A friend of mine owns a 1997 Plymouth Neon sedan and I recently had the opportunity to take it for a drive.

Inside the Neon you'll find a relatively easy to use dash, which is poorly fitted I might add. The seating position is very low and some shorter drivers will have trouble seeing over the steering wheel. The seats are comfortable, and there is ample room in the front, and impressive room in the rear for a subcompact car. The door panels are poorly fitted, as are other trim pieces like the console and ashtray. The defroster vents reflect in the windshield, which can make for an annoying drive in the daytime. The trunk is fairly spacious. The sound system is fairly clear and is of fairly high quality.

The Neon has smooth and responsive steering, and can handle any parking spot or road you can throw at it. The suspension, however, is another story. The shocks and struts are very soft and most of the bumps in the road are absorbed by your body. The 2.0 liter engine must be pushed hard to keep up with traffic, and the ancient 3-speed automatic shifts roughly, especially when passing. The rear window is very tiny, so reversing the Neon can be quite cumbersome. The plastic trim pieces and console rattle and shake, even on smooth roads.

Overall reliability is among the worst I've seen. These cars are overflowing with factory related defects like biodegradeable engine head gaskets, faulty air conditioning systems, air and water leaks, a multitude of electrical glitches, and poor quality trim items that break or even fall off. Also, Chrysler only uses 2 coats of paint rather than 3 which is used by the Japanese. Chrysler also has a notorious reputation for peeling paint. Neon airbags have also come under fire, deploying when they shouldn't and not deploying when they should. ABS brakes fail often. Cruise control, the automatic transmission, and even seatbelts have been known to stop working. Electrical fires are common, and sometimes even the window can shatter when the door is closed, even lightly. The steering wheel is worn down almost to the metal, and the car only has 80,000kms on it (about 57,000 miles). The brake pedal is also almost worn down right to the bare metal.

A crash test of a 1997 Dodge Neon showed that the driver would be poorly protected in an IIHS crash test into an offset barrier.

The Plymouth and Dodge Neon twins are the "bottom of the barrel" when it comes to domestic subcompacts. The Ford Escort/Focus, Nissan Sentra, Toyota Corolla, and Mazda 323/Protege offer good solid reliability and roadholding for around the same price as a Neon.
Amount Paid (US$): 6500
Condition: Used
Model Year: 1997
Model and Options: 1997 Plymouth Neon 4-Door w/auto trans, cruise, a/c.