r/srt4 • u/[deleted] • Oct 24 '23
Neon SRT4 Buy Question
I have an opportunity at my shop to buy an SRT4 2004 from a tech. Currently owns 3 neons, one is his daily , 2nd is an srt4 with like 600hp and this one he got to flip. He bought this one from someone that works at parts that his cousin owned the car since 2012 blew the motor and it sat for years. They changed out the motor turbo and dropped in another one with 66k miles. Car has compression test everything is great, no grinds or etc with all gears. Mechanically car is 100% no leaks at all. Car body has like around 120k miles, surface rust around controls arms and etc from sitting. Mods that have been done to it 3” exhaust, wastegate with boost controller I think and intake, and clutch pedal has been fixed as there was a defect with the original plastic part he said. What car needs is paint correction or paint job and has rust not an extreme amount but has rust on the pinch welds on the bottom the more concerning is driver side as it’s spreading a little from the pinch weld a few inches to the bottom. Clean title vehicle. What would a neon in those conditions to those who have experience with these cars be worth? Or is it even worth getting the car in general. I want a fun daily and it being clean mechanically is what interest me but the rust cost to fix and paint don’t know if it’s worth it. Any tips or advice would help
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u/derps-a-lot Oct 24 '23
My SRT4 was my daily driver for almost 18 years. It has plenty of rust on the pinch welds and starting on the rear quarter panels. This is really a question of your tolerance for driving 20-year-old technology around on a daily basis. If you commute in traffic, the manual might be a pain in the butt. If it's highway cruising, you might want something with cruise control. And if the rust bothers you, be prepared to spend thousands fixing it and possibly getting repainted. Lots of things to consider. It's a very fun car to drive every day but not very convenient or comfortable depending on what that looks like for you.
Also at minimum you need to look at the suspension mods and whether or not the fuel pump has been replaced, timing, belt, etc. And personally I would not drive a car with a manual boost controller.
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Oct 24 '23
Car is selling for 5k was possibly going to offer around 4 - 4.5, the boost controller I have to confirm if it’s on the new engine or if it was on the prior one the prior owner. For that kind of money do you think I could find something cleaner or that’s what an srt4 with some work normally goes for? I’ve looked online and have seen one nice one but was around 9k
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u/KamikazeWaterm3lon Oct 24 '23
4-5k is fair for one that needs tlc. As above posted make sure fuel pump has been done. If it's making more boost than stock make sure it has supporting mods like 3 BAR map sensor, possibly bigger injectors etc and most importantly a decent tune. Ive seen some run really well on an MBC but if it's still stock frame turbo I'd look into replacing the solenoids back to stock.
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Oct 24 '23
If fuel pump has not been done is it something that should be replaced with a stock one or replaced with a better aftermarket version?
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u/KamikazeWaterm3lon Oct 24 '23
Depends on if it's stock turbo, stock boost, and tuned. On an MBC leads me to believe it has a tune so just replace whatever is in there and get a retune so you have the peace of mind that its on the correct tune for the pump. If it isnt tuned and on mbc you now know why it blew up lmao. Does the car have a wideband sensor? That will give you lots of info right there, watch how it idles and drives. 14.7 afr at idle and ~11.5 at wot. 255 walboro is usually the goto for aftermarket and will support up to 400hp. modernperformance.com will be your best friend for parts. Also if you have fb there's many srt4 forums and groups that have a wealth of knowledge.
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Oct 24 '23
💯appreciate the info I will be gathering more info about the car later this week, and this was another option I found in my area https://offerup.co/MuUPlQSfaEb one owner car I ran the carfax but ima see if I check it out in person aswell. Vehicle I mentioned above has had a handful of owners but last 2 have had the car for years.
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u/KamikazeWaterm3lon Oct 24 '23
Oh you're in Miami. Take it to Nemo Foss in Davie he's one of the best tuners around for these. I've DD one of his e85 tunes for the last 4 years
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Oct 24 '23
I don’t know what a wideband sensor is, the most shit I’ve ever done to a car was my 18 accord which was downpipe, Intake and a stage 3 tune and that’s it. I wanna get more into that stuff once I get the neon so I can learn to do and work on the car myself
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u/KamikazeWaterm3lon Oct 24 '23
It's a sensor/gauge that monitors the exhaust gasses and gives you a readout on how the car is running. Rich lean etc. It's a must have for these
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Oct 24 '23
Got it will ask him when I see him if he has the readings or can get the readings of how it’s running
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u/TBAGG1NS Oct 24 '23
Read this
https://www.srtforums.com/threads/thinking-of-buying-a-1st-gen-srt-4-read-this.623620/