Alright, im in a situation here about getting a car now. im intrested in getting a neon from a 94 to 98 or a civic 92 to 98. but im hearing some bad stories about neons. the front headgaskets blowing out? what the heck is wrong with that picture? , i know the 2000+ neons fixed that problem, but i don't like the 2k and beyond models. now this is a big concern to me for the fact of i don't want to buy a neon and then have to fork up 2 grand just for mechanical repairs. jeez with that, it makes me lean more twords a civic. so i dunno. all feedback would be a great help to me. :confused:

Thanks.

Wellllllll, i got a neon and it has like 123k miles on it, never EVER blew a gasket.........................yet (knock on wood?) anyway, i think you should go with neons, noe everyone and their moms have nsons...thats my whole reasoning for getting a neon...anyway..do what u want =)

Alot of Neons that rolled off the assembly line before October/November 1998 had the famous head gasket problem. Chrysler went thru 5 redesigns on the head gasket. My fiance had gone thru them all (thank God for warranties!). They finally got it right with the MLS (multiple layer steel) gaskets. Not ALL Neons before the date above will blow the HG, but it is common enough. If you know cars/motors and you are mechanically inclined or have friends that are, it's a sorta easy fix. It may take a weekend to do, but better than giving the dealer $700. If you really like the Neon and can afford it, go for a 99 or up to avoid the headgasket problem. I have a 97 with a 98 motor in it, and my head gasket started going. It is a small leak for now...nothing to get overly worried about, so I am going to baby it until its time to change the timing belt, since all that has to come out anyway. If you do end up with a head gasket leak, you should be fine as long as you are not losing oil. My car drips about a dime-sized drop a day. Check you oil and as long as there is no mily appearance to it and you don't smell traces of antifreeze in it, you should be fine for a bit.

Okay... The gasket, if ever blown, is roughly $40. A good price for a new gasket compared to most vehicles. Also, the gasket is fairly simple to change out, well from my point of view. I've changed 'em out before and it seems to not pose as a problem. So get a buddy to help you out... IF it ever goes...

But I encourage that you buy a Neon!
Matt