2003 Dodge Neon SRT-4

[@NSXTypeRGTRLM]

This was a good time for cheap sports cars, we'll never have so much choice as the late 90s, early 2000s.

[@e46m54nissansr20937]

Yes

[@angelgjr1999]

@Alex back then you could get a v8 Mustang for barely 20 grand, now they’re asking for 40. And they wonder why the car industry is failing.

[@bghoody5665]

Sports cars in general aren't selling that well anymore - everyone wants an SUV. It's kind of strange when you think about it - marriage rates are in the crapper so there should be a lot of single guys out there who should be buying sports cars.

[@theforgottenorg]

They're still cheap if you don't look for the top trim. This neon was maybe double the base, far from cheap. People at the time thought more about the price for this trim than it's performance.

[@repnatl]

@@bghoody5665 bullshit. She gets the suv in the divorce too 🤣🤣

[@life_of_riley88]

A friend of a friend has one of these when we were in highschool. It had the Mopar stage 2 upgrades and was way faster than it should have been. We'd pile 4 morons into it and tear up mountain roads instead of going to class. Good times.

[@catjudo1]

I can only fit two morons in my 01 Miata. I used to see the SRT-4's around as the tuners could wring them around. Sad that there are few left now, and sad that the landscape is all crossovers with wimp shifts instead of drivers cars.

[@scarroll625]

The “4 morons” line really brings back memories. I miss those days.

[@Offshore1977]

20 years later, Yes. It has become a legend

[@Chris-kp7cu]

I was about to say this too! It’s always great to see one of these driving around, given how rare they have become.

[@Offshore1977]

@@Chris-kp7cu I never see them anymore. I remember back in 2003 I went to the dealer to test drive a new one and possibly purchase but I ended up getting a 2001 Honda S2000 instead.

[@morpheus_9]

@@Offshore1977 great choice!! S2000s have become very expensive and are very beautiful.

[@jmin8400]

@@Offshore1977 Your taste is special isn't it? Couldn't go wrong with either of those choices back then as a young dude.

[@roddydykes7053]

@@Offshore1977you definitely picked the better overall car. You can’t find an S2K for under $20k anymore

[@SolamenteVees]

This car has actually aged quite well… mine was a 2003 in Solar Yellow. 💛

[@cindysue5474]

I had a stone white 05 yes it was a fun car put down 237K on that engine the iron block was a good engine. Now driving a Kona N in one way it still reminds me of the SRT4. This is where dodge needs to get back to with a Compact utility vehicle but the engine would have to be built ground up that world engine they had was junk.

[@jeremiahgaskins9127]

At least we can agree that it has aged.

[@cindysue5474]

@Senna_Grillo12 I rode in one that was almost 500hp that thing was scary fast that car pulled so hard.

[@voodooturbo]

I was more into VW/Audi at the time than anything else, so I didn't really care about these and chalked them up as a tarted up Neon. Watching this video, I agree. I think it's cool that it's still the cute Neon but with some guts under the hood.

[@injustifiiable]

A friend of mine had that electric blue one.

[@ftr911drvr]

Almost 20 years later and it's still quicker than alot of the cars in this segment or just as quick and it handled very well.

[@TheKiltedYaksman1]

That's because it's quite a bit lighter than anything currently in the (very small) segment. If it had been built to meet current crash safety standards, it would be heavy as well. What's really telling is the torque offered in current DI turbo engines. Despite weighing quite a bit more, the current GTI is about a second quicker 0-60 and through the 1/4 mile, at the same time as being about 15-20% more fuel efficient.

[@tomu4725]

​@TheKiltedYaksman1 MotorWeek's 1/4 mile and 60 ft times on cars were always off. The SRT4 stock could run high 13s, maybe very low 14s with the 2003 because it didn't have the Quiafe limited slip differential like 2004 and 2005 models. I know this because I had an 2004 with mods and it ran mid 13s all day. So yeah, just as fast as a modern day GTI 20 years later 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@shawnweed265]

@@tomu4725 I agree with you...this car was a great package for the price. It had good performance too. It was about as quick as My S2000. The key was torque. 245lbft is a pretty stout figure (I think the S2000 had like 150). All that and the utility of a 4 door. I'd love to find a low mile one cheap.

[@brianreardon7700]

Very true! This a great bargain!

[@Crazyced]

@@TheKiltedYaksman1 At 14.5s for the 2023 manual GTI it's slower then the SRT-4.

[@quixilver09]

Wow, that brought me back to the allure I had when these first came out. It was my "dream" car at 18. By 20 I had built up my own credit and bought one in 2005. Kept it for a decade and met so many great people along the way in the community. 20 years later, I have a clean 600 hp red SRT4 and I found my original e-Blue SRT4 and currently building it for the road course! I just so happen to have a channel devoted to the legends!

[@kencolle1]

I still own mine.bought new in 03. 19 years.

[@Pressed_For_Time]

Thing is a collectors item now.

[@2R1V3R]

Keep it man.. i barely see them out there..

[@kencolle1]

@@2R1V3R and it gets driven!! It's still in great shape,I wish I could put pics on here because it looks new,inside and out and under the hood!😎

[@yellowtibby]

How many miles on it? Has it been reliable?

[@one_point21_gigawatts]

Awesome! I have mine too, I use the car as an intro to my you tube channel lol. garage kept almost a 20 year anniversary . never broke down on me. 70k miles on the odometer to this date.

[@srtabc123]

This review got me interested in the SRT4 and my first car was a white 2005 SRT4. Stock it dyno’d 232hp and 242lb/ft. Great car, tons of memories and I learned to wrench on her. Still have her in my driveway with 130k miles on the odometer.

[@nebelwerfer199]

Great era in affordable performance. WRX, STI, and Evo all came out in this time.

[@Medjeed86]

The Evo and STI are actually like ten years older than the SRT-4.

[@nebelwerfer199]

@@Medjeed86 yes outside USA, but we got them here 2002, 2003, and 2004

[@hondamanvtec2894]

The sti. Wrx. Evos came out in the early 90s

[@foxtrot685]

The beetle turbo s, MK4 GTI/GLI with the 1.8T, matrix XRS with the 2ZZ, Mazdaspeed protege, the last good looking Si hatchback with the wrong engine, the Sentra SE-R spec V before they refreshed it with the awful front fascia… man we had some great choices.

[@nebelwerfer199]

@@hondamanvtec2894 yes overseas, not in USA, for the 100th time.

[@Cats_Are_Scary]

I had an 04 SRT-4. These cars are underrated on horsepower and torque from the factory, I'm sure for insurance reasons. Great little car.

[@DrewLSsix]

More likely they were rated that way to avoid angry ignorant customers. Dynoing your new car for no reason other than showing off a number was already a popular thing back then and many manufacturers got shat on because owners didn't understand how power was rated. It's no coincidence I think that most wheel dynos show pretty much the flywheel rating, and that's on top of the domestic manufacturers trend to under report power anyway. There was a big shakeup years ago (around the time the SRT4 was produced) when the SAE changed its rating procedure, the domestics usually came back rated higher than they previously were while many Japanese cars lost significant power from the previous years ratings. Several industry insiders came forward saying they all knew the Japanese were gaming the system but couldn't do anything about it. Some cars lost 15-20 hp while cars like the Corvette gained 5-10 hp.

[@RobertSmith-le8wp]

Indeed, one of my friends had one and o was surprised how fast it was. The only other semi fast car I drove up to that point was another friends 1996 Mustang GT convertible. If I recall at that point the 4.6 was only rated at 215hp. The neon could beat it most days.

[@kencolle1]

@@RobertSmith-le8wp yeah,I had a friend that had a gt 4.6 with exhaust and we would go to Orlando Speedworld dragstrip and run each other and he could never understand how I beat him every time😁

[@Saltinator]

yes, the hp and tq number dodge gave was whp and not at the crank. i had a 04 in burnt orange and i always said this thing has got to have more than 240hp. they put out more like 265-270 at the crank.

[@hartsickdisciple]

@@RobertSmith-le8wp The SRT-4 was quicker than the later 4.6 2V 260 horsepower "new edge" Mustang GT. It would crush the 215 horsepower SN95 GT.

[@neonufos5297]

In my opinion, this is one of the best looking vehicles dodge has ever made. The regular neon is alright but with that front end and the spoiler, the R/T really looks amazing and sporty but not too aggressive at the same time.

[@rojo5331]

I cant wait to drive my SRT4 swapped 1st gen neon. Thing weighs just over a ton and is making somwhere in the mid 300s HP (Big wheel stocker, E85, stage 3 fuel pump,1000cc inj.)... its been a long little project but, by the comments, im thinking it'll put a pretty decent smile on my face.

[@SlammedZero]

I had an 05 Stone White. Loved that car. Absolutely a blast to drive. They were torque monsters. Yeah, it had it's limitations being FWD, but that was the price you paid to get into that kind of performance for the money. They sounded incredible for a 4 cylinder, and I honestly like(d) the looks of them. I hate that I got rid of it and I will always have a soft spot for them. I can tell you this, I hurt a lot of feelings with that car. lol

[@thedeadlyskull7946]

One of THE most underrated cars ever made.

[@rebelusa6585]

When this neon came out, i was shock at how fast and affordable it was. It was faster than most sport cars.

[@johnjones393]

I realize this is an old video that can't be changed but I wish the editors would have cut off that obnoxious music while the car was on the track. Wanted to hear that nice exhaust and other track sounds.

[@stevend3753]

I had the first red one sold at my local dealer. I loved that car. When the Mopar performance upgrades came out I had the stage 1, and later stage 2. Great car.

[@speedyme200]

Back in 2012 I picked up a used one it was an 05 SRT4 after first few drives I realized the car pretty quick and realize it had the stage 3 package.

[@stevend3753]

@@speedyme200 I never got to the S3 kit, that was a lot more involved with the install as it had the “big” turbo upgrade on it. But yes, they where very quick.

[@cindysue5474]

If you can find a stage 3 that's a keeper

[@aceegidio5423]

@@stevend3753 last week a friend and i picked up a stage 3R with toys, pretty cool car

[@MrKnoxguy101]

Wouldn’t the Dodge dealer install those stage 1,2,3 upgrades? Seems like I remember them doing that. Maybe warranty them too? I may be wrong about that, but I do remember hearing something about those upgrades being installed through Dodge.

[@sketchpv3080]

99mph trap speed wasn’t too shabby back in the day. That’s on par with an S2000 or 350Z.

[@SolamenteVees]

A few publications netted high 13s at over 100mph

[@Saltinator]

@@SolamenteVees the 2004+ years when they boosted whp and wtq to 240-260 ran those high 13s at around 104

[@SolamenteVees]

@@Saltinator The engine controller was identical from 2003 to 04+ but they did add a LSD.

[@Saltinator]

@@SolamenteVees yeah the lsd and stage 1 injectors gave the 04 and 05 a little more oomph

[@rooh5825]

It was actually faster than the S2000, 350Z, WRX, and Mustang GT in 2003. And reliable.

[@2010challengerRT]

$19,995. Man I miss the days when prices were normal, and reflected actual new car values.

[@TheFlyingPLiner]

This car came out in 2003 with a base MSRP of 20k. That's 32k in todays money. These were actually quite expensive.

[@c_b8s4]

Dont know about you, but i make double what i did then. Some minimum wages even doubled. It works out the same, just bigger numbers. You make more, but things cost more.. its all a show.

[@farcere]

@@c_b8s4 Minimum wage in alot of places hasnt changed, but cost of living has, so 19k back then isnt bad compare to now

[@alexvillarreal3947]

mee too

[@obeseperson]

@@c_b8s4 the minimum wage where I live and all around it hasn’t raised since, shit, my entire life and probably longer.

[@walterarroyo5220]

Most of these have been driven hard, wrecked, abused and heavily modified. Good examples are most likely to go up in value if they haven’t already.

[@gs98999]

I was in my mid 20s when this came out. Had basically every other sport compact except this. Now there’s a clean used one a few hours from me at a dodge dealer. So tempted to grab it.

[@dabnisbrickey6527]

Do it

[@chaseman94]

Do it now!!!!!

[@TBird100636]

Do it, I drove these when they were new, they were great out of the box. And that feeling when you floor it in 2nd gear can't be beat.

[@lifewithbreion1392]

Just have money put away!! They can be costly if maintainance is required. Especially the input shaft!

[@njshift]

If its clean and not abused go for it. These cars are quite reliable and inexpensive to maintain. But like anything else, if you make serious additional power with sticky tires parts can break.

[@davidhavard1908]

I had a 2001 z28 with few mods and I raced a SRT Neon and we were neck n neck from 0 to 120. After that I pulled away but man I was impressed

[@Lucille69caddy]

He was modded, no doubt. No way he keeps up with you w/o mods.

[@midnight347]

​@@Lucille69caddyof course it was modded he also just said his z28 was modified so what's your point? They aren't that far behind in stock form an 01 z28 would run low 13 and trap like 106-107 at best that's in perfect air etc. So they aren't that far off.

[@joshthemediocre7824]

I've been in some fast cars but nothing has scared me more than 145 mph on a one lane back road in a SRT 4, we hit a bird at 145 and it felt like the wing tearing from an airplane the way the car bucked to that side..super sketchy but a memory i'll never forget

[@8gti9]

I wasn't into the srt-4 neon but these things were quick and loved to be modded

[@mrpoohbearlvr]

To bad they are all gone. Rusted away, blown engines,or ruined by 20yo boys thinking they could Lambo them up!

[@nitroforce87]

It's truly saddening, they were idiots who ruined those beautiful cars

[@randallbollinger9625]

All of that plus they are chrysler products

[@one_point21_gigawatts]

I still have mine, no rust

[@princeofpickles9765]

They're basically extinct

[@one_point21_gigawatts]

@@princeofpickles9765 As for most cars that were made 20 years ago. what's your point?

[@danielcamacho1913]

Mitsubishi did a hell of a job designing the turbocharger installation on this car. The one I drove had awesome throttle response, with no lag to speak of. This was the turbo car that made me want a turbo car. ...But I don't think they could shake off the stigma of being a Neon.

[@LeoM-zt3pl]

I forgot all about that behind the wheel of my old 04 SRT4

[@DarthWaffle.]

As a retired cop, seeing this car brings back a memory of when a father took his sons new Neon SRT for a ride and crashed it. As I arrived I asked the father if he was ok, he said “yes,but they shouldn’t classify front wheel drive cars as sports cars.” Haaa

[@kirbyswarp]

Sounds like he needed to get good

[@DrewLSsix]

If he couldn't handle a fwd sports car he surely couldn't handle a rwd sports car lol.

[@bghoody5665]

Most, if not all, car manufacturers trying to push 200+ hp through the front wheels was having trouble with it back then - viscous torque steer.

[@rodmunch69]

I don't know if it's still a thing, but FWD cars used to (and that would cover this era) jerk like crazy off the line -- also they're not fun to drive, which ruins the entire idea of a sports car. FWD was made for safety, and to be cheap, to be a boring cheap car.

[@7Logik]

@@rodmunch69 this one is far more than fun, because it has the torque

[@brianr5665]

This was the ultimate sport compact back in the day. Mopar offered different stage kits for them through their website. I drove one once and wish I had a job that would pay me enough for a summer dedicated car. This would have been the one. My friend had 2 different ACR cars but never an SRT4 Neon. I just can't believe I have a Dodge Grand Caravan that has close to 300 hp. Dodge really took some chances of falling flat on their face with some of their submodels, but they broke their set rules and sold to the masses. This car was a legend back in the day. Still is today.

[@ALL0UT323]

This car came out of nowhere and was killing the game. As far as the import scene goes. Serious bang for your buck.

[@rebelusa6585]

You damn correct, this neon easily kill subaru impreza wrx, and it is faster than most sport cars.

[@drivedb7]

The ‘00s were sort of the “curtain call” for small, affordable sport compacts. A few still survive today, but others like the Sentra SE-R, Neon SRT4 and Corolla XRS are long gone. What a shame. Post the Corolla XRS retro review next!!

[@retrocompaq5212]

those 3 cars were extremely bad, at least the neon was fast in straight line, before the turbo cobalt ss in 2008, there were no fwd cars that can give a rwd euro sport car a run for their money, look at the lightning lap or nurburgring times, took almost 10 years for the japaneese with a race prep factory civic type r to beat the fwd ring record that was made with crappy all season pirellis on a damped track, that is a shame

[@lordmaster5522]

Not all are gone, but was improved by successor. Now it’s the Sentra SR and the GR Corolla replaced the XRS.

[@drivedb7]

@@retrocompaq5212 - Anyone who tries to compare inexpensive, sporty front drivers to RWD sports cars is missing the point entirely.

[@J.Nev.]

@@retrocompaq5212 That Is Very Subjective . Those 3 Cars Served The Purpose That Were Supposed To Do. I Don’t Think The Goal Was For Those Cars To Compete With Euro Rwd Cars.

[@afreiden]

The sentra's competition were the mazdaspeed protege, svt focus, civic si, and the celica gts from toyota rather than the corolla xrs, which was quite a bit slower iirc.

[@StandingUpForBetter]

The Neon SRT-4 was a beast! Driving thrills in a small compact package with a manual shifter is the way to go! IMHO many sports cars now are too wide to enjoy anywhere outside of a track which is why I love this sport compact car segment along with hot hatches because you can actually enjoy the cars on regular roads without the constant fear of clipping someone or something as you drive by. I only wished Dodge would stick with their products and actually improve them over time like the Japanese. A modern-day equivalent, the Dodge Dart SRT-4 with all the bugs ironed out would have been a compelling car to have today with the rise in costs of both sports cars and gas. For this reason, I own a Honda Civic Type R and LOVE it! I am never letting that car go. With that said, I do believe Neon SRT-4's are really holding their value today. Just seems like another missed opportunity by Dodge. The had the recipe right, they just had to improve the quality.

[@kapa4929]

Also, many sports cars are overpowered for regular roads these days.

[@StandingUpForBetter]

@@kapa4929 Agreed! "Usable power" is a real thing especially when you balance that with your gas budget.

[@quentinwooten30]

I remember these like it was yesterday

[@raceMC]

I have one and love every time I drive it.. it puts a smile on my face with all the turbo noises

[@LeoM-zt3pl]

My first quick car, 2004 SRT-4. Mean sounding factory exhaust. Really enjoyed it. Hearing that turbo whine. The LSD pulled it through the corners pretty well. Wheel hop when launching was a bit annoying, but some poly mounts helped settle that down. Fun little cars, hard to find now in decent shape

[@shoDOHC]

Always loved these. That turbo spool and exhaust crackle from the factory always caught my ear.

[@DevoT]

I went to a quarter mile track back in 04 and was impressed when I saw one of these run 13s. Definitely underrated hp. Early 2000s was a great time for affordable fun.

[@WTC7]

A guy who lived by my buddy's won a new one from a radio contest. Probably the happiest guy in the ghetto with his brand new neon.

[@GarrettCrespo]

They were right that it didn’t become a legend, but it did be come a cult classic! I have a silver ‘05 and I love it! It still turns heads when people who know what it is see it on the road and makes me smile whenever the turbo kicks in!

[@craigt9415]

I remember buying my 2004 electric blue in 2009 for only $7000 with 60K on it. With some bolt-ons and a tune I had it dynoed at 274hp/320tq at the wheels. I have videos of me racing it on KZbin, SRT4 Mosport King of the Hill. It was my daily driver all year round and it was actually a very good car in the snow. I only owned it for a few years before moving on but it was a fast little car and I have many good memories.

[@michaelsimko7694]

Those Neons were very fast and were excellent track cars. It'll probably take a while for them to get the attention they deserve as a classic performance car.

[@revmatchproductions]

Was this filmed recently? I love the way this video looks, feels like im back in 2005! Also gives a peaceful tone to it, nice work guys! Sweet gem of a car

[@davidcraig7771]

This is a rerun of the original

[@Jamstarstables]

These were so ferociously fast when new, I test drove a few of them , they were light and so quick they almost lost posture anytime pushed. But they were very fun! Were direct competition to 99 eclipse turbo back then 😅

[@mymomsaysimcool9650]

I may be in the minority but F it, I really liked the looks of early 2000’s Dodge. This neon was a lot better looking than the 1st generation Neon.

[@john-vy1ml]

Neon acr was my favorite. That thing handled great with those factory koni struts

[@jmanstuck]

Yeah bare bones and all engine. That was a cool car. SRT4 is cool to.

[@NEO_RedPill_2024]

I remember riding in one of these in Germany as soldier. First car I was in to top 140mph. Man I was blown away. Too bad it’s hard to find a good one today…

[@vettedblazer]

Owned mine for over 10 years and has been overall very reliable. Still drive it at least once a week and still love it.

[@compulsion_mike]

I currently have owned my 03’ Solar Yellow SRT-4 for 16 years. Although the car is no longer my daily driver I still love driving it every chance I get I’ll never sell it. It runs 10 seconds in the quarter mile and doesn’t crush the bank account to own it. Not many of these things left on the streets, She’s a true enthusiast ride!

[@abelflores5976]

I’ve had mine for 17 year now and I won’t sell it either. They don’t make them like that anymore. 😂

[@adamrobledo684]

When they put the limited slip in the later models, this thing really became a monster at the time.

[@anibalbabilonia1867]

I remember that little car when it came out! It was a little monster for it’s time!

[@martyconyers6189]

Good times with my 05 SRT-4. It was a BEAST on the autobahn.

[@MrJjburgess11]

I had a 04 SRT for 9 years. One of the best cars I ever owned. Upgraded pretty much everything on the car except for the engine internals. Upgraded the turbo 3 times. Learned so much from that car . Just before I got rid of it in 2014 was making around 360hp at the wheels. Only had 40k miles on it. Wish I kept it .

[@jeffreycaban5107]

I had two of these back in the day, an 2004 Electric Blue and a super rare 2004 Solar Yellow. Fun,cheap cars that with a couple bolt-ons would run neck-and-neck with cars double the price. Just don't expect to make a slow speed u-turn with one...the guys who owned one know what I mean :)

[@theoptimist7510]

haha! yea the 7 point U-turn.

[@breto7131]

I bought a 05 STI I remember the looks it used to get because they were pretty rare to see back then. It did 4.6 0-60 which was amazing at the time. The srt4 was a great car itself. What a bargain at 20 grand

[@therealcarlmarti]

interestingly the STI and SRT-4 have nearly identical 1/4 mile trap speeds of 103 mph. the STI is obviously faster 0-60 due to AWD, but from a roll the SRT-4 was pretty impressive.

[@one_point21_gigawatts]

Awesome car! I still have my 2003 Srt4, original owner . I'll never sell it that's how Awesome it is. you want that kind of power in 2022 it will cost you more than double.

[@Highlander1432]

Good for you man

[@theoptimist7510]

Nice! I still have mine as well. 2004 E-blue, orginal owner. Same as well, only if the car gets destroyed in an accident will I ever get rid of it.

[@Highlander1432]

@@theoptimist7510 I love to hear this Awesome you guys are preserving them and still enjoying them too I just picked up an 02 Z28 because I missed my 02 Trans Am from my 20's so bad. These older cars are special

[@Joey856721]

@@theoptimist7510 this is my favorite color on the SRT4 easily 😍

[@ryanmccrary2578]

@@theoptimist7510Hey are you interested in selling your srt4 if you still have it?

[@davidmilhouscarter8198]

1:42 The interior looks so clean with analog gauges and no center infotainment screen.

[@connermt74]

Exactly like mine: 2003 yellow. I stuck with the stage 1 with accompanying additions. I throughly enjoyed it. Only issue was a storm caused hydro lock while literally others cars around me had no issue. It was fixed quickly and had no other major issues for 60k-ish mile until I sold it

[@2R1V3R]

This car made more than 215hp ive seen making over 230hp stock

[@1983jblack]

@@2R1V3R 2004 models jumped to 230 hp

[@2R1V3R]

@@1983jblack oh ok.. thanks for the input. 👍

[@RobertSmith-le8wp]

Even 215hp wasn’t too bad for a light car. I had a friend/roommate with a ‘96 Mustang GT convertible. Those early 4.6’s were only rated at 215hp and probably because the convertible was a little heavier that car would lose to SRT Neons

[@Saltinator]

dodge underated hp and tq. the advertised numbers are wheel hp and tq, not at the flywheel. my stock 2004 dynoed 236whp and 262wtq. an 04 and 05 make more like 265hp and 290tq at the flywheel.

[@TheSibster86]

so glad to see a hd version of this video finally! brings back so many good memories.

[@mpa1931]

These things were monsters back in the day, and even in todays standards the performance is still respectable. Probably one of the greatest all time value cars ever.

[@Jakabre]

Loved mine!!! Bought through AAFES in Germany and got to do a lot of drag racing and autobahn runs - fantastic and fun car.

[@one_point21_gigawatts]

That's how I bought mine...AAFES Okinowa Japan... saved on Tax. I used to bracket drag race in NC.

[@scryla2000]

One of my soldiers had one that he drag raced. I saw him run an 11.8 on the dragstrip! It was modded but it was his daily driver as well. I was hooked then.

[@randomhero111391]

These old srt4s are either loved or hated....even when they were brand new....all I remember was one time being about 12 years old in 2003 riding with my brother in his 1991 Mustang 5.0 lx that was stock except maybe a very small cam upgrade and one of these revved up at him at a red light....sounded awesome with the turbo but needless to say we spanked that thing lol. We also beat an old nice condition Dodge Daytona 2.2 turbo if anyone still remembers those...

[@revelare_xvii6269]

It’s hard to believe that if it weren’t for this car the Hellcat technically would’ve never existed.

[@LeoM-zt3pl]

The best sounding factory exhaust 4 cylinder turbo of its era the 03-05 SRT-4

[@crow-vz5lx]

So nostalgic. Those numbers were great then. It's so underrated. Think about it. I love Honda, but those 4 bangers only had 100-150 HP.... And they were hella popular. This boy is 215hp plus.

[@373axle]

I remember seeing a bunch of road tests on these; they were way quicker than shown here.

[@foxtrot685]

I owned one. Two actually, I had a PT Cruiser GT with the 5 speed as well :)

[@insaneillusionsfabrication3543]

I am the original owner of a 2005 SRT4 acr. Still enjoy it just like the day I got it. 🤘

[@C8guy84]

Had a white 05' Acr stage 3, what a car it was, roll race monster, hurt a lot of feelings haha!

[@FunkMasterJunk]

I always liked the Neon. I still think it looks good.

[@Commentleaver-c6x]

In a few years time every dodge neon’s headlights were as yellow as that car.

[@chrisSVT]

I had an '04 (bought brand new). I put it on a dyno after the break in period and it did 233 hp and 262 tq at the wheels. The only thing that wasn't stock on it was the oil (AMSOIL).

[@retiredsnowbunnyhunterx5106]

I definitely remember this car. Although I never owned one seen a lot on the road when they came out.

[@chrisdooley1184]

3.5” tips!! Lol I smile every time I see these. So ridiculous but so quick. I was in a WRX at the time but I did test drive a black one. I just loved my subie though lol I sure do miss Chrysler making funky weird and interesting cars like this. For a while there they were the ones that put other concepts to shame

[@patrickmichael3384]

I still see a fair number of these SRT4s around my hometown. I didn’t much care for it at the time, but. I do care more for it now than I thought.

[@thatfordguy2268]

My buddy had one of these. Awesome solidly built, actually quite reliable for Dodge! Lot's of bolt ons, intake, exhaust, fuel ect... very fun to drive. Would troll stockish Mustangs and Camaros The only problem with that car, getting it to hook, even with Goodyear Eagle tires! 😁👍

[@one_point21_gigawatts]

a quality aftermarket engine mount solved that issue, along with expensive 225mm soft tires.😊

[@mikehawk120]

I wanted one, but most of us could not get over that it still was a neon. But no one ever hated on it though. Ppl who liked this mostly were actually Impreza/cobalt/mustang types.

[@jmin8400]

Yes, who are the same types who leave these with cig burns and 3rd smoke + black ice/axe spray odors on almost every example of these cars on the used market.

[@roddydykes7053]

Motorweek always had pretty good predictions near the end of their reviews

[@SuperSenis]

Saw probably three of these in recent weeks. Glad to see they're still running.

[@Nellie-H]

Good times! I have had one of the early MINI Cooper-S coming to the US. A friend at BMW Munich wrote me a mapping to the pulley tuning I did with the super charger. Having some races with the Neon SRT-4, he could not put the power down like I did on the MINI. Every single run, he lost and gave me a thumb up.

[@DavefromCA2023]

I had just graduated High School when these came out and they made an immediate impact. It was clear they were very fast.

[@msanborn08]

Best wrong wheel drive car I ever owned. 14 to 60k miles, not a single issue on my 2005. At 60k, I had already replaced the lower control arms on my Caliber SRT-4, but the ride quality on that was significantly better but lacked some of the punch the Neon offered due to weight.

[@beanburnham01]

Bought one new in ‘04. It was hooligan fun every time you drive it.

[@Arcadeic]

Today the cabin smells like a box of crayons

[@wr1ght939]

I miss American tuners. Such a neat bunch.

[@longboardguy]

I owned a 2004 srt-4 in silver. Had some mods done mostly a tuner, intake, side MPI exhaust and it was pretty quick and a lot of fun. But kind of a junky car I had to redo the synchros in it and shift fork upgrades. And I never liked those seats haha too fat I guess.

[@kingcold1002000]

i miss my modded 2004 blue SRT-4. The turbo sound...oh my

[@davidcraig7771]

These were underrated from the factory. Mid- low 5 seconds to 60 and low 14s were typical.

[@LeoM-zt3pl]

Difficult to launch without wheel hop . Lots of torque for a fwd car.

[@Michael-id9bw]

I miss mine. I had a 2005 SRT4 burnt orange with carbon fiber hood and black rims on coilovers for a nice stance. Stage 3 Mopar with all the bolt ons. Was good for 388hp and 425 torque at the wheels. Fun car. Edit: bought it new off the lot for $17k at the end of 2005.

[@ALilly55261]

My silver ‘05 was the best DD I ever had. Good fuel economy, plenty quick, and made fun choo choo noises

[@skillz1855]

Sounds better than most cars today

[@AaronSmith-kr5yf]

Around 2006ish I worked with a real MOPAR head, she had a pale blue 1971ish Road Runner. It was restored(mainly just a very good repaint) but that car was very original, low mile, zero rust, not modified, never wrecked. I think it had a numbers matching 340/4 speed, maybe a 383/4 speed, can't remember but it had a hot engine option that was numbers matching. Anyways they always went to the regional and national MOPAR shows, her car was so nice and original/correct that it won a few trophies. I remember her talking about at the drag stip those turbo Neons were laying the hurt on those Viper guys, the fastest cars there were the neons, not the Vipers.

[@M31410]

Mine was bought new in 2005 and Mopar S3 w/toys went in five months later. I am about to do another SCCA Track Night in America this week with 391,xxx miles on the odometer. My engine did go kaboom at 221,xxx miles due to me going to an aftermarket E85 tune but I have switched back to the trusty Mopar S3 tune.

[@theKevronHarris]

My mother had bought me a diecast version of the Dodge Neon SRT-4 in bright red color in 2005 for making the honor roll in school when I was in the fourth grade.

[@charliehoss1614]

Love the 97-03 cars. Just brings back memories seeing them on the road

[@MartinGalway]

Did they really mix the music bed that loud back in 2003? It's hard to hear the voiceover

[@SuperTrb0]

I was hoping that Dodge would give the Dart the SRT treatment when it first came out but they never did sadly.

[@rjcolombe]

There were plans for one, but they got shelved as FCA decided to pull the plug on the Dart due to poor sales and a greater focus on SUVs.

[@2010challengerRT]

Yep it's a shame. Being a Mopar guy I never liked what they did to the Dart name. I thought it was ugly but after a few years it was starting to grow on me. The ones I drove were actually kinda fun. Then they killed just as I was starting to like it. And with it died the opportunity to get a new car from Dodge under $20,000. Now I wish they still made it. We could use that kind of value today. The timing of it was just not right.

[@JacksonGuitarsPlayer03]

Here’s something At a stupid BMW dealership passing by I see they got a shiny red RAM SRT10 viper motor truck. Badass. Sitting out in the lot Pretty neat

[@jmin8400]

Well, it's America. Of course they'll appreciate some of these vehicles, although a regular Ram would be insignificant to them.

[@JacksonGuitarsPlayer03]

@@jmin8400 yep Not even the legendary 5.7 hemi rams they’d take in.

[@AceSRT]

It's a good day when I see a big channel post my car.

[@kevincarpenter561]

I had a 1997 Neon ACR which developed a misfire that was hard to fix and it was getting rusty. Went to look at a couple of these used. Unfortunately I did not like the seating position, front edge of seat bottom too high which made the pedals awkward to use. When I shifted into 2nd my elbow would hit the seat bolster and both test drives were less than ideal, one downtown in a city and the other was more rural but with cold damp roads with lots of wheel spin. Looking back I could have swapped out the seats and made it work and got an LSD? The ACR made a fun back road/commuter car with a set of sticky tires on it, very few people knew what it was.

[@dabnisbrickey6527]

I remember when I was like 9 I sat in one of these in the showroom of our local dodge dealership Jim Cogdill Dodge. It was a yellow one just like this. A 2004 model. I thought it was so cool.