both a honda and a neon are going to be equally as cheap, the difference is the honda wont break :lol:
and if you get a really basic civic it will get like 50mpg, where as the neon wont get more than 25-30mpg. both have equal potential for a cheap swap later for serious power. the only reason to choose a neon over a civic is that its less common, so thats the choice to make.