Between Hello And Goodbye; A Look Back At The Neon

- The little car that said ‘Hi’ says Goodbye….

Well, Friday is it. The official end of the line for the Neon as the last one rolls off the assembly line at Belvidere.

I must say, mention of the Neon brings up a lot of sometimes conflicting emotions. I owned a Neon for nine and a half years, from January 1996 to June 2005, and to date it’s been the best car I’ve owned. It never let me down, and gave me very little trouble. It was a blast to drive. However, it wasn’t perfect…it suffered the head gasket issue that virtually all pre 1999 Neons did; the frameless windows rattled like crazy.

The Neon was supposed to challenge the Japanese; it was supposed to show that an (at the time) American company could best them at the small car game.

It was closer than many would like you to believe. In driving dynamics, in power, in features…it was more than a match for the Civic. The Neon had Tao, something no Civic did. It had personality, and spark..it was just *fun*. The ACR version won many SCCA trophies in the mid-late 1990s

However, niggling problems out of the gate marred the launch, and although the car sold quite well through 1996, the bloom started coming off the rose.

In answer, Chrysler did…well…not much. They reincarnated the 1995/6 Sport Coupe and called it the R/T; extending the goodness to the sedan. Nice, but…just bringing back what had been taken away. Minor interior changes were made: sedans gained door pockets up front. The graphics on the HVAC were tweaked. The coupe received fabric covered door panels. NVH issues were addressed, but not to a particularly great extent. Advertising? None, pretty much literally. The Neon was left to fend for itself, until 2000 when the car was redesigned.

It was thought the ‘cute’ look wasn’t aging well, so they took the basic idea of the Neon face and morphed it into a mini-Intrepid. NVH was much reduced, and overall the interior was upped a notch. Oh, except for the I’ll-never-understand-this front only power windows. A particular problem since all neons were now four doors. I’ve a 2001 Plymouth Neon brochure, and in it is an interior shot of the Neon in leather seating and an attractive woodtone dash treatment. A fairly upscale look. Until you notice that the front has power windows and the rear…cranks. So much for moving upscale….

Chrysler did more advertising for the second generation car, and it became a case of ‘be careful what you wish for’. From the introductory sunflower field campaign to pushing rear seat room in the R/T (complete with barking idiot in the back seat) Neon advertising took a turn for the worst.

At this point, they seemed to want to ignore the fact that the car even existed. It lost the Neon name in Canada, becoming the “SX 2.0″. They FINALLY answered Neon owners pleas and released a turbo version…and didn’t even call it a Neon! It was an SRT-4. No sir, they more than implied, this is no Neon. Look, it’s got a different front clip! Then they go and stick the ‘Not a Neon’ SRT-4 face on a trim level of the Neon! You really can’t make this stuff up.

The real damn shame of it is, it could’ve been so much more. Despite the rough begining, the Neon sold over 240,000 vehicles in 1996, and its sales as a Dodge remained remarkably steady, selling right around 120,000 copies through 2004.

However, starting in 1997 the Plymouth version followed the rest of that brand into oblivion while Chrysler did…well…not much. Except kill Plymouth in 2001; not quite half of it’s 40,000 or so Neon sales were picked up by Dodge in 2002. Thus the real story of the demise of the Neon as a market force dovetails nicely with the story of the final death of Plymouth. A silver Neon was the last Plymouth to roll off the line, on June 28 2001.

And now, come Friday, it too will be gone.

Oh Caliber, may you enjoy a better fate.� ]]>
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Now what did I do?

Now what did I do????

There has been a great upheaval in the automotive industry over the past 20 years. More change, at a faster pace, affecting more and more people, all has conspired to create a general apathy in the motoring public towards their second biggest investment after the home, as change far outpaced the desire to understand and anticipate this change. Change in suppliers, change in techniques, change in processes, change in attitudes and even change in direction, all have conspired to bewilder many that could have developed an enthusiasm for cars. Dr. Zatz and I discussed at length, all of these issues, over the past couple of years and how they have impacted, both positively and negatively, the general American driving public.

This notebook of thoughts and explanations (I dislike the term “blog” for reasons best left unstated) will, in the coming months, provide an understandinng to today’s enthusiast, the reasoning behind the direction of the development of automobiles. Over time, I hope my explainations of how cars, trucks, and other transportation devices, from an engineering and business standpoint, will be of help to you all in aiding your understanding.

I will not be offering my personal views, but instead, concentrating on the “numbers”, such as explaining how and why some “less than thought out” ideas that may make sense to the layman, simply are either flawed, or a positive advancement. Personal opinions will NOT enter into these explainations. Specific subjects to be talked about will be fuel comsumption (how it is calculated), fuel types (why a particular fuel is good or bad), how performance is predicted and tested (I’ll throw out one of the terms now…”gradability”), and other sundry things.

May God have mercy on my soul…..

Commentary

At the end of each article, I will generally include observations and opinions specifically related to the article in a seperate “box” labled “Commentary” to provide visual seperation between fact and my imagination. If you wish to see specific topics covered, please feel free to email me at rwsheaves[at]catnetsolutions.com . I may not answer directly, but I will read all your comments and adjust the explainations as needed. This is not about me, as some may suggest, but it is about YOU!

One final note-this will not be more regular than monthly, usually, due to the time my work schedule allows.

Best regards to you all……

Bob

Cars and music

Hello, and welcome to my Blog. First of all, I want to thank Dave for inviting me to be a part of the writing team within the Blog Community.

I wasn’t sure just what I would write about here. As I begin this, I still haven’t come up with any one subject in particular.. Therefore, this may be anything from a wandering stroll down memory lane… to my love of both cars, and music. To me, they go hand in hand. There is nothing more melodic than a perfectly dialed-in engine, or a finely tuned guitar.

I guess that’s why these have remained the constant for me over the years. This, and one person who never gave up on me no matter how badly I managed things. No matter what else has happened in my life, these things have always been there. Never faltering, and never fading away. If anything, they have intensified as time has passed.

My love affair began at a very early age. Thinking back now, I would have to say this all started at the tender age of three. My mother had a diner at the time, and there was a local deejay who used to come in every Tuesday for lunch. He was forever putting quarters in the jukebox, and asking me to sing. This planted the seed, and started what has become a lifelong dream. Although circumstances, and branching off in different directions has broadened the spectrum over time, I still hold the dream to one day front a band.

I am still working to regain the range I lost after the fire. When I ran back for my dogs, I took in a lot of the intense smoke, and it affected me in ways I never thought it would. I remember thinking at the tiem… “Oh great. Someting else I have lost”. But, I have learned over the years that things do in fact happen for a reason. Maybe this was a sign that I needed to take control of my life, and fight my way back.

If not fronting a band, then I would be just as content to return to the stage lighting and design field. Chad and I did this for five-and-a-half years. I learned one can really make things happen even ii behind the scenes. He taught me everything I know about this… so, I am very much a part of the legacy he left behind. I went to a concert last week, and found myself checking out the light show. it made me realize just how much I really do miss this aspect of things. Someting to reach for perhaps.

It’s funny how one never realizes just how much someone has touched their life until they are gone. It’s been three-and-a-half years now since Chad’s passing. I can now look back, and remember without the intense pain I once felt. I believe I have in fact come full circle. My return to Allpar, and attending the car shows again is a testament to this. Much like my return to collecting, and restoring cars.

Speaking of my love of cars… this has also been a lifelong passion. I was always around when someone was working on one. They always intrigued me for some reason. I’m not exactly sure just why. I was one of those strange little girls growing up. I was more of a tomboy than anything else. I figured “if the boys can do it… I can do it better”. Yes, this got me into trouble more than once for pushing the envelope, and going beyond the limits lol. At least now, I have struck a balance of sorts.

This continued throughout my teenage years, and then Chad came along. He brought with him, a ‘73 Dodge Polara. This one had the 360 when I came into the picture. I say this because a transplant had been done before this. We had planned on restoring the car. However, the cancer had severely progressed, and we were really limited on funds at the time. We sold the car for $150.00. I still kick myself to this day for doing this.

Chad brought me to Allpar in 1999. Those who knew us, either through here, or in person, jokingly said we had a marriage based in motor oil. This is probably more true than anyone realized, because what were we doing? Either working on restoring a car, or traveling to car shows. I learned a lot from him… and learned a lot about myself, and my “sixth sense” when it came to knowing when something was wrong. All I ever had to do was get in and take a two-mile ride… and I could tell him each, and every time what was wrong, and how to go about fixing the problem. I can still do this. I guess once it’s there, you never lose it.

When he died… I never thought I would have this again (seeing as how I had to sell Gracie, our much loved, and all but completely restored ‘91 Shadow). However… after a lot of time (and admittedly, many mistakes in judgement on my part) Greg entered my life. I did for him just what Chad had done for me. I brought him to Allpar, and introduced him to my love of Mopar.

Since then, we have had a varitable parade of sorts come into our lives. Ok, I admit it… I’m addicted to cars. I can’t help it. There really should be a 12-step program for people like me… lol. We’ve had Mysti, a ‘92 Shadow America, 2.2 TBI/A413 (who sadly fell victim to an all to early demise), and Maxine… a ‘92 Shadow ES 3.0 EFI/5 spd. We just recently acquired Andrea, a ‘90 Shadow 2.5 MFI Turbo/5 spd, with some really rare qualitles. I am still learning about this one, as I have never had one such as this before.

All in all, I must say… my cars, and my love of them have brought me back from a rather dark time in my life. I have come full circle on my return path. I am once again where I belong, and have made many new, and wonderful friends through this.

Anyway, that’s it. Sorry this has been so long, and thanks for taking the time to read through.

Something to ponder

As I posted in another entry here, moving to this area was the best possible thing I could have done for myself. It allowed me the opportunity to heal, and regroup without the constant reminders of things gone horribly wrong.

This also brought me back to my love of cars, and got me back into the shows and things like that. Something drew me here, other than this is where Greg was living when we met. As I look around the city, I see a multitude of Mopars. Perhaps this is why I am supposed to be here. Living among so many wonderful cars has been very beneficial to me in many ways.

I’ve returned to my hometown twice in the almost two years since leaving. Something I have noticed on both visits though… I get a different feeling about the place now. Almost as though I am merely a visitor there, and somehow disconnected from the area. OMG, I have become a tourist! lol

Admittedly, there is nothing there (really), and visiting there is like traveling back in time 20 years. Oh sure, they have the ongoing I-99, and Corridor O projects happening. However, these have changed the landscape, and made once-familiar travel a thing of the past. The mountains are another story altogether. I now ask myself how I could have possibly lived there for 35 years.

I left in a hurry back in November of 2003. It only took me two days to organize the 160+ mile move across the state. Almost as if I had been literally drop-kicked from there.

I’ve said many times that I am getting closer to that Mason-Dixon Line with each move. I can’t complain about being 64 miles from Baltimore, or an hour or so from Rising Sun. Bearhawke has told me many times over the years that I am destined to live in Virginia one day… as this is where I am most at peace. I must have been a Southern Belle in a past life.

Anyway, getting back to my story of the mountains… I couldn ‘t wait to get back here. While seeing old friends was nice, I felt I didn’t belong there anymore. It’s not “home” anymore. There seems to be hardly any semblence of civilization there. I felt an almost constricting feeling while I was there, and this did not ease until I saw the first sign for Lancaster on my way home.

Traffic used to really bother me. Still does at times. However, it has become the “norm” for me now, as I have to deal with it every day here. I actually feel safer on the four-lane highways here, as opposed to the two-lane country roads in Clearfield County. Yes, we have those in the country here in the outlying areas… but it’s a mere hop, skip, and jump to get back into the city.

It it really true what they say… you can’t go home again? Maybe in my case, it is. The only regret I have in leaving the area was leaving behind my best friend, Dawn. But heck, she comes here so often, she is now one of the “locals”… lol.

Just wondering if anyone else has had the same experience upon returning to the place they once called home.

Are We There Yet?

The effort on our Gulf Coast continues to expand. Once things got into motion, the results have been nothing but remarkable….phenomenal. Just another great showing of the kind of stuff that the people that live in this country are capable of. We do not need government to run our lives. No indeed. It should be clear to everyone that WE need to run government. It is going to take a lot of money to attempt to get somewhere near where the life of the devastated area used to be. It will never be restored. That will be impossible. The destruction wrought by this storm changed everything in this country. Here is where government can come in with the sort of relief effort that truly counts. That would be the monetary backing of the Treasury and loan backing to any or all banks and financial institutions. Part of the bill ought to go the major oil companies. If they could suck water as fast as they stink money out of your pocket, the levee breach in New Orleans would have gone unnoticed! It was interesting to see gasoline go to $2.99 here which set off a howl of protest because the major pipeline ends in a tank farm near the Orlando International Airport. The supply never waivered nor diminished, despite the efforts to make it appear that way. Within a couple days the price slumped down to $2.75 a gallon. I note that yesterday, it crept back to $2.82 a gallon for unleaded regular. Most hi test stuff was over $3.50.

Perhaps of relatively minor news has been the discovery of oil in Utah, Colorado, Wyoming in a field that is estimated to be larger richer reserves than that of Saudi Arabia. Don’t know what is going to happen, however, it needs to be explored with an eye on eliminating the dependecy on foreign oil interests of all types. Also need to keep a weather eye on Congress that they don’t seek to raise your taxes in the name of “relief.” There is more than an ample amount of money within the Federal Reserve Banks to cover any or all the debts or relief efforts out there!

Along that line, I just want to keep putting the subject of government and taxes in front of as many of you that I can. Need to read and get involved in the effort to rid ourselves of another blood sucking entity whose name I won’t mention but the initials are the INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE. There is a book out there that every one needs to read, even if you don’t agree with a “fair” tax plan. At least if you don’t you will have enough information to make informed decisions for yourself. The FAIR TAX just makes way too much sense not to enact and fully support it. The economic boom to this country would make it the envy of the world and put any doubt about China onto a back burner. Buy the book. And remember this is not a flat tax, but a fair tax. It kicks in when you buy something, rather than hit you for your hard earning money you get for working. There are also tax credit chekcs that are sent out monthly to individuals that are deemed as being unable to pay the tax. Now how about that? It just keeps getting better and makes the IRS look like the sorry bullying obtuse unfair pack of skullduggers that the world has ever seen. As well, it gets the image of big government off your back by removing a huge tool of intimidation and intrusion into your affairs.

Detroit News had an interesting article about the state of affairs in the automobile world, and in particular the summation of the mergers over the past few years. Basically, economically, it has only been Toyota and Renault that have managed to make a successful alliance. Yes, your vaunted DaimlerChrysler was termed as a great big “FLOP.” So much so that the grand scheme of Jurgeen Schreemp to add high speed production to the Mercedes line ended up being a detriment to the Mercedes car. The quality has gone way down, cost Schreemp his job (FINALLY) and brought more of the take over of Chrysler in 1998 into another round of severe oversight. Specualation is that Chrysler would have been able to take care of itself, acquiring a world partner that IT owned while Mercedes basically would have wandered a bit, but would have refocused on its core value. Makes an interesting read.

I note that poor Dave is struggling with the change over to this new server or board of whatever it is that powers us here. Some of it seems to be working. Some of it seems to be slow. Some of it, just ain’t! However, given Dave’s work ethic, he will get it to his liking with tireless unending efforts on our behalf. We need to thank him for all that he does…… and I do that here. THANKS DAVE! I also wrote a short article for ALLPAR about the early DeSoto cars. The article about the last DeSoto jogged my nostalgia button. As soon as Dave gets things to near normal, I have given him publishing authority, as always.

Well that is my $2.82……