Faults:

New head gasket

New spark plugs

Rear windshied randomly shattered one day when a door was shut

The car had a low idle problem, and every time I would stop at a light/stop sign, the car would start to shake and rumble around, and finally, the idle would get so low that the car would shut off. I was left to two-foot it when I was stopped, with my left foot on the break and my right reving the gas. I took it to three mechanics who diagnosed it with three different problems. Finally someone told me it needed a computer update, which I think tured out to be the problem.

The brakes make a groaning noise which I have been told by multiple mechanics can only be fixed by getting the car up to 80km/h, then slamming on the brakes, repeat this a couple of times, and the noise goes away for a couple of weeks. Then it comes back, and you start the whole process over again.

The rear tail light has some kind of leak which leads to the floor of the back seat, so in the winter and when it rains, there are always puddles down there.

It takes forever to heat up on cold days, and for the air to cool in the heat.

I have had to replace the battery in the keyless entry remote twice in one year, then I had to get a new remote because two of the buttons fell off. Two!!!

Three of the LED lights blew in the centre console, so its very hard to see the temperature and air controls in the dark.

General Comments:

It's very comfortable

I love the sunroof and all of the luxury power features

The car looks great, and you would never guess it is as old as it is.

It was my first car, so I'm very attached, it's like my best friend, but I just can't afford to keep it running.

Great on gas.

It has good handling

You can hear the engine picking up, and actually feel the car shifting gear. Feels like you are in a car with a larger engine than just a four cylinder.

Faults:

Had to replace a rear wheel bearing at 190k while on a road trip. I started to feel a grinding when making right turns, and after jacking the car up I noticed that the weel bearing was completely shot and I could move the tire around in a way that shouldn't be possible.

Black coating on dashboard started to peel at 200k. Small problem for a car with this many miles on it, though.

Air conditioning stopped working at around 200k. I haven't had time to determine why it's not working yet.

General Comments:

Much more reliable than I thought after hearing horror stories about Neons. I got the car for cheap and haven't had to spend much money on it at all.

Faults:

I have not had anything go wrong with the car yet.

General Comments:

I adore my car it is reliable, cheap to run, and just generally a great car! It is great for city driving because it is small and easy to handle, and great on the highway too! There is a surprising amount of room inside and the trunk is plenty big!

Faults:

Head gasket blew at 80,000. This was fortunately covered by warranty.

Tail lights leaked water. By the time I noticed, the trunk (which I rarely use) bottom had filled with water, and was spilling into the floorboards along the back seat. I had to rip the back seat, trunk lining, everything... out of the back of the car and hung it all to dry out in a friends garage for about 2 weeks. Resealed the tail lights with black epoxy, problem fixed. Chrysler originally had some sort of foam seal around the lights. That might work in say - California - but where I live it is very damp and rains A LOT.

Something else that has been an ongoing problem is the driver's side door handle. I'm in and out of my vehicle a lot with the work I do, and the armrest keeps coming off the door. I've bolted it back on several times, each time using bigger bolts, but it keeps coming loose. Looks awful, but whatever works to keep the door trim in place!

Just had the front brakes (pads and rotors) replaced. That was around 161,000K. Cost about $400.

General Comments:

I love the Neon. Just wish it sat a little higher.

Engine is peppy for a 2.0L. I added a 20+HP performance module... making it even peppier :)

I almost have 'er paid off. Was thinking of trading it in, but seeing as how I haven't been exactly kind to it and it has only cost me about $1300 in major repairs over the last 4 and a half years, I believe I'm going to keep it. I'm curious to see just how far it can go.

I do regular maintenance on it religiously. It gets an oil change & filter every 5,000K and I do a complete tune-up on it once a year (plugs, wires, air filter, fuel filter, etc, etc) whether it needs it or not.

Keep the maintenance going, replace the timing belt @ 160,000 as the manufacturer recommends, and this will be an awesome car for you for years to come. Did I mention it's awesome on gas?

Just a warning though: STAY AWAY FROM THE DEALERSHIP!!! I don't know if it's just me, but I've brought the car in to several dealerships with no success. I searched out a ma & pa auto repair shop - the guy has 20 years experience with Chryslers - this is where the car goes for major repairs. Find yourself a mechanic that knows Chryslers - and if your car is like mine, you won't visit him very often. Make sure this mechanic has his own shop and has no affiliation whatsoever with Daimler-Chrysler Canada!!!