Getting back to the original thought in this thread, I wondered myself if buying a cheaper car would be more beneficial.

With respect to the '99 Dodge Neon, I think it's all in your opinion. If I look on epinions.com and look at the reviews of the '99 Dodge Neon, there's not a lot of positives there. As been the experience of several co-workers here, once you get past 5 years or so, the car falls apart, not to mention that it's much louder and less comfortable than even a regular Civic.

Although the civic is more expensive, it's more refined, and often lasts longer with fewer repairs. Even without the repairs, it's probably a wash as far as cost. For example:

'99 Dodge Neon depreciates quickly. Owning it for 7 years (and that's a stretch!), it probably won't be worth much, if anything. Conversely, a 7-year old Civic holds value fairly well. Therefore, for about the same $10K, you can drive a nicer car. (I'm taking the original price - selling price after 10 years.) To me, I'd rather have the Civic. Plus, after 7 years, it's probably still got lots of life left in it.

So, is the Neon a better deal? Maybe. Depends on how you look at it, I guess.

Mark