What to replace on 13 year old, low mileage vehicle

[haven]

I'm looking for a vehicle that my grandson can use to commute to college this Fall. I came upon a 2003 Dodge Neon that has - wait for it - 5000 original miles. The car is in the hands of the original owner, who bought it as a 2nd car for his wife to use in an emergency. For a variety of reasons, the car just sat in the garage for many years.

I know that rubber parts like tires, radiator hoses, belts and brake hoses will deteriorate with the passage of time. So they will probably need replacing. And all the fluids will need replacing, including the gas in the tank. The battery will start the car, but...

How about the timing belt? This particular Neon has an engine design that will cause the valves to hit the pistons if the belt breaks.

Any other maintenance items you'd recommend on an old vehicle with low miles?

 

[pugslyyy]

I would probably do the timing belt when I did the radiator hoses, etc. Just makes sense to knock some of that stuff out all at once.

It would be useful to know where in the US this vehicle was stored - was it in low humidity, high humidity, hot, cold, etc?

Everybody thinks about hoses deteriorating, but something else to think about is foam - typically used to insulate / seal air gaps in the HVAC ducting, etc. If it starts spitting out little bits of foam at you you may need to take apart the dash to get all the ductwork cleaned up. Something else that could fail is the gaskets around the windows.

Plastic lenses can become brittle, but usually due to UV exposure not just age.

The shocks/struts are probably okay but easy enough to check and replace if not.

 

[haven]

Vehicle was in Pennsylvania for many years, in California for the last few. Vehicle was stored inside, under a car cover. The paint, interior and tires look like they just came off the showroom floor.

 

[mires]

So have you already purchased the vehicle? If not, what is the asking price? I ask because unless it is dirt cheap, it's still a Dodge Neon. Your grandson would likely be better off with a 200k mile Honda Civic than a 5K mile Neon given it's age and basically being stored all that time. Cars don't like to just sit. Unless you are getting a crazy good deal on it, I think I would pass.

 

[haven]

Talking about price now.

 

[pugslyyy]

So have you already purchased the vehicle? If not, what is the asking price? I ask because unless it is dirt cheap, it's still a Dodge Neon. Your grandson would likely be better off with a 200k mile Honda Civic than a 5K mile Neon given it's age and basically being stored all that time. Cars don't like to just sit. Unless you are getting a crazy good deal on it, I think I would pass.

Ahh, so this is a different question - my answers were based on having a Neon fall in your lap. I have to agree that I would buy a high mileage Honda over a low mileage Neon.

 

[NatersXJ6]

Run like hell. There is no safe or smart way to put a college kid in a Neon. For example, I remember hitting a simple highway bump in my college roommate's Neon, I believe it was a 1999, and the ENTIRE Headliner fell onto us as we went down the freeway. This was a stock and almost new car. There is a reason it has very few miles... it is virtually undriveable. When is the last time you saw one on the road or in a parking lot? How many can you find in Junkyards?

 

[rayra]

Sounds like a good deal for a college car. And 12yrs and stored the way it is, that amount of time is nothing. ESPECIALLY with only 5000 original miles. Forget about the timing belt.
DO change all of the fluids. Particularly the drive/geartrain.

 

[kojackJKU]

sounds like a good deal, I would replace the timing belt because its rubber. I had a timing belt drop in my prelude and smoked 8 of the 16 valves. Not fun.

 

[doug720]

Keep in mind that the ECU, PCM, etc die from age, not just from use.

My in-laws had a Dodge from the era and found that many electronic parts are no longer available new. They went through several rebuilt and used components that all failed in short order at costs of thousands of dollars, before scraping the car. These cars are typically POS.

A used, better made car with higher miles would be my suggestion also. In fact, a Japanese luxury car - Lexus, Acura and Infinity have great features and safety, are well made, and can be found cheap.

 

[kojackJKU]

My 2003 F150 is running fine with 153,000 on it. No issues with any electrical components....I think its fine.

 

[calicamper]

Its ok. A family member put 240,000 on his Neon in crappy Indiana. For the right price its a nice option

 

[Buddha.]

In 2003 I bought myself a 900$ 95 dodge neon with 150k on it. I drove it untill it fell apart, something like 225k on it. It was a 5spd and I got a combined mpg of 30 while driving it like a reckless teenager day in day out. In the time i had it I replaced the rear struts and tires as well as the timing belt when the waterpump wore out at 190k.

 

[kojackJKU]

yeah, if he's responsable, it will last. Like anything, maintanence is key.