1996 Plymouth Breeze 4 cylinder.

Summary:

Overall good with a few expected dodge-type issues.

Faults:

The head gasket went out at approximately 105000 miles and the transmission at about 110000. The oil light would come on for some unexplained reason after the car was warmed up. It had oil in it, so I just kept on driving.

General Comments:

Overall a fun little car. Maybe not the greatest for a family, but wonderful for a single person or college kid. I had mine while I was in college until I graduated, had a job and got married. It was great for driving to college. When I was careful with how fast I accelerated I could get 30 or 31 MPG. 28 MPG was about normal for highway if you're not very cautious and 26 in the city. It was comfortable and a good little car while I had it. It wasn't a huge car, but wasn't so small that you felt unsafe. Overall a good car with the regular expected issues for a 4 cylinder dodge product.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 6th September, 2006

1996 Plymouth Breeze 2.0 SOHC MFI

Summary:

Money pit

Faults:

I bought the car from my sister in law. The car runs great for about 10 miles. Then it starts bucking and stalls out. Unfortunately not a single mechanic can find whats wrong with it because it is not throwing a code.

Steering wheel is wore out.

Front end sounds like it is falling apart, its either a broken strut or tie rods. Not had it looked at yet.

Door locks, well they are present, but do not work.

As for the interior, I really like the feel and visual appearance of it. Most comfortable seats I have ever been on.

Rust. Lots of it. I would think being built in USA the car would at least somewhat have decent steel.

Oil filling spark plug cylinders.

Broken ground wire off motor.

General Comments:

The car handles well for a sedan.

Could have been a little more attentive on motor performance/reliability.

I bought the Chilton's for this car. Of my 32 years of life, FIST time having to do so.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 19th August, 2006

1996 Plymouth Breeze 2.0L SOHC

Summary:

If I had money I would buy something better

Faults:

The front axle fell apart recently with incredible speed. One day it started making just a little bit of noise going over bumps - 2 days and 20 miles later it literally broke in half.

The oil light comes on intermitently at tight turns.

The thing that the S belt is around is vibrating like crazy.

The transmission fluid is leaking.

The passenger side window works whenever it wants too.

The headlights are yellow and dim.

The car absolutely does not want to go over 90 mph.

This is also the worst accelerating car I have ever driven, and I drove cars that have 1.3 liter engines.

Had to change brake rotors twice in one year.

The radio buttons have a new personality every day - I am not joking the buttons randomly swap functions.

The gas mileage is crappy for such a small car I barely get 20 mile per gallon in the city and 30 on the highway at 75 mph.

The power steering is a misnomer.

Automatic transmission is ridicoulosly slow and revs high and basically does whatever the heck it wants.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 14th April, 2006

1996 Plymouth Breeze 2.0 Litre Inline Four

Summary:

Same Year Asian Imports Have Got Nothing on This Car

Faults:

Right rear brake making unusual grinding sound when reversing. No problem found. Noise ceased and did not return after inspection. Power steering pump and air conditioning compressor belts replaced same day. Total cost: Approximately $100.08.

Driver's window failed about three months after purchase, required new regulator. Replaced. Approximately $250.00.

Check Engine lamp illuminated mid-December 2005. Dealer Service Department indicated code was for engine misfire and new spark plugs were needed. Replaced. $156.00.

Check Engine lamp illuminated day after service, taken back to dealership same day.

Vehicle left overnight for observation. Same engine misfire code as before, but no problem found. Cost: $0.00.

Dealership told me to return if problem returned.

General Comments:

I have thoroughly enjoyed this car thus far in spite of listed problems and other potential issues awaiting in the future.

Other concerns I have about this car are the transmission, the head gasket, the air conditioning system, the front suspension, and the timing belt. Since these seem to be the most common problems in these cars, I shall have to keep a close watch on the vehicle.

Once in a while, over certain road irregularities, the front suspension utters a junky rattle that I will have addressed in the near future should its incidence increase or become more severe.

The exterior of the Breeze is very attractive and modern, not looking at all like a ten year old automobile. Dressed in the Medium Fern Pearl Coat paint, this "cab-forward" shape looks exceptionally pleasant and organic. There is no rust, although one of the panel joints on the lower half of the body has a hairline fracture in the paint finish with a hint of orangish rust within. One of the most fascinating things I find about this car's exterior design is how far ahead of the times Chrysler was in terms of the competition. For instance, the new Chrysler 300 has a traditional, boxy shape as opposed to the LH based 300M which was very cab-forward design, and since Chrysler has left cab-forward behind, it seems other automakers have adopted the style as Honda has with the all-new Civic that features Chrysler-style cab-forward design. It's a shame the interior of the new Civic is so grotesque and vile in its appearance.

The interior of my Breeze is Silver Fern. This light, greyish-green tone is much better than tan, although the light carpeting is quick to soil. Due to cab-forward styling, the interior of the Breeze is not only rather carvernous for a small mid-size vehicle, it also seems light and airy with the expansive greenhouse.

The instrument panel also has a soft, flowing and organic shape like the exterior does.

It's unfortunate that the three giant dash panels suffer from buzzes and vibrations that seem more prominent under certain engine revolutions and road surfaces.

Another drawback is the pronounced road noise and wind rush as speed. A little more sound deadening would work wonders for this little car.

I wish it had a CD or cassette player, as just the radio is bothersome when the commercials or unpleasant songs come on.

The base engine, a 2.0 litre SOHC 16 valve inline four, is sometimes agonizingly slow to accelerate the car. I suppose it doesn't help that this engine was teemed with the four speed automatic. However, overall fuel economy is very good, averaging 28-31 miles per (U.S.) gallon.

The ride is a tad soft to my preferences, but this is the most decent handling car I have attained yet. Body roll seems minimal, and there is little squealing of the tires when things get interesting. On the freeway, the above listed noise is pronounced, and the 14-inch tires leave some directional stability desired, but the car tackles high speed tasks well enough so that it isn't a white-knuckle experience.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th December, 2005

29th Dec 2005, 23:35

Dude, you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into...

13th May 2010, 20:54

My 96 Breeze has 160 thousand miles on it. Good car until the timing belt broke at 70mph. Now I'm going to repair the car, and hope it will last another 160 thousand miles.

14th May 2010, 22:48

I love how he says imports can't compete, yet he also states that he is worried about several things going wrong (head gasket, transmission). Too funny.