Overview & Reviews

In its day, Plymouth was one of the best-selling and most beloved brands in the U.S. Owned first by Chrysler and then by DaimlerChrysler, the marque existed for more than 70 years before being discontinued in 2001.

The Plymouth Motor Corporation was born in May of 1928 as a marketing subsidiary of the Chrysler Corporation, with Walter Chrysler as its president. The first Plymouth, the Plymouth 4, followed soon thereafter, cruising into showrooms in 1929. The car was based on a Chrysler model, the Chrysler 4. Its low price and solid quality established Plymouth as the brand to beat for consumers seeking affordable transportation.

The 1930s saw Plymouth investing in the development of a new vehicle; the Plymouth PA was launched in 1931. Featuring then-innovative rubber engine mounts, the car was a hit, and helped Plymouth sail past more established brands like Buick to nab the 3rd-place spot in national car sales, behind Ford and Chevrolet. By 1939, more than 3 million Plymouths had been built, and its name had been officially changed to the Plymouth Division.

In the years following World War II, Plymouth introduced models like the Cambridge, Suburban and Cranbrook. The look of the vehicles was a departure from the prevailing aesthetic of the time. They were chunky and tall whereas the most popular vehicles were long, lean and low. V8 engines and automatic transmissions were also new additions to the Plymouth brand in the '50s. By the time the decade drew to a close, more than 12 million Plymouths had been built.

The '60s saw the birth of the pony car, and Plymouth was at the forefront of the movement with its legendary Barracuda, which was initially based on the Valiant compact when it was introduced in 1964. As the years went on, the Barracuda offered a range of powerful V8 engines and a choice of body styles, including a convertible. The decade also saw the introduction of a pair of muscle cars based on the midsize Belvedere: the bare-bones Road Runner and the more luxurious GTX. The psychedelic era also gave rise to the brand's potent 426 Hemi V8 engine.

The fuel crisis of the mid-1970s spelled trouble for Plymouth, as high fuel prices caused poor sales for its larger models. Plymouth saw some success with its Valiant, Duster and Volare compacts. But the lone shining star on the sales charts was the subcompact Horizon. Otherwise, the company suffered slow sales due to an aged and dwindling lineup. Things didn't get much better for Plymouth during the '80s. In spite of the debut of the popular Voyager minivan and a couple of other new models like the Caravelle and Sundance, the brand continued to struggle.

By the time the '90s rolled around, Plymouth was no longer a full-line make. Chrysler had plans to reinvigorate the brand with the introduction of new models, but all that changed after the company's merger with Daimler at the end of the decade. At the close of the '90s, Plymouth's lineup had been reduced to just five vehicles: the Voyager and Grand Voyager minivans, the Breeze sedan, the Neon compact and the Prowler sports car. DaimlerChrysler soon decided to pull the plug on the long-neglected brand, with the last Plymouths being made in model-year 2001.

User Reviews:

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  Huge Electrical Problems - 1998 Plymouth Grand Voyager
  By Band Mom - March 22 - 7:20 am

  I loved my Voyager until at around 90k all of the gauges stopped working, the interior lights began to flash on and off, the door signal kept ringing and the ABS and service lights came on. All of these things were intermittent, so the dealership couldnt nail down the problem. The diagnostics had so many error codes they couldnt figure it out from that either. It got worse over time. A dealer finally told me that electrical problems were notorious in this vehicle and it was probably caused by a defective body control module? Which is no longer available for this car and the used ones are mostly also defective. So now I have a car that will not pass inspection and I cant sell.

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  its all good, not great but good - 2000 Plymouth Neon
  By jmca1583 - January 31 - 10:00 am

  I heaerd all kinds of rumors that neons fell apart within a year after purchase, but Ive had mine for 3 years without a single major problem. ive done really well with maintenance aside from a few late oil changes, and the car has held up really well. Im up to 96,000 miles on the thing (i drive EVERYWHERE) and its been without a problem.

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  Voyager - 1999 Plymouth Voyager
  By Mark Tomaselli - January 21 - 10:20 pm

  This is a good stable vehicle. I took a very long trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with no problem.

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  Great 1st car - 2000 Plymouth Neon
  By nimnut - December 11 - 4:30 pm

  This was my first car and I bought it with 23,000 miles on it. I had to replace the clockswitch within a year, but that was due to a poor repair job the first time. No other major repairs in 4 years after driving about 500 miles back and forth from college to home 4 or 5 times a year. My only complaints: brakes squeak a lot when wet or if not used in a couple of days even when brand new. No trunk latch! Its horrible to have to turn off the car to open the trunk. Paint has been cracked and peeling on the bumper for about 2 years. There is some vibration and noise from the engine that started about a year after purchase. Fabulous, cheap, first car purchase.

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  almost great - 1999 Plymouth Grand Voyager
  By Mb - November 20 - 9:40 am

  I bought the vehicle 8/02 with 38,000 miles. There are many things to like about this van: styling, very comfortable interior, decent fuel economy and overall performance. However, the transmission suffered a catastrophic failure at 61,000 miles to the tune of $3,000 (this in spite of the fact I am meticulous about all maintainence). Chrysler was no help at all in this matter. Additionally, the cruise control went south and the front suspension has had numerous parts replaced, but still makes troubling "clunking" noises over bumps. I love the way Chrysler products look and drive. However, I will warn all people against buying their products because of poor quality control.

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  2000 NEON - 2000 Plymouth Neon
  By Will B. - August 22 - 1:13 pm

  The only thing i dont like about this car is the power when driving uphill. the engin gets week, when its on low RPMs uphill! (rounds per mints...) it can do it pretty well when your on 4000 rpms and higher. but thats not an abuse to the motor, but it take lots of power from the engin. other than that its an exelent stock car for the money. Mine is the LX model with power front windows,locks,AC, and no hevy alloys wheels just hubcaps. Dont forget those NEONS can be upgraged like crazy from proformance wise to looks and addons. :)

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  IT,S NO HONDA - 2000 Plymouth Voyager
  By RON 4 - July 24 - 10:00 am

  POOR TRANS, REAR SEATS DO NOT FOLD BACK ,BODY DENTS TO EASY. SEATS TO HEAVY, POOR RESALE

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  on the road again! - 2000 Plymouth Neon
  By shrtstuf1960 - March 3 - 10:00 am

  I do love my 2000 Plymouth Neon. I have had several problems with it though. Recall on brake boosters, 2 years old and needed new motor mounts, also front struts at 2 years old, trunk flooded and needed re-adjusted and now at 4 years old, the A/C went out and needs a new evaporator core, drier, freon and expansion valve. Very expensive up-keep. Also, my clear cote has bubbled and peeled and the door handles are falling apart. Car has a vibration. I have taken very good care of my car, oil changes, flushes ect. when time for. Im broke but still love my Neon!!

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  Moderate - 2001 Plymouth Neon
  By Tim Vondrak - February 17 - 10:00 am

  It is a decent little car but it is small. It has good fuel economy and is a good car for running around in. The interior is a darker color that is eadier to hide dirt and is pretty comfortable. The trunk is a good size either if your working out of it or if you want to put a couple of subwoofers in the back. The driving isnt to rough until you get to 100mph. If your looking for a reliable car this is it. It only has minor problems if you overd

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  Its a Minivan - 1999 Plymouth Grand Voyager
  By derm911 - October 22 - 2:00 am

  We bought it for the child seats. The seats and being able to get to the kids while driving have been great. Now that our kids are bigger we are trying to sell a well maintained vehicle with only 41k. The only trouble is even though it was less $ up front it has poor resale value. We paid $21,500 new and now no one will come look at it for $8500 even with new tires and brakes. Imports (Honda, Toyota) are thought of as more reliable and their resale values are much better. The Japanese have better brand name for used vehicles.