Two questions here, and im shure I know the answer to both of them is no but I jst wanna know.

1)What are the diffrences between the 95 Dodge and Plymouth Neons, and the 96-99 Plymouth and Dodge Neons

2)Is there a difference between the Plymouth and Dodge brands?

 

the badge

 

Trim levels, and I think a few options as well.

95s are a bit different from the rest - numberwise, they're quicker (Mopar still sells the cam from the 95 as a "performance part" for later Neons)

Post-98, of course, would have the MLS head gasket (or should, from what I understand)

 

You could only get the "R/T" with a Dodge badge on it, although you could get a DOHC with a 3.94 final drive no problem from Plymouth... There were no special colors for either brand, there were no special option packages for either brand (except the R/T), there was no special interior for either brand, there was no special engine for either brand, there was no special tranny for either brand, there were no special lights for either brand, both brands had Chysler designed and built engines (including the heads), neither had Mitsubishi parts on it anywhere, neither had special suspension options, neither had special brake options... In short, the difference is the badge.

The blocks are identical from '95 through '05. The '95 SOHC cam was worth 4 HP over the rest of the non-Magnum SOHC's. The head on the SOHC had extra holes drilled for the '95-only PCV setup which incluced an oil catchcan design. The '95 is OBD-2 compatible, but not fully compliant, and the PCM's are not interchangeable with any other year. The '95 and some of the early '96s had a metal tank, return line, and external fuel filter; switched to a plastic tank, returnless fuel system, and an itty bitty lifetime filter on the regulator. Some of the very early '95 cars had less (or no) sound damping material (tar). The '95 SOHC's often came with an aluminum intake manifold, switched over completely to a plastic design early on. The '95 with rear drums had a 4x100 bolt pattern, everyone else got a 5x100. That's all I can think of off the top of my head...

Best of luck!

 

As far as Dodge to Plymouth, the guy above is right. It's just the badges. On the '95 or newer models.... You couldn't give me a 95 because of all the problems those cars had. Too many electrical issues, sensors and what not. But the newer models are nicer. The 98+ have better seats, and other trim options are also better. My reasoning for liking the 98+ are the same as why I prefer later years of all model cars. In my experience I'll never buy a first model year for any car. Just too many bugs in them. By the time the last or second to last year for any body style rolls off the line, they usually have the bugs tweaked out of it.

 

Sensor/electrical issues in a 95? At 140k, I never had one. That includes my power locks and cruise control. Heck, they were still working when the car was sitting in the parking lot at the body shop. I know a someone who has a 95 and has never had any either... I know someone with a 98 who's had plenty, and one with a 96 that's had some problems too. Besides the MLS gasket, any differences are negligable.

 

Nothing really changed electronically after '95. Couple of sensors got different plugs (fuel injectors, PCM, for example).

 

The '03 engine I own has the crank position sensor under the starter. I don't know when they changed it though. On a different note I bolted the head from the '03 engine on a '95 with no problems ( had to drill and tap for EGR and that was it ) Both engines are SOHC.

 

actually there were some special colors for the Plymouth Style ('98 and '99) that you could only get on the Style.

 

I generally avoid any first model year too, but my 95 Neon which I rescued from the junkyard, runs great at 175,000 miles and counting.