2002 Dodge Neon R/T 2.0

Summary:

I love my wolf pack racing Neon

Faults:

Never had a major problem with the car. Needless to say, the whole time I've owned the car, I've taken it to the street races every weekend and have put on a few performance mods. The car still runs hard and puts out no smoke from the exhaust like Hondas do.

Love my ride.

General Comments:

Car handles good from the start; put some parts on and it's even better.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th November, 2007

2002 Dodge Neon R/T 2.0

Summary:

Fun, reliable car

Faults:

Front control arm bushings.

General Comments:

Fun, cheap car. Has been very reliable. 150 HP with low gearing makes for good acceleration. Much better than the 1.5L Honda I had. I drive 80 miles a day to work and it has never let me down. My commute is over a 2 lane country blacktop with only a few passing zones. The extra HP comes in handy to pass someone crawling along.

I push the car hard, often hitting the rev limiter in first and second (the car begs to be wound out), and even with 100K miles on it, there is no sign of engine problems. This does impact fuel economy, of course and I need to be careful to hit 30 mpg. I usually get around 25 mpg, mostly due to driving habits. Also, the car likes mid-grade or premium fuel. I have run regular in it, but it bogs off idle and just doesn't run well.

Car handles like crazy too. Fun to push around corners and on ramps.

Car is well built, but still has it's minor rattles, etc. I replaced the front control arm bushings with Urethane which tightened up the front end a lot, but made the ride a little harsher - not a fault of the car, though.

All in all, a very good buy. Would recommend to anyone looking for an inexpensive, fun car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th September, 2007

18th Feb 2010, 20:23

UPDATE: Now at 160K miles - original engine, trans, clutch, starter, alternator, muffler, etc... For me has been a great car. It is noisy and a rough rise, but that's OK for me. I like a car to 'talk' to me.

24th Sep 2010, 21:19

Still going at 176K miles. Original drivetrain including clutch!! A bad tire last winter resulted in a spin, which dented the rear fender. Too much $$ to fix, so driving as is. Incredible for a cheap car, especially after I read some Audi reviews - cars that cost 2-3X as much new with horrible reliability issues.

25th Sep 2010, 09:59

My last Dodge (a 1990 Omni 2.2) made just under a quarter million miles with virtually no repairs. Even the A/C was still working perfectly, and had never had Freon added when I sold the car. The new owner drove it to over 300,000 miles. These were excellent little cars, and very reliable.

28th Mar 2011, 12:05

Well, I finally sold it with just over 180k on it. Still running great. All original drivetrain - engine, trans, clutch; starter, alternator, etc. If it weren't for the body damage I would have kept it. And for the fact that I have been seduced by the power of SAAB turbos.

I may own another one someday... Goodbye my loyal friend.

2002 Dodge Neon SE

Summary:

Junk

Faults:

I am very very disappointed with Dodge. I bought the car at a big deal here where I live and got a pretty decent deal on it. I bought the car for 6k with 43000 miles on it. You'll be surprised to hear, it's given me hell ever since I've bought it. When I hit the 45k miles mark, my whole transmission blew out, which is EXTREMELY bogus, because I have never treated the car to the point to make the tranny blow out. Luckily it was still under warranty and I got it replaced. 2 months later at 48k miles, my starter blew... Now that is ridiculous because MANY cars' starters don't give until at least 100k miles; and now the reason why I'm writing this today is because now my odometer isn't working, and when I start my car, it just shuts off, but still has power...I'm so confused and just hope this will encourage you who read this to start thinking about buy a different vehicle, and if possible one from another manufacturer.

General Comments:

There really are no other words to describe it as, but a piece of junk. I'm 100% dissatisfied with Dodge and their make of the 2002, as I heard models under 2000 run well with no very few problems.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 17th May, 2006

18th May 2006, 19:45

"as I heard models under 2000 run well with no very few problems."

The Neon has never been built very well, and models built before 2000 have some of the worst track records. Don't believe what you hear.

27th Apr 2007, 22:45

You said you got a good deal on it. Then you said it's nothing but trouble. Doesn't sound like a very good deal to me.

28th Apr 2007, 22:20

Neons are built very well actually. Very sturdy automobiles. I know of several people who will only buy the Neon because of the fact that one: they're cheap, and two: because the sturdiness of them saved their lives and their childrens lives. my 95' Neon is at 245,000 miles and was backed into by a Mercury Mountioneer and guess what? No damage at all to my Neon, but the guy had to replace his whole rear bumper because it bent like a stick.