It's a nice looking car.

See above.

This is by far the WORST car I have ever owned. Since the day I purchased this vehicle brand new, I have had nothing but problems - such as the famous "Head Gasket" had to be replaced at 30,000 miles; ignition switches replaced; engine mounts; a fuel leak; steering column recalled by Chrysler; paint peeling on outside window trim; defroster broken (and this problem occurred when I only had the car several weeks); rear speakers shot; and, my most favorite of all is - rain actually leaks through the driver side and passenger side windows when the windows are shut. And right now, I have another major oil leak that needs fixing. All this, and I'm just approaching 50,000 miles.

Chrysler should be ashamed of themselves and I'm not a bit surprised how terrible their sales are at the present time. I'm getting rid of this car in several months and have already picked out a Toyota Corrolla. If you don't believe how terrible this car is, next time you drive by a used car dealership (Dodge/Chrysler)take a look at the "neon graveyard."

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-Looks Good.
-Roomy interior for a small car.
-Thank God they have an extended warranty program.

-Wind noise at high speeds.
-Mechanical problems with A/C, fuel pump, oil leak, fuel injector, suspension.

I bought the car new in 1997 for the 1998 model year. I have taken care of it and not driven it hard. The car currently has 58,000 miles on it. In the 3 1/2 years I have had it, the warranty has been used to replace the fuel pump, fix a major oil leak, replace major A/C components (had to take the whole dash off to fix it), and replace a fuel injector. I have had to replace the battery, brakes, and the sway bar suspension rod as well. They were not covered under the extended warranty though. If I had not gotten the extended warranty for 5 years or 75,000 miles, I would have incurred about $4000.00 in repair bills in the last year due to the A/C problems, oil leak, and fuel injector replacement.

The vehicle has a lot of wind noise coming from the windows when the vehicle gets up to 65 miles per hour or more. This is primarily caused by the fact there is no upper support frame for the windows. All, in all, I liked the looks and style of the vehicle, but it sure has had a number of problems. I would not recommend this car. The newly redesigned Neons may be better, but I will never know.

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This car is so noisy, I'm only using this as a rental while mine is repaired but I would never purchase this car. The steering wheel shakes violently when I get to 70mph (this is the legal speed limit). There are numerous blind spots which make this a dangerous car as well. I've read where this is a first car for many teens - if you love your teen please don't give them this car. This is a brand new car and the seats are flat also.

Not a good car, I do not feel safe driving this car.

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I have had both an Accord and Civic and never had trouble with either. Got rid of the Accord when my lease was up, traded the Civic when I had my first child - needed a little bit more room.

Pretty fast. Cheap to buy.

Brakes squeak, changed head gasket twice in 10000 miles, windows don't seal, oxygen sensor twice. It was fine until the warranty ran out, then all this happened.

Problems, problems, problems. Make sure your bank account is full.

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Integra, Civic, 240, Protege are all better. Hey, at least its better than the Focus/Escort

Drivetrain (power and quality), handling (better than most cars), fit & finish are +++, design is logical and precise, climate control would be adequate on a much larger car (lots of reserve heat/cool).

Neons built before 11/98 have the old-style head gasket and will probably need to have it replaced eventually. Oil leak near center/drivers side of back of engine usually signals this. 11/98 and newer, and standard for replacement on earlier engines, is the MLS (multi layer steel) headgasket. My car had it done at 32,000 miles under warranty; DaimlerChrysler will probably do yours for $100-$250 if you call CustomerOne.

Absolutely fabulous car. DOHC+5speed=SERIOUSLY FAST/QUICK car. Plenty of power from idle to 115mph on the highway. Performs *excellently* in SCCA Autocross racing, and the car basically still looks brand new even though it has 47,000 miles and 3+ years of ungaraged use. Lots and lots of room in the passenger cabin and the trunk. Easy to do routine maintenance, very well designed and built car. Nothing is hard to get to. 5speed and shifter are flawless and far far far better than in VW's and Honda/Acuras I have driven. Comfortable, supportive seating, quality interior materials, and an overall very fun, very reliable, very well designed vehicle. I will *not* be getting rid of this car, though I will retire it to "pleasure only" at around 100,000 miles.

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There isn't anything in this class (Civic to Integra) that compares, I test drove them. Drove a V8 Cuda before, and I was not disappointed to be driving the DOHC 4cylinder Neon. Better in all aspects than Sunfire, Cavalier, Focus and ZX2, Civic, Corolla. (All except one--resale value--which means nothing to me since I am not ever selling the car.)

Fit and finish are excellent for such a relatively modest priced vehicle. Comfortable seats both front and rear. Excellent trunk space. Engine is very adequate but would like to see a 180-200 hp option.

Electrical problems. My wife's 2000 Dodge Neon has had door switches replaced twice and has two door switches that need replacement now. One switch has been worked on twice already without being fixed and the dealer says they need the car for a couple of days (Chrysler has no loaner program). My 2000 Plymouth Neon has also had door switches replaced 3 times already. Very substandard.
The 3 speed auto transmission on my Neon is weak. Should have a 4 speed auto.

The car is a very good example of German/American engineering. The car has excellent fit/finish inside and out. I love both the interior and exterior look. My wife and I liked my 2000 Plymouth Neon so much, she went out and bought a 2000 Dodge Neon ES.

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Toyota Tercel, Mercury Tracer

Fit and finish are excellent for such a relatively modest priced vehicle. Comfortable seats both front and rear. Excellent trunk space. Engine is very adequate but would like to see a 180-200 hp option.

Electrical problems. My wife's 2000 Dodge Neon has had door switches replaced twice and has two door switches that need replacement now. One switch has been worked on twice already without being fixed and the dealer says they need the car for a couple of days (Chrysler has no loaner program). My 2000 Plymouth Neon has also had door switches replaced 3 times already. Very substandard.
The 3 speed auto transmission on my Neon is weak. Should have a 4 speed auto.

The car is a very good example of German/American engineering. The car has excellent fit/finish inside and out. I love both the interior and exterior look. My wife and I liked my 2000 Plymouth Neon so much, she went out and bought a 2000 Dodge Neon ES.

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Toyota Tercel, Mercury Tracer

Power, handling, great passing ability, small exterior/large interior, lately more aftermarket parts available, has taken 2+ years of abuse from a pair of hard drivin' brothers & no major problems, 7000rpm redline. got 70,000 from stock brake pads (4 wheel disc), still goin' strong.

Stock tires, headgasket (pre-98, all neons have bad head gaskets, blow oil @ 30,000mi), frameless windows, needed blindspot mirrors because of high backend & huge c-pillar.

(1997 Model) - I have abused this car which I WON & it hasn't let me down. I have run it hard & long. I have 80,000mi & plan to make it to 200,000. Thanks. Of course my value rating is a bit skewed since it was mostly free for me.

Looks great in the pewter paint with dark charcoal interior. Peppy with the DOHC, even the SOHC seemed strong with the 5-speed. Shifts and drives awesome. Nimble, handles bumps and dips very well at all speeds. Comfortable seats. Fold-down rear seats offer great cargo options (I'm amazed at what you can fit in it). Great MPG. Good stock radio. Good ergonomics overall.

Small gripes: The engine is a little louder than I'd prefer at about 70 MPH (55-60 is A-OK). Some vague-ness on how much Chrysler will cover $ on the inevitable head gasket replacement--I'm not really that worried about it though, it'll be my excuse to add fun things to the motor... I'm not big on two-door cars because the doors usually are heavier and develop sag and some other issues (i.e. windows) in my experience--the 2-door Neons didn't seem too bad, I still think there was potential for problems, also the 2-door offers less window and visibility in the traditional rear-corner blind spots.

I LOVE THIS CAR! It's a blast to drive--peppy, handles well, very comfortable. I see some negative feedback about (what I consider to be) little things in the reviews, but for the money (I mean REALLY!) it's sweet--even with some expected repairs later on (head gasket, some minor leaks, etc). I looked at several dozen ads for these and went to see quite a few used ones--most were not well taken care of, but the one I bought had 41k miles and looks and feels brand new inside, outside, and under the hood--definitely worth the search. Like any car: maintain your new car, or buy a used one that has been well-maintained--and it'll usually treat you right. No doubt this is one of the best values in a used car I've ever bought (out of 11 so far). I saw some complaints on some ergonomics--I think the radio is in the right place, as are the cupholders and environmental controls--really everything--I like this as much as my other car (a 97 1/2 Buick Regal GS--supercharged and loaded with luxo-features)--I choose the Neon most of the time right now. I would recommend a few things to add (but they aren't urgent): cold air intake, rear anti-sway bar, and higher performance tires than the GY GA's that come stock.

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Compared to other cars I've owned or driven: Hmmmm... More nimble and fun than mod'ed 79 Camaro, 84 Trans Am, 91 Mustang GT--hands down. Reminds me of a cross between an 89 Horizon and an 80's 280Z I had--the good qualities of both. Test drove other cars such as Saturns, Cavaliers and a few others in this class and price range--for the $ the Neon was clearly the most fun and practical as a whole package. The 98 seemed a lot better than the 96 & 97's I checked out in terms of overall condition, NVH and smoothness--on the same note, the 95's don't sound like they were as refined as any other year. I'd recommend a well-maintained Neon to anyone interested in this class of car--I'd avoid a poorly maintained Neon regardless of how good a deal.

Peppy, price.

All the things that go wrong! Speedometer, gas gauge, loudness.

This car was great when the warranty was good. Then I (along with tons of others) had the speedometer go out. Then the fuel gauage was off by almost a half a tank. Yes, I ran out of gas twice. It got me to where I needed to go most of the time. Then I had a problem with a huge oil leak...again something with the head gasket, loud on the road. I asked a tire guy why it was so loud and he said it's a cheap car. I also had problems with the air conditioning unit. It went out along with the dial that moved the air so it was then stuck on defrost!

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I now own a 2001 civic. So far there's no comparison. And the civic is much better on gas.