Just purchased a 2000 and looking for expertise

[clayk32]

I recently (Friday night) purchased a 2000 Dodge Neon with 41K miles. It cost me $4800, which I was told is a great deal (lease return through the bank I work for).

Features: 2.0L 16 valve, four door, beige, no power locks or windows, single disc CD, cruise, power steering, dual airbags, to name just a few of the features.

The tires will need to be replaced, and my dad said that the front brakes will need to be repaired soon. These are the least of my concerns...

A few questions for all:

1) The auction that I bought it from did not know if there was a manufacturer warranty available. I've heard of a 7/70,000 from Dodge. Might this apply to my Neon?

2) What kind of tires should I get for this car for less than $300?

3) The engine seems to run REALLY loud. My dad looked everything over and has determined that the engine must be naturally very loud. There is no sound-deadening between the driver and under the hood. (All fluids were OK, the engine looked clean, etc.) Are Neons unusually loud? Someone suggested to see if my O2 sensor needs replacement. It also seems to idle unusually loud and shaky...I'm slightly concerned. (My 1996 Pontiac Grand Am ran a lot more quietly, even with 93K.)

4) Are there any problems that plague the 2000 Neon that I should keep a heads-up for?

Thank you!

[Y2kNeon]

I have a beige 2000 myself that I purchased with 36k miles on it. My car wasn't loud at all at first, but once I replaced the intake it had a mighty growl to it. Check to see if the previous owner removed the resonator (inside the front left fender well). Sometimes people remove it for the sound.

I would have to say the main "concern" for this gen neon would be the dreaded "cold-start-knock". I started getting a slight knock around 42k miles, in the morning when the engine was cold. It went away after the engine warmed up. This is an inherent problem on the Neon due to unusual piston wall gap. And yes, the idle is quite rough, also a perk of driving the Neon =). I don't want to recommend ripping stuff out and replacing it cuz I don't know what's up with your car, but the rough idle could just be the 'normal' Neon thing.

You will get 100 different answers on what tires to get =) It depends on what you want. My car is a daily driver but I like having good performance. I went with Dunlop GT Qualifier 205/50/15's, an all season performance tire. The price was great, the treadwear is good, and the wider/lower profile is sportier than the 185/65 Eagle LS's that came stock.

Hope some of this helps...

[NeonDude]

the Cooper Lifeliner 185/15 is a good tire

I have 2 of them on the front wheels of my 2000 Neon

they were on there when I bought it, along with 2 stock Goodyear Eagles on the back.

[wiswind]

Check www.tirerack.com
They are a great resource for researching tires for your specific car.

[skatendestroy]

neons are just naturally loud cars

the rough idle is also normal

[nealuss]

if there was an o2 sensor problem; you would have a check engine light on bc the fuel and air mixture would be screwed up. if the comp. recognizes an even mixture for any length of time, it knows something is wrong.

my 2000 was loud in the morning too.