1996 Dodge Neon Highline sedan review from North America

Various wear and tear (it's an old car.)

Clutch at 160K.

O2 sensors at 170K.

Fuel pump at 180K.

Secondary fan at 185K (never replaced)

Windows have never been exactly right.

I own what must be the all-time museum piece Neon. I bought it in '96 brand-new and it now has 202,000 miles on it. It just passed CA emissions and the engine hums along quietly on 89-octane without any noticeable vibration. The clutch was replaced at 160K, but it's still the original transmission. The engine was replaced at 51K due to an accident (I went up over a curb at speed and drove the oil filter up into the engine, causing it to throw a rod.) The new engine came out of a junkyard in Tijuana and had approx. 35K on it when it went in. It's run perfectly ever since. At freeway speed it still gets 35 mpg and cross-country at altitude it does even better. When it was new I got it up to 111 mph in the desert and it will still do 90 or so, but starts to shake around 80, which is OK as I generally drive the limit anyhow.

The primary weakness of this car has always been body trim integrity; the power windows have never really fit right in their seals. Various systems have been repaired over time due to normal wear and tear, but that engine and transmission are still going strong. Every mechanic who sees it is amazed as these cars were just not designed to do this kind of mileage. I've been told it may be because it was built in the newer Toluca, Mexico plant (as opposed to the one in Illinois.)

The hell of it is that at this point I feel like maybe it's time for a new car, but as long as it's running so well I can't justify buying something else. And it's worth absolutely nothing for trade-in or resale so I guess I'm stuck with it.