It seems like Bring a Trailer and Cars & Bids are in an arms race for the most absurd listings. Bring a Trailer’s latest volley is not only the last Plymouth ever made, but likely the nicest Neon in the world.
Remember the Plymouth Neon? I won’t blame you if you don’t. The Plymouth Neon was a no-frills economy car that most people would probably describe as “transportation.” But the little car was really anything you wanted it to be. The Neon could be built into a race car, an off-roader, a fashion statement or left alone for basic, economical transportation.
This 68-mile 2001 Neon LX on Bring a Trailer is the last car to roll off of what was then Plymouth’s Belvidere, Illinois, assembly line.
It marked the end of a storied automaker. It’s fitting that the last car to bear the Plymouth badge was preserved. Of course, this makes you wonder: How does a Neon survive 20 years without being reduced to rust?
The answer is actually pretty heartwarming. As Hagerty reports, the Neon’s caretaker is Darrell Davis, former Senior Vice President of Parts and Service for DaimlerChrysler. Davis wanted to preserve what he felt was an important part of automotive history. Plymouth, a brand started in 1928, targeting the low-cost market and died after the production of one last Neon.
Davis made sure that the last vehicle to ever wear that Plymouth badge didn’t end up in a scrapheap. He hoped that car would be a Prowler, but it ended up being this Neon.
The car is built to Davis’ specifications. It’s painted in Bright Silver metallic, sports a five-speed manual transmission and the entire list of possible options including wood grain trim, leather and a sunroof.
That transmission delivers power from a 2-liter inline-four making 132 HP, but I suspect that the buyer of this car isn’t going to care about how slow it is.
Speaking of these options, Davis made sure to meticulously preserve the vehicle. The car’s antenna was never installed, the keyless entry remotes never used and all documentation for the vehicle is still in their respective wrappers. Davis drove the car off of the line himself to ensure the car didn’t lose its protective covers from the factory.
He received the car with 20 miles on the odometer and it reads a whole 68 miles today. The car is absolutely flawless aside from a few specks of rust on the muffler. Davis is only selling it to cut down on his fleet of vehicles.
This thing is in better condition than many museum pieces. The window sticker indicates that this car was $18,210 in 2001 money, or about $27,546 today.
Given the car’s current auction price of $14,001 with five days remaining, it’s possible that this car will sell for more than it was worth when it originally rolled off of the line.
It’s funny thinking that this car might end up parked next to someone’s priceless Ferrari. While the Neon continued as a Dodge, it marked the end of the line for Plymouth. Hopefully, it ends up with someone who wants to preserve Plymouth’s last car as much as Davis did.