1998 Plymouth Neon Espresso review from North America

The head gasket blew at around 50,000 miles, but the dealership replaced the entire thing for free.

Still has it's original timing belt, though I'm changing it out tomorrow.

The stock windshield was extremely brittle and had a warped distorted area near the lower middle of the windshield. When a rock hit it, the glass repairman said that if I'd been in an auto accident I would have had glass shards throughout my entire car.

Replaced brake pads at 40,000 miles. The mechanic said my rotors were very worn down, but I opted to not replace them at that time and they have been functioning fine for the past nearly 52,000 miles.

Stock tires wore out very quickly and were constantly becoming unbalanced. Have replaced them with tires that are actually cheaper, and are rated better all around, without any of the balance and wear problems.

A/C recycle vent is damaged or partially blocked somehow. When you place air on recycled it sounds as if a plastic bag is flapping in the wind inside the vent. Also, air flow is greatly reduced. So I keep air only on outside air.

Car rattles only slightly more than at purchase.

Windows whistle and sometimes require quick roll down and then back up to reduce the noise. They didn't do this initially, but became progressively worse over the first 2 years... but haven't gotten worse since.

Has had a very mild transmission leak since around 40,000 miles... but haven't repaired it as of yet.

Currently has a major oil leak (not the head gasket though) which is going to be looked into this week. Started last week after an oil change and I suspect it might be a plug or filter not fitted correctly.

Window tint gets pretty good scratches on the inside about an inch wide... apparently from something in the door. Both front side windows have the problem. Even after changing out the tint it came back. Both of my Neon's have had this problem.

Love the performance of this vehicle.

Tight steering and handling.

Slightly rougher ride than I'd like... but does have the sports suspension not the touring suspension. I prefer performance over comfort.

Breaking is pretty decent... though could be a bit better.

Will get all disc anti-lock breaks next time. I had them in my last car and can tell the difference.

Interior is a bit noisy at freeway speeds.

Acceleration is very nice... even at freeway speeds.

Seats are somewhat uncomfortable for distance driving.

This baby needs a longer warranty... maybe 70,000/7 year warranty.

Should change from timing belt to timing chain. For longevity.

Should add window frames for noise reduction.