Dodge SRT4. At the (almost) end of it's run, bow your heads and reflect.

[Deezildennis]

Ah the memories.

It was a great run. It was very exciting for the first year. Its still ok now but early 2003 was special.

Every time we stopped for gas we would get crowds of kids hovering over the car.
For a month I never saw another srt-4. I was the second person in STL to get theirs.

I paid $2k cash as down payment and made the dealership promise not to drive more that 3 miles in the car and to keep it off the front lot once unloaded.

It was a big thing then to everyone at the dealership. The car was delivered with one base model neon and that was it for the load.

I remember the dealership calling me and telling me the car arrived and to come and get it. I had only seen one other srt-4 up close in another state. And it was marked up to $25k.

The first ride was very cool and it seemed a bond was made between me and the car. We didnt even drive it maybe 2 miles and turned around to quickly get the paperwork done.

The forums have been great and not so great.
I remember being the first one to get the STS and that caused a few page thread.

When the mopar bov was first shown to the public I reverse engineered from a picture Machined one and had pretty much the same thing 3 months before mopar even started selling it. I got really nasty PM's from the PVO guys about that. That upset me a tad.

I watched a srt club grow here in town and was around for the Birth of JMB Performance which is here local and Owned by a Fellow Club member. I dont know how many times his poor srt-4 has been apart to check fittment. I can Assure you if you ever bought a CAI from him its been test fitted on his car before its ever sent.

Now thats dedication!

It'll be sad to see the srt-4 go out of production. It really deserves more praise than it has recieved. But I must admit it was great being the underdog and handing beatdowns left and right.

To me it will always be "Th3 Fastest cAr Evar"

Sniff

[NoisufnoC]

Well done!

[iball]

You forgot the infamous "160mph autobahn run" video that was made and circulated across the nets to dispel rumors of a speed limiter on the car. Good times!

[MikeCrowsoft]

I give you 10 for the write up. I also feel this is by far the car that i enjoyed the most. This is my 6th new car. I guess all good things must come to an end. I intend to take care of this baby, gradually modding it and keeping it for a very long time (> 8 years) and have tons of fun with it. People can say what they want, this car will leave it's mark in the sport's compaq scene. Props to the SRT folks that made it possible.

[never2muchboost]

wow i hope you are heading towards a career in journalism,that was a heck of a write up!

[FrankMcKeever]

Great read man! You should add something in there about the Commemorative Edition. I bet those would be worth a lot of cash if you never drove it and saved it for 20 years

[ESRT7]

The only FWD cars I ever owned were a 2002 ACR and my current 04 SRT-4. I remember reading about a prototype supercharger neon with a ten in sub a while ago in the Dodge owner magazine that my wife got mailed to her from time to time. She had a 95 Neon 4 dr sport. All neons are fun cars. it is sad to see them go, and also surprising because sales are so good. But look on the bright side, the total number of SRT-4's is limited, and they will remain a classic because of (dare I say) their importance to auutomotive history. That may be sappy, but twenty years from now, there will be people at car shows saying "Wow I remember those. You don't see those around much anymore." Camaros, mustangs and Hondas just won't envoke that type of response. LONG LIVE THE SRT-4

[toasteroven]

Wow. Thanks for all the positive comments guys and gals. I was sitting here today, looking through my massive SRT4 picture and video archive (saved almost everything that caught my eye), and started reminicing.

Quote: Originally Posted by iball

You forgot the infamous "160mph autobahn run" video that was made and circulated across the nets to dispel rumors of a speed limiter on the car. Good times!

I should have mentioned it - but I trimmed a lot of stuff out. What you guys read is about half of what I typed up. Went through it and deleted a lot of stuff so every other reply won't be "Cliff notes?".

That 160mph video that SRT-USAF, Mr_bojangles80, IM4U2NV81 and KevPSR made is the first video I show anyone who asks me about the car. I even have it imported on my Palm Zire 72 so I can play it for people @ car shows. If you haven't seen it, go over to www.dodgez.com and play it.

Quote: Originally Posted by never2muchboost

wow i hope you are heading towards a career in journalism,that was a heck of a write up!

I wrote that from start to finish in about 15 minutes. If I got paid for it, I probably won't have as much fun at it. Thanks for the kudos though.

Quote: Originally Posted by FrankMcKeever

Great read man! You should add something in there about the Commemorative Edition. I bet those would be worth a lot of cash if you never drove it and saved it for 20 years

True - I should. But I left a lot of stuff out. I remember when the blue plate was something EVERYONE wanted. When the first in-car videos of 2003 SRT4s were posted, and people were keeping it under 4k RPMs for the break in!

And don't forget there are a few good threads about the history of the SRT4, threads about all the differences between model years and so forth... I just wanted to type up what's been in my head today - especially after getting off the phone with my friend, who is finally getting an SRT4, to tell him about the employee rates on it (Canada! Ha!). Thought back to when I finally got my SRT4, and the long wait before that to even see one in person up here in Canada.

Also reminded me that this platform, PL, has been around for 10 years. The Neon itself as of late has gotten a lot of respect (many people I know call it a mini-Intrepid), and it's one of the best built cars I've ever known of.

Again, kudos to the PVO / SRT team for putting this car together, and building it strong. Thanks to DCX for letting us buy it. And thanks to the community here for making this car more than just another car. It's an experience.

Over a year of ownership of an SRT4, and I still have this stupid grin plastered on my face. I love this car.

[xxx_srt]

I feel the need to contribute:

The car I was driving before was given to me by my parents. It was a 96 Neon. It was bought brand new, and still runs to this day, with 250,000km on the odo. But it was getting old and I needed a more reliable car to drive to and from work, 100+km a day, without being stranded on the side of the road.

My SRT-4 is the first car that I have ever purchased on my own. It is the first car that I have ever paid my own insurance for.

It is my first MTX car as well. I drove it everywhere after I bought it in July of last year, so that I could get used to shifting. I even drove it during last year's winter, here in Ontario, Canada, on the stock BFG's no less!

I even made a couples' morning when they witnessed my best rendition of "The Nutcracker" in the parking lot of a gas station near work. There was an ice storm all night and the parking lot was uneven and the tires could not grip! That was the precise moment when I thought to myself, Damnit! I know what I will be buying next winter!

I hope that the SRT will last as long as the ol' 96 has. At least until the lease is up. After that I'm shooting for the elusive (and likely impossible), 10 second 1/4!

But with that in mind, I close by apologizing for my ramblings and random thoughts, I thank everyone for the information that they have offered me through this forum and for the SRT-4...Bye.

xxx_srt

[HybridKid]

Thank You.

[NogaBlitz]

Liked my 03 so much, I traded up for an 05 since I realised the car was going to stay with me for a very long time and as such, I may as well have an LSD. It's been an experience to say the least. Now how about that Razor?

[sour kraut]

I remember buying my 2ngt and hearing rumors about a neon that was supercharged. After reading many posts about dropping in a 2.4 in a second gen eclipse and turboing it(2gnt.com) I was about ready to do it, THEN I found out dodge was actually going to release a production car with everything I wanted without the work. I wasted a year and a half trying to find the right car, and mid 04 I found it! I love this car and will have it for a VERY long time. Good write up man, and may the srt4 become the object of legends!!

[Skankhair]

The SRT-4 is a modern classic.

Years later, people will look back on the SRT-4 as they do cars like the Escort Cosworth, Shelby GLH-S, and Lancia Delta EVO. These cars were based on simple economy cars, but they offered great performance for a small amount of money, AND had great practicality. They are classic cars that most car guys respect and love- their economy car roots only making them more lovable. They were infamous for their giant-killing performance. And in their time, the people that drove the giants gave them less respect than they deserved.

The same people that say "it's only a Neon" today will later say "man, that was one badass car" just as we all do with the cars I listed above.

[dommo_g]

About 11 years ago, I was looking to trade in my '88 Grand Am. (Quad 4, YEAH!!) I wasn't making crap for money, but that was cool. I test drove some cars like the (then) new Kia Sephia, a Suzuki something or other, a Subaru Impreza, (whew, close call). And then I saw a big billboard on the highway. Hi. And it had the front view of this funny looking car with big round headlights. I thought I remembered seeing this weird concept car a couple years back. I remember thinking to myself, "I'm gonna get one of those." After all of the economy cars I had test drove, I went to Pro Jeep Eagle Chrysler Plymouth and drove a Neon. I honked the horn like I did to all of the other cars. Nice deep loud tone, not wimpy like the others. When I got it on the highway, whoa! (In comparison, that is.) There was no question. I bought my '95 base model white Neon on April 13, 1994.

I don't know when exactly I came across the Modern Performance website, but it was after such a long time of ZERO aftermarket for the Neon, and it was almost surreal. Seeing stuff that I had only seen for Civics. Then it was all over. First mod: Iceman intake, then this, then that, on and on. That base model was QUICK! No power steering, no AC, no rear defrost. Shit, it didn't even come with a radio. But I sure did leave that IROC behind my first time at the strip. I know I still have those timeslips somewhere. And I finally smoked my friend's Geo Storm GSI that I was always chasing in that damn Pontiac.

Then several years later, I saw this:

I always had dreams of being the first to have one, since I drove my Neon for so long before even seeing another on the street. But my wallet wouldn't allow it. I went through 3 other Neons before getting my SRT. My first white one finally got totalled when some bonehead ran a red light an T-boned me. Sad day when the tow truck came to pick it up and take it to the junkyard.

I don't know what it is about this little car, maybe because it's always been the underdog and needed me to keep pulling for it. But I haven't drove anything but Neons since that day in April over 11 years ago. Except for my wife's vehicles. It's been over a year, and sometimes I'll poke my head into the garage, turn on the light, see my little Silver Bullet there and just smile. Then that smile gets even bigger when I drive it.

Sorry about all the "Neon" talk. But dammit, I'm old school. And just remembering the roots.

And to think, I almost bought an Impreza.

[iball]

You also forgot about SRT_USAF being the first (and last) to wreck his SRT-4 on the Nurburgring!
How many OTHER sport compact cars have a similiar claim to fame? Hell, have even any of them been run on it or Hockenheim?