Faults:

I purchased this sporty 2-yr-old Neon in 2000 as a reconditioned vehicle after it suffered a rear collision. Unfortunately, that meant it's warranty was void.

At the time of purchase, the trunk leaked water, perhaps due to it's former accident. Soon after I noticed water also leaks onto the floor behind the driver's seat. It does not appear to come through the door or window. Can you say "air freshener?" ;-)

The sunroof stopped working shortly after purchase and the mechanic informed me that both Dodge and Saturn have difficulty with their sunroof because of the curve in the roof. I did not repair this.

Next to go in 2000 was the radiator ($350) and then the battery.

The little car held up pretty well for two years, but in 2002 the engine light kept coming on and mechanics never could figure out what the problem was.

In 2003 I had to replace the fuel pump ($450).

Now in 2004 at 57,000mi, it's flooding pools of oil from a leaking head gasket so I've stopped driving it until I decide if it's worth the $650+ to replace it; I've heard "shade tree mechanics" can patch it instead. All the mechanics say this should be a recall item.

I am also strongly advised to replace the timing belt ($160). This is standard at 60K, but apparently in this car they are breaking a little on the early side.

General Comments:

Well, I just love this cute little car and have really enjoyed driving the 5 speed. However, it's a needy little fellow and my wallet doesn't run that deep. (I had a little Ford Festiva for 8 years & replaced the distributor cap twice and the battery twice and that was it. It was a lot roomier too.)

Dodge service folks have been decidedly unhelpful. They just try to get me to trade it in for a new model. Frankly, that Hyundai warranty is looking like the way to go.

Faults:

The head gasket That ended up costing $1000. Dodge/Chrysler refused to do the work under warranty which is what they said they would have done, because it was on recall and nobody had informed us.

General Comments:

What ever you do, do not buy this car. The one and only thing this car is good for is e-brake turns during the winter. It has really good handling, but that's all. Mitsubishi even admitted they did a horrible job in making these engines, as Mitsubishi makes engines for Chrysler and for over 60% of the world's vehicles including "CAT's" and heavy duty vehicles. This car has absolutely no acceleration, but decent handling.

Faults:

When I first bought the car, I had electrical problems. The entire dash went dead a month after I bought it. The dealer repaired the faulty circuit and a week later, the dash died again. On my way back to the dealer, I received a speeding ticket because the speedometer was dead. But, the dealer was wonderful and repaired the car a second time and even paid for my ticket. I haven't had any electrical trouble since.

That was back in 1999 and since then the only problem I've had is water leaking into the trunk. It was an easy repair with a new coat of sealant around the bolts that attach the spoiler to the trunk. The cost was just the tube of sealant since I did the work myself.

General Comments:

Overall, I love the neon. It doesn't have as much power as some cars, but it is a good reliable car. For a small car it is roomy, with a deep trunk and plenty of leg room for all passengers. It has moved me to college, from North Carolina to Florida, from North Carolina to Virgina twice for internships and will be moving me back to Virgina for an internship in January with little complaint.

The only downfall is that the Neon loses value quickly and shows very little promise of a healthy trade in.