Looking for tips on buying -- 1995 Neon.

I am looking at a Neon for my daughter, 1995 automatic. 145000Km.

Looks and sounds ok. Drove well,
there's what feels like a slight 'wobble' in the brake rotors (felt the
pulse on my foot when braking.)

Transmission was not quite the smoothest I have driven, but I don't know
whether that is a problem or if I should be worried. 1st to 2nd seemed to
hesitate slightly.

is the kilometer figure reasonable? I was thinking that 20k km is about
the max for a normal user.

Asking price is $2500CDN -- is that a reasonable figure? Are there any
gotchas that you might know that I should look further for?

Thanks in advance
PDC

 

I paid $650 USD for a simmilar condition one last year. Drove it for
two months and sold it for about the same price. I'd say it's worth
maybe $1500CDN with the minor problems.

 

Thanks for the swift reply Joseph
I will see if the seller willl drop his price. What's the usual book time
for a tranny replacement/repair for one of these? I guess (looking at the
tightness of the design) that it's going to be a fairly large number of
hours just to get the thing dropped.

Is 90000miles a long life for a Neon engine? I am getting the impression
that the powertrain is considered to be geriatric around that figure...

Cheers -- Phil

 

Inquire as to whether or not the Head Gasket has been replaced along with
the Cam sensor seal. There were so many problems with the 95, 96 and maybe
97 year Neons that DC has/had a "courtesy warranty" with these items. DC
most likely wouldn't honor any sort of "warranty" with this car due to high
mileage and age. At any rate, I don't know if you are past the point of
return that if it hasn't failed by now, it won't. Bottom line...find out
one way or another before you buy.
My 96 Neon has been good and am very happy with it...
HTH
Rich Arnold

 

If the transmission is automatic, the car's worth $1200 USD less.
(basically a brick maybe worth crushing). If it's manual, a clutch
job might run you $450-$600USD, hence the deduction I noted.

I'd definately not pay more than $1500CDN for it.

They have known head gasket problems as well, plus several other
defects. Personally, I think that that era Neon is close to
being one of the worst used cars. Look at a simmilar era
Stratus with the V6 in it. That engine's pretty reliable
(or at least one of the two v6s is - I forget which).

Another option would be a 1993 Volvo 240. Very good and reliable
transportation.

 

Great advice
Thanks guys!

 

The first-generation Neons are shitboxes by just about any measure.

Find a low-KMs Spirit or Acclaim that belonged to grandma and grandpa --
much better, more durable, safer car for the money.

DS

 

First generation Neons use the venerable old 3-speed automatic. It will
out-live the rest of the car. The engine will also last forever IF its
had the replacement head gasket installed. If the owner can't produce
documentation that the head gasket has been replaced, use that as a
negotiating tool and plan to have it done immediately after you buy it.
The weak points of the first-gen Neons are body fit/finish, plastic bits
(headlamp lenses) etc., not the drivetrain (except for the head gasket).

 

OTOH, if the transmission is hesitating or slipping between gears,
it's likely close to wearing out.

These things are like old VW Bugs - nobody really gets rid of it
unless it's suffering form something they don't want to deal with.
(about as reliable as well, too - lol)