so, plus my '70 Maverick (that caught on fire while I was driving it). My brother owns a '05 Mustang GT and an Expedition, and he's had an F150 and another Mustang in the past ('91). My dad has owned 2 Mustangs ('65 and a '67 fastback), 3 Taurus SHO's ('87, '90, '95), a Crown Vic (police version), a '50 and a '51 model, 2 Pinto wagons, 2 Falcons, a Mazda pickup (i.e. Ranger), and is currently on his 2nd Focus.

Brake problems were not typical of Neons for any year. Even the famed head gasket issues ('95-'99) were only ranked by MSN autos as "Moderate" (while the 3.8L Mustang head gasket issues got a "Severe" rating for the same time period ).

As for the Mustang being "better"... The next time my brother and I go to an autocross event together, I'll remember to get some video footage. His GT couldn't keep up when my '95 was still legal for DSP, it would be downright hilarious at this point. All a matter of preference. He prefers 8 cylinder bragging rights and straightline acceleration (still has me beat by just over a full second in the 1/4), I prefer easy DIY maintenance (which is everyting that doesn't require a machine shop) and handling.

I don't talk trash about Fords, just Ford owners

Best of luck!

 

I got no choice on where to get the car serviced. As I said earlier my dad works at the dealership, so we get the discounts on the parts. I trust the mechanics there, because if they screw something up then they are gonna have to fix all over again, that and I knpw sme of them. as for the 'stang that couldnt keep up with a Geo its got a 4 cyl engine. 1/4 mile time is about 20 sec. and i dought it will reach 237,000 miles, its sitting collecting dust, and rust.