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Neon,Corolla, Civic

Started by Todd Wilson, August 26, 2017, 08:01:11 AM

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Todd Wilson

After 17 1/2 years at my job in town they decided to do away with it so I am commuting again 100 miles a day. The 3/4 Cummins Dodge as good as it gets for mpg is a tad to expensive to keep driving all the time. I have been looking at cheep cars on craigslist locally here. Looking for a 2000$-3000$ car with 100,000 to 150,000 miles on it. 2000 to 2005 in years. Looking for maximum mpg and price. My goal is to simply run the vehicle until it quits.

Honda Civics seem to command a little higher price but it seems nice civics are hard to find. Most are riced out or have well over 200,000 miles on them. 

Toyota Corolla's seem to be cheaper and more plentiful on the CL.

Dodge and Plymouth Neon's are very hard to find. I have found a 2003 in almost new shape with 129,000 miles and a 2005 with 140,000 that's it nice shape.


I do have seat time in the Neon and the Corolla. We bought a new 2000 Neon that was a great car in every way but it got totaled early in its life in a wreck. My grandma has a 2003 Corolla I have driven on the highway for hundreds of miles a few times. I have trouble getting in and out of it but it seems to be ok once I am in it. 

I am aware of the Neon automatic transmission cooler leak causing antifreeze to go into the tranny and wasting it.  But info I get is these cars are good at getting high miles. 2nd gen Neons that is.


Every high mileage Toyota I have been around seems to have a tick in the engine as its idling that drives me crazy as it sounds to me like it has an engine problem.


So I am looking for real world info on these cars. The most miles everyone has got and the problems that come up with the 3 cars.


Todd

71charger_fan

I've got 110,000 on my '04 Neon R/T. The only things that have needed to be replaced were the lower control arm bushings, struts, and muffler (not counting obvious things like battery, plugs, etc). I did replace the timing belt and water pump as preventative maintenance. The sunroof did break, but it was just a pin that worked its way out. It was an easy fix. I had an employer-provided '12 Civic for a few years. The trunk was more usable in the Civic, but I found the '04 Neon to be a better car in pretty much every other way. I've ridden in a few Corollas, but haven't actually driven one since the late '80s. The Ford Focus is plentiful and seems to be a pretty good car and available much newer than any Neon.

Mike DC

  
Late-90s-early-2000s Corollas.  There are pretty dang reliable and parts are cheap.  The 4-banger motor is pretty easy to work on for a modern car too.  It's not too much of a Tetris game under the hood.    


Neons can run a long time too.  But I would lay money on a Corolla's body to hold up better.  Paint, interior, electricals, etc.  


I agree about Civics of that era.  They are good cars in theory but ricers have spoiled them for the rest of us.  They mess up their own Civics, and they bid up the prices too high for the Civics they haven't gotten to yet.  

 

Aero426

I'd run a Neon if I could find a good one.  As mentioned, not that easy anymore.   Corolla sounds like a good bet for run it til the wheels fall off.  And they probably won't fall off. 

JR

Corolla. No question.

Although i would love to suggest the Mazda 3 as is the most fun to drive in this segment, the durability and quality is lacking compared to the Corolla.

And you can find clean Corollas for 3k or less all day.

I drive 500 miles a week for work, and my daily beater is a 97 Celica with the 2.2/5 speed combo with 200k plus miles. The engine is from the Camry, but quality wise it's an equivalent vehicle to the Corolla. I paid 1700 bucks for it, runs great with cold air, and have driven it for two years now with no issue beyond normal maintenance.I would drive it anywhere. Great mpg and reliability means the car has practically paid for itself.

With a $3000 budget you should be able to find a really clean early 2000s Corolla. They made millions of them. There was even a wagon version up until the late 90s.
70 Charger RT top bananna /68 Charger RT triple green

Troy

I have (and had) a bunch of Toyotas so I'm probably biased. My current Tacoma (1998) has 260k on it, my 1993 pickup has 150k, my dad's 2004 Corrolla has almost 200k and all they've done is fixed an airbag sensor, my step dad has 270k on his 1995 Camry and he's replaced the brake pads twice and the tailpipe. The reason you can't find any Neons is they're broken and crushed. Every one I have been in has been a POS - but some people say they are great so I must pick all the wrong ones. The Civics are better looking than the Corolla and Camry and the kids love them so prices will be higher - but they're easy/cheap to fix if they ever break. Mostly they don't break. You could try for an Accord of the same years as it will be a bit bigger and still get decent mileage.

Troy
Sarcasm detector, that's a real good invention.

69bronzeT5

I loved my 2000 Chrysler Neon LX. I owned it for 2 years and put 16,000+ miles on it. I paid $500 for it. It was fantastic. I used it for a winter beater. I ended up doing the water pump and timing belt (water pump seized but it was right around the replacement interval), both rear calipers and the accessory belt. It was all cheap though. Super cheap on gas. Only sold it because I bought my new Ram. Kind of wish I kept it for a daily driver though.
Feature Editor for Mopar Connection Magazine
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1969 Charger: T5 Copper 383 Automatic
1970 Challenger R/T: FC7 Plum Crazy 440 Automatic
1970 GTO: Black 400 Ram Air III 4-Speed
1971 Charger Super Bee: GY3 Citron Yella 440 4-Speed
1972 Charger: FE5 Red 360 Automatic
1973 Charger Rallye: FY1 Top Banana 440 Automatic
1973 Plymouth Road Runner: FE5 Red 440 Automatic
1973 Plymouth Duster: FC7 Plum Crazy 318 Automatic

alfaitalia

Now would I like to drive a Neon, Civic or Corolla.....?.....Hmmmm.....Kinda like being asked if I want the needle that's about to be poked in my eye to be hot, cold or frozen.....not the best of choices . There must be something out there with good mpg and reliability that means you wont have to drive around with a paper bag on your head with holes cuts for you eyes so no one recognises you! How about a TDI Golf or 1 series BMW diesel....both have a load more cred....just as good mpg.....been around long enough to be cheap.....and folks wont laugh and point!   :hah:
If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you !!

Todd Wilson

Thanks for all the info out there.   I am starting to look at Nissan Altima's.  I have several friends with them and they are nice cars and there seems to be some in the 10-12 yr old range for sale in my price range.  The Kia Optima was suggested also.  My mom drove a rental Kia to visit one time and loved it and I drove the car also and it was nice.  It seems if you can find a good Neon then you are good but bad ones are out there a lot. A friend who has a used lot says every Neon he sees at the auctions all smell of antifreeze when you open the hoods to check.    Overall the Corolla seems to be best best bang for the buck as far as mpg and running the most miles with cheap repairs if needed. The one I was looking at is sold. 120l for 2000$. Snooze u looze!

I have looked around here for Volkswagons and they are hard to find. And occasional old Diesel Rabbit which is cool but I don't know if I want to spend 100 miles a day in one when newer more safer vehicles are out there. Also worried about how it starts in the dead of winter after sitting 10-12 hours at work.


Todd

moparstuart

Quote from: Todd Wilson on August 29, 2017, 12:12:25 PM
Thanks for all the info out there.   I am starting to look at Nissan Altima's.  I have several friends with them and they are nice cars and there seems to be some in the 10-12 yr old range for sale in my price range.  The Kia Optima was suggested also.  My mom drove a rental Kia to visit one time and loved it and I drove the car also and it was nice.  It seems if you can find a good Neon then you are good but bad ones are out there a lot. A friend who has a used lot says every Neon he sees at the auctions all smell of antifreeze when you open the hoods to check.    Overall the Corolla seems to be best best bang for the buck as far as mpg and running the most miles with cheap repairs if needed. The one I was looking at is sold. 120l for 2000$. Snooze u looze!

I have looked around here for Volkswagons and they are hard to find. And occasional old Diesel Rabbit which is cool but I don't know if I want to spend 100 miles a day in one when newer more safer vehicles are out there. Also worried about how it starts in the dead of winter after sitting 10-12 hours at work.


Todd

stay away from nissans  horrible drive train all around  , junk  sell that stuff all day  its bad 
GO SELL CRAZY SOMEWHERE ELSE WE ARE ALL STOCKED UP HERE

Todd Wilson

With reference to Toyota's at what mileage would you be scared to buy one?  I am seeing a lot in the 160k -190k range and the cars both Corolla and Camry look to be in good shape. Drivers seats are not even torn up from that many miles.    I don't know what to think as that many miles could mean they have been taken care of and in good shape or they got something wrong with them! HA! Is the tick you hear when they idle normal?

Todd

JR

X2 on avoiding Nissans. The quality isnt there. Especially long term.

As far as how many miles is too many, its really a case by case basis. I shop the owner as much as the vehicle. If they give me the impression that the car was never maintained, or they didnt have the cash to take care of the vehicle, I walk away. Little things like mismatched tires, excessively stained carpet, broken buttons that would be cheap and easy to fix are good tells that the car was neglected.

Personally,  when looking for a cheap beater, I buy the simplest car I can find. Manual transmission,  4 cylinder, manual adjusting seats etc. means theres less to go wrong. As a rule of thumb,  a 200k mile 4 cylinder manual is usually more reliable than a 200k mile v6/auto.

As far as VWs, dont bother. They will nickel and dime you to death. Especially the diesels. The basic 2.5 liter 5 cylinder in the jetta is mostly reliable, but the rest of the car will disintegrate around the drivetrain. Volkswagen=all the hassle and pain of German car ownership, none of the fun.

Also, another suggestion, and kind of oddball, is a first gen Scion xB.



I know the looks are polarizing, but, they have a rock solid reputation for reliability,  offer a TON of interior space, a high seating position so you dont have to climb in and out of it, great visibility,  and as a bonus, actually have a bit of personality to drivie. As a bonus, they were typically bought by enthusiastic owners when new, so its easy to find one that has been maintained and well taken care of.

And did I mention the ton of room in them?



The only real negative is the cringey "Scion" badging. But they were sold as Toyotas in Japan, so swapping on Toyota badging is easy if you want.

70 Charger RT top bananna /68 Charger RT triple green

charger_fan_4ever

Im in same boat as you Todd.

have a 02 2500 CCSB 4x4 sport with a 6 speed. Its good on fuel as you said being diesel but my beaters are toyota.

We had a 2010 corolla 5 speed 1.8L. ought with 38000 km and in 3 years put 80000 km on it. Only repair was brake pads in front and rotors turned. Still had all original steering and suspension parts and was tight. That says alot as our paved roads here in quebec are generally as bad or worse than dirt roads in the rest of the country.

Bought a 2001 echo 5 speed for me to beat to work. drove it 2 years 30000km put $250 in brakes and a tie rod and ball joint. Bought it for $1700 sold it for $800 yesterday. All in with repairs cost me $600 a year.

I replaced it with a 2004 toyota matrix 5 speed 1.8L low kms. bought for $2000. Should last me 5 years atleast.

early 2000s toyota went to a timing chain. Get a timing chain engine and good to go. Not that the older ones were bad as they were non contact engines. But this way no timing belt jobs.

The matrix rides a fair bit better than the corolla/echo/yaris. They tend to get blown around a bit on the road. The matrix is solid and your a car guy som option of folding down seats makes an impressive cargo space.


Ticking i find usually is engines that didnt run the specified viscosity engine oil. Seems these small motors you really need to adhere to whats recommended as far as viscosity.

moparstuart

Quote from: Todd Wilson on August 29, 2017, 05:29:04 PM
With reference to Toyota's at what mileage would you be scared to buy one?  I am seeing a lot in the 160k -190k range and the cars both Corolla and Camry look to be in good shape. Drivers seats are not even torn up from that many miles.    I don't know what to think as that many miles could mean they have been taken care of and in good shape or they got something wrong with them! HA! Is the tick you hear when they idle normal?

Todd

stay away from  97-01 camry with the 4 cy   , the 2.2 have the same problem chrysler 2.7 and 3.7 and 4.7 have  very small oil galleys and they sludge / clog up super easy  , 3.0 tho are rock solid 
GO SELL CRAZY SOMEWHERE ELSE WE ARE ALL STOCKED UP HERE

Old Moparz

Just a couple of months ago a coworker of my wife spotted a 2009 Suzuki SX4 hatchback on a facebook classified ad for $2800. My daughter has her permit & will be driving soon, so we had been looking on & off for a decent 1st car for her. We looked at this car, drove it & was able to get it for $2400. It has 127k miles on it but the Suzukis that a couple of people I know have had ran them up to & above 200K.

There is a lot of room for the passengers for a tiny car. Yeah, Suzuki stopped selling in the US a few years ago but if all you plan on doing is driving it until you can't maybe you can consider one. $2400 for a 2009 is pretty cheap in my area.

By the way, we haven't had the car long enough to really say how good or bad it will be. I think it's only on the 2nd tank of gas since we've had it, but everything works. It's automatic but I noticed that the shift lever doesn't want to go into low. It rides & shifts perfect so I am thinking it might be an adjustment or a cable & not a transmission issue.
               Bob                



              I Gotta Stop Taking The Bus

Aero426

I bought an 07 Focus sedan with a 5-spd at the tail end of 2014.  110k on it and now just crossed 150k.  Car has been bullet proof.  The standard 2.0 engine uses a timing chain.  Mine was a military owned car from the west coast. So the super clean underside sold me.   I paid 4K at the time (less than an import would cost) and am very happy.  Mileage is slight less than my old Neon, but averages 31 on hwy.  A little lower in town.  If there are downsides mechanically, I've not experienced them.

Mopar Nut

"Dear God, my prayer for 2024 is a fat bank account and a thin body. Please don't mix these up like you did the last ten years."

Old Moparz

               Bob                



              I Gotta Stop Taking The Bus

Aero426

Quote from: Mopar Nut on August 31, 2017, 05:26:05 AM
New Dodge Dart.

Has the resale fallen like a rock to the point where you can buy one that cheap?  

I think it is too new and will not fall into the budget.   

Todd Wilson

Quote from: Old Moparz on August 31, 2017, 11:02:27 AM
Near you Todd?

2011 Suzuki SX4 - $2695

https://wichita.craigslist.org/cto/d/2011-suzuki-sx4/6284596101.html


Yeah the MPG isn't as good as I like.  Suzuki's from reading seem to not get a good review and have problems. Price is right for sure!

Todd

Todd Wilson

Quote from: Aero426 on August 31, 2017, 11:09:40 AM
Quote from: Mopar Nut on August 31, 2017, 05:26:05 AM
New Dodge Dart.

Has the resale fallen like a rock to the point where you can buy one that cheap?  

I think it is too new and will not fall into the budget.   

Yeah new is out of the question right now.  I did find a Dart a few years old for 5grand with low miles and in good shape but it had no AC.......

Todd

Todd Wilson

All the Corolla's I was eye balling are sold.  A few Accords also. You got to be fast when you find a good one.   I am going to look at this Neon tonight...........


https://wichita.craigslist.org/cto/d/2003-dodge-neon-sxt/6287507285.html


Todd

Old Moparz

Quote from: Todd Wilson on August 31, 2017, 11:16:28 AM
Quote from: Old Moparz on August 31, 2017, 11:02:27 AM
Near you Todd?

2011 Suzuki SX4 - $2695

https://wichita.craigslist.org/cto/d/2011-suzuki-sx4/6284596101.html


Yeah the MPG isn't as good as I like.  Suzuki's from reading seem to not get a good review and have problems. Price is right for sure!

Todd



It's very practical with 98.5 cubic feet of interior volume, the SX4 wagon has ample interior space. If a case of Pabst Blue Ribbon is 16"x 16"x 24"(3.5378 cf) then you can get approximately 27.84216 cases of beer in that thing.   :lol:
               Bob                



              I Gotta Stop Taking The Bus

moparstuart

Quote from: Todd Wilson on August 31, 2017, 11:18:32 AM
All the Corolla's I was eye balling are sold.  A few Accords also. You got to be fast when you find a good one.   I am going to look at this Neon tonight...........


https://wichita.craigslist.org/cto/d/2003-dodge-neon-sxt/6287507285.html


Todd

you wont lose it in the dark 
GO SELL CRAZY SOMEWHERE ELSE WE ARE ALL STOCKED UP HERE

Todd Wilson

Quote from: moparstuart on August 31, 2017, 12:02:56 PM
Quote from: Todd Wilson on August 31, 2017, 11:18:32 AM
All the Corolla's I was eye balling are sold.  A few Accords also. You got to be fast when you find a good one.   I am going to look at this Neon tonight...........


https://wichita.craigslist.org/cto/d/2003-dodge-neon-sxt/6287507285.html


Todd

you wont lose it in the dark 


It is Neon!


Todd