1997 Dodge Neon review from North America

Engine bolts snapped off when brand new.

Head gasket blew 4 times.

Numerous other issues.

Two or three months after buying the car (brand new), the bolts that held the engine in place actually snapped off. The engine had tipped over and was leaning on the frame, so the entire car was vibrating so much I couldn't see through my mirrors as I drove it to the dealership (I didn't know what the problem was). The mechanic actually looked pale when he told me what had happened, I should have known then that I was in trouble.

In the first year of owning the car it was in the shop nearly every month for one thing or another. Twice in one month, actually. Those Neons were keeping the dealer mechanics so busy, it usually took them 2-3 days before I got my little dream machine back. So I'm bussing it on a regular basis, while making my monthly $300 car payment. It was my first car, so I was very naive. I remember asking at the dealership if this was normal for a new car, and being told "well, sometimes you just get a lemon".

Then there was the head gasket. It was replaced once under warranty, I believe, and then two more times by my family. The fourth time it blew, we decided enough money had been spent on the car, so it moldered in my back lane until a junk yard guy offered me $150 bucks for it (I pushed for $200, but he said he had so many already, he didn't really need another).

Since owning this car I have driven a 1989 VW Jetta - a prince of a car I paid $4000 for, and drove with no major problems for 8 years, and a 1991 Nissan Axxess, a perfect vehicle that saved my life in a head-on collision. I shudder to think what would have happened had I been driving the Neon.

I am currently in the market for another car, and it will be a VW, Nissan or a Honda. Dodge has lost a customer for life.