eBay's Cheapest Used Car Is a Beat-Up Dodge Neon, How Much Do You Think It's Worth?

The latest installment in the series that we started a little over a year ago with a not-so-bad Cadillac DeVille puts the spotlight on something that wasn’t that exciting when it first came out, and surely isn’t now, roughly two decades later. It is a Dodge Neon, which has obviously seen better days, and while we are convinced most of you know what a Neon is, these next paragraphs are dedicated to those who don't.

Also marketed under different other brands besides Dodge, like Chrysler and Plymouth, the first generation entered production towards the end of 1993, and was made at Belvedere, in Illinois, and also in Mexico and Venezuela. The sedan was joined by a four-door coupe back then, and the lineup was powered by three gasoline engines, working in conjunction with two transmission options.

With the first-gen turning out to be a wise investment, it was replaced at the end of the 1990s. The new one was made at the same factories as its predecessor, save for Venezuela, and the two-door coupe body style was dropped altogether. The engine family comprised three gasoline burners, with four cylinders, and the gearbox options grew to include two four-speed automatics, in addition to the same three-speed auto and four-speed manual. Production of the second-generation Neon continued until 2005, when they decided to pull the plug on it.

The moniker was not used at all for the next 11 years, and it made a comeback as a rebadged Fiat Tipo in 2016, also known as the Egea in Turkey, where it is still made. Marketed as the Dodge Neon in the Middle East and Mexico, it is offered in different configurations, including sedan, hatchback, and station wagon. Sharing many nuts and bolts with the Jeep Renegade, Compass, Fiat 500L, and 500X, it is powered by an assortment of gasoline and diesel engines, with both two and three pedals.

Now that we’ve refreshed our memories with data that most will forget by the time they close this tab, it’s time to move on to the pictured car, which was made in 2004. The vendor is a used car dealer with a multitude of more or less affordable vehicles in its portfolio, and this Dodge Neon is located in Pompano Beach, Florida. As a result, if you want to inspect it in person before signing your name on the dotted line and handing over a few Benjamins, then you know where you have to go. The magic number for this silver-finished sedan, which uses a 2.0-liter inline-four, hooked up to an automatic gearbox, and has 213,028 miles (342,835 km) on the odo, is $1,495. At the time of writing, there were no images of the interior accompanying the ad, though it claims to be black on the inside, and we think that it may need some TLC before driving off.

Paying roughly $1,500 for a functional set of wheels, or maybe less if your negotiating skills are high, is not bad at all, and it would beat walking or using public transportation especially when the weather gets rough. Nevertheless, if you were forced to search the second-hand market for a cheap and functional car, would you consider buying this one? For what it’s worth, we found a 2008 Ford Focus Sedan advertised for the same amount, though it looks worse.

Driving home in a decent vehicle off the lot requires spending some $500 more, as the current situation on the quoted website reveals better vehicles for around $2,000. Or you could settle for a nice bike for that kind of money, and pedal your way through congested traffic, envied by those on four (or more) wheels.

But what website are we talking about? Why, that would be eBay, of course, and since we’ve mentioned it, you can check out the ad here. Before clicking the link, however, and maybe scrolling back up to the image gallery to inspect the said Dodge Neon in the images accompanying it, you should scroll down to the comments area down below to drop a line and let us know if you think this one’s worth it. While you’re at it, you should also tell us what was the cheapest car that you ever drove, and how was it. For me, it was an awful commie back in my young days, and it was an absolute pile of rubbish. Here’s to never having to hold the wheel of something like that ever again.