Looking at used car online...

[LCar]

<p>I am looking at 2002 Neon with brand new timing belt, motor and trans are good, and just needs brakes and a neutral safety switch which the owner has but not the time. <br><br>Would it be a good deal for $650?<br><br>I am not familiar with car terminologies. what does trans being good mean? how much would the new timing belt have been cost? What would be the cost of installing the brakes and neutral safety switch? Where could one learn how to do this so that one does not have to go to a car mechanic to pay a lot of money to do it? <br><br>Do American cars usually have cheaper parts than Japanese ones like Toyota etc?<br><br><br><br></p>

 

[Terry]

neons are the worst piece of junk you can buy. Only as a last resort.

 

[user 423]

Search online for a Plymouth Neon forum. Your questions would have a much better chance of being answered there than here.&nbsp; Also Google "Used car buying guide" or "......tips",etc.&nbsp; If you're looking at $650 cars, then paying $100 for a mechanic to check it out is probably a lot but it's better than throwing away $650+ on a car that's chancy at best.

 

[MK7]

Neons can be OK. Not sure how much 2002's goes for, but check Craigslist....and if it's way too low, then something may be seriously wrong. It would be pretty unusual to get an 2002 car for $650 w/o problems. Brake pads aren't that hard, but if you don't know much about cars, maybe you shouldn't try to work on a part that used to stop the car. You need tools too. And if it's rear drum brakes, it's much harder. Go browse through a Haynes manual at the auto part store for your car to see what it involves.

 

[nemoskull]

650 is a bad car. unless you getting something from the late 70's or early 80's and plan to fix it yourself, anything sub 1000 us not reliable, generally speaking.
we had a neon, 2004. was good to 110,000, then had fuel cut out problems. could not trace it. ended up getting a new nissan versa (POS car, but motor seems good. tranny weak.)
i personally went with a 856 suzuki swift, 1.0 3 cyl 5 speed. aside from the transmission (tranny), its super simple to fix. a 12 year old can rebuild the motor.
rumor has it the prius is a good car to live in (third had information at best)

i bought my 86 car for 950. put in 2000 in parts, and was running good. cut corners and did not get a 60 dolar part, and ruinied tghe engine. now dumping 1000 into it again.
moral of the story, dont skimp on parts/labor.
the car has a carburettor. only a dozen parts that can fail and leave me by the side of the road. litteraly.

a new term, planned obsolescene. basicaly, new cars are made to fall apart when the payments are done.
in 1950 chevy mad 50% of profits on spare parts.
now its practialy nothing. so now they make their money on people buying a new car every few years.

this is why you see a neon for 650. it was designed to fall apart.
this is my .02 anyways.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

I think the OP needs to find someone friendly who knows something about cars and shopping for them.

 

[battlefield]

Thanks for these thread you have to show here. I was thinking to buy a car which have to be more comfortable me and my family, that's why i was collecting more and more information...thanks a lot.

 

[Patrick46]

I was thinking to buy a car which have to be more comfortable me and my family, t

I would never haul my family around in a car I bought for $650...unless I personally knew the seller AND the car beforehand.

Cars & parts can be replaced.....family can't.

 

[Darth_Muerte]

<p>I am looking at 2002 Neon with brand new timing belt, motor and trans are good, and just needs brakes and a neutral safety switch which the owner has but not the time. <br><br>Would it be a good deal for $650?<br><br>

Neons are junk at any price. Most front wheel drive Dodges are in that same category imo.

I am not familiar with car terminologies. what does trans being good mean?

Trans is short for transmission

how much would the new timing belt have been cost?

Varies depending on where you get it done. I do timing belts on front wheel drive vehicles for ~$300. That can vary depending on the car.

What would be the cost of installing the brakes and neutral safety switch?

For brakes figure ~$100 per axle parts and labor. I do brakes for ~$40 and my customer supplies the parts.

Where could one learn how to do this so that one does not have to go to a car mechanic to pay a lot of money to do it?

There are schools, but the best way is to get a general service job at a firestone or local equivalent and learn on the job.

<br><br>Do American cars usually have cheaper parts than Japanese ones like Toyota etc?<br><br><br><br></p>

Very generally, yes. HOWEVER that can seriously vary by year, make and especially model.

 

[Patrick46]

btw....I don't wanna sound insulting, but if you don't even know what a trans is, then it'd be best to leave all your repair jobs to a professional.