So I'm rowing the 5 spd gearbox on my Neon today. Past week or so I've been noticing the reverse gear sticks a bit. I do a 1st to second then suddenly the shifter feels all numb. No response at all. I'm about 1/2 a block from my friends house and coast down there. He comes out to help me move the car but I can't cause the car is in gear. Well I take the console apart right there on the spot and find the bushing for the shifter has come off the cable linkage. Bushing is still on the shifter... but the cable is now detached. The Ebay short shifter I bought for 30 bucks shows its quality by having the linkage hookup part bent pretty far forward. Fixed it and bent it back, but since my stock shifter is now trash, you can bet I'll be shifting a little more conservatively. :-D and reverse no longer sticks. Looks like if I spend more money on the Neon it will be basic IHE stuff, and now add a quality shifter to that list.... :-P

 

Mopar STS shifter....it rocks. I know there are others...but I personally use it and I couldn't be any happier with it. Its smoooth.

 

I have a $30 megan racing STS off ebay and love it, never had a problem, its nice and tight and shifts great.