SRT-4 Owners

[Toms-SC]

Question out to all of the SRT-4 owners.

I'm looking around at a DD and SRT-4 is up there on the list. Wanted to get some feedback on them.

How are they for a DD? Are they comfortable with the aggressive sport seats? What is the fuel mileage like? Any major known problems/warranty recalls? Any thing I should know special when looking around for a used one? How do they hold up to the MOPAR Stage III kit?

Also, has insurance caught up to these cars? I'm expecting insurance to be pretty hefty.

:dunno:

[Mibz]

Since you mentioned S3 I'm assuming you're looking at a Neon. I use mine as a DD. There are ups and downs.

The optional seats are fine as long as you're not fat as fuck.
The mileage depends completely on the weight of your foot. 48L tank and I fill up as soon as the gas light comes on, usually with 410km on the odo. If you go S3 with toys then you can leave the car in DAB0 and run regular gas too if you're feeling extra cheap.
The only major recall was some wacky valvetrain knocking that was so noticeable that they all got fixed right away. Cam Position Sensors tend to shit themselves often but it's a $30 part and 5 minutes of your time. If you don't toss the thing into boost while it's cold you'll do just fine. I'm at about 65,000km on my '05 with no problems except the aforementioned CPS.
How long they last with S3 depends on the driver. Z_Fan is too old to be driving so of course he dropped a rod, but there's at least one other guy on here with S3 that's doing just fine and a handful of others in Alberta who haven't had any major problems.
Insurance is fine. I'm 24 with a bunch of tickets and pay a hair over $2000.

EDIT: The worst part for me is the cabin noise. The car -needs- solid motor and transmission mounts to prevent wheel hop from grenading your tranny. The cabin noise increases a tolerable amount for everyday situations but driving with a headache or hangover isn't pleasant.

http://www.srt4oa.com is the Alberta forum where you can get more information and probably find the best deal on one.

[Toms-SC]

Thanks much Mibz

[redsrt4]

as of the insurance, im just paying $100+/month with full coverage..
so far i got no problem with my car..

[2EFNFAST]

Originally posted by Mibz

Insurance is fine. I'm 24 with a bunch of tickets and pay a hair over $2000.


$2000+ for a Neon is "fine"?? :nut:

[Z_Fan]

Originally posted by Mibz
Z_Fan is too old to be driving so of course he dropped a rod...

Hey Mibz...

I'm not old, I'm like 16.

With 20+ some-odd-years of experience.

[Toms-SC]

Z you've been at it for awhile. Your feedback would be appreciated.

[Z_Fan]

Well, I think I pay $1k a year for insurance. If that. Haven't really checked...I'm old, so it's cheap.

My original SRT4 motor failed. Rod cap broke, shot rod out bottom, lotsa pictures in my thread in the rides section. I take full responsibility for beating it to death, and I enjoyed it.

Was not because the motor sucks....was because I beat the absolute snot out of it at the track. Plus firing uncontrolled shots of nitrous through the intake, etc. Was excessively abused. A lesser motor (ie, most other cars) would have died in half the time. Doubt it would fail under normal circumstances. You know what I mean. Hundreds of burnouts and passes down the quarter. Etc. Still using original tranny. So it's tough as hell if you find the gears all the time.

Car is not comfortable with those seats if you are short. Fit me really good actually, at 6'0". But my wife hates them.

Car is very loud if you have aftermarket exhaust. I had straight pipes through it and it's so loud you can't talk on the phone. Stock it was OK. I put a muffler on my straight pipes and it's liveable. But loud. Annoying on long trips.

Car fits two baby seats in the back. Great to get groceries in. Ideal if you are poor, like me.

My car has the kicker system, which is too loud for an old guy like me. Sunroof is nice. I never use mine.

I love my SRT-4. Mostly because it's straight line performance is awesome bang for buck. S3's are on the cheap now. The car is cheap to repair. (Replaced my motor and installed all the misc. crap that broke for around $2k) Fuck, I couldn't even buy a turbo for my Z for that price. So it's cheap, it's easy to work on, it's easy to upgrade, it's easy to replace motors, it's just a simple car that goes like snot and it is a real hoot to drive.

No problem in the snow. Just use snow tires. It's my DD and I drive it in all weather.

Car does not ever need to be washed. So that's nice too.

[Toms-SC]

:thumbsup: Thanks Z

Hows the fuel economy? Reasonable?

[heavyD]

Fuel economy isn't great and with staged mopar upgrades (stage 2) gets significantly worse. I liked the seats as they are comfortable and hold you in tight. The only downside is that there isn't any adjustments so if you are fat you may find them uncomfortable.

My 2005 was IMO very reliable as the only problem I ever encountered was a click in the steering column and it was replaced under warranty and I drove it like I stole it. The engine is very stout and has awesome midrange power. I even found the paint to be much more rock chip resistant compared to Japanese brands.

Only real issue I had was the shifter is pretty notchy regardless of which short shifter kit otherwise they are solid cars and can be made very fast without breaking the bank.

[Mibz]

Originally posted by heavyD
Fuel economy isn't great and with staged mopar upgrades (stage 2) gets significantly worse. Stage 2 runs rich as fuck, but if you go stage 3 you'll probably see an -increase- in mileage once the novelty of going WOT wears off. If it ever does.

And I'm 5'7" and the seats are fine for me. Road trips aren't the best but I've never owned a vehicle with really good seats so maybe my standards are just low.

[Toms-SC]

heavy,

Besides your new kick azz toy was there any specific reason why you sold it?

[drew_goring]

I'm fat and was fine in the seats driving to Vegas in one day from Calgary.:thumbsup:

On the highway I get 500 or so km per fill. The tank is only 40 some litres I think. Driving to work and back I only get around 300km but I warm my car up every morning and evening.

[heavyD]

Originally posted by Toms-SC
heavy,

Besides your new kick azz toy was there any specific reason why you sold it?

I was getting tired of FWD so I sold the SRT-4 and picked up an MR2 turbo from the US when our dollar was at par. The car never did anything wrong by me other than being FWD and the interior noise does get loud when you go aftermarket but I had the Kicker system which was decent for a stock sound system and enough to drown out the noise.

Having expensive cars like STI's not being able to catch you on the highway never gets old either.

You may also get the odd comment such as below in my sig about being a Neon fanboy from immature posters but seeing as the best view they would get would be your taillights it's all good.

[modded46]

Hey Tom.. I love my SRT-4 still as well.. I've had it for about 1 1/2 years.. I've tried out both seats, I orginally had the Viper inspired and I liked them but to be honest the ACR Side Airbags seats to me are a lot more comfortable and practical.. A lot easier to get in and out of the car and just overall better imo.

As far as maintenance goes, it's a neon of course stuff is going to break but it really is a cheap car to fix when it does.. Axles, tie rods, wheel bearings, brakes, etc.. are all really cheap if they do go or when they do need replacing..

Stock clutch is pretty much useless when you go to big turbo or Stage 3 kit.. I put on a AGP 50 Trim and in two weeks I blew the head gasket.. partly my fault and partly because we.. 26PSI on a 50 trim will do that, I had issues with my boost controller and didn't realize I was overboosting.. So 26 is just an estimate but it was way way more than I "meant" to run.. I sold the kit but looking at going to a Delta 44 kit from AGP.. it's a little safer. :)

You'll never find a new Stage 3 kit anywhere.. Mopar really dropped the ball on these.. Yes you can find them used but again you're looking at risking that something is wrong with the used kit.. Personally, the Delta 44 is a perfect fit from what I've been reading and people love them.. Tuning is a no brainer with the SCT tune.

I'm now at 36,000 Miles, I did the brakes but that was because i switched to slotted drilled rotors.. the original pads probably still had another 6 months to a year left on them..

I WOULD NOT get Eibach springs.. Either go coilovers or Stage 1 Mopar springs if you wanna do it on the cheap.. I have stage 1's coming because the Eibach's were really really rough to ride around in..

I get approx 450kms per tank driving "usual" a few boosts. :) stage 2 PCM IS stupid rich, you're better of going with a stage 1 and upping the boost with a map clamp Stock turbo will do 22PSI no problem at all.. :) That's what I'm running now on a stage 1 PCM & stage 2 wastegate, walbro 255lph pump..

The exhaust volume REALLY goes through the roof when you remove the stock cat.. Also your catback makes a big difference.. I have a B&B on there now and it's got no resonators and even with the stock downpipe it's still louder than my Mustang with no cats & longtubes on Flowmaster mufflers.. (ex mustang. :() But yah I tried going to a catless downpipe and my ears would hurt after driving for more than 30 mins.. Not to mention it would drown out the stereo AND everytime you shift it sounds like a gun shot coming out the back of your car.. hahaha.. Anyway stick with a mopar/borla exhaust and a downpipe with a cat. :) My .02$

Like Z said, bang for your buck, there's not a better car out there.

[modded46]

Oh and yes, I have an EVO in my sig, and YES I want one.. but it's a completely different world both price and performance going to a Evo VIII

[Z_Fan]

My mileage definitely increased when I went to Stage 3. IIRC I used to get 350-370km per tank when I was stock in the city. Now I get 410-430km easily in the city. I've gotten 490km before just driving like I was an old man in DAB0 all the time. Got 478km on my most recent tank. One highway trip on there of 120km.

Drove to Vancouver once in the stage 3, this was when I was catless, no resonators, no mufflers. Straight through and crazy fucking loud as all hell. Can't hear yourself think. Put a muffler on the back and it shut it right up. Still loud, but not obnoxious like before. Anyhow, I was getting 570KM+ per tank on the highway.

I regularly put 47L in the thing. I don't fill it up until the light is flashing.

Anyhow, expect 10KM/L basically if you drive decently. Expect to suck the fuel back if you are S1 or S2 and are agressive. S3 is way better on fuel mileage...

Had this thing since brand new. Don't expect to sell it any time soon because I could never replace it with another 11 second car for what this thing cost new, forget about what it costs in the market of today. Cheap. Cheap. Cheap. I mean, if going quick is important for you. It's not so much for me anymore, but I like to have the option!

[corsvette]

Boy,reading all this makes me want to go out and buy a SRT-4,i have some experience with a older turbo dodge (a very minty shelby daytona which i still have)and know how simple and reliable they are.

[Toms-SC]

Are the Stage III kits no longer available? :dunno:

[redsrt4]

right now im running 28psi on my srt4 with stock internal and i got no problem at all,, still on my stock clutch.. but i never try to bring to the track though LOL

[Generic]

Originally posted by redsrt4
right now im running 28psi on my srt4 with stock internal and i got no problem at all,, still on my stock clutch.. but i never try to bring to the track though LOL

dats ridiculars!!1!

[Mibz]

Originally posted by Toms-SC
Are the Stage III kits no longer available? :dunno: Production has pretty much ended. I think they stop selling them in a few months. There are similar aftermarket solutions but none that offer the zero-tuning, zero-hassle that the Mopar S3 does.

[403Gemini]

I've always loved the Neon SRT-4's, easily best bang for the buck car! Anybody who says a srt-4 is "just a neon" needs to get their head examined. There are A LOT of haters out there, but just ignore them.

[toastgremlin]

I haven't seen many people review the Caliber SRT4, I assume it's not nearly as good as the Neon SRT4 is? It sure is expensive (and IMHO ugly) for what you get.

I've seen the Neon SRT4s put down impressive numbers; there's a lot of them on the sport compact list. How's the torque steer?

[Mibz]

Originally posted by toastgremlin
I haven't seen many people review the Caliber SRT4, I assume it's not nearly as good as the Neon SRT4 is? It sure is expensive (and IMHO ugly) for what you get.

I've seen the Neon SRT4s put down impressive numbers; there's a lot of them on the sport compact list. How's the torque steer? Torque steer's pretty much non-existent with the LSD. I'm putting down close to stock power though, maybe one of the guy's in the 400s will disagree with me.

The Calibers came out a year too late and with too many shortcomings. I think the big thing is that competition is stiffer now. When the NSRT-4 came out there was nothing that could touch it. Competition was either far slower (Cobalt SS/SC, Ion Redline, RSX Type S, GTi) or far more expensive (WRX). Now with the MS3, beefed up GTi and Cobalt Turbos, people are starting to care about things that people like me overlooked when we purchased the car. Cheap interior, questionable styling and, perhaps, the stigma of owning one.

[Z_Fan]

I've never experienced any torque steer in my SRT-4. Even when it was stock I never felt like it had any torque steer.

I've driven cars that had massive torque steer...and each time I read about someone complaining about torque steer in an SRT-4, I just figure they have absolutely no clue what they are talking about or they have never driven an SRT-4 and just want to find something that must surely be wrong with it.

Frankly, if you floor it in my SRT-4, you will simply break the tires and be spinning so you've got zero chance of torque steer ever happening.

Bottom line, torque steer is a non-issue as IMO. (LSD equipped, so 2004+ IIRC)

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by Z_Fan
I've never experienced any torque steer in my SRT-4. Even when it was stock I never felt like it had any torque steer.

I've driven cars that had massive torque steer...and each time I read about someone complaining about torque steer in an SRT-4, I just figure they have absolutely no clue what they are talking about or they have never driven an SRT-4 and just want to find something that must surely be wrong with it.

Frankly, if you floor it in my SRT-4, you will simply break the tires and be spinning so you've got zero chance of torque steer ever happening.

Bottom line, torque steer is a non-issue as IMO. (LSD equipped, so 2004+ IIRC)

Drive a supercharged cobalt if you want to talk torque steer... man that thing was awful. I hear the new turbocharged ones are all fixed up.

[Toms-SC]

Thanks for the feedback everybody. I'll me keeping my eyes open for a proper SRT-4 bargain. :)

[chkolny541]

great bang for the buck

[Toms-SC]

Alright what is the difference between stage 3 and stage 3R? :nut:

[Mibz]

Originally posted by Toms-SC
Alright what is the difference between stage 3 and stage 3R? :nut: Nothing. Anything you find that says they're different is bad info. There were different wheels (TiAl vs Steel) but, short of serial #, there's really no way to know which one you're getting.

[Toms-SC]

"Yeah, there's a guy on Beyond looking for one so I pointed him here.

The first place I'll go when looking for a new (used) car will be an enthusiast forum."

:rofl:

Wedge's is nice but I'm really interested in a real deal MOPAR Stage III. There are a couple on Kijiji but some people are smoking crack for the prices.

Edit: Man adam's was a damn good deal.

[Z_Fan]

Adam's car was an absolute steal. It was worth easily 5k+ more. I can't figure out why he sold it, other than it had to go.

A shitty one would have been worth 3k more, and his was essentially perfect.

[Mibz]

Yeah, if the bank had said yes I would've bought his, swapped parts and sold it for about what I paid.