I bought a 2gn.....

[KZR34Neon]

is it as fun a 1gn tho?

[occasional demons]

It can be. Same basic stuff, improve the suspension, etc, etc.

A baseline 1gn can be just as horrible as a base 2gn out of the box. Our '96 was a totally different animal than the '99. The springs were pretty soft. The '99 handled well even with blown shocks. Not as good as it does with the Koni ST.R struts, but it was still better than the '96.

[Midnight_Rider]

At first, I didn't like my '02 SXT as much as I did my '95 Highline. The 2GN grew on me over time though.

[HWDvnt]

My first Neon was a ‘98 R/T five speed, and I absolutely LOVED that car!! The only reason I don’t still own it, is because a Honda pulled out in front of us and it was totalled! My wife was driving at the time and she NEVER applied the brakes so we t-boned the lady in the side at 65mph. The whole engine compartment was rolled under the cabin of the car, but EVERYONE walk away, only brushed an a few scratches. After that, I have owned at least one Neon at any given time!

As for the 2nd Gen driving experience, it was nothing special with the first 2000 that I owned. It was a base 2.0L with auto. trans. and it was what it was, a basic, inexpensive, compact car that was great on gas and dependable.

I currently own a ‘02 SXT 2.0L w/5 speed and I wouldn’t trade it for an SRT-4 model.

I would HIGHLY recommend a manual transmission swap to your 2nd Gen., it will make a WORLD of difference in the enjoyment of the car.

[Midnight_Rider]

I would HIGHLY recommend a manual transmission swap to your 2nd Gen., it will make a WORLD of difference in the enjoyment of the car.

I don't know if you meant me or not but, if you did, I lost my first 2nd Gen SXT to an illegal alien who broadsided it back in 2003. I had another SXT (2004) but sold it after I got my current '05 SRT-4. Other than the semi-automatic in my first car ('69 VW Beetle), I've never owned a car with an automatic.

Sorry to read about how you lost the 1st Gen. Glad that everyone was okay!