14th Sep 2007, 12:57

I just bought a 2003 dodge neon sxt and I'm going to pick it up on Monday. I know the dealer I bought it from won't screw me over because my mom bought 2 vehicles from them before. also, it all depends on who you get it from, previous owners, how you drive it, and if you do regular maintenance on it. on this site, I find tons of bad reviews, but i'll just stick to getting advice from people I know and can trust. stop bitching, you get what you paid for (and for most of the people with problems, you get what you don't pay for)

20th Oct 2007, 00:04

I have a 2003 Dodge Neon SXT. In July of 2007, it started mixing transmission fluid in antifreeze in the radiator. I fixed this problem, but apparently not fast enough. Now I have a heater core problem. When your heater core goes out in the neon, your neon will fog the windshield up and shoot a fog of antifreeze in your face. The heater core for a neon cost close to 100 bucks. I also had to replace two broken motor mounts. The radiator problem also caused the thermostat to go out, I was fortunate enough to have the thermostat to stick open when it went out. The factory battery last about 4 years, so for all you out that has a neon... expect to replace it in 4 years. The driver side door speaker busted a few months ago. I love my neon... but I am starting to consider to trade it in on something else. I know parts don't last forever.. but I think a radiator should last more than four years and from other feedbacks that I have read, I am not the only one with this problem. I just hope I don't ever have the "water coming inside my car" problem. And if you know how hard it is to change the fuel filter, let me know, I heard that it was in the gas tank.

28th Oct 2007, 13:20

You guys all do realize that the newer Neons are Japanese-made motors. All you people talking about how much better Japanese cars are, need to realize Dodge uses Mitsubishi technology for their motors. I have the 2003 Neon r/t and it runs better than any car I have ever driven; even the 2006 Mazda 6 I drove as a rental. Dodge has turned their company around recently so just take car of your car.

26th Dec 2007, 14:58

I have had my 2003 Dodge Neon SXT since about Fall of 2005 and have noticed that it doesn't get very good gas mileage, I am getting typically 190-200 miles per tank when my gas light comes on. This seems really low to me, I drive about 50 miles each day most all of it is by freeway and I don't consider myself to me a speed demon by any means. I was just curious how much other owners are getting per tank of gas???

Thanks.

3rd Jan 2008, 18:33

I owned 2 2003 neon and my daughter still has hers. I bought them both at the same time new. In August of 2006 I had a radiator problem that fried the transmission. Car was 1200 miles over warranty. Got no satisfaction ended up trading in car for truck. This past week the same thing happened to my daughter car. I called Detroit direct and did get some help. Of the $1200.00 bill they picked up $930.00. Asked your dealers for the number. They just don't offer it. Start calling people.

14th Jan 2008, 01:07

I bought a 2003 Dodge Neon brand new from the dealership back in 2002. One month after my warranty ran out one of my fog lights went out. The fog light switch also is shorted out. It turns on and off by itself. I had the oil changed every 3,000 miles and also had the transmission oil changed. It currently has 78,000 miles on it. I took it into the dealership for a tuneup and they charged me $400 to change the spark plugs and spray cleaner in the intake manifold. That's all they did. It was a ripoff. Ironically today is the first day 1/13/08 that the transmission light is staying on. It is also getting harder to shift between gears and my engine is cutting out. Well this car has almost lasted me 6 years and has always had poor gas mileage. My 67 VW Bug was way better on gas. My VW mechanic told me all Dodge Neons are crap after 100,000 miles. He was right. My car is dying lol.

5th Mar 2008, 22:09

I currently own a 95 Neon. I bought it four years ago and it had 130,000 on it. It had cosmetic damage, but after I bought it for $800, I got it replaced. I have not had one problem with it, except for normal repairs like brakes. It now has 205,000 on it and is still running just fine! How your car runs is how you maintain it. Also if you get a car with a manual transmission, you won't have near as many problems.

4th Jun 2008, 22:36

I have a 2000 Dodge Neon and I bought it new. I have had no major work done. I just had to replace little things like the bulbs or fuses. After eight years this car is still running great and looks great on the outside. People can't believe how old it is. It is great on gas too. I am so glad I didn't get ripped off with this car.

5th Oct 2008, 08:17

I bought a 2003 Dodge Neon SXT in February of '06. I have a transmission fluid leak that requires pulling the engine and tranny to fix, and I had to replace the radiator a few months back. Now it starts to run hot after driving just a few miles. I have to add antifreeze or water to it about twice a day. Can't figure out where the stuff is going...

23rd Oct 2008, 07:59

I have bought a 2003 Dodge Neon SXT, only cause the gas was going up and I heard it was cheaper to maintain, which now I know is a lie. I bought it with 44,000 miles and now has 79,000. I've replaced the cam sensor, 2 front bushings, both front tie rod ends, and have bought 6 brand new tires, and now has a transmissions leak of some sort. I have had nothing but trouble with it. It was a mistake to buy; now I know and will never buy another one.

19th Nov 2008, 21:09

I have a 2003 Dodge Neon, and the same thing happened to me, I had a trans leak, and it was all in my coolant and in the reservoir. The dealership had to call the manufacturer to have a specialist look at the car because they couldn't figure out why the trans was leaking, and it only had 25,000 on it.

Also please let me know if any of you had any problems with the idle needle dropping when you're stopped at a light, or just driving and come to a stop, does the idle needle drop? I took it to the dealership and they say they can't find anything wrong with it, I guess it's a good thing I paid for the extra warranty.

I agree the 03 Neon has bad gas mileage, my 96 had more gas mileage than my 03. Please let me know if any of you had the problem with the idle dropping and it feels like the car is going to stall out.