1998 Dodge Neon Highline review from North America
"A high price to pay for an inexpensive car"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
While under warranty the motor on the sunroof had to be replaced. After the warranty expired the sunroof quit opening again, and the carriage and seals had to be replaced. The dealership paid for half of the second repair.
At 50,000 miles the head gasket was leaking oil. The dealership said the heads had to be resurfaced, the resulting bill was $1200. I was told by the dealer that I must have neglected regular maintenance, causing the engine to overheat and the heads to become "pitted". I spoke to the machine shop that performed the resurfacing, they informed me that this was a common problem with this vehicle.
General comments?
This has been a good commuter car, generally a comfortable ride. But the head gasket problem, or heads pitting problem makes me think twice about purchasing another Dodge or Chrysler product. I believe there should be a recall on the heads.
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  | One fast, cheap car, (HONDA eater) |
| 1997 - Neon base sedan 2.0 SOHC A good value with some expected drawbacks |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| First year of ownership | 1998 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8/10 |
| Reliability marks | 9/10 |
| Comfort marks | 8/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 4/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 21 miles |
| Most recent distance | 53000 miles |
| Previous car | Ford Taurus |
| Date of Entry | 10th January, 2002 |