Not Your Sister's Neon

This past December I finally managed to graduate from college after 5 1/2 long years, lol. I got a new full-time job in January and decided it was time for a new car. I actually didn't have much of a choice in this matter. I had put about $3,000 into my Explorer the previous Christmas to have the engine rebuilt and then when I was home for Christmas last year the front end brakes went out. When I took the car in it turns out I needed a complete overhaul of the front end which was going to cost me another $1500. I decided that almost $5,000 in repairs on a car I paid $7200 for just was not worth it. Time for a new ride.

I think I test drove about 12 cars before I decided on the 2005 Neon SXT. I was looking something reasonably, between $10-15,000. I didn't really care if it was new or used. I had also sworn up and down that I would never drive an American car again because I had so many problems with my Ford and with my Buick before that. The dealership I went to had an extensive range of cars in the price range I was looking for. Some of the other cars I test drove before the Neon were a 2004 Honda Civic 2-door coupe, 2004 Mazda Protege', 2005 Nissan Sentra(manual and automatic models), 2004 Nissan Xterra, 2004 Toyota Camry and a 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse. There were others but I don't remember them off the top of my head. All together I was at the dealership for over 6 hours.

I had seen a 2005 Neon SXT on the lot but I had ignored it for the most part because it was an American car and I also thought it would be too expensive. I was drawn to it towards the end though because it was a really sweet looking car. It was black and had a hood intake, dual exhaust and a big spoiler like the SRT-4. I didn't think there was any way I could afford it. On a whim I asked the salesman who had been helping me out all day if he could check to see if it would be in my price range. He told me to take it out for a drive and he would check on it for me while I was gone.

As soon as I sat in the SXT I was almost sold. I am 6'-4" so the interior is very important to me. I was impressed because the Neon was the first car I had driven that did not require me to move the seat all the way back. I had tons of leg room up front. When I started the car I was also impressed with how the engine sounded. As soon as I hit the road I was ready to buy the car. While not a huge engine, the SOHC 2.0 liter 4 cylinder puts out 137 HP and is pretty zippy for a small engine. The engine also sounds really cool, almost like it is turbo charged. After taking it out on the road it became aparent that the suspension was excellent. I later found out that the 2005 SXT featured a European inspired suspension design. Overall I was really impressed with the car inside and out. When I got back to the dealership the salesman told me that we that car was in my range and was actually towards the bottom of my price range.

We ended up working out a deal for around $12,500. My dad has purchased about 8-9 cars from this particular dealership and my mom has bought about 3 or 4 from them as well so they gave me a pretty good deal since they know our family so well. I had $2,000 from Christmas and Graduation money that I put down for the down payment and I ended up taking out a loan for the rest of it. My payments are not bad, about $230 a month and the car only had 700 miles on it so it was practically brand new. I decided to wait a few months before I wrote this review so I would have time to get used to the car and see what I liked and disliked about it.

I am still thrilled with my decision. I absolutely love this car. It is sporty yet practical. I get great gas mileage with this car, anywhere from 28-32 on the interstate and about 25 in the city. I live in Morgantown, WV which is a very hilly area so the 25 mpg city is probably a little bit lower than what you would get in a flatter area. I don't mind though, I love being able to fill up my gas tank for $20 every fill up, even with the high gas prices.

The other thing I love about this car is the amazing amount of interior space. I have had 5 people in this car with no problems what so ever. My two best friends are both 6'-5" and they have no problems fitting in the back seat even with the front seats moved back. The interior is also very comfortable, especially the bucket seats in the front. The standard steering wheel is easy to grip and has finger grips built into it. I still installed an R: Racing Steering wheel wrap though, more for looks than anything else. The trunk is surprisingly roomy. Over Christmas break I managed to fit luggage for two people, plus 2 laundry baskets and a set of golf clubs in the trunk for my ride back to Morgantown. I can't fit my entire apartment into the Neon as I could with my Explorer, but there is still plenty of storage space.

The interior is also very well laid out. I think all of the Dodge cars and trucks have benefitted from Daimler-Chrysler engineering in the past year or two. There are 3 cup holders in the front and the center storage console opens to provide a 4th cup holder than can be used by someone in the back seat. The center console and glove box have plenty of room to store what ever you need. Above the environmental controls there is a little slot on the dash where you can put a cell phone, keys, sun glasses, chapstick, etc. The dash is well laid out and has glow gauges that make night driving a little bit easier on the eyes. There is also a large compartment underneath the radio where you can put change or anything else you need to store. The heater and A/C work very well and are easily controllable from the driver's seat. The radio controls are also easily reachable.

As I mentioned before, this car is a lot of fun to drive. It looks sporty from the get go, with a very nice set of standard rims, dual exhaust, as well as an SRT-4 Spoiler and hood intake. While you won't get the performance of the SRT-4, you do get some of the looks. While you won't be winning any street races with the stock engine, it still provides plenty of zip and makes driving a lot of fun. I have installed a performance engine chip which has boosted my HP to around 160 and I have ordered a Weapon R Intake system which is going to give me another 20-30 HP. With just the engine chip modification, my SXT absolutely screams now and I can't wait to get my intake system installed. The European inspired suspension allows the car to handle very well at all speeds. Overall I have been really impressed with the performance aspect of the car and I still get great gas mileage even with the boost to the engine.

Even though I love this car, I still have a gripe or two. The one thing I really do not like is that the back seats have crank down windows instead of power windows. This is kind of annoying and I think a cheap design flaw since the front seats have dual power windows. Not sure why Dodge couldn't find a few more bucks to install rear power windows. The other problem I have is that I wanted to get the bright white Xenon head lamp bulbs for the car but when I pop the hood I found it almost next to impossible to access the head lamp bulbs. I'm not exactly sure how I'm supposed to do it either, but after reading other reviews on this car, it seems like you have to remove something from the wheel well to get to the head lamps. This is really annoying and kind of a hassle. The one thing that really bugs me about this car is that there is no cruise control. While I don't mind this even on my 2-3 hour drives home to see my parents in Charleston, it is a huge hassle for longer trips. Seeing that cruise control is a pretty standard option these days, I was really upset over the lack of cruise control on this otherwise excellent automobile. Other than these three issues, I really do not have any problems at all with this car.

While it isn't the SRT-4, you can still trick the SXT out which is something I really like. I have done a few things to it so far and I plan to get some more modifications done in the future when I have some extra money. So far I have installed interior neon lights under the dash on the driver and passenger sides. I have also put racing pedals in and I bought custom R: Racing floor mats for the front. Even though I like the look of the bucket seats, I went ahead and got some grey and black NX Racing seat covers. I have some vinyl decals coming that I ordered from www.e-grafx.com and I will probably be putting those on sometime in the next few weeks. I also installed XM Satellite Radio because I am getting sick of the same songs over and over again on the normal AM/FM channels.

Overall I am really happy with my car and the joy I have experienced from driving the 2005 Dodge Neon SXT has opened me back up to the fact that American car manufacturers can put a good product on the road. I hope that you have enjoyed this review and as always I welcome any comments or suggestions. If you are in the market for a sport/compact car that won't break the bank, I seriously suggest you look into the 2005 Dodge Neon SXT. I am giving it 4 out of 5 stars. Actually more like 4 1/2 because I am really impressed with it, but the lack of power windows in the back seat, no cruise control and the difficulty in replacing the head lamps causes it to lose 1/2 a star. Below is a list of all of the options my 2005 Neon SXT came with in case you want to compare it with others.

Power Steering
Front Power Windows
Power Moonroof
Single Disc CD Player
Power Mirrors
Power Trunk Open in Glovebox
Keyless Entry and Trunk
Alarm System
137 HP 2.0 Liter SOHC V4
Aluminum Wheels

Product Review Update: June 1st, 2007

Just wanted to post an update to my review. I have had this car now for 23,000 miles and so far everything has still been going well with it. I have not had any mechanical issues and other than for the periodic oil change, I have not had the car in the shop one time. I have been keeping track of my gas mileage via a spreadsheet on Excel and gas mileage is still going strong at 26 city and 34 highway.

I am about ready to replace the tires on the vehicle because the Goodyear LS tires are starting to go. I only got about 20,000 miles out of the tires so that is somewhat discouraging.