Faults:

New cylinder head block required when I bought it, which is (regrettably) just about par for the course with Neons of this age and mileage.

General Comments:

This car was, like most Neons, pretty highly spec'd for a basic model with power folding mirrors, heated rear view mirror, immobilizer etc all as standard.

Big enough and powerful enough for me to do my motorway miles on and light and easy enough for my partner to love driving it around town.

Not too many around, which is nice from a vanity point of view, but bad from a parts and servicing point of view. Replacement parts are pricey and can have a long lead time over here in the UK.

Mounting points for rear seat belts are quite a way back which means that the effective length of the rear seatbelt is quite short. This was a bit of a restriction when we needed to fit a child seat.

Faults:

Nothing's gone wrong at all.

I do get a gurgling sound from the passenger glove box area as someone mentioned in another review. Not a problem though.

General Comments:

I've only had the car a couple of months and have been pleased with it from the start. It's done 32000 miles with a full service history. Pretty good for £2695!

It's pretty sporty looking and rare, which I think is worth a lot. Who wants another Renault or Citroen to clutter up the roads!

It has a very good grip on the road, way better than my old Ford Escort.

Cabin is spacious and seems good quality. It's quite plain though, but I think that's better than the crazy curves found inside (and out of) a lot of European cars today.

The cabin also smells lovely- like new (it's 6 years old) and I've been told they all smell the same. Bonus!

The seats are very hugging and have great lumbar support.

The air-conditioning is FREEZING! That's funny as a lot of the guides I read said to watch out for it on all Chrysler models.

The Neon also has some really great extra features like lit vanity mirrors and folding side-views that you are only just starting to get on European cars- for a lot more money!

I really like the rear-view mirror in this car- it's wide and thick (has reading lights in it) and makes it feel like you're in a Mercedes or something!

This car is pretty cheap to insure- even less than an older Ford Fiesta or similar (insurace group 7). I'm only 20 (and male!!) so this was very pleasing for me. I think this is due to the Thatcham approved alarm and immobilizer. I would recommend it on the insurance alone!

The cheap insurance also helps offset the running costs. It's not the most efficient car in the world, especially if you're in the UK and are watching the pennies! I would guess that I do about 30 mpg. But it is a 2 litre, plus mine's an automatic, so I guess this is expected.

I would say the car revs too high and does hang around in changing up sometimes. It could really do with another gear for cruising at high speeds. Does anyone know why cars don't have them?

It's very quick at pulling away, great for nipping out of junctions, but the power is lost as you accelerate. I think the power of the engine is not harnessed in the best way- but it is American!

I certainly some miss the control you have with a manual car, but it does make it dead easy to drive, especially if you live in a hilly area and get stuck in traffic.

It's a pity this car has to be a saloon, as the boot would be much more accessible as a hatchback. It's not small though.

Where perhaps a bit of space is lost in the boot, it is gained in the back- which you won't find in ANY European car of similar size! Even with the front seats right back, there is plenty of room for most adults. I am 6'3" and don't even have the front seat right back.

As I said above, I've had no problems so far. I think if you respect it, it'll respect you. Don't thrash it or it will go wrong!

You really can't complain about the Neon. It's cheap to buy, not THAT bad to run and has most stuff you could want on the inside. Don't even try to compare it to similar Peugeots, Fords or other rivals, cos it'll just make them look silly!