2001 Chrysler Neon LE review from North America
"A high priced lemon sold by a seedy dealership on behalf of a disconnected manufacturer"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
- Electrical fault - would not start.
- Electrical fault - not properly grounded.
- Electrical fault - chip in the key had to be reprgrammed.
- window replaced three times - I mention this because the windshieild seems suceptable to damage.
- Horn stopped working.
- transmission slipping - this is when I sold it.
- dashboard deteriorated - it bubbled up like paint and had to be replaced.
- tires needed replacement - I mention this because the factory tires are unique to Neons ONLY and cost almost 200 dollar each. I could justify 200 dollar tires on my BMW, but not on an econo-box.
- The brakes are really noisy when wet - nothing woring with the brakes, but the horrible noise does not instill confidence with passengers or pedestrians.
- ari conditioning condensor needed to be replaced. - The dealer said it was a rock damage however, 2 air conditioning shops said that it was the poor quality of the condensor. One shop even told me that Chrysler AC condensors are notoriously cheap.
General comments?
It looked good, but what a terrible experience. I bought this car new along with an 1800 dollar extended warranty. You will definitly need a warranty with this car... assuming that you can get Chrysler to honour it. The car has been towed no less than 6 times in the 2.5 years that I have owned it. I have never, ever spent so much time in Chrysler garages in my life.
Prospective car owners, please don't take engine stalling lightly. With my 6 year old son in the back seat, I once had this car stall on me at 4:00 AM on a major bridge with freight trucks careening around. It was a horrifying experience.
The dealer was as greasy as their car. The one time that I appealed to Chrysler I was barricaded by one of their so called Customer Service Managers. These 'managers' are really phone clerks with no surnames and no one that they report to. If you can't get satisfaction from them, you are at a dead end.
The final indignity comes when you try to sell the car. You can almost hear the car de-valuate in your driveway at night.
Recommended reviews
  | Good power,nice looking, but think twice |
| Do Not Buy a 2002 Neon! |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | Automatic |
| Performance marks | 6/10 |
| Reliability marks | 3/10 |
| Comfort marks | 6/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 1/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 1/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 0 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 61000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Volvo 240 |
| Date of Entry | 30th December, 2003 |