what's your opinion on the dodge neon?

Answer 1

the dodge neon is a nice little car

Answer 2

I own/have owned four Neons; a '95, '01, '02 and '05. All have been good cars, with no major problems. When my daughter was in an accident which totaled our '95, the air bags kept her from being injured. After recording more than 200 tanks of gas in my '01 and '02, the average mileage was 25mpg. The best was 34mpg and the worst was 19mpg. Consumer Reports, which has never been a fan of the Neon, actually put the '04 and '05 models in the recommended used car category. The '97 through '99 are in the "used cars to avoid" list. Neons are known for being roomy, having excellent brakes and handling and being less expensive to buy.

Answer 3

American cars are disposable. American trucks are better than the cars. If you want something cheap to buy and cheap on gas, the Neon qualifies on both counts. Don't count on in being around too far into 6-figure mileage (over 100,000 miles). Don't count on having one stick around after a fender-bender either.

Another responder reported the airbags helping in a crash they had. Most cars back to the 90's have airbags - and front airbags only work in front crashes. I T-Boned a Neon which ran a stop light. My '89 VW Fox (sub-compact) had a finger-sized scratch in the front bumper and a broken corner light. The Neon's whole side caved in badly, the rear wheel was twisted (suspension damaged), and the car barely limped away. I had just moved off from a standing stop (the light on my side had just turned green, and I was accelerating moderately - my then future mother-in-law was in the back seat).

If you want something which will be safe, last a long time, and be efficient, get a foreign import and check it out at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (www.iihs.org). Honda, Toyota (except the older Rav-4's), Nissan and VW cars typically have good fuel economy, a long life, and good safety. When I sold that Fox, it had over 225,000 miles on it and was still tearing up the highways (in spite of me abusing it - towing 6-wheel trucks, driving off road, etc.).

As for parts, everything is computerized and fuel injected today. Some domestic parts will be more expensive, and some import parts will be more expensive. Unless you're Bill Gates, sensors, injectors, valves, and anything not covered in a 3,000 mile oil-change is not likely to be cheap - domestic or import.

Just don't buy anything older than a '96. EPA regs require all '96's and newer to have OBD II computers, which your neighborhood auto parts store can diagnose for you for free (if not, change store chains). '95's and older may have OBD I or proprietary diagnostics which you'll have to pay for (starting at $40 - $100) just to find out what the code is, either at the dealer or a well-equipped private shop or chain garage.

If you really want fuel economy in something reasonably priced, safe, and comfortable, try the '96 - '03 Jetta (or Golf) TDI 5-speed - 50 MPG highway and 42 MPG city. Automatic shaves a couple MPG off those numbers. I've driven 2,000 miles in one weekend in a VW with no ill effects on my gluteus maximus. An IIHS study done from '90 - '95 rated the Jetta as having the lowest per-capita driver mortality rate of any small car (real life crashes).

Answer 4

I absolutely love the neon. I have owned two and never had any problems out of either one. I've had a 95 neon and a 05 neon. A great car!!!!

Answer 5

in the "old days" (60's) cars looked different and had personality,
today they all look pretty much the same and even sound the
same. a car is a car is a car, if you like it,you'll probably continue
to like it. Just go by the price and u usually get what you pay for.

Answer 6

Dodge sucks worse than Ford! All models.

Answer 7

I have 95,000 miles on my 98. I get 30-32 miles per gallon. I have no problems with it. My opinion is that it's a good car.

Answer 8

good first car. easy to modify (parts ALL over the internet). however in years to come it may be difficult to find some parts due to production ending in 05.

Answer 9

Rubbish.

Answer 10

I see an awful lot of them sitting on the sides of the roads, so that leads me to believe they're not very reliable.