Let's get straight to the point. This article is about the death of my 2004 Dodge Neon SRT-4. This past Monday it was involved in a high-speed crash on the i-696 freeway near i-75. My wife was on her way work in the early morning. Without warning, the car in front her slammed on their brakes and she did all that she could to avoid crashing into others around her; she selflessly sacrificed herself and the car. So allow me to be clear:
#1: My wife is fine. She is not hurt and we couldn't be more blessed and thrilled that nothing more than an achy neck and back resulted. It could have been much worse, the good Lord sent extra angels her way this day.
#2: I don't want you to think that I'm materialistic or that this car is a status symbol to me. But I want you to understand what this car meant to me.
With that being said, I'm really sad about my Dodge Neon SRT-4. 2004-2010, RIP. It was a super-de duperdy car. It was MY first NEW car. I considered it the affordable sports car of my dreams. I was a happy 24 year old. It was fast, and not much could keep up with it on the road. This car is a severely modified Neon. It was equipped with a 2.4L turbo charged I-4. It had a 5 speed manual and I'll tell you what, chicks digged it. And when I say chicks digged it, I am implying that one chick (my wife) digged it. I bought it on a cold winter day in early 2005. We bonded instantly. Now granted, this wasn't the best *winter* car, but it sure could handle itself just fine on dry pavement. Out of the gate I knew this one was special. It wasn't even a two months later when I entered this hotrod into some of its first auto-cross style races.
Allow me to shift gears a little (pun intended). Have you ever been really attached to vehicle before? As a child or at some other point in your life? Is it wrong to get attached to an 'object' and not a person? I am in no position to make that judgement for you, but I'll tell you, it's hard not to. I remember as a child, my dad selling a car that had been in the family for a while. I remember watching out the window, seeing the car drive away for the last time. It brought me to tears. Why? I have no idea, I'm too young to remember the details, I don't even remember what type of car it was. But there is obviously something there. You have old reliable, going everywhere with you for many important parts of your life. My SRT4 was there with me as I bought my first house, got married to my lovely bride (of now 4+ years), as I drove into GDLS day by day, and as I went to Tennessee and other vacations over the years. This car was an absolute beast, as I asked it to do what it could do at it's most extreme limits in it's younger days of racing.
Can you put a price tag on sentimental value? Indeed, a very hard concept to be objective about. I was thinking the other day that while this vehicle cost me under $20k out the door, I think it easily had over six figures worth of memories, even given the bad ones. Can you put a price on safety? I had asked the vehicle numerous times to stretch its' legs a little. Going 0-60 in under 6 seconds was quite thrilling. I'll never forget the feel and the sound as a the "turbo-that-could" put me in the back of my seat. But it was done with grace and class, and I never once felt that I was ever unsafe or out of control. The bucket seats and the suspension kept me firmly in place. How much is that worth to you?
Perhaps you are thinking to yourself that I am getting way too into this, and that I am a little over-the-top. Maybe you're right. But allow me to add that I was a real car guy growing up. I read all the magazines, memorized all the stats, wanted to drive every car on the road, and was a little obsessed with Chrysler's Neons. The SRT-4 was neon #6 in the line of Mark Russell neons. It was the bees knees, the cat's pajamas, the whatever you want to call it. It had a special place in my heart. I realize that in the last year or two, I primarily drove the (Burnt) Orange Jeep Patriot. (Patriot: Pa-troy-t). Well for those who know me, I am a bit of a bicycler. The SRT4 was not bicycle friendly. The Jeep is bicycle friendly, and also had fewer miles on it. For a while, Mrs. Russell's commute to work was much, much less that mine to GDLS, and so I wanted the extra miles to go onto the Jeep, and the not the SRT4, as we had planned to keep it FOREVER. This being said, I wasn't shunning the SRT4, it just wasn't as practical for me as the Jeep is.
Also, please don't think that I am in way, shape, or form that I am blaming Mrs. Russell for what happened. Accidents are accidents, there is a reason things happen by accident. She is a tremendous driver; I have never seen a female handle a 5 speed tranny the way that she does. She was always wanting tips on how to get the most performance out it the car. The important thing is that she is just fine, and the way she handled herself and the car during the crash was honestly world-class. This talks to her level of selfless-ness; she did everything in her power to avoid other cars and kamikaze the SRT4 into the cement wall.
Neon SRT4, you will be missed. Although everyone called you just a 'neon', or dodge omni, or vega, or pinto as some of my loving co-workers did, you were a true American sports-car. You will be missed. I am still waiting to be low-balled by the insurance company for the price of the car. Dealers can sell these for $10k in my car's condition, even given its' 88k miles. I surely won't get anywhere near that from the insurance company, but I will be darned if I don't spend the entire day trying to negotiate as much as I can for it. You can't factor in sentimental value into price of the check, but if they could, the dealer would probably cut me a check for $50k. Long live the SRT4, you will be missed. 2004-2010, RIP.
Please feel free to share your thoughts, or perhaps offer some advice on what type of car my wife and I should drive next (given that we about to be free of SRT4 car payments).
