General Comments:
Overall the car is OK. I bought the Neon because of the price (I paid only $5,000 for it). I use the car during the winter and drive my VW Corrado in the summer. There is really no comparison between these two cars, the VW is far superior even though it is 10 years old now.
Dodge claims that the manual transmission Neon gets 27 to 30 mpg, but I am getting 23 to 24 mpg. This translates to only about 230 miles on a tank. My six cylinder Corrado does better than this!
Overall it is a good second car and handles the road excellent in all conditions - and we have had some snowy/icy conditions here in New England this year to give it a good test.
Interior: The seats are not very comfortable. My back was aching at the end of a one hour drive! It has a spacious interior and accommodates child seats nicely. The ergonomics are about average. I wish that more car manufacturers moved the radio controls above the temperature controls. After all, most drivers fiddle with the radio much more while driving than with the temp controls.
If you can afford a better car - buy it! But if not, then the Neon will do. Just don't expect spectacular performance, comfort or styling.
1st Jun 2004, 11:12
I got a 2002 dodge neon SE in October and I recently got into an accident with it. I rear ended someone and my air bags did not go off. The only problem I had with it was the radio. It wasn't connected properly so it made crackling noises when I turned on the car.