can we all get along with this neon/cruiser thing? just get over the fact they are related and enjoy. SRG, the first gen (your 97) neon has little to do with the current neon or the cruiser. when the platform for the current neon (2000 till now) was redone, they used it for the basis of the cruiser. that does not mean that they have much in common, but they do share some parts, including front suspension, transmissions, brakes, interior bits, even wheelbase. typically when cars have those things in common, they are said to share a platform. sorta like a toyota camry shares one with a lexus es and rx, you may not know it but they do. or that a saab and a saturn share a platform (or a jag and a ford, i could go on for awhile), just the way car companies work now. and as for proof, i think that the fact that chrysler has never disputed any car mag reference to the pt/neon relationship is proof enough. when the convertable came out, there was a review that said it was too expensive for a car based on a neon (the exact words). i'd imagine chrysler would be all over them if it was not true (all car mags got blasted by DCX when they said the new pacifica was so expensive becuse the company was trying to take chrysler upmarket, not true DCX said in harsh words). almost every review of a cruiser i have read (and i'm addicted to car mags) mentions the relationship. the upside is that this is how they got the cruiser to market so quickly, and at such a great price. had they not used the neon (and other bits from the chrylser parts bin), the cruiser may never have been made!
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