1998 Neon with 40K miles, $2900, buy or not?

[IndyIan]

I've been sort of looking for a used commuter beater, and found this online.
Anyone have experience with an older low mileage car? The ad says garage kept and the headlights are crystal clear so that seems true. And it looks like new in all the interior, exterior and under the hood.
I like these old Neons and all my go less slow goodies on my current car will fit. The only real issue is that the car is 3 hours away, so if I go to look at it I'm probably going to buy it unless something is a deal breaker.

Any ideas on what I should look for to avoid a big problem? Original trans fluid should be OK(its a manual), how about original coolant? What would the coolant look like? How about the timing belt? I think the manual only states a mileage replacement interval, not a time one.

 

[eljefino]

Well now there's a pig in a poke. Who would have a manual transmission and not drive it? Not your little old lady car. Who would have a gas sipper and leave it home?

If it's driven a mile to work and back, it would be sludge city inside the engine.

If it's parked for weeks at a time, the seals won't be happy, nor would the brakes.

What would the rust be like where it is? I know Canada is variable from region to region despite being "north".

 

[SLCraig]

I'd buy it. I'd love to have an old first gen. I miss my R/T...
I always wanted but never had a DOHC 5 speed coupe. Wish there were still more around. Only problem as far as I'm concerned with that car is that they are easy to steal, otherwise, totally great little car.

 

[01rangerxl]

That's a tricky one, but the price seems high regardless.

I guess it depends on how it got the 40K miles. That's a little under 3000 a year. It could have been driven around town, or worse, it sat for years on end during a period of its life.

I would drive it until it's up to operating temp and check everywhere for leaks. Things like the suspension will be fine, but anything containing a fluid needs to be checked thoroughly.

 

[VK56VD]

Talk to the owner and see what's up. Maybe he'll give you a break in price. It's hard to find anything decent for this kind of money. This seems decent and looks like it will fit your needs, keep you happy and will be a low cost upgrade after you sell your current Neon.

Let us know how it turns out.

 

[IndyIan]

I'll give them a call tomorrow with some questions about its service history. It looks nice enough that someone may have cared enough to change the oil and other fluids based on time. The price is pretty high for a 98 Neon, but $3k gets you an unloved '03 Neon with 120k miles up here, or a rusty '01 Mazda Protege with 120k miles on it...
I guess it comes down to something like this or waiting until my current Neon dies and spending $7-8k on a 06-07 Corolla/Civic sedan with 90-100k miles and not being able to thrash the tar out of it on a track in good conscience...

 

[01rangerxl]

I forgot you have to worry about rust. Assuming this is a totally rust free car, it probably would be worth it up there if everything checks out.

 

[silverrat]

Saw this beauty on Toronto kijiji

1995 Nitro Yellow Green Neon ACR. 2 dr, DOHC, 5 spd, 4 wheel disc brakes, grey int, unique rally car suspension package. VIN digits 7 & 8 are 2Y. Dealer print out will show "Highline Competition Package". I am the original owner, car came delete all options except necessary options to make it street legal. Very fun car to drive and own. 3.94:1 transmission. 48 mpg when kept at about 105-110km/h. The body is in excellent shape, no dents, no rust anywhere. Never winter driven. Clear coat has a few flaws but nothing serious. Only reason for selling, car has been sitting for a few years and I hate to see it getting older when somebody else could be enjoying it as much as I did.


http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles...QAdIdZ382763618

 

[IndyIan]

If I could have a 2 door, and ACR coupe would be fun! They actually made ACR sedans for the first couple years too. I do want A/C though in this one so even if I found one I'd have to pass.
I left a message with seller but no reply yet.

 

[kkreit01]

I want that NYG ACR. That is cool. Not fond of the graphics, but those can possibly come off.

 

[daves87rs]

As much as our old 95 was a piece of junk, that car was quite fun to drive. I actually miss it....

 

[SteveSRT8]

My 98 Neon R/T is fondly remembered around here.

One of the BEST handling wrong wheel drive cars ever built, with an intangible "fun" factor thrown in.

36 mpg with mods, ran extremely strong right to the 7300 rpm limiter.

 

[cptbarkey]

from modern safety reasons, i would avoid the neon like the plague, it is terrible in crash tests.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
from modern safety reasons, i would avoid the neon like the plague, it is terrible in crash tests.

I've thought about that too, but for my commute I'd have to upsize to a full size pickup to really be much safer as fatal 2 lane highway accidents tend to be head on's... I always tell myself I'm driving a wet cardboard box and try not to put myself at risk and I do stuff like look both ways before going on a green.
No reply yet from the seller, so I guess the search will continue... My current one still refuses to die so I probably have months to find another closer one.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
from modern safety reasons, i would avoid the neon like the plague, it is terrible in crash tests.



And most stuff from the 90s....

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
My 98 Neon R/T is fondly remembered around here.

One of the BEST handling wrong wheel drive cars ever built, with an intangible "fun" factor thrown in.

36 mpg with mods, ran extremely strong right to the 7300 rpm limiter.

I'm sort of torn on a DOHC motor as I will still be doing a 60 mile commute and getting premium costs .40/gallon more up here...
If one pops up though I'd probably take it, it would still cost about the same to run as an automatic SOHC.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
from modern safety reasons, i would avoid the neon like the plague, it is terrible in crash tests.



And most stuff from the 90s....


One of the LAST things considered here is crash testing. Few real world crashes mimic the laboratory testing done in a controlled environment. You'd be much better off by worrying about your driving.

And note that my good friend t-boned an old Buick with his Neon at hi speed, completely obliterated the car and turned the huge Buick into a horseshoe. Smart airbags and good seatbelts let him walk away with nothing more than a scratch!

People always knock Neons. But for people who must have a car they can DRIVE they are an excellent little car.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
My 98 Neon R/T is fondly remembered around here.

One of the BEST handling wrong wheel drive cars ever built, with an intangible "fun" factor thrown in.

36 mpg with mods, ran extremely strong right to the 7300 rpm limiter.

I'm sort of torn on a DOHC motor as I will still be doing a 60 mile commute and getting premium costs .40/gallon more up here...
If one pops up though I'd probably take it, it would still cost about the same to run as an automatic SOHC.


I recall the DOHC Neon is still a regular-gas motor.

 

[SLCraig]

Originally Posted By: silverrat
Saw this beauty on Toronto kijiji

1995 Nitro Yellow Green Neon ACR. 2 dr, DOHC, 5 spd, 4 wheel disc brakes, grey int, unique rally car suspension package. VIN digits 7 & 8 are 2Y. Dealer print out will show "Highline Competition Package". I am the original owner, car came delete all options except necessary options to make it street legal. Very fun car to drive and own. 3.94:1 transmission. 48 mpg when kept at about 105-110km/h. The body is in excellent shape, no dents, no rust anywhere. Never winter driven. Clear coat has a few flaws but nothing serious. Only reason for selling, car has been sitting for a few years and I hate to see it getting older when somebody else could be enjoying it as much as I did.


http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles...QAdIdZ382763618

That is definitely not an ACR unless the owner has changed things.

First of all there is no ACR logo on the side.
Second, ACR's never came with door mouldings.
Third, ACR's never came with foglights.

There are other ACR queues but you can't tell from the pics.

It is however, still a very rare kick arse little Neon and I'd love to have it.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
My 98 Neon R/T is fondly remembered around here.

One of the BEST handling wrong wheel drive cars ever built, with an intangible "fun" factor thrown in.

36 mpg with mods, ran extremely strong right to the 7300 rpm limiter.

I'm sort of torn on a DOHC motor as I will still be doing a 60 mile commute and getting premium costs .40/gallon more up here...
If one pops up though I'd probably take it, it would still cost about the same to run as an automatic SOHC.


I recall the DOHC Neon is still a regular-gas motor.

I read that you can get away with regular for regular driving, but premium is recommended from the factory. The DOHC motor must be quite fun, mine starts to fall on its face at maybe 6200rpm even with the '95 cam, so another 1100 rpm would pick things up quite a bit.
These cars are getting quite rare up here in good shape, so its slim pickings for a manual sedan, let alone a DOHC one or an R/T.
There are lots of R/T second gen cars in great shape but apparently they have oiling issues at sustained high rpms while turning... Alot of the oil goes from the head into the airbox instead of back into the pan resulting in spun bearings, etc...