Quote from: subci always wanted to buy a neon... cheap. but I don't know how they came to have a reputation of bad engines and overall, bad cars (at least on my head)... is it because of dodge? does it matter at all?

what im trying to say is... are neon's good or not? (cheap parts, easy fix, do it yourself)

Dodge's are good vehicles. A lot of American made cars are getting a bad rap these days, but they are just as good - if not better - than a lot of foriegn cars. neons in particular are very cheap to buy, insure, repair, etc. They are economical, have a good aftermarket, etc.

The "bad engine" is typical on any vehicle that isn't taken care of. I've seen a Neon or two develop oil leaks, but they are beat to hell.

I wouldn't hesitate to purchase a Neon if I were car shopping and found one that I liked and got a good deal on.  

Quote from: PhaedrusA lot of American made cars are getting a bad rap these days, but they are just as good - if not better - than a lot of foriegn cars.

i'm going to go out on a limb and disagree with you.  :green:

seriously, american cars makers are not there yet. i think chrysler brand is making big strides but other than that, there's still is a huge gap.

I bought my car roughly 4 years ago with 58,000 miles on it.  Friday I rolled over 90,000 miles.  Things I have replaced besides brake pads, plenty of tires, and fluids are....

Head gasket recall done at 45,000 miles
drivers side axle seal
Cam position sensor
battery temp sensor( I broke it installing CAI )
shifter linkake bushings
PCM flashed


I have counted around 65+ time slips that I have plus the ones that got thrown away.  So I am guessing around 80+ passes at National Trail raceway.  Also the racing and hard driving that this car gets on the street and back roads.  

The SOHC engines are easier to work on than the DOHC, but i have yet to have to tear into my engine yet.  It has been a good little car and I will get another if something ever happens to it.

Some American cars suck; mostly Fords    But to categorize them ALL as crappy would be too broad of a generalization. A friend of mine has a Toyota Corrola; the damn thing is always breaking down. Another friend has a Camry whose transmission went and it doesn't even have 100k miles on it yet. A guy I work with has an Isuzu Rodeo and every week it is something and it only has around 150,xxx miles.  :dunno:

Don't get me wrong; I drive a Hyundai Accent right now. But I don't think it is any better build quality than anything else IN IT'S CLASS. Which would be what..a Civic, Corrola, Focus, Cavalier, Neon, etc.  :dunno:

Being American - especially a Mopar (Dodge, chrysler, etc) does not automatically assume it is not well made.  

It is important to compare vehicles within their class.

i'm sure you already know this but hyundai accent really isn't a very good car...ok, it's a crap. now, the new hyundai sonata is a great car. it almost feels and drives like an accord. honda and toyota are highly reliable cars so it sucks for your friend with camry. i like nissan the best out of all japanese makers...more edgier but just as reliable.

Quote from: PhaedrusBeing American - especially a Mopar (Dodge, chrysler, etc) does not automatically assume it is not well made.  

why is it that when it comes to chevy, ford, and dodge, you either hate it or love it. there's no middle ground. like, you must pick one brand and be royal to it till death.

Quote from: PhaedrusIt is important to compare vehicles within their class.

that's true. but if i had to pick one car from every class, they all probably be foreign cars.

everyone knows that the japansese cars are of the best quality.  korean and chinese are some of the worst IMHO.  american cars suck too.  i'd own a Ford or dodge pickup anyday however.  90%of the neons i see in that body style have serious, and i mean serious paint pealage.  chrysler/dodge wouldnt acknowledge a 'f%$k up' and they wouldnt do a recall.  i didnt really follow it so someone correct me if im wrong.  

but back to your car..

are u like sponsored by all those companies?  did u know that those stickers are put on race cars because the companies are sponsers? i seriously think that is retarded.  im all for tuner cars (i drive a civic) however they are given a bad name because most people who tune them turn them into machines that look like toys from a crackerjack box.  ugh.

for example.. here is a clean and simple CTR.  beautiful.


another example of nice and simple..


u'll never see these guys rocking 18'' chromies or 3 ft high aluminum 'drifting' wings or flames, tear away, racing stripes etc. no altezzas or 'angel' eyes or ANYTHING from PEPBOYS. no underbody neons or strobe lites.  no $20 'no weld' exhaust.  primered body kits or stick on hood scoops.    eff fast n the furious crap like this..


 this is a damn minivan! wanna pick ur kids up at school in this???



 where's he going with this thing?? the moon?  dont even try and say 'oh hes improving the downforce'.  looks like a damn shopping cart.

im diggin this body kit.  i want HIM to plow my driveway in the winter.  



or how bout the kids who take off their hubcaps and roll around on steelies and tell people that they are just winter wheels and the real rims are at home.. rice is ghey.  

/rant

Quote from: weaselnozekorean and chinese are some of the worst IMHO.

first, there aren't any chinese car makers exporting to the us.

yes, korean cars in the 80's and 90's are crap. but some of the late models are quite good.

The term ricer is pretty offensive.  
I like "ricer" cars if they are tastefully done.  The JDM style looks really cool to me and sometimes, if done right, those stickers can look pretty cool.  
I don't have any on my car, but that isn't to say I never would.  If I did a lot of mods and did a lot of racing, I may be able to justify it.
But to me, having a POS truck or Camero or a ass draggin' Lincoln Mark VIII is worse than most ricer cars.  You just don't hear me telling those people that their cars are "ghey" and "retarded".   :dunno:

I have had a 96 and 99 Accent, a 98 Elantra, 01 Spectra GSX, and now have a 04 Kia Optima LX.  Of these cars no major repair was needed, no breakdowns, and only recalls and minor repairs needed.

I have had around 30 cars since 1990.  Majority I would say was Ford's.  The Honda we currently have my wife and I do not like it and she said she will not get another( she actually said she like the 1988 Daytona I bought for her better :dunno: .  

Of the GM car and trucks that I have owned I would not want them back or ever care to purchase another.
92 Z34 5 spd
94 firebird 5 spd
95 TA 6 spd
83 S-15 4x4 4 spd
77 Chevy 1/2 ton 2wd (currently have)

As far as the decals on my car, my wife bought them as a little gift and she did get at least 80% of the product names right that I have on my car.  And if you have ever told your wife or girlfriend that you did not like something that they bought for you then you would know why they are on my car.  I am in the process of taking them off and just replacing the MOPAR decal for now.  

I am all for tuner cars, but around the hills where I live everybody just does the looks and really do not get into the power part of modifing there compact cars.  So the guys that talk crap don't have much under the hood.  

The paint problem was with chevy, Ford and Dodge products from the late 80's to the late 90's too.  My uncle has a F150 and a year and a half after buying it new the paint started to come off of the hood.  He went to the dealer twice then called a Factory rep and they took care of it.  My wifes aunt had a 98 white Neon she bought used and the paint started to peel off at 3 years old.  She went to the dealer and they gave her the Reps # and within 3 weeks the hood, roof, and trunk lid was repainted.  If paint peels then get a factory Reps # and tell them what is going on. Sometimes it works.


weaselnoze do you have anything done to your Civic?  

I hope you have had better luck with yours than the one we have,  If it has a 127hp I would like to see where on a dyno.  Brake problems, radio changes stations by itself sometimes, My Optima will out run it and it handles better too :dunno:

I have only had my Accent since May, but I really like it. I wouldn't call it crap. I would call it an economical, entry level car. According to the research I did prior to buying it, the only major problem area is the automatic transmission. I have a manual.

The main advantage most foriegn cars seem to have over domestic is fuel economy. Even in the SUV class, foriegn made vehicles are better on fuel. They need to be more efficient due to the foriegn economies. Americans haven't seemed to care as much.

As for reliability, I think there is a lemon in every bunch. Just because my Ford Thunderbird was a big piece of crap does not mean that ALL T-birds are. Just because all 3 Fords I have had were crap, does not mean ALL Fords are crap.

Drive what works for you and makes you happy  

Quote from: weaselnozelooks like a damn shopping cart.

You should check out a band called HB Surround Sound...  They have the same oppinion about those cars...



And big trucks too...   :mrgreen:

ok lets see..

i didnt get into the whole truck thing or beater camaros/chevelles/monte carlos  thing because i was expressing my opinions on tuner cars.  

the term 'ricer' IS offensive and i use it offensively.  when i think ricer i dont think imports.  i think of cheaply modded ugly tuner cars, AMERICAN (ie domestic rice) OR IMPORTED.  i already stated what i think ricer characteristics are.

my bad on the chinese thing... im really not that educated.  :lol:

i think a good way to compare quality of american, korean, and japanese cars in that specific class is to look at the resale value.  american cars are worth nothing after a few  years.  my friend had a hyndai elantra.  the thing had under 100k miles on it and was in decent shape and she couldnt get shaZam! for it.  we wont get into all the details, i'll just say that the value of the car dropped immensely.  my civic still has a good resale value after i put a lot of miles on it.  

i understand that different people have different tastes and i always say to each their own.  i dont usually go aroudn calling peoples cars ghey or retarded just because its not my style.  but i will call it ghey or retarded if it looks redicuolus.  

blazinjr,  i do at least respect that er, most of ur stickers can be backed with a part, however i still think the whole idea of sponser stickers should be for advertising a sponser.  that is they dont belong on daily drivers.

some people do all visual some do all performance.  whatever, just do it right.  (no pepboys)

as for my car?  well not a whole lot of stuff is done.  i had plans but things get in the way, u kno how it is..   i dotn think im gonna spend more money on my car for awhile.  im also dreamin of a wrx down the line so why bother modding the civic?  but as for mods; B&M short throw shifter, AEM short ram, jdm vision corners (80 bucks wtf?!), jdm city lights, i had a TR front lip but i cracked it off oops.  jdm factory fogs (never seen anyone else have them other than online).  thats it other than my audio setup.  

as for your civic being problematic?  idk.  shaZam! happens. but generally speaking they are one of the most reliable cars.  i change my fluids reguarly but other than that nothing.  i have taken that car to the edge and back and beat the shaZam! out of it every step of the way.  to this day i have had it for a lil over 1 year and 20k miles and i havent had a single issue with it. go me! lol.. ok signing off.

Quote from: JetSwingthat color is fly  

supa fly

nice rims though.

Quote from: Kessen

Quote from: JetSwingthat color is fly  

supa fly

nice rims though.

The rims are not bad but I wish now I would of went with a gunmetal finish with a polished lip :dunno:

The white is too hard  :x  to try and keep clean

I have a set of Daytona/Lebaron GTC wheels I am going to put on during the winter and maybe end up selling the white ones.

I can't believe how cheap wheels are on e-bay.  You can get 18's for like $400 shipped.  Amazing.

I bought my white wheels (ADR GT sport 15x7) new for $240 shipped off of EBAY.  I thought that was a good deal :dunno:

Here's a nice piece of rice...


</drool>

Quote from: CasiCUAHere's a nice piece of rice...


</drool>

not drool........  boing!

I love them, even the older ones from the 90's