Faults:

Two car accidents resulting in nearly $8,000 in total repairs.

Factory tires do not keep air, not since the first day I bought the car.

Door hinges are already wearing out, have made sure that every passenger in my car opens them easily and shuts them easily.

Rings inside the throttle body collapsed on eachother causing the car to choke, until it was fixed.

Overall within the 16,000+ miles this car has been driven it has survived.

General Comments:

Wish I had kept the '04 Focus SE, Had more power, better handling, and overall it offered a more fun driving experience.

Car was on promo for $10,998 when I bought tacked on $7,000 of Neg. equity from the focus making it $18,000, bad decision, this car is barely worth the $11000 brand new.

I am really disappointed in this car, I had always wanted one and then when I did get it, I had too high of expectations... It wasn't worth the trade. Two years later it feels like it it is falling apart.

Love the manual shift, smooth easy for new stick shift drivers to learn on. Clutch is tight, stock stereo works like a charm, speakers bump.

Love the overall shape of the car and the sporty look.

Magnesium wheels are a nice addition to the car.

Faults:

The alignment was messed up, and wore down my front left tire really badly. I got that fixed under warranty.

General Comments:

First, the good. I got the car for about $13,000 out the door, brand new, with nothing more than transfer mileage on it. It was one of the best new vehicles out there for the money. It's reasonably comfortable, cheap to maintain, has a lot of accessories for the price tag, and doesn't look too terribly bad painted in Orange Blast. It was also the best handling car in it's price range.

Now for the bad. The reverse gear is unsynchronized, so sometimes it will pop out when you let the clutch go. If you try to put it back in gear before the engine rev lowers totally to an idle, then you grind the gears.

The transmission and clutch is very sloppy, which is probably to be expected of any econo-box. A friend of mine drives an '88 Nova, and she thinks the transmission in my car is great. I previously drove a Stealth R/T, and the transmission in the Neon can't begin to compare.

The engine is rated at 132HP... but I personally believe it should be rated in pony power. When I'm the only one in the car... it's livable. But when I'm on the highway with 2 or 3 friends, and I tell the car to go, it just doesn't!

All in all, the Neon is a good car. It does exactly what it was designed to do, and it does it pretty well. Problem is, I am an enthusiast, and the Neon is nothing more than basic transportation, and with my aggressive driving style it just doesn't work. It is not a car any enthusiast would be happy with, at least not without a bunch of serious upgrades. Which would then turn it into a big bowl of American Rice.