decent little car for the money until head gasket went out

RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN AWAY FROM THESE CARS!! do an internet search on "dodge neon head gasket" and see for yourself. last week our service engine soon light came on. Took it in, had it reset, cost $100. Repair tech notices leaking head gasket. estimated cost: $500-$700. they remove gasket, find a few small spots on the head. we can put it back together and it might last 2 years, might last 2 months. cost for replacing head: $850. So now we are out over $1500 on a car we have owned for 9 months. Dodge is apparently making "good will" payments towards repairs on a case by case basis but second owners can pretty much forget it.

Dodge knows there is a problem with these head gaskets. Dodge dealers are continuing to sell used Neons to unsuspecting customers, knowing they will most likely end up with major repair bills in a very short time. Since it is not a "safety issue" NHTSA will not force a recall. The only hope is a class action suit and putting word out to STAY AWAY FROM THESE CARS!! the good deal on a smaller sportier looking car isn't worth it when you end up with a piece of junk a short time later.

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We own a 1990 Honda Accord with 160,000 miles on it my husband drives to work. We have *never made a single major repair to that car. Other than brakes and tires and basic maintainence it has cost us nothing. Guess who will never buy another US made car after our experience with Dodge?

It's good looks!!! Tons of after market parts to choose from. The power! Definitely the handling! The sound system for a stock radio bumps.

Leaky taillight seals, noisy brakes, and a rough idle.

We bought this car @ Enterprise Sales last year with 24,000 miles on it. After a year we've only put 11,000 more on it and she's purring along just fine. We took it in to our local Dodge dealer and just had a few minor things fixed before our warranty ran out. Such as leaking taillight seals, and a leaking oil sensor gasket. They also replaced the coil due to a poor response. Needless to say if anyone out there has a shuddering Neon at a stop light or in park replace the coil, our Neon is running as good as new now. The car handles like a dream, it just begs for curves and it accelerates wonderfully for a 2.0 liter 4 cylinder with an auto-trans. I'm going to eventually start dressing her up and adding some engine mods to her. Oh and did I mention it will run down all of those rice burners in it's class, bar none. And to those of you Neon haters........"Lay off, at least it's not an import."

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Ford "POS" er um I mean Escort, Toyota Corolla, Nissan Sentra, Chevy Cavalier. They are all inferior when it comes to power and handling! And you must admit none compare to the Neon's styling and stance.

It's good looks!!! Tons of after market parts to choose from. The power! Definitely the handling! The sound system for a stock radio bumps.

Leaky taillight seals, noisy brakes, and a rough idle.

We bought this car @ Enterprise Sales last year with 24,000 miles on it. After a year we've only put 11,000 more on it and she's purring along just fine. We took it in to our local Dodge dealer and just had a few minor things fixed before our warranty ran out. Such as leaking taillight seals, and a leaking oil sensor gasket. They also replaced the coil due to a poor response. Needless to say if anyone out there has a shuddering Neon at a stop light or in park replace the coil, our Neon is running as good as new now. The car handles like a dream, it just begs for curves and it accelerates wonderfully for a 2.0 liter 4 cylinder with an auto-trans. I'm going to eventually start dressing her up and adding some engine mods to her. Oh and did I mention it will run down all of those rice burners in it's class, bar none. And to those of you Neon haters........"Lay off, at least it's not an import."

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Ford "POS" er um I mean Escort, Toyota Corolla, Nissan Sentra, Chevy Cavalier. They are all inferior when it comes to power and handling! And you must admit none compare to the Neon's styling and stance.

None

EVERYTHING, and I'm not joking, especially the customer service from the dealership and car company.

When I first bought this car (new off of the lot) I thought it was the best car in the world, it costed me about 17000 Canadian (about 11000US), taxes included. That is until the 2nd week, when the engin just died on me!! Not once, not twice but THREE TIMES!! All Tree times I had it towed to the dealership. They could not find what was wrong!! Then I had the oxygen sensor go out on me 6X (only had the car for 5 years). Then there was the wind noise, which, again they couldn't fix. Then there is the famous head gasket! I was told by the dealership that Chrysler/Doge had extended the warrenty for this, but did not even tell anyone about them!! I found out only after my warrenty ran out. Great service huh? When I called Chrysler to disgus what has been going on, all they told me was that they have no jurisdiction over dealers, and that if I want to get the car fixed or discuss the pricing about the repairs, I would have to go back to the dealership. They would not even take any kind of responsibilty. Just recently, I had the steering rack replaced because it was rusted to a point that I couldn't even drive the car. The brakes clamps had to be replaced, again because it was rusted. Now I followed the maintance schedule very closely and this still happens. Ladys and Gentelmen, in the 5 years that I have owned the car, it costed me 27000 Canadian $$. 10,000 just for repairs, never mind the other maintance costs. I finaly got rid of the car. Just to warn you folks that are thinking about buying this car. DO NOT DO IT!! It may look cheap, but in the end, it will cost you much more then a car of better quality. Now this was my first car, and because of this experience I WILL NEVER by another Domistic car again, I will be sticking with imports. I have many friends that have owned imports, like Hondas that are much older then mine (10+ years) and have hardly had to spend anything on repairs (and these guys don't come even close to the way I took care of my neon). Overall, Everything is wrong with this car, from engineering to service. If the rating scale goes lower then 1 I would have given it a -100.

Looks Great, ergonomically perfect, great sound system, lots of power for a 4 cyl, handles like a sports car, braking, most room in it's class!!!!

visibility, especially when backing up (you get used to it)

I love my Neon. It is a great handling car that impresses me evey time I drive it.
The Neon is also suprisingly adept in the snow, which is a huge bonus when living in snow country.
The warranty is better than with most other manufacturers, although I doubt that it will matter much with this car.

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Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry, Chevy, Asuna Sunfire, Volks Jetta

The only thing i like bout this car is that it was my first car and it was brand new when i got it. I also like the color.

I have had this car for not even a year and i hate it already. It has been in the shop more times than i can count. My door ajar lights comes on randomly, my power windows won't work sometimes, my sunroof has been stuck open, anything electrical in this car has gone wrong. When it is cold i can not use my keyless entry ( the dealer told me this). I have gotten the worst service from Dodge i will never buy another Dodge again.

Everyday as i get into my car i wonder what is going to go wrong with it today? I am definatly going to get rid of this car before my warranty runs out.

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Anything is better then my car !

The neon isn't the worst of the domestic compacts, it has some good features. I love the DOHC engine, it has a lot of power except before 3000 rpms when it is extremely gutless; it has nice but annoying go kart handling; pretty slick looking bulge hood; stock alloys flow with the car; nice instrument cluster layout; the engine revs pretty easily. Also mine is bright red which is a great color.

This car stands with the majority of American compacts as having a VERY VERY LOW build quality. My head gasket blew at 35K miles, the transmission died at 58K miles, the body panels are flimsy and dent WAY too easily. The car is too easy to knock out of alignment, the suspension on mine is a joke because it makes popping noises and is difficult to control at freeway speeds. Also the right taillight leaks water (an easy fix but still annoying), the plastics look cheap, the door trim panel broke (not the cars fault but the repair shops fault so I probably shouldn't mention it), the window glass scratches too easily and it moves out of place letting a great amount of wind noise into the car. Also the headlights do not emit a great deal of light, actually they are quite weak. The front and rear bumper covers look and feel pretty cheap but they do the job I guess. The resale value stinks. Also don't let me forget the brakes, they wear fast and are pretty weak. The electrical system has typical Mopar quirks and because of that the car has left me stranded twice.

In all fairness I drive my neon pretty hard. Any car driven by me will probably have a deal of problems but it shouldn't have as many as my neon has suffered in the past 2 years I've owned it. Of course it is a fun car to drive most of the time and since it isn't worth much I'll keep it and keep it running until I can get something else. It isn't worth trading off and I've had some good times in it but of course it isn't the best small car in the world but it is better than a Honda. (I say that only because I am prejudiced against Hondas and I WILL NEVER OWN A HONDA, I choose not to be a lemming. Yeah so I'm racist against Hondas so sue me).

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I've only driven American vehicles unfortunately. I won't be buying American again because Americans build lower quality cars compared to Europeans or even Far Eastern folks. (Just my opinion)

Affordable, decent handling and power for the price, quick, roomy, can tow a small trailer, nice interior

Could not trust engine at redline (it would sometimes throw belts, uncertain build quality), Had some mechanical problems. Noisy power steering pump. Inconsistent dealer support.

Decent handling (after adding competition sway bars), however feels like crap after driving my Integra Type-R. Definitely better than the Escort or Omni. Have 110,000 miles on it. Blew a head gasket at 90,000 miles, electrical problems shortly thereafter. Some critical features like rear sway bars were deleted from the sports package in 1997. Added competition (ACR) sway bars myself (ACR struts are coming next). Not a big deal for me since fixed it myself. Would be a big deal for others. Car is fairly easy to work on. Used it to tow racing go-karts to sports car tracks hours away without problems. Overall decent for the price, For a sports car nut like myself, I would recommend the Neon ACR. The R/T costs too much and is not race prepared like the ACR (which is cheaper). The 200 HP 2002? Neon SRT should be a blast (I see serious competition for my Type-R), assuming the price is under $20,000 or so and it gets all the ACR suspension goodies. By the way, don't waste your time with the PT Cruiser. It a Neon with a heavy body (Ugly?) and mushy handling and power. Reminds me of my Omni.

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Ford Escort, Dodge Omni, PT Cruiser

Power, handling, crisp 5-speed, great MPG, plenty of room, great looks, etc.

Needs standard 15 in wheels, ACR adjustable struts should be an option

Where else could you find a sports coupe with 150 HP, 0-60 in 7.5 sec, 4 wheel disc brakes, slick 5 speed, 35 MPG at 75 MPH, room for the whole family, Factory stripes that give the car a Viper look, precise handling equal to a Porsche (with -2 Deg camber in front), and tons of aftermarket goodies available, for $13000 fully loaded with all power accessories, power sunroof, keyless entry, etc. Int. plastic pieces a little cheap, would like oil pressure and ammeter gauges, lumbar support, but overall a great package mostly overlooked. And with their HUGE depreciation, a even better used car value (with a 5 speed).

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1993 VW Corrado, 1993 Infinity G20, 1988 626 Turbo 4WS

It's a nice looking car. The engine seems to be OK so far but who knows how long that will last.

I had a leak in the rear tail light that no one believed was there directly from the Dodge factory and couldn't get it fixed for almost 11 months. Idiot mechanics. My electrical system is FUBAR. Everytime I bring it into Doan Dodge somthing else goes wrong with the car. OK so maybe its the car or maybe its the mechanics but I won't ever buy a Dodge NEON or go to Doan Dodge dealership!

I have only had the car a year and I have been to the mechanics more times than I can count. I bought a new car specifically to keep me away from the Garage. This NEON has only caused me more problems. I want a used car!!!!

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