Dodge Neon Midsize | Compact

Dodge Neon Midsize | Compact 

DESCRIPTION

(1994 - 2005) The Neon is offered as a two-door coupe and four-door sedan with two engine options; a 2.0-liter, 132-hp 4 cylinder or a 2.0-liter/150-hp 4 cylinder. Choose between a 3-speed automatic, 5-speed manual transmission. ABS is optional.

USER REVIEWS

Showing 51-60 of 470  
[Jan 22, 2004]
matt
Model Reviewed: neon

Strength:

price, w/air.

Weakness:

design flaw brakes. design flaw engine- cylinder head gasket requires early repair.

decent car at decent price, but you get what you pay for. brakes have always squealed like a greased pig at very slow speeds when wet- unfixable, but real kicker is the cylinder head gasket problem at 56K miles!

Similar Products Used:

88 dodge ( mitsubishi) colt. still no major problems!

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
2
[Jan 19, 2004]
Pat
Model Reviewed: Neon Sport

Strength:

Cheap, good looking, easiest car to change the oil since my 68 Falcon. Easy to perform DYI repairs, great pickup, lots of power, easy handling.

Weakness:

High backend, brakes squeak in the rain & seem to wear out too quickly, loud, dealer is always trying to get me to pay for extra work on it

I actually love my Neon. It has problems like any other car, but nothing that I haven't been able to take care of. I have owned it for 5 years and I plan to keep it as long as it runs.

Similar Products Used:

Dodge Daytona, Dodge Shadow

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Dec 23, 2003]
Bill Preston
Model Reviewed: Dodge Neon

Strength:

Great mileage that has always been between between 30mpg and 40mpg. Great longevity. Solid long-lasting car.

Weakness:

None

My wife purchased this 1996, 4-door, 2.0 SOHC, 5 speed manual, Neon new. The early problem was the AC - bad compressor. Chysler paid for that fix. Since then it has been nothing except routine maintenance and end of life repairs. These include: Oil changes every 8-10k miles (I have to add a quart or two in the interim, big deal, $2.00), 3 changes of plugs and plug wires (every 75k or so), two complete changes of hoses and belts, including timing belt (every 115k), four set of tires (every 60k), one thermostat (at about 150k), 3 radiator flushes, one battery (around 110k), several fuses, 1 set of front disk brakes (at 125k), 1 shift cable box (at 220k miles), 1 headlight lamp, a couple of tail light lamps, 3 or four cans of freon, and that is about it. The car now has 249k miles. To say that we've been satisfied with my wife's choice of cars would be an understatement. Gas mileage has never been below 30mpg and in a recent weekend trip of 700 miles we averaged 35mpg (with a full car and car top carrier). I guess we got lucky in buying this car. I've read countless reviews about how other bought this year and had nothing but problems. Our experience has been just the opposite, and the car still looks good too. To be fair, the car has just begun having transmission problems and I'm having a hard time getting it to go into reverse. I don't really want to spend the money to fix this, but it's a lot cheaper than a new car, and maybe it'll get me another 100k to 200k miles. incidentally, the "Check Engine Soon" light came on at about 130k miles and has been on ever since. I'm still waiting for "Soon" to come.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Dec 17, 2003]
Eric Brown
Model Reviewed: Dodge Neon Highline

Strength:

Good gas mileage on the highway. Most problems don't take place intil you exceed 75K miles.

Weakness:

Oil leaks Constantly replace brakes (almost every 25K miles) Fuel gauge bounces up and down Not air tight, you can hear all the wind in the world Water in the trunk In a good Rain storm you can have alot of water on the floor of the back seat and front seat as well

Please be advise, do not buy a Dodge Neon. I don't care how new they are. I have a 1996 Dodge Neon Highline and it was a good card when I bought it used in 1999 with only 32K miles. Now I have 92K miles and the car is falling apart. The radio will not work, the fuel gauge bounces up and down (even if you have a full tank of gas), the breaks replaced twice and still squeeks, loud wind noise, when it rains the water leaks into the trunk where the spare tire is at, during a good rain storm i get water in the back seat of the car, it rides very low. Otherwise, it's good on gas (refering to highway miles only) and it is a good starter car. However, Dodge needs to either build a better quality car or just discontinue it!!!!!

Similar Products Used:

My 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlas Cierra 4 door sedan was better than this and never had as many problems as the 1996 Dodge Neon.

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Dec 11, 2003]
Melissa
Model Reviewed: Neon Highline

Strength:

I guess it looks good and has a good stereo.

Weakness:

Head Gasket problems. Instrument failure (ie gas gage, panel lights) Transmission leaks Oil leaks Poor fuel economy for small car Small Trunk Interior Road Noise Interior defects

I would love to say that this has been a good car, but unfortunately, I cannot. I have had nothing but problems with this car resulting in over $5,000 worth of repairs in the 5 years I have owned it. This is fairly troubling since the car is no longer worth even more than $1000 when I paid near $10,000. Of course, just like most owners know, the head gasket went out near 80,000 miles which is a major expense that should not happen at that mileage. Poor alignment, bad brakes, unfunctioning instruments, a slipping transmission, and several oil leaks down the road, the problems still keep coming. Even though I have fixed every oil leak the shops can find, I still have to put a quart of oil in this car every week. The gas gage stopped working, sometimes the panel lights (sometimes it does not), the car vibrates wildly and acts as if it will die at stop signs, and now the interior is falling apart as well. By this I mean that the door handles, knobs and interior panels are becoming detached. I have done everything I can to keep up with the routine maitenance on this car but now I am ready to give up. I have replaced all that is wrong, followed the owner's manual recommendations and have never wrecked it but I wonder every morning if I will get to work safely or not.

Similar Products Used:

Honda Civic Toyota Corolla

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Dec 02, 2003]
flysafe
Model Reviewed: Sedan

Strength:

It has great gas mileage. It has a real sporty look, specially the red one. I not had one problem since I bought it.

Weakness:

The back is high and it is tough backing up.

I am extremely happy with my Neon. Even though it's only a 4 cylinder, it has a lot of get up and go. I live in an area where there are a lot of winding roads and this Neon is incredible the way it corners. When we're out on the freeways, it really zips along.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Nov 27, 2003]
Jon
Model Reviewed: Neon SXT

Strength:

Its small, but roomy enough. Nice big trunk space. Good gas mileage so far. Mine came with an Xenon Body Kit(Yay!) It's a cute car.

Weakness:

I can't see over the drivers seat when I'm going to pass someone. You need to really need to use the side mirrors. Has no pick up speed was so ever. The back end is so high, It's hard to back into a spot. The spoiler is so high up, Its hard to see also. The windsheild wipers blow and so does the front defrost.

It is a really cute car, I thought.I bought it with only like 150 miles on it.Its an okay car,thought it would be better,but it gets me where I'm going and I didn't have to pay for it

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Nov 26, 2003]
Kaiti
Model Reviewed: Plymouth Neon Sport

Strength:

An adorable car! Sounds great - purrs. Non-expensive.

Weakness:

Brakes!!! Alignment, back seat too high to see behind you.

Bought the car 6 years old with 60k miles - immediately after the seller had to replace the head gasket ($800). The first problem showed up about a week after I bought it when the brakes went out; seems to be an extremely common problem for the '95 Plymouth and Dodge Neons. The brake repair was $600. I'd had it for a year when the water pump exploded at 75 miles/hour on a highway. Some belts broke as well. $650 repair. After that, things looked up, except the brakes were never really any better. They always grind, even after repairs. Alignment is very poor as well.

Similar Products Used:

1995 Dodge Neon Sport, purchased to replace this one which was totalled in January 02.

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
3
[Nov 06, 2003]
RG
Model Reviewed: ES

Strength:

great handling, peppy motor, comfortable interior, safe car.

Weakness:

3 speed automatic is geared too low for the highway.

I have nothing bad to say about the neon. I just traded my 2000 in on a 2004. The only reason I traded it had 85k on it and I wanted a new car before winter hit. I beat the living crap out of this car since the day I had it and the only thing that ever went was the battery. I was slammed in the rear end at a stop light by an 88 ford crown victoria. Damage was 4k, but as hard as I was hit, I was expecting to get out and see my car was totalled, but just the bumper, deck lid and very minimal frame damage. The car handled better than any car I have ever owned, and the 2.0 is quite peppy. Fuel mileage is good to 65mph, then goes downhill. The 3 speed automatic in the 2000 sucked, revved way to high on the highway. The 2004 has a 4 speed auto and shifts much, much better, a huge improvement. The interior was very comfortable and more than enough room. All in all, I really like the neon, wouldn't have bought another one if I didn't.

Similar Products Used:

chevy beretta

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
3
[Oct 08, 2003]
Mark
Model Reviewed: Neon LX

Strength:

Looks great. Fast for a 2.0 L engine. Great on gas. Ergonomically almost perfect. Realatively low road noise. Excellent on slippery surfaces. Great stereo - cd changer. Roomy. Handles very well!

Weakness:

Low to the ground - pushes snow when more than 12 inches deep

I have had this car for almost 3 years. Before I bought it, I tried everything else in it's class. I tried to like the Hondas, Toyotas and other Japanese cars more, but I couldn't. The Neon was overall a better feeling car on test rides. After 3 years, I haven't been disappointed. I have had no problems. The car is rattle free and drives as well as the day I bought it. I guess Chrysler is not very consistent with their manufacturing, judging by all the bad reviews this car gets, but I do love my Neon!

Similar Products Used:

Corrola, Jetta, Tercel, Asuna Sunfire

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
Showing 51-60 of 470  

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