Copyright: Pete Zaitcev, 1998-1999
Edition: 4b
Date: 2000 06 18
Credits:
The bulk of the material is provided by generous members of BANEON.
They are Tom Hampreys, Ed Mitchell, Rex Scates, Warren Golubsky, and others.
A: See the introductory information at the BANEON home page: http://www.baneon.org/. This FAQ covers some of the questions which Steve's page does not answer.
Many recommend Mather Auto Dismantlers, 4095 Happy Lane, Mather, phone 916-366-8211. Directions by Warren: Take Bradshaw off hwy 50, Left on Kiefer, Left on Happy Lane.
A: Ed says:
[Mather] are probably they best place in town. Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge Dismantlers has a decent selection of parts, but they want way too much. [Mather] seem to specialize in Chrysler cars to some extent. Their philosophy is that the parts they sell may go into a Neon, or someone may want them for a project car (case in point, someone bought some seats from a dead 95 Sport Sedan for a '39 Ford they were rebuilding as a show car). I highly recommend them. Plus, they are really cool guys in general, and they have a nify cat named 6-pack (has 6 toes per front foot).
CPD phone number is 916-638-5100.
All of these are located in Sacramento. Warren mentions American River, Sacramento area too.
It is a common opinion among car enthusiasts that you should not go to dealer if at all possible. I second Tom and Warren on that. However if you must, please read on.
Ed writes:
Well this is a trick. In the past, Weil Motors, in Lodi(about 35-40 minutes south of Sacramento on Highway 99) has given me EXCELLENT service, support and whatnot. They tend to take a bit longer than a large dealership would. Weil has a showroom that holds 3 offices and one car (the rest are on a small lot in back), and a shop with maybe 3 or 4 lifts and 7 or 8 techs. These guys are good, attentive(when I had a Nemo mount on my car, they wanted to keep my car longer to find out the source of the vibration -- something I never even mentioned to them!), and do it right the FIRST time.
The parts guys are nice as well. Being a small shop, their markup isn't that big, and I've even been offered items, in bulk, at about 2% above their cost(case of Mopar 5speed tranny fluid, for example). Good guys there too.
The Roseville AutoMall houses AutoWest Dodge...the sales force is mediocre. Took me 3 hours to go from sticker price, to about $600 below sticker. And that isn't much of a deal. The service department SUCKS SHIT. They promise cars too far in advance, never have them done, and often don't do things right the first time. However, the service manager, Emile LeChambre, is a decent human, and if you give it the 'Look, the car is NEW, why does it need an XXXX replaced already?' he'll stick you in a rental, free of charge.
The parts department is a bit out of control up there as well, except for perhaps one shining star - Norm (no joke). Norm will bust ass to find the right part (the computerized parts system's dealers have suck pretty much... hell *I* could write something better). If Norm doesn't have the part, he'll GET the part, often the same day. Plus he seems to be something of a gear head (likes to talk about Neons and Vipers!) and he's computer literate (which means he's that far above the average cross section of the population).
Phone: 510-252-5000
URL:
http://www.teamautowest.com/
Location: West off Auto Mall exit from freeway 880 in Fremont.
Oneliner: Great for warranty; out of warranty is pricey.
We ought to ask Ed if Rosewille AutoMall AutoWest is the same or sister company of Fremont AutoMall AutoWest. Other than that, no decisive expirience. Joel Hamilton is as good a salesman as a salesman can be. He recommends to talk to William Stacia about repairs. I had a difficult time persuading William that I am not a moronic customer but once there he did my steering knuckles without any questions asked, per TSB 02-01-98. I would do my alignment there but the price was not right ($58).
Location: 776 East El Camino Real, Sunnyvale.
Phone: 408-732-7800
Shaikh says:
Forget Falore!! Bought my first Neon there and I really hated every minute of the experience.. got a good deal, though, after clawing and scratching!
No reports about service exist.
Location: 1095 West El Camino Real, Sunnyvale
Phone: 408-738-0400
Location: 1 Bair Island Rd, Redwood City
Phone: 650-364-0100
Location: 640 Veterans Blvd, Redwood City
Phone: 650-365-6000
Mixed reports received, both good and bad.
Phone: 408-266-9500
Location: at the corner of Capitol Expressway and Pearl Avenue, San Jose.
It is one block away from the freeway 87.
URL:
http://www.normandinchrysler.com/
Oneliner: Used to be the best, but Jared slashed them.
Shaikh Ahmad gives a very positive apprisal and recommends to ask Rick Toscano for service. Bob Hickman was my service advisor when I went to fix my alignment because they promised it cheaper ($35). He made it under warranty [sic], so I should not complain... but he did not release alignment figures to me. Jared had a difficult time with him however.
Phone: 408-248-1800
Location: San Jose
Rich "FUHonda" Kelby turned to them for new FMM in October 1998. They gave him rental although he was 20 years old and in general left him satisfied. Jobee Hammond also recommends them (he lets them to fix his Viper as well as Neon).
No information.
I-5: South of Tracy and down to Bakersfield it is essentialy stright, fast and smooth highway, two lanes in each direction. Traffic goes at 75 MPH. Lots of nearby rest points, food, gas. I did my first road trip in America on I-5 and it was very nice. But perhaps it cannot be appreciated by natives.
Mt. Hamilton:
From San Jose, I-880, I-680 exit at Alum Rock avenue, east. Turn right at
Road 130.
From Tracy, Sacramento follow I-5 south, exit at Peterson, take right turn.
In San Antonio valley take left turn.
From Oakland, Livermore - take Mines road.
Surface is good enough at all three legs of this route.
Road climbs slopes of Mt. Hamilton, twists a lot.
San Antonio valley has some nice fast stretches.
Rt-9: Approximate route: Start from Saratoga, follow road 9 uphill, then cross road 35 and go down on the other side to Boulder Creek. Many quick turns, good surface. On the right road 236 goes to the Great Basin. It is very slow an narrow road, may be interesting though.
Hwy-17: not recommended - too much traffic.
This is what Tom has to say:
Most of my spirited driving has been in the Santa Cruz hills. Them thar hills are full of fun roads. Here's a few of my favorite routes. Hwy 9 or Big Basin Way from Saratoga to Santa Cruz. It offers smooth pavement, nicely banked turns mixed with a few high speed sections (90+) but mostly tight, moderate speed corners (40-60mph). This road can be cluttered with RV's, bicycles and law enforcement on busy week-ends, but when clear of these hazards, it's real fun. Hwy 35 or Skyline blvd. which runs along the top of these hill's. Hwy 9, Page Mill Road/Alpine Road, Hwy 84 and Hwy 92 all cross Skyline Blvd. From as far south as Summit Road (off Hwy 17) all the way north to Hwy 92 is a real blast!. This road also offers nice pavement and well banked corners but yearns for high speeds; as fast as your machine and nerves can handle. There's "Alice's Restaurant" and "Skyline market" at the intersection of 84 and 35 to stop for a bite to eat, let your machine cool down and hang out with a wide variety of people; Harley Davidson bikers, high performance, knee-dragging' motorcycle enthusiast, mountain bikers, and car clubs of all types. Hwy 84 from 280 to Hwy 1 is also very nice. This road is fairly tight and can be very crowded on the week-ends, but is a nice alternative to reach the coast rather than going over Hwy 17. Hwy 92 from 280 to Hwy 1. This road is quite similar to Hwy 84 in many ways; tight twisties and can be crowded on wee-ends. Although it drops you off in Half Moon Bay where you can find a place to eat. The coast highway, or Hwy 1 from San Francisco heading south to.......heck Valencia (about 100 miles north of L.A.) is nice. This is the scenic alternative to get to Los Angeles. The road follows the coast all the way down till it meets Hwy 101. It offers many vista points to stop and enjoy the beautiful seascape views. There are also some nice secluded beaches along the way. Look these up on a map and try a few of them out. You can make a big loop taking many of these roads. If you plan on trying these on the week-ends, be sure to start off early (7:00 am) to avoid most of the traffic.
Ed's:
US 50, from pretty much Whitehall to Carson City is a FUN drive, if the weather is nice and yer not busy dusting 535's on the upgrades! ;) To the north: Follow US 1 up the coast to Stewart's Point. To the right (facing north) there will be a road called Skagg's Springs Road. VERY narrow paved logging road. If you get on it in good weather(I suggest August), you can REALLY test out the car. Makes the Mt. Hamilton run look like a cake walk. The road eventually dumps you out near US 101. Highway 128 - This is near Davis, California. You follow Russel Blvd west out of Davis, toward Lake Berryessa. Once you get west of I-5, the road twists and turns its way along Putah Creek. Beautiful country, and the creek has some nice picnic grounds near it. Off US-50. Take US 50 east to Silver Fork. Turn off a bit east of Silver Fork, and follow the U.S. Forest Service Road into the El Dorado National Forest. This is again a 1 lane road, give or take. It parallels some camping areas(some improved, some unimproved)and dumps you out on highway 88(Mormon Emmigrant Trail). Good ride, but you need to check it out in early summer to see what the road conditions are like from the past winter's rains/floods. [...]
Lake Berryessa - great drive around it on two lane roads. During the weekend there is a traffic of tracks hauling boats.
On a Labor Day weekend BANEON goes out to Blackrock Desert for several days of driving. Blackrock is located in Nevada, north from Reno near the road 447 and town of Gerlach. Blackrock is not covered here because it is way too far from Bay Area.
Ed notes that "The roads in Nevada from Reno to BlackRock Desert (447) are a BLAST!!!!! I cannot emphasize that enough. Straight, almost no twists -- a speeder's paradise... you just GO... visibility is good, and once you get far enough out, cops are pretty rare." I must add that during the Labor Day there is a lot of police cars on road 447. In 1998 Jon received a ticket for 77 in 70. The visibility requirements are paramount on 447 because of undulations. It is extremely easy to crest too fast and hit a disabled vehicle or other hazard. Always reduce speed when visibility is limited by a crest. Do NOT speed around Nixon and Pyramid lake. Do NOT pass across double lines. I found the highway markings sensible on 447. If the line is double, passing causes trouble.
Rt. 152 + G-8: Rich Shelby took BANEON to this southern route in the summer of 1999. Start on highway 1 and turn off to Rt. 152 due east, and make sure you end on Hecker Pass Road. Once over the hill do not enter Gilroy, but instead turn left on G-8 and follow it into the Silicon Valley. Good combination of flat two lane roads and same roads twisting in the hills.