1998 Plymouth Neon Espresso double overhead cam from North America

Summary:

A lemon and a half!

Faults:

Battery, signal lights cause, high idle, head gasket.

General Comments:

Hi I'm a 19 year old student who bought this car because I needed a reliable car, that was good on gas and would coast me much.

It was just that for the first three weeks. Then when I would make a left turn the steering wheel would make a clicking sound. a few days after this the signal's just didn't work. I took it to the dealer, but there was nothing they could do because it wasn't covered in my warranty.

After that I had to boost it a few times the battery wouldn't hold a charge anymore. But when you have a GM warranty on a Dodge it won't get you very far. So that wasn't covered by either dealers.

Now 5 months and 5000 km after I bought the car the head gasket leaking. I was informed by Canadian Tire that this is a common occurence and Dodge has a secret warranty for this sort of thing. So I went to a dodge dealership to see what they could do for me. But When I got there none of them new what I was talking about. Go figure, after calling them everything under the sun and leaving my rubber on there parking lot. I found theres nothing I could do from my city dealer so I'm going o call the head office and tell them what I think of their service.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 29th April, 2003

1998 Plymouth Neon Expresso 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

A simple car with outstanding results

Faults:

Frequent flat tires (I live in Michigan though).

General Comments:

Very few things have gone wrong with this car.

It is the most simple car I have ever had.

The simplicity of this car is remarkable.

Most of the parts are easy to access and they are interchangeable so they are easy to upgrade.

I tried to hate this car when I first got it, but it quickly won me over with its handling, versatility and agility.

It's a great overall car for a small amount of money.

This car may rival the Pontiac line of cars. Keep the maintenance up on it and it may ride forever.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd April, 2003

1998 Plymouth Neon Highline 4 door 2.0 single cam from North America

Summary:

Chrysler's corporate screw up

Faults:

The head gasket blew at 45000 km.

Rear seal blew at 49500 km.

Fan relay at 500 km.

Tires wore out at 35000 km.

General Comments:

Incredibly fast for a compact.

Lots of room interior wise.

Visibility generally poor all round. Cab forward design is primarily for looks, but it isn't practical at all.

Huge dash creates glare nightmare that reflects on the windshield. Dash is a whole lot of wasted space for no reason.

Windshield wipers ride too high on windshield.

Interior deck lid cuts off visibility when backing up so you have no idea where the rear bumper is in relation to the ground.

Turning radius is shameful. My new auto is a KIA Spectra GSX, which is a slightly larger car, and it can shave off about 3 feet in turning diameter.

My biggest complaint though is Chrysler's service departments. When you go in to ask about your cars constantly leaking oil problems, their defense mechanisms rise up quickly because they know that Chrysler really screwed up with their handling of this particular model. Chrysler came to the conclusion that the it was easier financially to keep replacing all the faulty head gaskets than to retool the problem at the factories. A HUGE mistake, considering how many customers they would lose, including me.

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

Review Date: 31st March, 2003

26th Apr 2003, 12:15

I would like to comment here about the engine noise. My neon's engine roars like a diesel truck's engine. It is really embarrassing when in line-ups at McDonald's etc, we can never hear what the servers talk about. It is really hard to keep a conversation going, we have made it a habit to start talking once we get off, there is no way we can hear each other inside the car. Now, THAT is really loud engine noise.