by "Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
Published 10/03/2017 at 11:28
by "Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
Published 10/03/2017 at 11:28
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STARS: 1
So I’ve got a 1998 Dodge Neon RT that I recently picked up and have done the following maintenance:
Upper radiator hose
Lower radiator hose
180 degree Thermostat
Coolant reservoir
Radiator cap
Oil filler cap
Oil change with filter
Spark Plugs
Spark Plug wires
Coil pack
Crank position sensor
Rear O2 sensor
Fuel Pump
Fuel Tank Straps
Other recent maintenance by previous owner
Timing Belt, water pump, seals (within 50k miles, not documented but the guy seemed trustworthy and the belt looks good under the inspection cover. Should be done within ~30k anyways as a precaution)
Battery
Shocks/Struts and springs
Brakes (rebuilt calipers, new rotors and pads)
Exhaust
Tires are recent enough and have enough tread that I approve of their safety
Some stuff I plan to do before leaving
Intake Gasket (maybe)
Change and bleed Brake Fluid
Front Engine Mount
And some outstanding maintenance items, but shouldnt affect a road trip (no power steering obviously):
Power Steering Reservoir
Power Steering Fluid
Power Steering Belt
Power Steering fluid return line
Mild exhaust leak (could use some exhaust gasket maker)
And some other positive notes
Compression check was good, 180-200 all four cylinders
Clutch is pretty good, no issues there
No obvious fluid leaks with the power steering bypassed
No scary rust on the frame or anything like that
Lights are all good and functional
Now the only issue is I havent driven it very far yet so this would be the maiden voyage beyond an hour drive. I have tested it out enough to be sure it wont overheat or massively leak oil but who knows what else could go wrong on a 19 year old car. Brake lines are rustier than I’d like but otherwise its a great little car.
So the question to Oppo is, to road trip or not to road trip? I’ve got like 500 miles of driving planned for the weekend. Alternative plan is a Subaru BRZ (manual) on Turo. But I really do want to drive the Neon since it is fun to tool around with. I just am of course worried about something else breaking. But I think I really did cover EVERYTHING that could go wrong.
Also, I need to wash it and take pictures for Oppo! I only have the first day photos still. And random internet photos of other ones. Would love to get it to look like this:
UPDATE: Girlfriend is the sensible one and has decided we are renting the BRZ. It helps that I absolutely love those cars anyways. Oh well, I will try to plan a road trip the following weekend with the Neon anyways. It will get road tripped!
"Mini Guy- Now has a 4Runner" (gavinharter30)
10/03/2017 at 11:33, STARS: 0
I’d road trip. I’d also do a 0-60 test while your roadtripping
"crowmolly" (crowmolly)
10/03/2017 at 11:37, STARS: 2
Got AAA?
I’d road trip it with some spare fluids in the trunk (oil, brake, coolant).
"Chuckles" (chucklesw37)
10/03/2017 at 11:39, STARS: 0
I would definitely take the new car on the road trip. If you took it on an hour long drive, that’s at least a decent indicator that it might be able to handle it. I might avoid any seriously strenuous driving though. Give yourself enough time to occasionally pull over and let the Neon (and you) take a break.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
10/03/2017 at 11:40, STARS: 0
I’ve got 12 miles of free towing through my insurance, but none of that unlimited AAA crap lol. Id certainly bring tools and fluids. Biggest likelihood is tires going to crap from age rather than wear. But those are replaceable easily.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
10/03/2017 at 11:41, STARS: 0
Its kind of Miata-like in terms of speed. So its definitely slow but not painfully so.
"Highlander-Datsuns are Forever" (jamesbowland)
10/03/2017 at 11:44, STARS: 2
I give horrible advice for situations like this. I’d say go for it. I did 2 >1,000 mile road trips in my 1975 datsun B210. That car was literally held together with duct tape and bailing wire. Had to do a couple of roadside repairs and it died in the middle of Idaho. Whatever, it was a blast.
"BritishLeyland™" (leylandcars)
10/03/2017 at 11:55, STARS: 1
ROAD TRIP ROAD TRIP ROAD TRIP!!!
"Dave the car guy , still here" (a3dave)
10/03/2017 at 12:56, STARS: 0
Do it. The shakedown tour. Take along some tools, oil, coolant and McGyver type stuff to cover some other issue... also a rabbits foot.