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!!!

Faults:

Clutch at 90,000 km??? (remember it's manual trans.)

Breaks in caliper area very noisy...

Automatic timing belt adjustment system noisy...

General Comments:

Very good! Actually very good. But regrettably we have a very expensive replacements parts for all Chrysler cars delivered here, that is, in Cordoba, Argentina. If we buy parts to a person which directly imports parts from USA, our replacements costs are lower in about 50%. So, Chrysler team, watch out this message...

Faults:

The list is endless... it feels.

The air conditioning went at about 50k. £500 repair cost that I had to bully the warranty company to cough up. What a carry on!

The Brake discs had to be replaced at 70K

(By the way... The Brake Audible alarm was driving me mad... it would bleep to me for mile after mile if it felt like it. Had it checked by garage - no result. Nothing in the manual to explain the problem...crazy... however having had the disc brakes changed seems to have sorted that. Obviously this was the cause... something I did suspect... but couldn't prove with out going to a dealership).

Intermittent fault with the cigarette lighter which shouldn't be a problem for a non smoker such as me... except that I use it for the SAT NAV.

Then I took it for an MOT last week and blow me... the Front Sub Frame has corroded to a point where you can put your finger through the rust... Which is a bit worrying when it carrys the engine! £600 for the part alone plus bushes offside and near side that need replacing...£1000 cost all in.

Alloys tend to stain easily with a little corroding.

Let's not forget the cost of a fog lamp... £120 quid for a bit a glass and housing.

General Comments:

When I first got the car, I must admit I loved it. Nice shape and leather interior, air con, central locking electric windows and mirrors. It did in fact awaken an interest in cars that had been submerged previously. I was the "anything will do to get me from A to B" guy.

In low revs it sounds like a diesel. But not a problem.

OK round corners and the neon pulled off the amazing when an idiot in 2004 pulled out onto me from a side road and nearly crashed into me. Talk about swerving and control. Or may be I'm a good driver??? ;-)

The paint isn't too good, mine is in black and it has a white undercoat??? Black car polish kept it in trim, but what a 'mare to keep clean - as with any black car. Annoying to see the odd white mark break through though, on the edges of doors.

Seats comfortable and the leather has not worn badly.

34 miles to the gallon.

All in all the car looked nice at purchase time... although the shape is looking a little old fashioned now in my opinion. Doesn't look chunky enough for the exec driver compared to some in 2006.

But in the end... whilst the car never failed me on the road... it severely let me down in the repair garage... This car was a nightmare to keep up with repairs and I've decided to rejoin mainstream and get a new Vauxhall Vectra.

It's been the most expensive 42000 miles I've ever travelled in two years!

I will never buy a Chrysler again. Not even a Crossfire which I love the shape... but again... £500 for an exhaust?? Get real America!