1998 Dodge Neon Highline: Regular Car Reviews
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- Опубліковано 26 гру 2021
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New 2nd channel "Regular and Roman"
/ @regularandroman - Авто та транспорт
This car's engine is the definition of "I bought the whole tachometer, I am going to use the whole tachometer".
_screams in 7500 RPM_
MOPAR ECU
My neon doesn’t even have a tach
@@darthmaul216 switch it out to a cluster that does.
2000's era Ford drivers WISH they could ball this hard.
RCR reviewing a 90’s car is close to UA-cam perfection.
It’s how it should be I don’t need reviews of brand new POS’s
@@NJdeplorable so true. I love my 95 Miata and miss all my other old cars from the 80s and 90s. I don't think I'd ever want to buy a new car.
@@MidwestTractionModeler I always say the same thing until I forget how unreliable everything else but the motors are. Saying that though my 2 most reliable vehicles are my 89 5.0 , and my 95 F150 4.9. Most unreliable vehicles I ever owned was a 2011 Chevy cruise and believe it or not a 98 GMC with a 5.7 350 which I still have and is on its 4th motor 😭
Petroles can suck a dick!
@@NJdeplorable strictly old POS's here
Mr. Regular using the “if you have the means” quote on a Tesla and then again on a ‘98 Neon perfectly characterizes the duality of car culture
It's a shit box, but it's my shit box!
imagine the eye rolling and the "dude a neon?" the owner must get and loving the car anyway. and then Mr.Regular comes and geeks out about how great it is and loves it just as much as he does. its a good feeling when sombody else appreciates your car they way you do and you dont have to justify why you like it. loved this video.
Well said
That car is a complete piece of garbage. I knew people who drove Neons, I was driven in them many times, they're awful cars made for the lowest of the low of society. There's nothing good or cute about them, they're cars made for people on welfare to drive to the welfare office to get their check, then drive home and sit on that fat asses watching Wheel of Fortune while everyone else is working.
@@rodmunch69 that's a lot of baggage to place on a car. Lol
@@terryorcutt8739 the neon can't carry much baggage, mainly because the trunk is rusted and has a huge hole in it.
@@rodmunch69 It's there qualities that make them great value for racing which is it's only real value. You strip the interior and install a roll cage and delete the A/C so non-working A/C is not a problem, the crap interior is also not a problem and you race and crash every one it a while so you use a frame straightener then just sand and bondo fill then paint over with a cheap spray can and you're off to racing again so that makes cosmetics also not a problem.
I would not want this car as a daily driver but I would want to for a race car if they were as readily available as before cash for clunkers.
"Your permanent record doesn't matter; your practical skill set does." - Mr. Regular (Now THAT is practical advice, and the car was fun too)
@A walrus so you're saying your high school reputation and transgressions follow you forever into professional life like some fucked up scarlet letter kinda deal? Damn.
@@Skidracer21 Because internet.
Depends. Felonies can really screw up your life.
@@Skidracer21 pretty much. High school taught me to do the absolute bare minimum to get by. I’d say that’s a lesson that followed me into adulthood. Just try to get the equivalent of straight As in whatever entry level job you get/had. Do you ever get a promotion? By which, I mean something that would get you a higher pay raise. Climbing the corporate ladder means leaving one company and going to the next. I swear, what made me look good to one employer was the fact that I stayed with a crappy entry level job for four years. What does that mean? Good attendance is more important than grades. Showing up to school every day on time sets you on the path to showing up every day to work on time.
@A walrus I never did any homework. Still managed a 3.4 GPA with honors classes. Got into college for free.
In 2011 in high school, my buddy had a first gen Neon. He paid $700 for it. It was a faded green which he added two purple racing stripes to, and it was affectionately named Hulk. He put two 15s in the trunk, and the entire sound system cost more than the car. On rainy days, we would tray slide the shit out of it. My Neon memories are 15 years after Mr. R’s but I wouldn’t trade them for the world.
I was in highschool in the lat 2000's. I didn't have a Neon but I did have 2 15's in my car. Bass so strong it made your vision blurry
Best colors for a 1st gen Neon were neon green and purple. 👍
I had 2 12 inch Memphis audio subwoofers in my ford 150 back in high school in 2009 lol. It seems subwoofers died out not long after that though and no body had them
Unfortunately those memories for this Garrett were in a Geo Prizm...
YOOOO shout out to TRAY SLIDING! LMAO. We used to steal serving trays from wendys and Tray slide my 1989 honda prelude haha. Thanks for the mems!
That hood is probably worth more than the entire rest of the car! Incredible period mods.
I always saw the Neons with those three spoke Prime wheels.
I love Neons so much I was genuinely afraid to watch this review, I was afraid you'd light into them. You nailed it, they're so misunderstood, so much engineering went into these cars, it was a huge project for Chrysler, it wasn't a Mitsu underneath. They're already aging well, at 34 yrs old I still own my high school Neon, and get comments all the time, "you don't see those anymore", or people's memories, or young people who have no idea what it is.
I'd say it's the 3 speed auto 1st gen neon and the 2nd gen in general that ended up tainting the name. I had a 2nd gen with the newer 4 speed auto and it was definitely a fun little car to drive, but that transmission had just atrocious reliability. They also ate engine mounts for some reason
They broke all the dang time. Mine needed so much work before 70k. But they were quick and roomy. Everything else is just high school nostalgia tainting your brain, but hey, more power to you.
@@arguy_4420 my wife had a second gen that destroyed itself from the inside out.
My first car was a 1998 neon, never stopped overheating. Replaced the thermostat, radiator, radiator fans, then sold the garbage for 500$...to the owner of a 1995 neon. It was somehow an upgrade for him. He loved it, and it was like watching someone fall in love with the puppy who was born with one leg and is blind..and is actually a rat.
I'm 30 and literally just got rid of mine. I had it for the last 8 years and I bought it off a high school friend for $2. The instrument cluster initially didn't work, and I had to put thousands in maintenance pretty much immediately, plus it had a recurring issue of the AC interfering with some important engine belt action. I loved it though, the pickup and the handling made it so fun to drive; any long distance trip I made felt like an adventure. I wouldn't consider myself a car guy, but I cried as I watched mine get towed away.
I feel like when Mr. Regular reviewing a car of his late childhood this is him in his purist form
This was the first car I bought with my own money as a teenager...98 dodge neon sport coupe and this video embodies the spirit of that car so much it made me emotional. Rcr is literally the best writing I ever hear hands down
Same here, mine was standard, Dohc. I had no idea how to drive standard. My dad simply said, “figure it out” and walked inside to drink. So I learned. Still my favorite car I’ve ever owned.
I watch every video by RCR and this one is different - this was a commentary on the fleeting accessibility of youth that we 90's kids knew, but is almost completely gone with kids today. That freedom is unforgettable and the Neon is DEFINITELY the icon that holds that memory. It wasn't a spiteful car. I miss seeing that friendly chin and headlight face on the road in my rearview mirror.
It was hard to listen to Regular remembering the past, honestly felt angry and wanted him to stop. Because what car, and what kind of warm memory, can the 2010s give?
The kids of my era, the kids that grew up in the 2010s, won't get a chance at that, not at this rate. And it makes me sick, because we too wanted to feel that freedom and innocence lost to the gods of social media and bland corpo wokeness.
What does every age group say about the previous? "almost completely gone with kids today. " Lighten up, Francis. I'm 55 and have had a bellyful of people older than me telling me how great cars were, and how shitty new cars are, and how youth of today doesn't appreciate the finer things in life. (same with music)
Things change. Better get used to it.
RCR Guy made a great episode, but don't get emotional about it.
From 9:30 on I felt emotional when he was talking about his tormentors...Mr. Reg has a way of transporting you with words
@@armanblitz6908 the "old man yells at cloud" vibes are strong with this comment
@@ideitbawxproductions1880 No he is absolutely right. Grew up in the late 2000s with high school being early 2010s. Social media and technology everywhere fucked us all. We couldn't do any teen shenanigans without it being recorded
I’m 43…I bought a ‘95 Neon in 1998. DOHC, manual transmission, forest green. Same as Yeez said, this video made me emotional. Walking into the bowling alley with the black lights on, man this captures 90’s teenage life so well! I drove my Neon from my dad’s house in Tok, Alaska, three hundred and something miles to Anchorage in a total shitstorm blizzard. I loved that car. Sold it to my friend when I joined the Army in ‘99 and his wife totaled it not long after. Ugh.
What a great RCR video!
Do you still see the
I can hear the nostalgia seeping through when Mr Regular talked about those days on the Neon, no wonder why he loves the car so much
Seeping? Its a full on breached-hull flood 😂
@@Corkoth55 *open the gates! at FULL*
My eyes might be a little misty but I'm going to blame that on forgetting to take an antihistamine this morning.
I had a ‘91 Accord I feel the same way about. You could give me a 911 Turbo and I’d probably tell you how that ‘91 accord was still the greatest car ever made. Nothing like dusting off a little nostalgia
There’s just something about listening to RCR go on a nostalgia trip that made me so happy, as a band kid on his last semester of high school I salute you.
These shouldn't be the best days of your life, but they'll be some of the ones you remember the most. Try to have fun and be the best version of yourself possible.
@@echodelta2172 that's good advice!
@@echodelta2172
Lol awww ur just a little kid
I’m not a band kid but all my friends are, and I ditch all day in the band room so salute to you fellow graduating senior 🤝
I had an immediate smile on my face when you rowed through the gears. I had no idea Chrysler produced such a rev-happy little engine.
I have mine running on an aftermarket ecu at 8600, been running it for years, they love revs, and i love neons
Oh man. He hit the nail on the head about the acr coupes. I bought one in 2015 from the dealer I worked at for $250 not knowing it was a true acr coupe. I thought it was weird a 95 neon would have a dohc engine and a 5 speed with rear disc brakes until I realized that the suspension was special. I drove it for 9 months and it was quite possibly one of my most favorite cars I’ve ever owned. Unfortunately I sold it for an Srt4 and the last I heard, a tree fell on it during a windstorm and crushed the roof. I would love to find another.
I went to HS in the late 90s and early 2000s, that odd transition period. We have everything from Neons and Preludes to Z28 LS cars and it was glorious. Just enough tech to make things easy, but still analog enough to be free in a way kids will never understand today
I genuinely believe the 90s and early 2000s were peak car design, before the cynicism of 9/11 and Iraq and everything else drained all the optimism out of us.
Class of 02 here. You nailed it.
Yes.
Same, class of 2004 here. Damn those were the days!!
Class of 03, we really did have some fun stuff back then.
God the Neon. My grandmother got a dealer loaner Neon one time when her car was getting work done on it. It had been taken in on trade and had seen better days. It still had a bumper sticker on the rear window that said “Yeah it’s got a Hemi”
Pfffff
It technically did
I dated a girl who drove a Neon sporting that same decal. Maybe it was your grandmother?
My cousin had a Gen2 Neon with a bumper sticker that said "It only seems kinky the first time". He was a Marine in Hawaii so he left his car at home and his very devout Christian mother drove it.
@ mattmopar440
Lol.. no it didn’t.
The last real Hemi (not todays “semi-Hemis”) marketed by Chrysler was the Mitsubishi Astron.
The reason being that even in the 50s.. Chrysler knew that the Hemi was obsolete which is why you have that wedge head engine in your name. Hemi was/is only a method of product differentiation where the head configuration itself has very little to do with the capabilities of the engine.. unlike the SOHC or DOHC in the Neon.
My mom had a 1997 dodge, and we also had a 98 dodge caravan. I remember watching my mom drive that car with a HUGE smile on her face rowing through gears when I was 4 or 5 years old. Good memories. Probably the car that actually made me enjoy a good sporty car ride.
the "Hi" ad truly made my day. i have hundreds of old sports illustrated magazines that are full of great car ads and i always found that hilarious to modern standards... thank you
Truly a magnificent beast
Attention:
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with Mesothelioma you may be entitled to financial compensation.
comment section isn't complete without you here
I knew I would find you and Mesothelioma here.
Can i get compensation if i dont now what it is?
@@trossk It's cancer, it's always cancer.
Only RCR can wax lyrical about a car with seats made out of pubes.
Man, this was an absolutely beautiful and eye opening piece of insight into a mid life crisis.
It does go fast, man, but it ain't over. Now that you know, you get to know for the rest of your life. Go live the rest of it.
RCR's reviews like this are like a philosophical nostalgia trip back in time. Sometimes I find that my mind wanders off with him in the story to the place he is describing, and I can picture the memory as if I was there too. Great stuff.
Girl from my High School had a lavender colored one new ('96), I'll never forget it. You failed to mention the amazing colors these cars came in!
Automotive Skittles.
And the fantastic racing livery these got that embodies the fun of these cars
Lavender colored, now what the hell.
@@dondalrymple5794 this is good
Amazing colors, until all the paint peeled off leaving them primer grey.
Honestly we need more videos of these kinda cars,if 2022 was just Dodge Neon tier car vids I'd be happy
This car was a good car.
Had several friends that had them and THEY LASTED AND WERE RELIABLE.
I had a 95 Neon in Nitro Yellow Green as my first car, I loved the crap out of it. One thing that I love about the first gen Neon's is the visibility, you can see everything.
I'm 36 and I really miss these lightweight high revving peppy little 90's cars. When I was 16 you could work your ass off for a couple summers save up a few grand and buy something decent...now I
I feel kinda bad for teenagers just getting their license
I mean, you can still do that. Mazda 3, Nissan Maxima/Sentra, Civic. They're still out there and kids still get them.
Yeah, I keep an eye on used cars, been kinda thinking of getting a junker for a demo derby. Ain't gonna happen. Prices are straight up stupid, even when accounting for inflation.
Back in the late 90's there was a huge variety of used cars to choose from. The 70's and 80's cars that were still around were the best for learning how to drive and handle cars that would not let you stop paying attention to driving. I had to buy an 85 firebird so I could learn to drive a manual transmission
@@gresvig2507 around me people (mostly used car shops) want 10k for 2000s shit boxes. Hell even some of the newer stuff has crazy high mileage. I'm so tired of this automotive world right now.. lol.
@@Corkoth55 Anything that runs, has no warning lights, and passes inspection goes for $10k minimum.
I bought my mom's 95 neon in early 99 out of convenience. It was a spirited (if only 132 hp) and stable little car. Drove it 3000 miles across the country when I moved. You'd think blasting down from AZ into the Mojave at 115 MPH in a Neon would be scary, but it felt right at home. On the downside, just about every early Neon blew the head gasket before 100k miles. I pretty much drove it into the ground over the next 5 years and, after the head gasket replacement, got 150,000 miles out of it.
I got a cavalier with a busted cv axle up to 105 in Birmingham al. Felt like i was going into space how much it was shaking. Had around 250,000 on it when i got rid of it.I loved that car but ive hated every chevy ive had since
I had two different encounters with the Neon. First was when I was around seventeen, the after school youth symphony director needed something picked up and she wasn't free to do it. Her husband was my high school computer science teacher so she was well enough acquainted with me that she knew I wasn't going to intentionally mess up her car, so she tossed me the keys to go do that errand. Thing handled like a gokart, very easy to whip around turns and felt well planted.
Second time, a friend had one that was around five years old, and oil was getting down into the spark plug tubes, fouling spark. That involved pulling the valve cover, pulling the tubes, cleaning everything, resealing the tubes where they pressed into the head, then putting new grommets into the valve cover. That extended the life of that car another couple of years.
I had a Stratus of the same vintage, and a cylinder head gasket failure gave me problems. Chrysler definitely messed up the head gasket design. The Stratus, like the Neon, handled very, very well. The Stratus also had a ton of interior space. That made it a pain to work on. In the end I was so frustrated with the Stratus that I gave it to a friend because otherwise I was going to have it crushed into a cube while I watched. He's still driving it, though he did have to replace the ECU once.
Chrysler of the 1990s had managed to get its act mostly together, if only they'd done a better job on head gaskets.
My first and current car is a 1999 Plymouth Neon Expresso. It has the 2.0 DOHC with 5-speed manual. So much fun to drive!
Neons are driven by poor people who smell like cheese.
@@rodmunch69 I have no loans, so I’m pretty happy with my neon.
I've been a fan for several years but haven't felt compelled to comment until now. From one 40 year old waxing poetic over late 90s nostalgia to another, thank you for such fantastic content. I've not heard anyone so accurately and eloquently capture that vibe, I appreciate you and your craft very much. I hope you have a lovely and safe New Year.
Your 90's memories hit me really hard. Good stuff, man.
That "Hi!" advertisement was an intentional riff on those great 60's VW Beetle ads. And this car lived up to the promise; an economical and decent built american car for the masses. The SRT-4 is a cult car to it's own. But the Bug headlights were nostalgic; so much that VW did it's own take on it with it's New Beetle. But Chrysler shot itself in the foot with the truck-like looking Caliber; the Neon's replacement. Sales were never the same again for Mopar small cars.
I'd looked at both the Neon-based SRT-4 and the Caliber SRT-4. The Caliber was a result of the DaimlerChrysler merger and wow did it show.
@@TWX1138 they both were awful cars, created for people on welfare that think they're badasses, when in fact, they're just welfare trash.
@@rodmunch69 Man, the Neon lives rent free in your head, show me on the doll where the Neon hurt you. You have time to be here trolling everyone's comments? "Durr durr Neon bad"
@@JustCalMeBozeman ugh, there's still d-bags saying the rent free line? Figures it would be the same people who think defending a Neon is a noble goal. What a turd.
I know exactly how they sold these cars to men. The instant I saw that “hi” ad I giggled and wanted one. That face is the most adorable thing ever!
Then came the Pontiac Sunfire.
A warmed over 13 year old J platform with aggressive sheet metal and reptilian headlights.
“Yo!”
I had a 2005 Dodge Neon in college. It was surprisingly reliable outside a cam sensor going bad. It was also the most reliable car I had owned up to that point. My Jeep Cherokee, 85' and Eclipse GS '95 all had issues out the wazoo. But that burnt orange little car served me well till I graduated and upgraded to a Subaru. There are times I kinda miss it.
I too was in highschool when these came out and I wanted one back then. Your review and your waxing nostalgic about that time is making me want one all over again.
1:24 - '90s car, and '90s Star Trek uniform. Roman, you've outdone yourself. THAT is a man of culture.
My parents always tell me of a time when they went on Vacation to Hawaii in the Late 90s and had a white Neon rental car. Which was unfortunate for them, mostly because so did everyone else at the time. Every parking lot was a chore for them since they only had a basic key for the car, and they had to find their white Neon in a sea of others. Story still sticks in my head everytime I think of this car.
That's hilarious I have to tell my dad that one. They were on honeymoon a few years before in Hawaii.
You'd tell them that license plates are unique, and that they should learn to somewhat remember where they park their car hehe
@@narcissisticnarcissus4956 Hahaha that's always a good way to find the damn thing. I guess when you have a bit too much to drink with dinner, you forget where ya parked, though I guess you shouldn't be driving in that case
Live in Hawaii and can confirm.
It’s like that now too but it’s with rental convertible mustangs
The way RCR describes the thougts and songs rolling through the heads of us 90's kids back then is just impeccable BRILLIANCE! A high school friend of mine had the forrest green sedan for about 7 years, and when he got rid of it I cried at all the memories of joy, shenanigans, road tripping, and being pulled over we had all shared in this fun to drive little Beagle of a car.
Holy balls, man. I'm so glad you finally got to make this video. This is both incredible and awakening. Just top notch work, guys!
I worked at a Plymouth dealership when they first came out. The hype was real.
People may not know that Plymouth had a Neon too. Almost identical aside from the badge!
Ah, good old Plymouth. I always felt like rebadging Fiats as Plymouths would be a cool and smart marketing move. Fiats still have a bad stigma from their first foray in the US that forced them to leave in the 80s. Plymouths were basic and affordable transportation, just like the modern Fiat. If i had any pull at Chrysler i would fight for this.
the 1997 Dodge Neon was my first car, albeit in base form! It stranded me in the Walmart parking lot, Old Town at night after fireworks, the high school parking lot, the movie theater, my university, and on the high way right next to a car dealership. It always drove away from home, but never wanted to come back home.
My experience as well. Still a fun car though
You guys didn't know which sensors to unplug
You sir are a poet and a scholar. Thank you for all the work you put into these videos. More than just entertainment. Makes me want a neon.
RCR format is so refreshing. I can watch any episode and I know exactly what I am getting into, Bravo.... Bravo
I've owned something like 8 of these. Some were SRT swapped, some just had the SRT-4 turbocharger bolted to the 2.0 DOHC motor. Was a fun car, but also very cheap and you pretty much knew exactly what would break, so you already had the parts on hand, or replaced said parts before they even broke. At least that part was dependable. You know what to fix before it even broke.
I had a 1996 for 10 years. Don't get me wrong. It broke a lot, but most of the time, the fix took ten minutes and I usually had the parts. I could fix that car in a parking lot with a screwdriver and an adjustable wrench.
And now we look at unbastardized SRTs and cry.
You could take apart 90% of a neon with a 10mm socket, a Phillips head, and your bare hands. I’ve owned 6, so far. My favorite was a 2.4 swapped 95 NYG coupe. This video makes me want to get another.
@@ToyHunter-wc9dz my Neon is the reason I have an entire row of my sockets dedicated to 10mm…
10mm sockets are the socks in the dryer of the car community.
@@ToyHunter-wc9dz Same bro. Now that I'm older and have some money. I want to make super clean monster. Imagine what you can do with that 2.4 turbo with modern engine management and a twin scroll
I'm always fascinated by how the owners of these cars know enough about cars to watch RCR and yet many know very little about the cars they own.
Literally same.
Haven't watch a RCR episode in a while.. been maybe a year or 2... but this... this brings me back. this is RCR gold. This is a damn good episode. Thank you RCR, Thank you
Best review yet…a real bell ringer.
Thought you were going to shred the neon. Glad you see the value of this magical little car. I’ve never owned one but have always loved them.
My first car was one of these in Highline Coupe trim 2 door. My parents got it for me brand new and it blew the head gasket within the first 50 miles. Got that fixed and the ECU went at 300 miles. Got that fixed and it seemed okay after that. It was surprisingly quick and revved fast! This was how I transported my AMD K62 rig with 3DFX Voodoo 3 video card and 17" CRT monitor to LAN parties for all-nighters of Quake 3 and Unreal Tournament and how I transported my guitar gear to play Death Metal shows at house parties. It's also how I brought home the first video game console I purchased with my own money, the Sega Dreamcast. Despite its issues, I really liked that car. It was quicker than expected and handled great. I ended up giving this car to my sister in 2001 where it went through 2 more ECUs and another engine, thank goodness for that extended warranty. It ended up retiring on my grandparents farm in 2005 after stranding my sister in the mountains of Marietta GA from more ECU and engine problems. It was promptly stolen by some kids who were caught on camera that we never attempted to pursue. I hope they had a lot of money. That car was problematic to say the least. It played host to a lot of good times including my first makeout session plus third base with a girl which taught me never to order Taco Bell, eat it in your car, then directly afterward make out with someone. At the very least, change the order of operations. The End.
We bought a Plymouth Neon in late 94 (was the first 95 models) and yes, it was a very enjoyable driving car. After break in I dura lubed it and took it on an 8 hour trip to Virginia where it averaged 47 mpg. (And I re dura lubed it every other oil change the rest of it's life and it never got less than 45 mpg until it was near the end) In fact in the late 90's we took it on an 1100 mile trip to florida to visit my wifes parents and as gas was under a buck a gallon then, we drove all the way to florida on 20 bucks. (getting 47 mpg) However the head gasket did go... but not until about 120K but that was it. In 10 years of owning it the car only let us down once, and that was when the battery suddenly came up dead one day. (so that's the battery anyway, not the car) However when it hit 10 years the wheels, almost literally, came off. In a one month span almost everything on the car stopped working. (and I mean the windows stopped working, all the gauges stopped working, the engine had multiple issues, the exhaust was shot etc...) It would have cost way more than it was worth to fix so we took it to the dump, got $500 for it and I bought a used 97 SAAB 900s for $1,800.
My second car was a two door version with this same engine and transmission. And I sent it hard. That thing went from Lebanon County to Texas many times. It went swimming and survived… long story. But it was an amazing car in every form. I miss it the most out of the forty cars I have had. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. You are an amazing creator. My day will be a happy one now.
Ok I'm gonna ask it, where'd it go swimming?
You've must of had 40 cars of crap, but no one that isn't on welfare misses a Neon.
@@FurryWrecker911 cant believe he's still typing the long story
@@chappy3669 At this point I think I'm on the waiting list for when the book comes out.
I was born in 90. I remember seeing these everywhere into the mid 00’s. I also remember LEN on the radio and everything you described about HS. Thanks.
There's something about the first-gen Neon that I've always loved. It's a dorky car, but it's so endearing. It was always my first car in Need for Speed Underground. Always. I adore it.
This review is sheer perfection! You just transported me back to 97/98 in my 97 Neon at 17 years old… I was bulletproof and the world felt full of endless possibilities. Thanks for that.
Good ol' NFS Underground days. I'd choose that as a starting car for a few races until performance upgrades became available lol
Me too man, me too..lol i still got both games on my PS2..
M E S O T H E L I O M A
So did I good times
thanks for mentioning imma go play
It was the fastest car you could start with too. The Miata handled better though
I love you dude... your vids made the holidays bearable.
Been looking for a car forever, completely forgot about the Neon, awesome video as always Mr. Regular!
"Good as a Civic" lol. This was the last car I looked at seriously before buying my 5th Gen Civic. The Neon was cheaper, had more stuff and it was trendy. But "3-speed automatic" was a warning sign. I got the Civic, and because it was the 90's Honda made you pay top dollar for a bare bones model. And yet, that Civic lasted 22 years and could have gone on longer. Meanwhile, all of the Neons from that era have evaporated and disappeared.
so many were killed by Cash For Clunkers. CFC did not just pay people to buy a new car, it crushed the cars and filled their engine blocks with glass
@@louiearmstrong I love so many of the cars that were targeted. You basically just described automotive genocide... ;~;
@@jamesgizasson yes, it’s funny how folks who claimed to speak for the planet and the poor managed to screw both, while giving a coupon to people who didn’t need it to upgrade to a car they didn’t need that got at least more mpg. I have a (not poor) family member who traded in one F150 for another that got 1 more mpg and qualified. The old F150 with a little over 110k miles and was 10 years old in decent shape that would have gone to a day laborer went to no one instead.
@@kftc1980 Damn, that's sad. I used to work with some guys with cars that were barely running because (like me) that's all they could afford. Meanwhile, decent vehicles are getting axed. All it does is fuel debt and 'prop up' the economy.
One more reason to keep adding miles to my old salvage titled Dodge! :3
While Honda had the edge in build quality, many Neons did live long lives. I've heard of over 400k on the original un-rebuilt engine and transmission. Stock for stock the Neon was objectively quicker, handled better, and was more fun to drive, too (I've owned both).
Not a Chrysler fan, but man do I love hearing Mr. Regular say “Chrysler” and talk about Chrysler. So much passion.
The Lee Iaccoca era of Chrysler is widely considered the golden age for Chrysler. The 90s were basically Chrysler riding on a high of both Iaccoca's hard work and the post Cold-War economy booming.
I recommend listening to Roman's stories for Lee Iaccoca and the Daimler-Chrysler merge to get a better idea of what Chrysler is like when everything is good and their cars, while not top-quality, were everything you got for the price.
Now, we all know full-well what Chryslers about. Any Stellantis vehicle will be spending more time in a service bay than on the road.
I still remember the mid 80s Chrysler wagon my parents had when I was young, I'm 33 now so it must've been in 92-94ish... K car, possibly a Plymouth Reliant. So many memories traveling country roads in that sh!tb0x lol... but Chrysler made it happen.
Thank you for bringing back so many good memories! I basically lived in my 1gen neon for two years. I'm glad people now recognize how great theses were I got sick of telling people how insane mine was (Canadian Plymouth, same factory specs as this one) I'm surprised you didn't mention the color, dusty rose. Only issue mine had was rusted out strut tower mounts. Handbrake heaven! I think the length, width, center of gravity were a perfect combination, I don't know why it wasn't a better rally car.
This got more touching than I expected. Thank you
Finally the respect these cara deserve. I owned a neon through most of the 2000s and it was the butt of everybodys joke. They didnt know why i was so upset when i lost it in an accident. Perhaps now they might underatand what was so special about these cars that i could not put more elegantly. Thank you Mr Regular for this trip down memory lane.
The only people that owned Neons were drug dealers who smoked their own supply and their only income was collecting cans.
Ditto.. omg I miss the 4 I owned. Sohc for 8 yrs..body kit..18s..clutch..manifold. gawd I miss her. Hardly any pkx. Circa 98. Then I owned an rt..wow that was a blast. Dohc and a PURE RIPPER. Those cars were so amazingly reliable. Head gaskets..lmao so. They lold at the jokes that ppl tried to shake at em.
@@rodmunch69 The little old lady that I see going to church every Sunday is a drug dealer? Weird.
@@computernostalgia6293 she's the mother of a meth dealer.
I really felt Brian's monologue on this one. I had a '95 Plymouth Neon manual around 2000/2001. I loved that car; it was everything I wanted out of a car at that time being young. Fast, but not really. Peaky, but not buzzy. Fun, but practical. Unfortunately I didn't get to live with my Neon long as a drunk driver rear ended it while it was parked on the street in front of my friends house. How ironic was it that the guy who hit my car was also driving a Neon. Two gen 1's taken out at one time🤦♂️. I always wanted to get another one, but never did; and I still regret never finding one.
You can change that. Go save a happy little tic tac.
This video is a masterpiece. My favorite car. I owned 2, a 98 R/T coupe, and a 96 base coupe. I miss them both everyday.
I've been trying to find one here in Toronto for at least 18months with no luck. And for the reasons you said, but not expressed as wittingly as you. Thanks for another year of laughs and memories. Take care, stay safe and have a better 2022.
7:03 - Cash for Clunkers didn't kill ANY Neons. Not a single one. Proof: The only vehicles that qualified as trade-ins under C4C were vehicles that were EPA rated at 18 MPG or less. Every Neon ever made was rated higher than that.
I think what killed most of them was not changing the timing belt, water pump and associated timing stuff at 100K. Once any of those parts fail and the belt breaks, the valves get bent and in the junk yard it goes. They are also getting REALLY hard to find in yards around me.
There were a LOT of cars that got better than 18mpg that were taken in for the program. I certainly remember watching a lot of that here on UA-cam, blood boiling. Apparently many places were lenient
@@drwatson32bit I'm not buying that. The dealers had to submit paperwork to the govt to get reimbursed. If a vehicle didn't meet the requirements, the dealer didn't get paid. I also watched many of those videos. I never saw a vehicle that got better than 18 mpg, and certainly not any economy cars.
@@jonclark1288 Yep, had to be 18MPG weighted MPG or less when the car was new. Even SRT-4s managed a combined 22-23MPG, while bog standards were in the 25-28 range. If CFC killed a Neon, it was because of fraud.
They killed all the cars.
Being an adult when the neon appeared and a professional automobile accessory installer I have seen neon's in all states of decay. I never drove one more then a couple hundred feet. The neon felt like a fleet car even with green neon coming from under the dash and a subwoofer in the trunk running off the stock head unit. Who would have thought a neon would be a celebrated automobile 25 years later. I saw them as the progression of the K car platform and the sad direction the automotive manufacturers were headed. Ya give me some zebra print seat covers and double wiper blades with a side of 50 Keychains on a 2 key keyring.
Having driven both Aries and Neons, I found these loads more pleasant than K cars.
132 horsepower 16v in a little Neon was night and day from a k car
The Shadow and Daytona were from the K car platform and they were good looking cars. I had a shadow ES turbo as a 2nd car and it was pretty dam quick
As for the K car comment it was pointed out it being four cylinder four door front wheel drive.
Good Lord, man! You hit the zeitgeist on the head with that comment.. I too was in my 20's when the Neon came out, they were a damn good car for what they were designed to be.
There are times you guys just knock it out of the park with your writing and nostalgia. This is one of those times. I also think there’s a correlation between my favorite episodes and mentions of Rita’s Italian Ice.
An excellent video about a great little car that is always overlooked and unappreciated. Very well done! 👍
Man, I completely forgot about spec Neon racing. I was expecting Mr. Regular to take it in a silly approach but didn't expect the feels. The late 90s early 2000s were great and hard to believe how long ago that was.
Time does move too damn fast...
I wonder if part of the eason that the Neon was so good was that racing series, and if it was a spiritual successor to true stock car racing where the vehicles started out as factory production and featured factory supported upgrades.
Racers are pretty good at finding the weaknesses in platforms and figuring out how to mitigate those weaknesses, given what they subject their cars to.
The Neon is an economy car for the ages. Funny how I (and other individuals) are nostalgic for them already. Great video guys!
I only road in one once. Maybe the one I was in had something wrong with it, but I remember the engine sounding pretty terrible at highway speeds.
@@ressljs howso and why?
@@rickc303 Unpleasant high pitched whine, like it wasn't geared high enough for highway speeds.
I can't believe we've been here for so many years, and just now get this review. Thank you.
Who would have thought a neon review could be such a tear-jerker. Bravo. Bravo.
These neons have a high theft issue do to the door handle being no effort to brake off and nothing stopping the removal of the ignition lock, so it needs a hidden kill switch for pcm power.
This 100%, as my brother use to be on the local Vol. Fire department in the early - mid 00's, and one of his buddies had his 98 Neon broken into that way right in the fire department parking lot one night while they were on call at a brush fire. Thankfully one of our town cops at the time doing his rounds the next day spotted the purple colored Neon at a known meth heads house, and knew right away who's it was with all the bumper stickers including a Vol. FD sticker on it, and dual cats.
Being a PA resident, I'm more than certain I've seen this exact Neon with the painted hood and roof rack.
True carbon hood on this one
My sister's first car was a 96' two door coupe Neon, took me to school in it and during summer we'd ride around together. So these cars hold a special place in my heart.
Awr3some gooddl bless
This video was really remarkable mr regular. We knew you had a gift of story telling before but this one was a cut above. Well done
A 1st gen RT coupe was my first car, fell in love with it and it is just fantastic, surprised many cars with it, and overall so fun to drive. 10 years later I still have it, but has a cammed 2.4L, and supercharger from a Previa van. It's a blast, but an unmodified they're still a gem.
I have a 98 RT I'm swapping a 2.4 in.
Have I mentioned how much I love this channel? Moving on; that steering wheel is the ugliest steering wheel I've ever seen. It is also the most comfortable looking steering wheel I've ever seen, and I drive for a living. Comfortable is ugly, folks. And I'd rather be comfortable.
The wheel is great, and perfect for spirited driving, and if you want ugly you should see the two spoke wheels on the 95s, those make this wheel look like a work of art.
Showed this to my dad (born in '77) and he felt the nostalgia as hard as I did, even though im born after 9/11. This shows how great you described the feeling of a 98 neon. Masterpiece of a video guys.
Awesome video! Dodge Neon is definitely an under-appreciated car.
The last part of this video is some of the best writing I’ve ever heard on this channel. Hands down. I can relate to it all. Thank you for bringing me back for just a moment and for putting things into perspective.
this is The Regular Car
What a beautiful ode to the Neon?! Thank you. My dad had two of these and swore by them. Brings back memories.
I think Mr Regular legit fell in love with this one. I really love the Neons, too. I went to the St Petersburg Grand Prix in like 1996 or 97 and they had a race of Neon ACRs, I believe it was called the Neon Challenge. It was my favorite race event of the day. The cars were all the really cool, bright colors and had the huge "neon" decals down the side and it was probably the most exciting race of the event. I have wanted one ever since.
I've had three neons, and loved them all! When they made the Dart I had high hopes... (sigh)
The Dart was such a let down. I was hyped af. SRT-4 Dart!. Ended up getting a Focus ST.
That was Chryslers biggest mistake of modern times I feel. The car they called the Dart should've been the 3rd Generation Neon. Why they made this colossal mistake still has me scratching my head. The Dart even looked like what the Neon would've looked like had they just continued the model. Actually Chrysler made 2 giant errors. 1 was the aforementioned one, and the second was canceling the 2nd Gen Neon and Replacing it with the God awful Caliber which they only got like 4 or 5 years out of.
Chrysler seems to be the poster child for 2 things. Fucking up, and not giving up (cough cough Dodge Avenger, Chrysler Pacifica)
@@redmr2na the issue with that being totally honest, (and sadly they had to) the second gen neon had already strayed too far from what the first generation once was, because they had to.... All the extra weight with (effectively) no extra grunt, (pt cruisers and gen1 swaps prove that 2.4 l would not be to ridiculous in this chassis) the writing was kind of already on the wall, by the time the dart came out dodge (FCA, you bastards) should have already known (the neon formula was; fun, cheap, fuel efficient) to have such a similar cult following they would NEED turbo options (the 1.4 abarth engine is not the engine I am talking about)
@@redmr2na Remember the all powerful Italian master who said he could turn around Chrysler but couldn't afford a single model flop as they released new cars. Then they did the Dart which flopped, the Chrysler 200 didn't sell well. They had the Pacifica and every single model sold less than the one it replaced outside of the Ram and a few Jeeps. No wonder we now have Stellantis.
@@stephenperry7887 That would be true, but look at all of Chrysler FCAs competitors. Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Ford focus, they all changed, and they're doing well. So what the hell went/is going wrong with FCA? Hell, the new Civic is the size of an old Accord from 15 years ago, with a type R variant, and still doing well. So why can't FCA do it?
im glad rcr brought a science officer for this away mission.
Beautiful video. Took me right back to junior year
I've watched RCR for many years, now, and I must say that Iwasn't expecting that. From the start all the way to the end credits song: this is my favourite episode.
It made me want to go back to my childhood.
Thanks, I want a neon now, and thanks for closing with 1979. And I love your way with words.
This is Peak RCR, thanks again.
This car is still so cool to me as an Aussie who rarely if ever saw one, maybe I'm misremembering them and I genuinely don't even know if they were available here but they're a product of what feels like even to 22 year old me. A more innocent time gone by, a world with just a bit more hope in it. Thanks for providing me with a bit more hope year on year with introspective yet funny, factual, interesting and entertaining videos.
I do *believe* they where sold over there, but not under Dodge or Plymouth (the badges they came in over here in the States), so you might have seen one or two. It would be so bizarre to see one in right-hand drive, though, heh
@@DFX2KX They were sold as a Chrysler in Australia. Dodge was sold officially in Australia (you can still see the odd Voyager and Nitro around), but not anymore.
They were sold as Chryslers in RHD markets. However it was massive failure in both AUS and the UK, they were more expensive as an import and were only sold from Jeep dealers with no advertising. It just didn't fit the market very well. It didn't make sense to buy one when you could get a better spec Focus at the same price.
Man I wish they sold utes here in the States. I've always heard that Aussie kids start out with a used ute and have fond memories. I know there are companies like Left Hand Utes that convert them but they're expensive.
@@nperry106 I'm definitely too young to have been lucky to experience Australian car ownership in my own country haha, everything with the used car market has become insanely expensive and there's this weird wannabe enthusiast market for Falcons and Commodores that make decent examples out of reach. There is a few other cars though, namely Mitsubishi's Magna/Verada and 380 which are getting rarer these days.
Awesome! Truly one of the best rcr videos! I was so moved by this that I actually looked for an acr. I never really understood these cars. I knew about the srt’s but never heard of the acr. Thank you for this video. I have been dying to get a cool fun exciting car for my weekends and I think you just pointed me in the right direction. Thank you, God Bless, Happy New Year to you Mr. Regular and to Roman as well. Now if you’ll excuse me, carrrr showwwwwww.
Duuuuude! The greatest joyrides memories I had it was with my best friends neon! THANK YOU!
This has my favorite rcr credits song for sure. Great job Roman.
RCR - the car dealership that just happens to have a UA-cam channel
This video reminded me of my dad checking one out when these were new. Our family needed a new car at the time. It’s been a year since he passed away but it was a funny to remember him asking the salesman if AC comes standard. This was a good one guys.
This RCR went hard. Was born in '88 and you really had me nostalgic for the fleeting days before social media or cell phones
I subscribed to this channel for the incredible writing, but the second half of this video hit me like a bowling ball to the gut with its prose. Thanks guys. I didn't really wanna cry today, but I guess that's what we're doing.
My sisters first car was a 1997 Neon Highline Sport. That thing was so much fun! In a time period of torsion beam rear suspension in these cheap econoboxes, Chrysler had fully independent rear suspension. The steering was beautiful. Perfectly tight like a sport compact should be, and that 2.0L DOHC surprised a lot of people. It was a car I borrowed quite a bit when I learned to drive. It was good on gas, fun to drive, and had plenty of room for my friends to tag along, unlike my 1991 Eclipse at the time. In a way, I miss that little Neon.
Hey Mr Regular. You've made the best video that I've ever seen on your channel. Greetings from Italy to you and the fans.
P.s. we had also this model back in late '90s. I was not knowing that is so cool.
This may be the purest and most passionate deep dive I've seen. On anything. Ever. The time spent on the climate controls was so appreciated! Still remember being able to crack the windows (or vent the sunroof in my R/T) and allow ambient air to flow through the vents, never once turning my fan on. I wonder how many likes this vid needs to convince Chrysler to start making them again, to original spec. Society needs it more than ever.
I bought a 97 new in August of 96. It was a black 5 speed and I loved that thing. It never gave me any trouble, but I was all over the maintenance. Thank you for taking me down memory lane.