First off, let me say I bought a Honda Accord EX coupe 5 speed new in 1993. It was a 2.0 and when I got to 175k miles, I was getting 33mpg. My wife has a 2000 Neon. She gets 28mpg with her 3 speed automatic and 122k miles. My 2004 5 speed is all I can do to get 25mpg, and I drive like an old woman. I don't race, I don't speed. I have another gear plus overdrive and get less gas mileage. Plus, 5th gear has absolutely no power. If I shift into 5th at 50, I am not going to get to 60 in the next 5 minutes. If I want to do 70, I have to get to at least 60 in 4th before I shift.

Is all this par for the course?

 

I've been (putting it mildly) disappointed with my 2004 Neon SXT 5-speed as well. With 22,000 miles on it, I'm struggling to average 33 mpg with about 90 percent highway driving. Compared to the 1995 Neon Sport that I also purchased new, the '04 is performing more sluggish and returning lower MPG. Not nearly as sluggish as you describe, but pretty sad never the less. My '95 averaged 36 MPG and had a much snappier engine (even at 195,000 miles) compared to my low mileage SXT. And now I'm having clutch problems which appear not to be covered by the factory warranty. A real disappointment considering my '95 lasted me nearly 200k miles and still had the original clutch in it. Hey, at least the sound system is better ...

 

Every vehicle has different gear ratios, I had this same question when I first bought my 2nd gen Neon. I was able to determine that 2nd gen Neons have "taller" gears than the 1st gen. This means that you can drive faster through each gear. Top speed of the Neon is 120 MPH, meaning you're only going about half the speed you could be going in fifth.

First Gear is a pretty quick gear, but 2nd and 3rd are a little meatier. 4th gear is for highway speeds and 5th is for highway cruising speeds.

28 MPG is pretty respectable, I wouldn't complain too much, the Escalade gets 15 MPG.

I would try changing your shifting habits to suit the Neon, and see how that changes the situation.

To remedy your current situation, you could try some fuel injector cleaner, new plugs and new wires. Beyond that, there's not much you can do; you could always go to a hybrid, where you could be getting 42 MPG.

 

Thats pretty normal for a 2nd gen. Try shifting at a little higher RPM. that will help a little, you wanna stay in the powerband as much as possible.

 

Try shifting a bit higher, like 3500 or around there. If you shift real low when you hit the next gear you'll have no power whatsoever and take forever to get up to speed, plus you won't really save any gas because you'll have the pedal to the floor trying to get it to accelerate. I used to accelerate hard a lot during the summer and I could consisently pull 28-30mpg in the city. If I get on the highway I get mid 30s for mileage.

 

Well, please don't take this the way it will sound, but I know how to drive a stick. I've driven sticks for 18 years. That said, there is no "shifting at 3500" as my car has no tach. Why? Don't know, didn't come with one. But for instance, when we evac'd for Hurricane Rita, I drove 250 miles of freeway. No shifting, for the most part. Got 28mpg. So did my wife's 3 speed. I've yet to hit 30mpg and I've had it since the first week of September.

 

It sounds like you own a Neon SE (the base model) which does not come with a tach. Sadly, its not even an option on the SE. The Neon SXTs come standard equipped with a tach, regardless of whether you have a 5-speed or AT. This logic is totally retarded, but Chrysler Corp has been like this for years. My family had a '86 Plymouth Voyager 5-speed with no tach - it wasn't even an option. But then again, you see a lot of other models out there with ATs and tachs. Its pretty sad that you have to step up to a Neon SXT just to get a tach (from the factory), but you just do.

 

In truth, unless you are driving for performance what do you really need a tach for, you guys gotta keep in mind its a neon, not a viper, lol. I think every stick should come with a tach, but we are not the majority.

 

The early 1st Gen Neons have DOHC engines but, the later model 1st Gens have SOHC too. The way they designed the 1st Gens, they don't have as many drawbacks & they're also easier to modify.
If u want, u can get a reprogrammed PCM to increase milage. You'll just use premium gas.

 

That goes for any car, the farther back you go the easier it is to mod. I could pick up a 80's camaro body for $100 and drop a 500hp beast in it for about $2000 N/A. Given thats just the motor and shell, but still its an easy $3000 straight line monster.