Not that anyone cares...

Pilsburry · Post by **Pilsburry** » October 10, 2003, 8:31 pm

But I made my decision on a car and put down $7,000 on it today.

Dodge SRT-4

Stock Figures
230hp/250torque
0-60 5.6sec
60-0 114ft

I actually ordered it with a couple extra parts that they are going to install to add a little more power. And in the spring I'm going to upgrade to Stage 2 (probably in the 275hp-300hp arena).

Make fun if you want, I know it's not what most of you would choose to drive.

Rivera Bladestrike · Post by **Rivera Bladestrike** » October 10, 2003, 8:34 pm

Nice car!

Pilsburry · Post by **Pilsburry** » October 10, 2003, 8:38 pm

Ya, it's a little riced with stripes and such, but I like it. I'm getting older and I figured, this is the last time I can have a fast car....next car I buy I'll probably have to tote kids around in.

It was only $21,600 sticker with like all the options except side air bags...I didn't get my Chrysler discount on it because 4 Chrysler cars were excluded, SRT-4 was one of them. Viper was obviously another.

This is Dodges 2nd fastest car in production atm.

BTW....it's just a neon. Seriously. A neon with stickers and a higher spoiler and lots of performance mods. But a neon.

Rivera Bladestrike · Post by **Rivera Bladestrike** » October 10, 2003, 8:40 pm

Neons are typically woman cars, but if you get one with some nice horsepower and a good look to it, i'd drive it any day.

Taly · Post by **Taly** » October 10, 2003, 8:49 pm

Looks like OMGIAMRETARDEDCAUSEALOTISTWOWORDS of fun!

Grats!

Kelshara · Post by **Kelshara** » October 10, 2003, 9:02 pm

..stripes...

Tenuvil · Post by **Tenuvil** » October 10, 2003, 9:38 pm

Pilsburry wrote:BTW....it's just a neon. Seriously. A neon with stickers and a higher spoiler and lots of performance mods. But a neon.

Not just a Neon, a Type "R" Neon!

Pils, screw what anyone else thinks. If you like it and it is the car you want, then that's all that matters.

Congrats on your purchase, may it continue to fulfill your wishes long after it's paid off.

Dregor Thule · Post by **Dregor Thule** » October 10, 2003, 11:42 pm

MAYBE NOW YOU'LL GET SOME HOT CHICKS!

Marbus · Post by **Marbus** » October 10, 2003, 11:48 pm

Very nice Pils!

Pilsburry · Post by **Pilsburry** » October 11, 2003, 12:25 am

Dregor Thule wrote:MAYBE NOW YOU'LL GET SOME HOT CHICKS!

Haha, maybe....but I think I got one atm. Surprise.

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » October 11, 2003, 5:01 am

saying that this is the 2nd fastest dodge they make is like saying this is second least annoying thread you've ever posted. if all the rest is shit, who cares?

emmer · Post by **emmer** » October 11, 2003, 5:11 am

Pilsburry wrote:BTW....it's just a neon. Seriously. A neon with stickers and a higher spoiler and lots of performance mods. But a neon.

It's also the fastest car you can buy for under twenty thousand (without all the options). Not a bad ride by any means.

Cotto · Post by **Cotto** » October 11, 2003, 6:58 am

Pils,
Was just looking at the picture of the car there, personally I think its a nice motor.
However my g/f has just walked in and seen the picture, then demanded I enquire as to the size of your wedding tackle, or lack thereof.
Hilarious I know, but if I didnt type this I wouldnt get any peace for the rest of the day, or loving.
So no offence to you my man.

Kelgar · Post by **Kelgar** » October 11, 2003, 7:59 am

To Chrysler/Dodge's credit, their cars have shown improvement in performance within the last few years according to CR, but not enough to pull out of the realm of suckdom because their reliability still sucks ass.

Hint: a lot of red is a bad thing. Enjoy your car. We'll be expecting a new car shopping thread in 2 years.

Phugg_Innay · Post by **Phugg_Innay** » October 11, 2003, 10:32 am

Gratz Pils , I think its a great deal for under about $20k. I would also think its an Auto Crossers fun toy. You may want to look into that to. For those that dont know , Autocross is Legal bare bones (most of the time) racing. Ussually its set up on weekends in a large parking lot.

When I was a youngin (16-18) I did Autocrossing with, of all things , a 73 Pinto. Its a great way to truely learn your cars handling and performance. I already knew my abilities and the cars since I grew up in the hills and had NO traffic or police to worry about. My poor lil Pinto would only do about 95mph , but it could stick around ANY corner you pointed me to at full throttle.

I hear the groans , PINTO you say ? Yes , Pinto. modified to have fun. Lowered aprox 5 inches in the rear and 2 in the front , springs re-arced in the rear and stiffened , with Cougar springs, 1.5inch swaybar up front, and the kicker .... a 1.6litre Cosworth sprint car motor. Every one would see me drive up in this Gotty bright red tomato, pay my $10 for the day , and set fastest times amoungst the entire small car class. (which included all the Datsun 510's and Porches, mainly 911's.

Racing against yourself and a clock is a great way to learn and improve your natural abilities. I would look into it for the summertime. My best advice would be get a cheap ass set of steel wheels and a good set of DOT slicks ( just enough tread to make it legal , and as sticky as gum that has been chewed for 4 mins).

Have fun dude , good luck and GRATZ on your choice of pocket rockets

Kluden · Post by **Kluden** » October 11, 2003, 12:26 pm

I was looking at one of these too after the initial thread. Test drove one, they is fast as fast can be...but I'm just not a big fan of that patented "rice burner" sound. I'm doomed to only own V8 and above for my sports cars, cause they sound right...to me atleast.

Congrats and enjoy the speed!

Pilsburry · Post by **Pilsburry** » October 11, 2003, 12:48 pm

This is the sound my Exhaust will make:
http://www.modernperformance.com/dcx/pr ... xhaust.mpg

I don't think it sounds much like rice. It actually sounds like a V8 Camaro to me.

As for the size of my wedding tackle hehe....I'm not a John Holmes but I'm nothing to be laughed at...I'm probably average.

If your asking because of all the vinyl graphics...it's not to boost my penis size, it's so that I won't look at my car and go "fuck it's a neon" every time I go in my garage. I mean can you blame me? Noone likes Neons.

As for the Dodge reliability....
http://www.mylemon.com/Lemon_Car_Complaints.htm

Note how many Hondas and such are on there compared to Dodges. I guess it all depends on where your looking.

Kelgar · Post by **Kelgar** » October 11, 2003, 1:07 pm

Yes, that's all fine and dandy, but all you posted was a "complaint" list.

Find a source which directly proves that Chrysler/Dodge has less reported incidences of mechanical breakdown or failure and you will actually have a point.

Kelgar · Post by **Kelgar** » October 11, 2003, 1:10 pm

Fuck double posts.

Pilsburry · Post by **Pilsburry** » October 11, 2003, 1:41 pm

So your saying complaints filed to an outside agency is less of a accurate measuring stick then incidents reported via the actual manufacturer?

I mean I'm not saying Dodge is the king of reliability...but I think they are about average.

Besides I did research on the car, I know what the first years problems are and I'm going to replace the parts myself before it's an issue.

The biggest issue with the 2003 model by far is spark plug wires melting due to the proximity with the turbo. That's $39.

There is some clutch pedal vibration for some, but a lot of these guys are doing WOT shifting at the track. A new Stage 3 clutch is $600 +50% strength, I don't know if they are fucking the tranny up though.

WOT shifting is when you have the gas Wide Open Throttle and you depress the clutch and shift and let the clutch back out without easing up on the gas. Stage 1 allows this....it will take .1 off your 1/4 but it's not good for the car.

Marbus · Post by **Marbus** » October 11, 2003, 3:07 pm

I think Mercedes has helped Chrysler a lot with quality the past couple of years. I've never owned a Chrysler except for the one my parents had for 2 weeks back in 1977 until the driver side doors, yes doorS, fell off while driving one day. Heh that's been a very long time ago though

I would consider it, and it looks damn sweet IMHO.

Marb

Pilsburry · Post by **Pilsburry** » October 12, 2003, 2:55 am

Lol, none of the people in the owners forum mentioned doors falling off, I guess that's a good sign lol.

Marbus · Post by **Marbus** » October 12, 2003, 3:13 am

Funny thing was that my aunt owned the Chrysler Dealership in town. My parents always bought Fords but she gave us a sweet deal on a fully loaded 1977 New Yorker. Man I loved it, leather seats that were as big as a LazyBoy, Sun Roof, Hard Top (could roll down both side windows for a HUGE opening on the side), 8-Track stereo and power everything. We were just going to the mall or something, thank goodness in town and not on the Interstate when they just "kerplunk." Got it towed to the dealership and she gave Dad his money back and we got a Green Ford LTD which wasn't near as nice but at least the doors stayed on

That was a seriously long time ago though, Chrysler has gone through so many changes and offer decent warranties so they can't not make a decent car. Their lines for enthusiast seem to be really top notch which is what you are getting so I wouldn't be too worried. Funny thing is that LTD blew up like 3 years later... literally, my mom and sister barley made it out alive and what did they do? bought another Ford... <sigh> heh...

Cheers!
Marb

Tegellan · Post by **Tegellan** » October 12, 2003, 9:12 am

Grats on the car Pils, looks kicking,

Makes me cry how bloody cheap cars like that are for you :/

Pilsburry · Post by **Pilsburry** » October 12, 2003, 11:41 am

Well actually they aren't under 20k anymore. They were in 2003, but in 2004 they are $20,990 base.

In 2004 they added better fuel injectors and a LSD (Limited Slip Differential)...as well as I'm sure other things. The 2003 was 15hp and 5ft-lb less powerful.

I added a sunroof which was like $700(everything else except side airbags comes standard, this is not a base car afterall, it's like the 4th or 5th neon)

Then the dealer is tossing in the vinyl and window tinting.

Then I'm paying parts to upgrade some items:
Mopar High Performance Air filter
Mopar/Borla 2.5" exhaust
Silverstar headlight bulbs
MSD spark Plug wires
Locking lugs
Locking gas cap
Radio Antenna (black, whip)
160 T-stat
Paint sealant
Scotchguard
Tax, Title, License
Delivery charge

I'm paying like $23,750...including all that (installed).

And it will be a bit more in the spring when I get stage 2 installed....that will bump me to like 280hp/300 torque. I don't think I will do stage 3, 3R or 4, it's just too high performance after that and I think I would have to tune things all the time.

The insurance is about $90/mo for me. That's pretty decent especially for a car like this.

It gets about 25-30 MPG unless you drive really hard and have lots of upgrades that require a rich Air/Fuel ratio then I've seen it reportedly drop below 11 MPG heh. Which is still about as good as a mustang or SUV. So I don't have complaints on the efficency (although the tank is way too small, 12.5 gals lol).

It's back seat and trunk are also quite large for a compact class. This will be my first car with power windows/locks. One funny note about Neons is the back windows are not power...they are manual and only come down half way...that kinda sucks, but I don't plan on being in the back.

Also there is an alarm standard in the SRT-4, just most dealers don't know it exists so they forget to enable it. I already did the research and learned what steps I need to walk them through.

Front wheel drive with pretty decent size tires and a low weight means I will probably handle decent in the snow, better then most RWD sports cars atleast. Although WRX's will out preform me in snow due to AWD.

I mean after I looked at all my options for a while, it really didn't seem that impractical.

However seeing as I didn't get my Chrysler discount because it was excluded, and Neons are discontinued in 2006. My resale is a gamble. If the SRT-4's do turn out to be crap my resale will be super low. But if they turn out to be good in the long run the fact this was limited production of like 3-4k a year for 3 years will probably make it do well in resale.

Gung · Post by **Gung** » October 12, 2003, 3:36 pm

Nice ride, Pils. Road trip to NF this spring?

Gungster

Pilsburry · Post by **Pilsburry** » October 12, 2003, 6:40 pm

I'd consider it.

Abelard · Post by **Abelard** » October 12, 2003, 7:18 pm

i'll get to meet pils in person!
shocking

Kylere · Post by **Kylere** » October 13, 2003, 10:32 am

Rice Rice Baby

http://www.riceboypage.com/

Gurugurumaki · Post by **Gurugurumaki** » October 13, 2003, 10:54 am

That car is truely ghey, grats!

Pilsburry · Post by **Pilsburry** » October 13, 2003, 11:21 am

Kyle, it might be riced, but it will take a Mustang GT Convertible (esp a 1996) in almost every category (except top-down fun).

0-60
60-0
1/4 mile
Miles per Gallon
Back seat room
Trunk space
Handling (esp in snow)
Insurance
Sticker price cost

I think once you see it in person and maybe take it for a spin you will change your mind, except the seats....I don't think people your height with wide shoulders will enjoy the viper style seats.

I'm actually thinking of picking up car tuning and visits to the race track (to actually race) as a hobby. Just casually. I think it's interesting and I do need a new hobby.

Xyun · Post by **Xyun** » October 13, 2003, 11:27 am

you'll need it to be more than a hobby since you bought a fucking dodge.

masteen · Post by **masteen** » October 13, 2003, 11:36 am

Don't forget to add the 10" chrome exhaust tip and some ground effects to really max out your performance. A crown air freshener on the dash and about 10 "Type-R" and "Dodge Perfarmance" stickers would complete the look

Gurugurumaki · Post by **Gurugurumaki** » October 13, 2003, 11:53 am

masteen wrote:Don't forget to add the 10" chrome exhaust tip and some ground effects to really max out your performance. A crown air freshener on the dash and about 10 "Type-R" and "Dodge Perfarmance" stickers would complete the look

Neon purple ground effects would be uberl! Might as well throw in curb feelers for the complete look and maximum performance~

Pilsburry · Post by **Pilsburry** » October 13, 2003, 12:15 pm

No, that's it on the exterior. Heh.

I'm even debating some of the vinyl. I don't want it to look like a neon, but there is a limit.

I definately wouldn't put false tips on there or incorrect badging.

Although the Jenna Jameson Bobble doll thing was tempting, I think the only things on my dash will be my radar detector and sunglasses.

archeiron · Post by **archeiron** » October 13, 2003, 12:22 pm

Gurugurumaki wrote:That car is truely ghey, grats!

I am sure that you are teh shit and drive a Ferrari Modena, Aston Martin Vanquish, or BMW Z8 right?

Odds are you drive some peice of shit that makes Pils' car look fan-fucking-tastic by comparison. Try growing some common human decency and just letting him enjoy his car without the sophmoric derision.

Feel free to flame me, I am sure you have beat teh inturnet at least three times and can pwnz0r me with your l337ness.

Nice wheels Pils, I hope you enjoy them. As much money as every person in the western world spends on their car, you would think people would derive more pleasure from getting something they really like and will enjoy.

masteen · Post by **masteen** » October 13, 2003, 12:23 pm

Pilsburry wrote:I think the only things on my dash will be my radar detector and sunglasses.

Don't forget the high school hunnies who will flock to you jock because of your 2furius new ride!

Pilsburry · Post by **Pilsburry** » October 13, 2003, 12:46 pm

The car isn't to get women....P.S. real women don't fit on the dash, not even High School girls.

It's just the cheapest sports car factoring in things like insurance, winter handling, back seat, and gas mileage.

Plus it will enable me to enjoy a new hobby besides playing video games or needlessly flaming people on the internet.

I've always enjoyed speed. If I jet ski I go full throttle, if I downhill ski I go really fast....that's just what I like to do. I used to get all sorts of speeding tickets.

Your thinking I'm putting stickers/tips/badges on the car to go fast and other false-rice.

I'm thinking I'll be running the 1/4 in about 12.6 secs this spring...and hopefully eventually 11.9 secs. I'm talking about real mods.

Gurugurumaki · Post by **Gurugurumaki** » October 13, 2003, 2:18 pm

archeiron wrote:
Gurugurumaki wrote:That car is truely ghey, grats!
I am sure that you are teh shit and drive a Ferrari Modena, Aston Martin Vanquish, or BMW Z8 right?

Odds are you drive some peice of shit that makes Pils' car look fan-fucking-tastic by comparison. Try growing some common human decency and just letting him enjoy his car without the sophmoric derision.

Feel free to flame me, I am sure you have beat teh inturnet at least three times and can pwnz0r me with your l337ness.

I drive a mo-ped, it goes fast downhill. Thanks for your retort teabag~

noel · Post by **noel** » October 13, 2003, 2:22 pm

Pilsburry wrote:...but it will take a Mustang GT Convertible (esp a 1996) in almost every category (except top-down fun)...

Please don't ever make such an inane statement, ever again. If a 96' Mustang is the bar by which you want to compare yourself, I pity you.

Compare your car to other vehicles in that class of car and price range (where the car you purchased actually does reasonably well) so you don't look like a fucking ponce.

Further Clarification: There is not a non-SVT, non-Saleen, or non-Cobra Mustang that's been made in the last 20 years that is worth talking about or mentioning, unless it's the punchline of a joke. They are slow, handle poorly, and have completely inefficient engines.

Pilsburry · Post by **Pilsburry** » October 13, 2003, 2:40 pm

I was talking to someone specifically who doesn't like my vehicle yet drives that specific car.

Vaemas · Post by **Vaemas** » October 13, 2003, 2:45 pm

Gurugurumaki wrote:I drive a mo-ped, it goes fast downhill. Thanks for your retort teabag~

Teh Guru

noel · Post by **noel** » October 13, 2003, 3:12 pm

Pilsburry wrote:I was talking to someone specifically who doesn't like my vehicle yet drives that specific car.

In life you will find that there are some statements made which do not even deserve an acknowledgement.

Gung · Post by **Gung** » October 13, 2003, 3:25 pm

Pils: If you leave town now you can make it on time for Lynxe's RL wedding this weekend.

And, btw, highschool girls will fit where you tell them to fit.

Gung

Kylere · Post by **Kylere** » October 13, 2003, 3:59 pm

Pils, unless the driver of the GT is a moron he would own you!

Not to mention that for 5 grand I can double HP, while you could only add 10%

Buying a 4 cylinder car and calling it performance is as dumb as taking voting advice from a Canadian. Front Wheel Drive Performance IS an oxymoron.

It is a fine riced out ride though, better than your previous toolabout.

Kylere · Post by **Kylere** » October 13, 2003, 4:02 pm

Aranuil wrote:
Pilsburry wrote:...but it will take a Mustang GT Convertible (esp a 1996) in almost every category (except top-down fun)...
Please don't ever make such an inane statement, ever again. If a 96' Mustang is the bar by which you want to compare yourself, I pity you.

Compare your car to other vehicles in that class of car and price range (where the car you purchased actually does reasonably well) so you don't look like a fucking ponce.

Further Clarification: There is not a non-SVT, non-Saleen, or non-Cobra Mustang that's been made in the last 20 years that is worth talking about or mentioning, unless it's the punchline of a joke. They are slow, handle poorly, and have completely inefficient engines.

Umm Aranuil, this is spoken like the idiot that you are, my car flies, handles well and accelerates like a bat out of hell, it completely owns my prior FireChicken, or my prior Slowmaro. In terms of repairs needed, maintenance costs, annoyances etc, the 96 Mustang GT owns any American Pony type car hands down.

masteen · Post by **masteen** » October 13, 2003, 4:09 pm

Kylere wrote:
Aranuil wrote:Further Clarification: There is not a non-SVT, non-Saleen, or non-Cobra Mustang that's been made in the last 20 years that is worth talking about or mentioning, unless it's the punchline of a joke. They are slow, handle poorly, and have completely inefficient engines.
Umm Aranuil, this is spoken like the idiot that you are, my car flies, handles well and accelerates like a bat out of hell, it completely owns my prior FireChicken, or my prior Slowmaro. In terms of repairs needed, maintenance costs, annoyances etc, the 96 Mustang GT owns any American Pony type car hands down.

Thankfully, there are new Japanese sports cars out now that handily spank American shitwagons in every performance test except fuel consumption and emissions, so this whole argument is pointless. Unless you're the type of idiot who must have a Mexican-built "American" car so you point to your penis substitute while simultaneously waving the red, white, and brue.

noel · Post by **noel** » October 13, 2003, 5:06 pm

Kylere wrote:
Aranuil wrote:
Pilsburry wrote:...but it will take a Mustang GT Convertible (esp a 1996) in almost every category (except top-down fun)...
Please don't ever make such an inane statement, ever again. If a 96' Mustang is the bar by which you want to compare yourself, I pity you.

Compare your car to other vehicles in that class of car and price range (where the car you purchased actually does reasonably well) so you don't look like a fucking ponce.

Further Clarification: There is not a non-SVT, non-Saleen, or non-Cobra Mustang that's been made in the last 20 years that is worth talking about or mentioning, unless it's the punchline of a joke. They are slow, handle poorly, and have completely inefficient engines.
Umm Aranuil, this is spoken like the idiot that you are, my car flies, handles well and accelerates like a bat out of hell, it completely owns my prior FireChicken, or my prior Slowmaro. In terms of repairs needed, maintenance costs, annoyances etc, the 96 Mustang GT owns any American Pony type car hands down.

American Pony type cars suck my fucking balls. The only two mass-production American sports-cars worth mentioning are the Viper and the Corvette. The problem though, is that if we factor price into the equation, the number of cards which outhandle, and outaccelerate the viper and Corvette for less money... BMW M3, Audi S4, Lancer Evolution, Honda S2000, BMW Z4, Boxter-S, Mazda RX-8, (and the list goes on), is staggering.

The Mustang for the last 15 years has been an overpriced, underpowered, poor handling, piece of shit. I have a friend with a Cooper S that will rape you in your Rustang 5.Slow, on any canyon road, any day of the week, without breaking a sweat.

But if you want to talk specifically about the '96 Mustang, the cars you could get at that time for nearly the same money, that would outrun you, and outhandle you included: Toyota Supra Twin-Turbo, 300ZX Twin Turbo, Mazda RX-7 R1, Toyota MR2, Acura Integra, Acura Integra Type-R, Mistubishi Eclipse GS-X or GS-T, and the list goes on.

Mustang's are shitty cars. If this reality (the one the rest of us have been living in for years) is a problem for you I'm truly sorry.

Pilsburry · Post by **Pilsburry** » October 13, 2003, 5:27 pm

A stock 96 mustang GT Convertible could never take a stock 2004 SRT-5.

And if you upped the Mustang GT convertable to a 2004 Mustang GT it would still lose.

I'm not joking or making things up. And yes I mean even balls out straight downt he line from a dead stop.

The SRT-4 is almost a full second quicker from 0-60 then a 98 Mustang GT. I assume the 96's had less then or equal to the same torque and HP. And the Convertible top adds more weight.

SRT-4 might be rice, but it's fast rice.

Oh and mine won't even be stock the day I get it...It should have atleast 12 more hp/torque at delivery than stock. And in the spring I'm going to skip stage 1 and get stage 2, that will add another 40-50 hp and even more torque. For like maybe $1,000.

I'd be around 280hp and 300torque (compared to the 2003 stock which was 215/245 w/o LSD, which is what beat the 2003 GT)....and were talking at the wheels. And the car only weighs 2,900lbs.

The power to weight ratio on this car is fairly high.

The GT, powered by a 4.6-liter, single overhead-cam V8 rated at 225 hp and 290 lbs.-ft....

...and $25,020 for the convertible

Source regarding 1998, so that would be 1998$ not 2004$. I couldn't find the weight of the car, but you can be rest assured the V8 and that top have a price in lbs.

2003 Dodge Neon SRT-4 5.34 s
1998 Ford Mustang GT 6.20 s

Source Again that's likely not a convertible used, and the 2004 SRT-4 has an additional 15hp and 5ft-lbs stock over the 2003 SRT-4. Plus mine will be over the stock by a fair margin this spring...

Kelshara · Post by **Kelshara** » October 13, 2003, 5:30 pm

I have to admit after driving and riding in Mustangs I wouldn't take it if they threw it after me.. talk about rattling, poor handling, shitty interior etc. Not to mention I hate how they look, I haven't liked a Mustang's looks since the 64'ish ones. Although the new one they showed at car shows recently looks promising...

Edit: That said: It is SO much easie to add more power to a V8 than a 4-cylinder.. and can be done way cheaper. And front-wheel drive cars suck ass. And yes, your car is as rice as they come.

Also, please don't call straight down the lane side by side for racing. Pussy whipped people call that racing. Find a nice long curvy road without any traffic and go for it, and you will come down to racing being way more driver than car. I've beat cars that were way faster than mine because I knew my car and I dared push it because I knew the limits.