Faults:

The only problems that I have had since buying the car two and a half years ago was the head and oil pan gaskets had to be replaced.

It's 8 years old and hasn't had any major work done to it.

General Comments:

I love my Neon. It's been a great first car for me.

I haven't had a whole lot of problems with mine what so ever. Except for the regular oil changes, brake pads needing to be changed, etc.

Comfort wise, it's a very comfortable. I can easily lay the seats back and take a nap and completely comfortable.

Faults:

Head gasket has blown twice. Dealer repaired twice at no charge under 7yr/100k warranty.

Air conditioner compressor blew at 13,000 miles, currently A/C is broken.

Roof paint has started to peel badly.

Steering recall.

General Comments:

Car is really fun to drive and zippy with 5 speed manual transmission. Original clutch at 68k.

Car handles well and corners well.

Car is economical to operate.

Engine is noisy and a lot of road/wind noise is evident in interior cabin.

Interior has held up well, speakers recently blown out by teenage daughter.

Seats 4 fairly comfortably, rear legroom in 4 door is decent.

Faults:

Clutch died at 145 000 km - $900 Cdn.

Front brake pads replaced (normal wear/tear) at 150 000 km - $250.

Air conditioning line leaked at 159 000 - $300.

Horrible paint! So many scratches and marks.

General Comments:

I have to say that based on the other reviews for this car, I have been blessed. My Neon has been a pleasure to drive and surprisingly has a fair amount of oomph for a four-banger.

The key to its longevity is regular maintenance, though I'm aware this isn't always the case with this car.

The mileage is terrific.

The engine layout is readily accessible, for the most part.

Big negative: It's easy to break into. I've had it happen twice with no signs of forced entry, and the alarm was of little use.

Faults:

Due to a recall, the steering had to be fixed. The steering wheel still vibrates at speeds over 65mph.

The windows are leaking in rainy weather.

The black accents around the window frames have all peeled.

The front bumper has moved a bit downwards.

The air-conditioning unit quit at 60,000 miles, taking the belt with it.

The car is leaking oil and the engine light comes on every 2 weeks at which point I have to add 2 quarts of oil for it to go off again.

At 60,000 miles the car started to unexpectedly hesitate and slow down dropping the engine revolutions at speeds over 50mph.

At 71,000 the car now suddenly slows down and misfires every 10 minutes on the road.

The anti-lock brakes lock up in the wet or in the snow.

The doors are squeaking badly and need a good slam to close, at which point the windows threaten to break.

Fuel consumption got worse after 30,000 and is now close to 20mpg.

General Comments:

I will never buy another Dodge Neon or any other Chrysler car for that reason.

The ride is worse than I've ever experienced. The handling can be described as fun up to the limit, at which point extreme understeer sets in.

Interior quality is laughable and so is the overall fit and finish of the car.

The manifold is made of plastic, that is not something you see every day. I would have said that it's not bad for the price, but mine cost $16000 new. There are other alternatives for that kind of money. I think a lot of corners were cut on this car to minimize production costs.

Faults:

To start with the head gasket blew at 42k miles and then after that the surging and the locking of the wheel began.

Now the new thing is that the car is shedding the paint like no other... peeling off everywhere.

Not to mention the horrible gas mileage.