I think they should never have stopped making the Neon. The Caliber was a misstep. And honestly, the new Dart has a lot more in common with the Neon than it does with the original Dart. Nothing wrong with that, though–the Neon was cool. Like this one running Rally America. Pic via DodgeForums
The Neon was the first car designed in CAD, I think Catia was used… Anyway I remember them on display in the center of a large local mall, several of them in various colors like a compact car garden of sorts.
As the next few years passed, what started as a good impression turned to a less than favorable impression, based on what I had heard and read about them, as well as their very apparent lack of paint quality. It seemed like every Neon ever made had large swaths of paint sloughing off as if they had vehicular sun poisoning.
Evidently, Dodge/Plymouth tweaked the platform and they must have improved, I guess… but for me the damage was done. The one good impression I have had was when an SRT4 left my Grand Prix in the dust one day. Was it enough to build any confidence in the Neon? For me… no.
GTwildfire,
I too will admit that i was skeptical of the neon, based on what I heard about the headgasket issues, and the paint peeling.
Then in 2009 I went and drove one. It was a 5-speed ’95 Plymouth neon Sport Sedan in Emrald Green with a Mopar Accessory roof rack, and the factory Sport Rims. I instantly fell in love with the car! The neon handles well, has decent power, light weight, and even gets decent mileage when you’ve been stuffing the pedal in the carpet!
After buying that ’95, I learned of the ACR package, and found a ’96 neon ACR coupe for sale locally. It features the DOHC 2.0L (which makes a very tough growl!), hefty rear sway bar, and stiff Arvin struts. The ACR was built for the racetrack, so you don’t get many/any options. You don’t need any though. The smile that car puts on my face when I’m cruising down a twisty highway, listening to that engine growl through the bends… There’s nothing else like it!
It’s been 4 1/2 years now, and I still drive neons. I still have my ’96 ACR coupe, as well as two 1998 R/T coupes. I won’t be looking for a new car anytime soon.