GTP Cool Wall: 1994-1999 Plymouth/Dodge Neon ACR

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1994-1999 Plymouth/Dodge Neon ACR

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Well, from what I saw, the more road-oriented R/T with some creature comforts is fairly easy to find for 1500$, which actually makes it tempting to me, especially since they're DOHC-powered coupes.
 
homeforsummer
I even see more late-90s Alfa Romeo 156s than I do late 90s Mondeos - believe the rep, and all the Alfas should have died, but perhaps owners treat them better because it's that sort of car.
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This is certainly a big factor i'd say. Used live across the road from a guy who had a 155 as his daily driver. Rain or shine he'd spend a good hour or so every Saturday and probably one evening in the week washing, polishing and detailing that car, it was immaculate, even though it will have been a decade old or so by then. He must have either loved the car or hated his wife and kids.

Vectras seem to have a big following with BTCC fans too. You can almost guarantee the ones you still see on the road will have some sort of yellow/grey/white Vauxhall Motorsport decal on it. I guess anyone who's a car enthusiast of some faction will likely look after their car better than someone who just sees it as transport.

When the Neon was first polled i tried, and failed, to find some contemporary UK road tests of it to see how it stacked up against European and Japanese rivals. What i did find were loads of owners reports praising them for their dependability. I do remember seeing a lot of them around when i first moved to Sheffield. There was quite a big Chrysler/Jeep dealership who used to run ads in our magazines. They were very competitively priced and came well spec'd. I'd imagine they were targeting the Kia, Hyundai and Daewoo end of the market as they were the only manufacturers at the time who offered 'bigger than Focus, smaller than Mondeo' sized cars like the Neon.
 
TheCracker
Vectras seem to have a big following with BTCC fans too. You can almost guarantee the ones you still see on the road will have some sort of yellow/grey/white Vauxhall Motorsport decal on it.
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Unfortunately most of the ones around where I live are rather less tasteful, though I do think that many people who own sporty, early Vectras these days probably have at least some interest in cars and motorsport.

I believe things like SRis and the V6s were even decent to drive, in a way regular Vectras weren't - I think someone like Lotus had a hand in helping develop the sporty ones.

It's just a shame that most Vectra owners are such spectacular bell-ends.
When the Neon was first polled i tried, and failed, to find some contemporary UK road tests of it to see how it stacked up against European and Japanese rivals.
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Not too badly, I believe. They never engendered much desirability, but given how tragic most of the Korean stuff was at the time, the Neon was one of the better budget options. I think it went down well that the automatic didn't cost an extra grand either - I remember Chrysler making a big deal that both automatic and manual were the same price.

Of course, today the Korean makes hold arguably more brand cachet than Chrysler does, at least in the UK.
 
homeforsummer
Of course, today the Korean makes hold arguably more brand cachet than Chrysler does, at least in the UK.
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Does Chrysler even exist as brand in the UK anymore? - I think Jeep still is. Pretty sure i pass a Jeep and Jaguar dealer on my way to work, but i can't recall seeing a new 300 for a good while. Having said that, Grand Cherokees were everywhere too at one point too, don't remember the last time i saw a current-gen one though.
 
I still see relatively new 300s knocking about, but I don't know how new.
 
TheCracker
Does Chrysler even exist as brand in the UK anymore? - I think Jeep still is. Pretty sure i pass a Jeep and Jaguar dealer on my way to work, but i can't recall seeing a new 300 for a good while. Having said that, Grand Cherokees were everywhere too at one point too, don't remember the last time i saw a current-gen one though.
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I believe Chrysler still sells the Ypsilon in the UK, but that may well be it now. Shame, as the 300 looks cracking. Always has done. (Chevy, incidentally, has disappeared entirely. I think you can somehow import Corvettes and Camaros, but nothing else is available officially).

People knock the PT Cruiser, but that car pretty much established Chrysler in the UK, with a bit of help from the Voyager. Despite the cars now being better (and the Ypsilon really isn't that bad - it's a posher Panda/less camp Fiat 500).

Also, I think Jeep is still doing okay, so Chrysler lives on in that to a degree.
 
homeforsummer
I believe Chrysler still sells the Ypsilon in the UK, but that may well be it now. Shame, as the 300 looks cracking. Always has done. (Chevy, incidentally, has disappeared entirely. I think you can somehow import Corvettes and Camaros, but nothing else is available officially).
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I think it's Chrysler which have disappeared entirely. Chevrolet will follow at the end of the year, so grab a new Spark or Trax while you can...
 
GTP_Ingram
I think it's Chrysler which have disappeared entirely. Chevrolet will follow at the end of the year, so grab a new Spark or Trax while you can...
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I knew Chevy was heading out, I just assumed they'd disappeared already.

The Ypsilon and Grand Voyager are both still listed as new vehicles on Chrysler's UK site, but clicking on the 300C goes straight to a used car site, and the Delta has vanished.
 
The coupes made about 20 more horses than the sedans, which irks me because I prefer 4 doors if there are usable rear seats. Other than that, the car is cool. 150 hp from a 2,300 lb car is plenty. I would love to test this car in GT6 against the SRT4.
 
The sedan and coupe had identical engines. It was the lower spec models that had the 130 horse motor.
 
That's so strange. I'll have to ask dad about that.
 
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