Faults:

Starting off, I'd like to mention about the Neon's clanking noises when I start it up. It whines from somewhere around the power steering pump when in an idle, or whenever you turn right or left at speeds below 45.

Noticing that I checked everything in the engine compartment, replaced the power steering pump, etc. Still does it.

The a/c unit went out, replaced that, then the hose went out, replaced that, afterwards, the belt went out. So I decided to replace that as well, since I live in Georgia. It ran fine for about, a month, and then the freon started to leak, and I've not been able to patch it up.

The transmission doesn't want to shift into third on any mornings that the temperature is below 60. Given that it's an old car it's not supposed to run perfectly However, I let it warm up before I take off. I've had to replace the transmission filter twice already in the length that I've had it.

There's a loud popping noise whenever I go over bumps or something else in the right front.

The brakes squeal, and whenever the pedal's depressed lightly there's a knocking in the right front.

Caused from drifting, my left front tire sticks out a little more than it should, which causes tire wear.

The clear coat's came off more than four times on the trunk and right quarter panel.

General Comments:

This little car has taken a beating since I've been in the possession of it. But she's kept trucking along without too many major problems. No stalling, because I don't neutral drop, and there isn't a single problem with the car starting up at all. She's a great car to drive, quite fast for the engine size, considering the 2.0 is practically the SRT-4 engine. All together, it's a great buy for the price I paid, and for the price most paid.

I'd like a manual however. ha ha.

Faults:

I've had three oil leaks.

It stalls or won't start at random times. My mechanic can't find anything wrong with the car.

The trunk held water until my dad put clear caulking around my tail lights.

General Comments:

I've had relatively good luck with this car over the past almost six years. On my trips from southern NJ to the outer banks of NC I've gotten between 40 and 50 miles per gallon of gas. Over 70,000 miles have been put on my neon since it's been in my possession.

The stalling often happens when I am slowing down pulling into a driveway, parking space, or getting to a stoplight. The engine turns, but the car is reluctant to start when I am getting back into my car after making a quick trip inside of a building (15 minutes or less). My mechanic has seen the poor thing many times over the past year and has no idea what to make of it. He's consulted with many other people in the industry with no avail. His daughter even had a similar neon.

My scariest moment has been approaching the Delaware Memorial Bridge on my commute to college. There was heavy traffic and construction so the bridge was down to two lanes. My car started bouncing (probably not the proper term, but it's how I can best describe the motion the car was making.) then I was lucky enough to pull onto the last service road before crossing the bridge before it stalled out. After that happened, it took about 15 to 20 minutes before my car would start again. I took it straight to my mechanic and again, there was no problem.

I don't know what it is, but the past 2 1/2 years have been terrible with my car.