2002 Dodge Neon R/T review from North America

Front control arm bushings.

Fun, cheap car. Has been very reliable. 150 HP with low gearing makes for good acceleration. Much better than the 1.5L Honda I had. I drive 80 miles a day to work and it has never let me down. My commute is over a 2 lane country blacktop with only a few passing zones. The extra HP comes in handy to pass someone crawling along.

I push the car hard, often hitting the rev limiter in first and second (the car begs to be wound out), and even with 100K miles on it, there is no sign of engine problems. This does impact fuel economy, of course and I need to be careful to hit 30 mpg. I usually get around 25 mpg, mostly due to driving habits. Also, the car likes mid-grade or premium fuel. I have run regular in it, but it bogs off idle and just doesn't run well.

Car handles like crazy too. Fun to push around corners and on ramps.

Car is well built, but still has it's minor rattles, etc. I replaced the front control arm bushings with Urethane which tightened up the front end a lot, but made the ride a little harsher - not a fault of the car, though.

All in all, a very good buy. Would recommend to anyone looking for an inexpensive, fun car.