Okay, a lot has been said about the Neon.Let's see if we can hear from owners, people who have worked on them etc. first hand experience.Let's not have the burn them etc. type comments.Actual evidence.Real factual accounts.Bear in mind that any car left unserviced, driven into the ground, treated harshly is going to pack up sooner or later.So preferably personal accounts, GOOD and BAD rather than something cut and pasted from the net.Be sure to begin with model no. engine no. year, manual, auto kms, if it is or was a WELL SERVICED CAR OR NOT etc. etc. so we can compare apples with.well Neons with Neons and with other cars etc.
outbidyou2,
May 1, 8:34am
Great thread, top marks
andrea_w,
May 1, 8:38am
We don't need individual owners of Cavaliers to tell us they are a rubbish "car", it's just common knowledge. I'd imagine much the same applies here.
Besides, even IF they were reliable, the design is horrible. Reliable or not, there is no fixing it's looks. and they would be a big turn off to most buyers.
zephyrheaven,
May 1, 8:39am
Pile of shit Mechanic 15 years
When the dealership refuses to work on them, you know there is a problem - suck it up & move on
realtrader1,
May 1, 8:43am
The thread is calling for first hand knowledge as that's my design for the thread.It's an objective thread.Looks.is not really part of the brief as it's fairly subjective.We are talking reliability basically.
doriandarby,
May 1, 8:44am
I once test drove a 1996 Neon.I remember I was amazed by the auto box - amazed that Chrysler was still fitting a 3 speed auto to a car.It was either revving its nuts off or labouring in 3rd.
2nd2none,
May 1, 8:46am
Worked for Daimler Chrysler in Mt Wellington years ago, company offered them on the cheap for staff, only one or two mugs took up the offer and one of them got stolen from Otahuhu and ended up in Wellsford where some homeless guys got caught living in it. poor buggers wouldn't wish that on no one.
True Story
ladatrouble,
May 1, 8:47am
I serviced one for 7 years, the only problem was a blown headgasket, which apparently is pretty common. Count the number of vehicles with headgasket issues and you'll still be counting into next week. This customer stepped out of a Pontiac Le Mans she had since new - she was very, very happy with the Neon. Oil, filter, brakes and sparkplugs, that was all else that was needed.
smac,
May 1, 8:48am
I have known one person who owned one. Her summary was. "Yes it's a piece of shit, but I love it 'cause it's my car". Direct quote.
realtrader1,
May 1, 8:50am
I serviced one for 7 years, the only problem was a blown headgasket, which apparently is pretty common. Count the number of vehicles with headgasket issues and you'll still be counting into next week. This customer stepped out of a Pontiac Le Mans she had since new - she was very, very happy with the Neon. Oil, filter, brakes and sparkplugs, that was all else that was needed.
Quote ladatrouble (47 )8:47 pm, Tue 1 May #8
Btw I am totally unbiased on this.Totally! Interesting.Manual or auto!
zephyrheaven,
May 1, 8:54am
I made all those other words into 3 that make me lol about the modern motor car I wonder if we took one back in a time machine & showed Detroit in say the late 50's what would become of the 'modern motor car' what their expressions would be
Sheer terror I expect
ladatrouble,
May 1, 8:57am
The Pontiac Le Mans was made by Daewoo - now GM owns them. They sure know a thing or 2 in Detroit.
3tomany,
May 1, 9:05am
bad point: the worst america could do to us down under. good point: they are nearly all gone now. recycled into a chery!
kazbanz,
May 2, 3:55am
traded in 3 of these over the years. 2 with blown head gaskets and one with a blown gearbox. so in my experience they aint the best
intrade,
May 2, 4:16am
yes but the poster above said they can be fixed if its just a headgasket and not a cracked head like mitsubishi or bentblocks like nissan, then that would not make it a bad car just because the gasket pooped . Dont know how easy parts are available
kazbanz,
May 2, 4:25am
Fair comment -except the best offer I could get for them was $300 eachand all had rego/wof.The OP has asked for personal experience so Im relating mine
realtrader1,
May 2, 4:42am
Thanks for your contribution, and to others too btw.Interesting.Any idea what sort of K's each had done!Well looked after etc.To be fair, if you blew a radiator hose for example and you cook the motor.or someone empties a barrel of sludge into the radiator etc etc.I mean there can be owner neglect etc.Over the years, did you trade other cars with blown head gaskets etc!Don't get me wrong, I am not attempting anything here, only to get some objectivity into the whole thing and sort wheat from chaff so to speak.
realtrader1,
May 2, 4:46am
Okay, but that's not a fair comment without substantiation.Ie where is the proof!What is your personal experience of them!How many have you seen, destroyed, owned, worked on etc etc.I don't disbelieve you.just need evidence: fact.
thejazzpianoma,
May 2, 5:31am
While I am not a fan of the Neon I think how you are going about this thread is great realtrader1. There are a lot of really good "hidden gems" that are just slagged off on here and in the real world by people who have never owned them who just repeat silly wives tales. I am not sure the Neon is a hidden gem but your method is sound. I have been driving some fantastic "off the radar" cars for decades that have been cheap to buy and maintain. Best of luck with your thread!
moosie_21,
May 2, 5:49am
I think the OP just wants to hear what they want to hear, and will disregard the bad evidence, which is in the majority, and hold on to the good evidence, very small, in the hopes their luck can change. No moving this person on this issue people, move on to next thread. As you were.
mugenb20b,
May 2, 5:51am
You don't need to "own" a car before deciding to slag them off.
realtrader1,
May 2, 7:32am
No, that's just the point.Evidence based discussion is what we should all welcome surely.I am impartial in this.But if someone says something without qualifying and giving as much detail as possible (as per what I set out at the start of the thread) then it's a bit like the person who says what will it cost for my red car to have the rattle fixed.I have absolutely no axe to grind whatsoever.Have never owned one nor worked on one.I don't know anyone who has had any experience of them.Merely trying to shed some real light on the issue.Is that not fair enough!Body shape for example doesn't really fit into the criteria for assessing them, I mean, really.It's all about documented, substantiated reliablity v unreliability and this with particular details eg, unreliable, but car never serviced or unreliable (give details) though only travelled 30k and serviced regularly etc etc.This is the sort of info we need:)
kazbanz,
May 2, 7:52am
Heres the problem-You are asking for reports based on PERSONAL experience not second hand. The three cars were ALL traded in by owners whofreely commented that the car had been a lemon from day 1 and had been a total nightmare. I can't back this up as its just feedback from my customers. Yes I have traded ither cars with blown gearboxes --The legendary MS8 being one I've traded a few times with varying degrees of cooked tranz. -Again though this is a known fault Blown head gaskets --maybee one or two -no pattern -looked to be owner neglect more than anything else
moosie_21,
May 2, 8:35am
Yes I agree, facts are the cornerstone of any decision, but you are rubbishing every negative comment and hanging on every word of the positives. Just re-read your old posts. It's YOU that needs to think about being impartial!
realtrader1,
May 2, 9:16am
Sure.Still, your dealings with the customers still provides some evidence doesn't it.Particularly if you could look at the car you'd traded and seen that it was generally well looked after by the owner, reg service, not thrashed etc. and they said they'd owned it from new etc etc.The problem is there are so many variable.Someone buys a car that's been treated like trash and it's a bucket of bolts.Someone else buys a car, from new, and looks after it and it is a constant headache.That's why we are trying to look at the stories and see if there is a trend.But you can't develop a picture from insufficient info.
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