hi Kat,
You know what.. I had that happen to me as well at 69000miles. I think it has something to do with the quality of the water pump. I was extremely lucky... it took out the timing belt and only a few valves. I had to have it machined because they put it all back together and it wouldn't pressurize. $2000 later I have my perfect Neon again. I am going to have to learn how to change out both on my own. I agree it's best to learn how to take care of the known issues on your own. I've been driving my baby daily for about 7 months now since that incident... which by the way was the only problem I've ever had with my Neon. So far she seems to be running smooth no glitches. I will have her checked out in another 6 months to make sure I'm not missing anything.
dnkygirl