I rented an enclosed rollerskate

First of all, the reason I was driving the Neon SE was because my car, '01 Pontiac Aztek, was in the shop. I want to keep that in mind, because I went from a much larger vehicle to the Neon for just a couple of days, hence the title. Even tho I missed the visibility and space of my Aztek, I found the Neon to be a decent vehicle for the price and size.

The Neon that I rented still had the dealer sticker in the glove compartment which made it very easy to find out the MSRP: base price of $12,585; this model had options of floor mats, smoker's package, automatic transmission and air conditioning which brought the MSRP up to just about $15,000. I don't agree with charging $1000 for air conditioning in this day and age, but if you can get away with it...when I checked the Dodge website, the SE standards include:

2.0 liter 132-HP,16-valve 4 cylinder
Power rack-and-pinion steering
"Millennium" cloth seats
14" wheel covers
AM/FM stereo with cassette/w four speakers(sounds very good)
Bright grille highlights
Dual exterior mirrors
Visor vanity mirrors(cheesy, at best)
Power front disc/rear drum brakes

I also checked what was standard for approximately $1200 more on the SXT:
Same engine
Body-color door handles and molding
Diamond-weave instrument panel trim
15" aluminum wheels
Trunk lamp
Power mirrors
Rearview mirror with reading lamp
Power front windows
Air conditioning
AM/FM stereo with CD player with six speakers
Remote keyless entry with two transmitters
All-season touring tires
Low-fuel warning lamp
Power trunk lid release
Speed-sensitive power door locks
Tachometer

All Neons come with driver/passenger air bags and side air bags are available for a price of $390. I put what I felt was worth the extra money in bold. Considering that to add air conditioning to the SE is almost 70% of what the upgrade costs, if I was going to buy this car, I would seriously consider the SXT before the SE. Neons get about 27/33 MPG.

The Ride

For a small car, the ride was good. Both my husband and I could fit comfortably,(I’m 5' 7", he's 6' 2" and over 250lbs.) my husband did remark on the head room - he had more head room in this car than many larger cars. Both of us drove the car and were satisfied with the size, ease of manipulating the seat to fit us, and seat belt adjustments. I didn't like the seats, they seem to be made of foam rubber--no support. I don't think this would be a car that I could go for long rides.

My son, who is 13 and about 5'5" did feel a bit cramped in the back seat. I had to pick up my grand children over the weekend and all 3 of them fit nicely in the back seat, there are 3 shoulder harnesses also in the back, which I liked. I don't think 3 adults would be comfy, but it’s ok for kids, teens and tweens.

The Drive

I enjoyed driving the car, for the most part, it had decent pick up, handled well on highway and city streets and did a good job on stops and turns. I drive 20 miles to work daily, when I had the car on the highway, I did get it going to about 75 mph(only for test purposes of course) and it was easy to control. The acceleration is steady, you aren't going to get a burst of speed out of the engine, but it handles well. When the car got to 80, it would coast a bit. Granted, you aren't supposed to be going 80, but that isn't that much above some speed limits.

One thing I particularly disliked was the road noise--you heard EVERYTHING--the engine, the tires, cars passing you, just basic road noise. I've been in other small cars and was not affected by this, but I found it irritating. I also didn't like how low to the ground I was. A Dodge Ram or Durango was parked next to us and the Truck's door jam was at the window! I had this feeling of "ducking" when I was driving. Since the car is so close to the ground, this may explain some of the road noise issues, but I don't think it's that easy.

I also wasn't impressed with visibility. It seemed harder to back out, part of that being the size of the vehicle, but I didn't feel I had the sight ability due to the mirror and window angle--it seemed to cut out part of my sight.

Conclusion

First, since I didn't mention it before, only in the "Pros" area, the warranty is much better than GM's or Ford's warranties, both of which only offer 3y/36K. I would think that anyone looking at buying a Neon is buying it because of a small budget, second car type of prospect. The longer warranty is much more efficient than the "extended warranties" that GM and Ford offer.

On the whole, I liked the car except for the road noise. It ran decently, could use better seats, but I've had worse rides in my life and in more expensive cars.