1996 Plymouth Neon review from North America

Within the first year of owning this car, my clutch cable broke suddenly while coming to a Stop sign. (Of course the dealer said this was not covered under warranty.)

A few months after that, my brakes began squealing, then grinding, so I had to replace the rotors and everything.

There was a hit-and-run on my passenger side and I had to have the entire side redone. In less than a year the paint began peeling, and the Plymouth/Dodge dealership that had made the repairs said there was nothing they could do about it. (This is more of a dealership problem than car problem, but still relevant.)

My head gasket blew, of course.

I have had continuous oil leaks since I bought the car. From where? Who knows, since no-one can find it. (The plus side is that I have kept the kitty-litter companies in business because of this.)

The driver side visor clip broke.

The driver seat began fraying, then completely tore at the door-side seam.

I recently had to replace my timing belt, which is situated so that I could not do it myself without a "special tool", so I paid roughly $600 for someone to do it for me.

My stereo face plate flickers at times.

The headlights flicker when the cooling fan comes on.

I loved my car from the moment I saw it in the lot. It was sleek and sparkling blue. It was fast and great on gas! I got nearly 40 miles per gallon highway.

However, once things started going wrong with it, the problems just kept on coming. I have put over $1000 dollars into my car in the past year, and was unable to drive it for about 6 months until I did all these repairs.

I am medium height, and this is the most comfortable car I have ever driven. It is a little cramped for my 6-foot-tall hubby, though.

The backseat has enough room for three car seats, and I love that the trunk is accessible from the back seat.

We're coming up on 100,000 miles soon, and I half expect it to explode when it turns over.

It's running now, but is more like a frail, weak old lady than the supple, energetic cheerleader that it was.

It putters like the Jetson's car, but I still love it. I'll probably baby it until it dies of old age.