Faults:

A/C stopped working sometime before I bought it. (notorious Neon problem)

Turn signals stopped working shortly after buying.

Developed a minor transmission leak.

General Comments:

Keep in mind, I'm only 17, this is only my 4th car, and I haven't had this car very long.

Overall, I don't mind this car, I haven't had any serious problems. Gas mileage is good, and maintenance costs are good if you take care of them.

First of all, this car handles awesome and steering is very responsive.

Acceleration can be a bit sluggish at times.

Be wary of bumpy areas because the suspension on these cars aren't too great. Mine is very rough over the bumps and makes very loud clunking noises over it.

I am only 5'9 and find the interior somewhat cramped.

I live in Northern Canada where the climates can be really cold at times. This car sounds quite pathetic when starting and does not like starting in moderately cold mornings, but will start.

In cold temperatures, this car tends to slip out of gear during shifting, but this is to be expected of many older vehicles.

Performance on the highway is pretty good (eventually)

Beware! Neon's are very cheap cars made of very cheap components.

Steer clear of Chrysler dealerships. In my experience and opinion, I find them to be difficult to deal with. This is why I do most of the maintenance myself.

These are decent cars with basic maintaintance and care.

Faults:

It has a major oil leak due to blown head gaskets.

It overheats after driving it for a few miles.

The trunk and the back seat floor leaks every time it rains, filling them with water.

General Comments:

It gets decent gas mileage. About 30mpg in the city.

Faults:

Alternator to Crank belt was badly worn when I bought the car. I discovered it while looking it over. Didn't take long to change both accessory belts and get it on the road again.

General Comments:

I have owned the car for a few weeks now. It is an absolute blast to drive. The sunroof and all power options makes it even better. The DOHC motor puts out enough power to make the tires chirp when power shifting. The manual transmission is a much more fun and reliable option to my automatic Ford Taurus. Just doing regular oil changes and checking wear items once every week will keep you on top of any developing problems. The seats are very comfortable for the highway trips. I don't feel like my back has been in a vice when I get out for a pit stop. I would highly recommend buying a neon if you can find one, as I did, that had not been abused and has relatively low mileage.

Fuel economy is incredible and gets even better on the highway with the very tall 5th gear if you have the manual transmission. The car has great handling and ride quality. Hugs the curves really well and the wheel has the right feel in the city to make it deadly accurate. A bit sensitive at above highway speeds, but tolerable. I highly recommend this car.

Head gasket failures on 95- early 98 Neons, for both the SOHC and DOHC engines, are very common. If you do purchase a neon that has had its head gasket replaced make sure that whoever did the install used the MLS (multi-layered steel) head gasket and not the same rubber OEM gasket as it will only fail again.

Faults:

Head gasket was replaced prior to our purchase of the car.

It Seems to idle rough.

The rear speakers aren't currently working.

General Comments:

The Dodge Neon ACR is different then other Neon models, but the differences are minor, including running light holes (minus the running lights) in the front bumper, and a DOHC engine with about 20 more horsepower. It also came with sway-bars, front and rear.

This car is strictly for auto-cross, so it was built specifically for that and since we purchased it, it hasn't seen all that much freeway driving.

I like the car, it's easy to drive and has good power (150hp). Also, as you might expect, the handling is awesome! When you throw it into turns, it has absolutely no problem. The brakes are also great, slowing the car quickly and with ease.

Interior: The car is meant to be light, so options are few and far between. The only "amenities" are A/C, tach and a 6 speaker cassette stereo. The stereo sounds great, even though for some odd reason the two rear speakers don't work. The leather wrapped steering wheel and shifter are a nice touch, and all of the controls are easy to use.

I personally wish the car was higher up off the ground, I prefer to be the one looking down at everybody, not the one looking up at them. But this car is meant for racing mainly, and of course it can't be high off the ground or it wouldn't be an auto-cross car! I'll just take the minivan or SUV when driving on the freeway, but on the auto cross track, this little Neon kicks butt!