1997 Dodge Neon Highline 2.0 SOHC from North America

Summary:

Good for the first 60000Km, then it all goes downhill

Faults:

Everything.

Head gasket at 70000KM.

Cam seal at 107000.

Thermostat.

Turn signal stick got jammmed.

Left turn signal comes on when I press the brakes.

Brakes screech.

Passenger door windows leak badly.

Very loud wind noise on the highway.

General Comments:

Poor gas mileage for a small engine, I've gotten as bad as 17mpg highway.

Good power, automatic is not well suited to the engine ie. bad gear ratios (no overdrive).

The interior seems well put together, poor materials, but no squeaks or rattles.

I wouldn't recommend it to anybody for whom money is tight. Get a Sunfire or Cavalier if you want a good car.

The dealer service was not very good.

It does corner very very good.

DON'T BUY ONE.

I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER CHRYSLER!!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 10th February, 2003

1997 Dodge Neon Sport 2.0 from North America

Summary:

A high performance economy car

Faults:

The car definitely experienced some teething problems from when it was new to two years old.

The head gasket blew on it after 13 000km.

The paint "fogged" on the hood and had to be repainted.

The air conditioning compressor had to be replaced the second year. It still worked, but produced a horrible metallic grinding noise when switched on.

But the biggest problem has been with the factory sunroof. It failed at least once a year every summer and some component was replaced which would cure the problem anywhere from one month up to the following summer. During the third year (and final year for warranty coverage) it failed three times. The next year (when out of warranty) it failed again, but kudos to Chrysler for recognizing the faulty roof and they looked after the replacement parts. I paid for the labour to intall them.

General Comments:

Although I did have to take it back for warranty repairs many times during the first couple of years, the car has been very well behaved the last four years, aside from the sunroof. I was seriously considering selling it after the first two years, but I'm now glad that I didn't.

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

Review Date: 13th January, 2003

1997 Dodge Neon Highline from North America

Faults:

My neon has been a very good little car with three big exceptions.

The first problem is a problem I find very scary there is an electrical problem which I have found in all of my friends neons. Lights flash on unexpected for example while driving at night one of my friends drives with the interior light on as it flashes on and off on her. In my car the whole dashboard flashes on and off.

I discovered gold black gold all over my drive way and it turned out to be a seal. Apparently there is a plastic seal that should be a medal one it is only a 50 cent part, but, can be very expensive to replace if it goes as all your oil drains out,

The last problem I discovered was that the trunk leaks which led me to name it after the skunk on Saturday morning cartoons. I managed to repair this myself, but, the doors also leak which has been more costly when I found a pool of water in the back seat. My sister also has the same car and her car did the same thing.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd January, 2003

1997 Dodge Neon from North America

Summary:

Pleasant experience turned into incredible nightmare

Faults:

Breaks always squeak.

Lost air conditioning at around 50,000.

Oil leak problem around 50,000.

Head gasket blew at around 70,000.

Blown head gasket lead to blown engine.

General Comments:

I really liked the look and performance of the Neon.

It handled well and accelerated on the highways very nicely.

But with only 70,000 miles on the car, the head gasket blew followed by a blown engine.

Dodge doesn't seem to be willing to do anything about it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 30th November, 2002

4th Dec 2003, 07:04

I had almost the same experience. I bought a '96 Dodge Neon in 1998, and last year the head gasket failed which also led to a blown engine. The paint is also peeling off of the vehicle. I also had to replace the brakes a year after I purchased the car.

All-in-all, a totally abysmal experience. I will never purchase a Dodge vehicle again if this is how their vehicles measure up.