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2000
Dodge Neon

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$12,640
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2000 Dodge Neon 2000 Dodge Neon 2000 Dodge Neon 2000 Dodge Neon 2000 Dodge Neon 2000 Dodge Neon 2000 Dodge Neon 2000 Dodge Neon 2000 Dodge Neon 2000 Dodge Neon

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Expert 2000 Dodge Neon review

our expert's take
Our expert's take
By
Full article
our expert's take

Say goodbye to “Hi!,” the one-word slogan that launched the Dodge/Plymouth Neon in January 1994.

It was a cutesy marketing campaign, meant to attract young buyers to what was then Chrysler Corp.’s newest little car. The pitch worked. Chrysler sold more than 1.5 million Neons in 61 countries since the car’s introduction. But times changed.

Chrysler is no more, having been bought out by Germany’s Daimler-Benz AG and merged into a new company called DaimlerChrysler AG. And the Neon grew up.

It’s no longer a car for base-wage youngsters, or weekend throttle jockeys with big-track ambitions and tiny wallets. The new Neon–the 2000 Neon–is a serious automobile.

That doesn’t mean it’s dull. Quite the contrary. It’s a hip drive–light, tight and pretty darned right. But there’s something unmistakably adult about it, something “Hello,” or “How are you?,” or “Have a nice day.”

Perhaps it’s the price, which is higher than the original but still within the range of affordability for salaried interns with star potential–about $15,000 for a reasonably well-equipped model. But I think there’s something else.

The old Neons were noise buckets, allowing engine whine and road rumble to flow through the passenger cabin as freely as water through a sieve. The 2000 Neon, by comparison, is wonderfully quiet–a characteristic that enhances the notion of “solid,” which is how the new Neon feels.

At 2,564 pounds, the car remains a lightweight. But more welding of parts and the use of more accurately fitted components, more sound-deadening materials and better overall structural design give it a substance discernibly lacking in earlier Neons.

DaimlerChrysler, in fact, seems to have taken every conceivable route to improving the car without knocking its price out of reach. There is, for example, more interior space in the new Neon, though its overall body is not that much larger than the old one.

The company worked this seeming magic by taking “cab forward” design to new lengths–moving the windshield forward by three inches, increasing the overall body length by 2.6 inches and boosting the wheelbase length by one inch.

DaimlerChrysler also widened the car a tad and raised its ground clearance by three-tenths of an inch, to 6.1 inches, an elevation that allows for more suspension travel, which also yields a more comfortable and controlled ride.

The deck lid, fenders, hood, quarter panels and roof of the 2000 Neon all have been redesigned to give the car a more aggressive, sporty look. But the headlamps–now with new, super-clear lenses–still wink.

That winking, however, is not so much a post-pubescent prelude to “Hi” as it is an adult flirtation hinting that the Neon has come of age and is ready to do more than burn rubber on drag strips or take day trips to the local shopping mall.

2000 Dodge/Plymouth Neon

Complaints: Mixed results on seat comfort. Some riders and alternate drivers complained that the Neon’s cloth seats were too hard. But I disagreed with their assessment. I found the seats firm and to my liking. But, hey, each rump has a right to its own opinion.

Praise: An overall excellent redesign of what already was a good economy car. The tested Plymouth Neon LX sedan was loaded with standard equipment, including a “battery saver” that shuts off dome lights left on by mistake, four cup holders designed to accommodate coffee cups and juice boxes, theater-style dimming for interior lights, floor mats, and other goodies often sold as options on comparable small cars.

Head-turning quotient: Pretty, as opposed to cute.

Capacities: Designed to seat five. But, as often is the case in small cars, it really seats four comfortably. Fuel tank holds 12.5 gallons of recommented regular unleaded gasoline. Cargo capacity is 13.1 cubic feet, pretty decent.

Engine: A two-liter, single-overhead-cam, in-line, liquid-cooled four-cylinder engine designed to produce 132 horsepower at 5,6 00 rpm and 130 pound-feet of torque at 4,600 rpm. That’s a lot of launch for a small car.

Mileage: About 23 miles per gallon, somewhat disappointing. I expected more. Estimated range on usable volume of fuel was 280 miles.

Ride, acceleration and handling: Excellent acceleration and handling. Complaints about seat comfort lowered the ride grade. Excellent braking. Optional brakes on the test car included power four-wheel discs–vented front, solid rear–with anti-lock backup. Standard brakes include power front discs, rear drums.

Sound system: Six-speaker AM-FM stereo radio and cassette. Installed by DaimlerChrysler. Good.

Price: Prices are not firm on the 2000 Neons at this writing. But expect to pay $15,000 to $16,000 for popularly equipped models–cars sold with equipment most often demanded by buyers.

Purse-strings note: DaimlerChrysler is cutting deals on the 1999 Neons–essentially unchanged from the ’98s–to make way for the 2000 series going on sale this spring. If it’s a good, cheap ride you want, you might want to investigate the ’98-99 Neons.

2000 Dodge Neon review: Our expert's take
By

Say goodbye to “Hi!,” the one-word slogan that launched the Dodge/Plymouth Neon in January 1994.

It was a cutesy marketing campaign, meant to attract young buyers to what was then Chrysler Corp.’s newest little car. The pitch worked. Chrysler sold more than 1.5 million Neons in 61 countries since the car’s introduction. But times changed.

Chrysler is no more, having been bought out by Germany’s Daimler-Benz AG and merged into a new company called DaimlerChrysler AG. And the Neon grew up.

It’s no longer a car for base-wage youngsters, or weekend throttle jockeys with big-track ambitions and tiny wallets. The new Neon–the 2000 Neon–is a serious automobile.

That doesn’t mean it’s dull. Quite the contrary. It’s a hip drive–light, tight and pretty darned right. But there’s something unmistakably adult about it, something “Hello,” or “How are you?,” or “Have a nice day.”

Perhaps it’s the price, which is higher than the original but still within the range of affordability for salaried interns with star potential–about $15,000 for a reasonably well-equipped model. But I think there’s something else.

The old Neons were noise buckets, allowing engine whine and road rumble to flow through the passenger cabin as freely as water through a sieve. The 2000 Neon, by comparison, is wonderfully quiet–a characteristic that enhances the notion of “solid,” which is how the new Neon feels.

At 2,564 pounds, the car remains a lightweight. But more welding of parts and the use of more accurately fitted components, more sound-deadening materials and better overall structural design give it a substance discernibly lacking in earlier Neons.

DaimlerChrysler, in fact, seems to have taken every conceivable route to improving the car without knocking its price out of reach. There is, for example, more interior space in the new Neon, though its overall body is not that much larger than the old one.

The company worked this seeming magic by taking “cab forward” design to new lengths–moving the windshield forward by three inches, increasing the overall body length by 2.6 inches and boosting the wheelbase length by one inch.

DaimlerChrysler also widened the car a tad and raised its ground clearance by three-tenths of an inch, to 6.1 inches, an elevation that allows for more suspension travel, which also yields a more comfortable and controlled ride.

The deck lid, fenders, hood, quarter panels and roof of the 2000 Neon all have been redesigned to give the car a more aggressive, sporty look. But the headlamps–now with new, super-clear lenses–still wink.

That winking, however, is not so much a post-pubescent prelude to “Hi” as it is an adult flirtation hinting that the Neon has come of age and is ready to do more than burn rubber on drag strips or take day trips to the local shopping mall.

2000 Dodge/Plymouth Neon

Complaints: Mixed results on seat comfort. Some riders and alternate drivers complained that the Neon’s cloth seats were too hard. But I disagreed with their assessment. I found the seats firm and to my liking. But, hey, each rump has a right to its own opinion.

Praise: An overall excellent redesign of what already was a good economy car. The tested Plymouth Neon LX sedan was loaded with standard equipment, including a “battery saver” that shuts off dome lights left on by mistake, four cup holders designed to accommodate coffee cups and juice boxes, theater-style dimming for interior lights, floor mats, and other goodies often sold as options on comparable small cars.

Head-turning quotient: Pretty, as opposed to cute.

Capacities: Designed to seat five. But, as often is the case in small cars, it really seats four comfortably. Fuel tank holds 12.5 gallons of recommented regular unleaded gasoline. Cargo capacity is 13.1 cubic feet, pretty decent.

Engine: A two-liter, single-overhead-cam, in-line, liquid-cooled four-cylinder engine designed to produce 132 horsepower at 5,6 00 rpm and 130 pound-feet of torque at 4,600 rpm. That’s a lot of launch for a small car.

Mileage: About 23 miles per gallon, somewhat disappointing. I expected more. Estimated range on usable volume of fuel was 280 miles.

Ride, acceleration and handling: Excellent acceleration and handling. Complaints about seat comfort lowered the ride grade. Excellent braking. Optional brakes on the test car included power four-wheel discs–vented front, solid rear–with anti-lock backup. Standard brakes include power front discs, rear drums.

Sound system: Six-speaker AM-FM stereo radio and cassette. Installed by DaimlerChrysler. Good.

Price: Prices are not firm on the 2000 Neons at this writing. But expect to pay $15,000 to $16,000 for popularly equipped models–cars sold with equipment most often demanded by buyers.

Purse-strings note: DaimlerChrysler is cutting deals on the 1999 Neons–essentially unchanged from the ’98s–to make way for the 2000 series going on sale this spring. If it’s a good, cheap ride you want, you might want to investigate the ’98-99 Neons.

Safety review

Based on the 2000 Dodge Neon base trim
NHTSA crash test and rollover ratings, scored out of 5.
Frontal driver
4/5
Frontal passenger
4/5
Side driver
3/5
Side rear passenger
3/5

Factory warranties

New car program benefits

Basic
3 years / 36,000 miles
Corrosion
5 years / 100,000 miles
Powertrain
3 years / 36,000 miles
Roadside Assistance
3 years / 36,000 miles

Certified Pre-Owned program benefits

Age / mileage
6-10 MY and / or 75,001-120,000 miles
Basic
3 Month 3,000 mile Max Care Warranty
Dealer certification
125 point inspection

Consumer reviews

4.0 / 5
Based on 22 reviews
Write a review
Comfort 3.7
Interior 3.6
Performance 4.0
Value 4.6
Exterior 3.8
Reliability 4.1

Most recent

  • It's ugly AF but it's still pretty reliable

    I bought this 23 year old car for 1kfrom a junkyard employee who was trying to run it till the wheels fall off and had no regard for it's upkeep. It's rusty, the paint is worn off from the sun in patches, and overall it looks like xxxx. And ive had some trouble with it. I need 4 new wheels, I had to replace the spark plugs, the battery, a missing coolant reservoir lid...easy, maintenance things. But let me tell you. This car is 23 years old and has 215,000 miles, and it takes me everywhere I need to go just fine, and has no dashboard lights on. I know ppl with newer cars with check engine lights on. I don't take this car on long drives, best not to risk it, but it's a pretty reliable car. Even if this particular model has a bad reputation, I think I got the exception to the rule. I hope it lasts a while longer.
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Commuting
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 4.0
    Interior 3.0
    Performance 3.0
    Value 5.0
    Exterior 3.0
    Reliability 3.0
    2 people out of 2 found this review helpful. Did you?
    Yes No
  • Most reliable car I have owned.

    This car has met all of my needs. It is very roomy and liable. It drives great. The trunk is a good size as well. I have not had a problem with it!
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Commuting
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 5.0
    Interior 4.0
    Performance 4.0
    Value 5.0
    Exterior 4.0
    Reliability 5.0
    3 people out of 3 found this review helpful. Did you?
    Yes No
  • Bought it brand new 18 years ago!

    I still drive this car every day! It's a 155,000 miles and could use a paint job. It's a great car and my family gets around in it just fine after 18 years. It's great on mileage and good for road trips. There are a few things that have been replaced such as the clutch, a head gasket, and now a radiator which are all inexpensive if you replace them yourself. Less than $250 for all those parts online.
    • Purchased a New car
    • Used for Commuting
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 4.0
    Interior 4.0
    Performance 4.0
    Value 4.0
    Exterior 4.0
    Reliability 4.0
    1 person out of 1 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • Most different car I've owned

    Owned this car for 3 years so far, got it for $1000 put $1200 in work and so far only thing I've needed was a new tire and a few new lights, it runs great gas mileage is alot closer to 20 than the 25 it's supposed to get but I got a great heater and ac unit, it's quite fast 130 fastest it's done, gets decent milege highway wise til 75mph, pros -good mileage for a 2000 -parts are cheap -Fast for a 2000 -great AC and comfortable seats -3 cup holders can't argue with that Cons -go over 75 and mileage goes down the drain -small trunk and hard to fit anything in the backseat due to doors not opening fully -back mirrors require you to roll them up or down -radio gets iffy alot -only one "outlet"
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Commuting
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 4.0
    Interior 3.0
    Performance 4.0
    Value 5.0
    Exterior 3.0
    Reliability 5.0
    1 person out of 1 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • Decent car for decent price

    Needs more room the car is 4 door but is small the option of letting the backseat told down helps out alot because I clean houses for a living and allows me to carry even my large equipment
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Commuting
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 3.0
    Interior 3.0
    Performance 4.0
    Value 4.0
    Exterior 3.0
    Reliability 5.0
    1 person out of 1 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • Cheap used beater

    This car was great if you only look at the engine and transmission. Would drive this car 500 miles plus per week and take it on long trips. The down side was everything attached to the engine i.e. the entire car. As a cheap A to B car you couldn't beat the MPG and price. What will happen is as being an older car and not the most refined one, you will go for inspection and be told there is no value left in the car and it would be better money spent to upgrade to something else. I owned this car for 3 years and 2 of those years it slipped though inspection barley. but as things go they only get worse and 3rd year around $2000+ was needed just to make it road worthy. I do believe even with the high 180k+ mileage the engine would take my across the county and back without issue, but the car would have came apart during the trip, with the engine laying on the ground in the rubble that was once a car still running.
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Commuting
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 2.0
    Interior 2.0
    Performance 4.0
    Value 5.0
    Exterior 4.0
    Reliability 3.0
    0 people out of 0 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • Bang for the buck

    It has some rust problems but very reliable and strong car manual is super smooth and very comfortable intiror
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Having fun
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 4.0
    Interior 4.0
    Performance 3.0
    Value 5.0
    Exterior 3.0
    Reliability 3.0
    1 person out of 1 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • Most reliable car ever

    Its a great car and never had any major problems with it. Amazed dodge made a vehicle to last almost 20 years!
    • Purchased a New car
    • Used for Transporting family
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 5.0
    Interior 5.0
    Performance 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Exterior 5.0
    Reliability 4.0
    1 person out of 1 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • GREAT LITTLE CAR

    Bought my 2000 Dodge Neon new. Was still getting anywhere from 37-40 mpg highway. Served me well. Still looked stylish even among the "newer" cars on the road, and still looked practically new, even after 15 years (Car came with a great clearcoat). Except for the replacement parts due to aging, this car served me well. I no longer have the car, but would have liked another Neon if they were still making them.
    • Purchased a New car
    • Used for Off-roading
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 5.0
    Interior 5.0
    Performance 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Exterior 5.0
    Reliability 4.0
    1 person out of 1 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • Great On Gas!!!!

    This car is the best on gas ever,,I get 36 on road trip's and 33 at the least town driving.I have put some new parts in like water pump and clutch and new air,new sensor.It still passed smog like a champ,at 130,000.this car get's up and go's good power.I have owned lot's of car's and they should be making more like this.It's very reasonable too fix's on low budget.
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Used for Transporting family
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 3.0
    Interior 4.0
    Performance 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Exterior 4.0
    Reliability 5.0
    1 person out of 1 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • Only car i have owned

    I recieved this car in high school in 2002. I was only 2 years old then with 68, 000. Over the past 10 years i put 100,000 miles on it and it has never given any troubles besides regular maintenance!! I have taken this car everywhere in Texas and the surrounding states! Great memories!
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Does recommend this car
    Comfort 5.0
    Interior 5.0
    Performance 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Exterior 5.0
    Reliability 5.0
    1 person out of 1 found this review helpful. Did you?
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  • Good for teenager

    I had a 2000 neon for 5 years. I bought it bearly used with 10,000 miles on it and the car now has 72000 miles on it. I think we changed the water pump once on it. Out of the blue oil started to come up from the spark plugs. Piston trouble or manifold issues, I'm not sure. The car wasnt worth putting 2000 dollars of repair into. This car was taken care of very well. This shouldnt of happened. If you have kids or need your space, this is not the car for you. This car is suited best for teenagers to go to and from work/school/practice. Trunk space is great. This model DOES NOT get 30 some miles to the gallon. They geared this year differently and its MPG suffered. I never had trouble starting it in the cold.
    • Purchased a Used car
    • Does not recommend this car
    Comfort 2.0
    Interior 3.0
    Performance 2.0
    Value 5.0
    Exterior 5.0
    Reliability 4.0
    0 people out of 0 found this review helpful. Did you?
    Yes No

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FAQ

What trim levels are available for the 2000 Dodge Neon?

The 2000 Dodge Neon is available in 1 trim level:

  • Highline (1 style)

What is the MPG of the 2000 Dodge Neon?

The 2000 Dodge Neon offers up to 25 MPG in city driving and 31 MPG on the highway. These figures are based on EPA mileage ratings and are for comparison purposes only. The actual mileage will vary depending on vehicle options, trim level, driving conditions, driving habits, vehicle maintenance, and other factors.

Is the 2000 Dodge Neon reliable?

The 2000 Dodge Neon has an average reliability rating of 4.1 out of 5 according to cars.com consumers. Find real-world reliability insights within consumer reviews from 2000 Dodge Neon owners.

Is the 2000 Dodge Neon a good Sedan?

Below are the cars.com consumers ratings for the 2000 Dodge Neon. 77.3% of drivers recommend this vehicle.

4.0 / 5
Based on 22 reviews
  • Comfort: 3.7
  • Interior: 3.6
  • Performance: 4.0
  • Value: 4.6
  • Exterior: 3.8
  • Reliability: 4.1
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