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Last post on Oct 14, 2006 at 10:08 AM
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Chrysler PT Cruiser Forum.
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Chrysler PT Cruiser, Wagon
Nov 01, 2001 (10:59 am)
You must have driven a different kind of PT Cruiser. I am the proud owner (not driver, my wife won't let me drive it) of a 2002 Touring Edition. I am 6'3" and have ample room, both front and back seat. The seats are firm but are very comfortable on trips. I was surprised how comfortable they are after a period of hours.
The engine is a bit noisy under accelleration, but the car cruises very quietly. It also has a very flexible interior and provides a tremendous amount of space for such a small car.
The controls are a bit eccentric and take getting used to, but do fall readily to hand. I will say that Chrysler did listen to the comments of the early buyers. Two of the big complaints of about the 2001 model year were the lack of a passenger seat armrest and the rear window controls. For 2002 an armrest was added to the passenger seat and a set of rear window controls was added to the front console, a second set still remains at the back of the floor console.
I'm sorry that you didn't like the car,
#99 of 879 Rear window controls - crkeehn
by illini4
Nov 01, 2001 (2:42 pm)
The 2001 has rear window controls just below the front window controls also - at least mine does (Jun 01 build). I agree with your other comments, I find the Curiser to be roomy and the engine is very quiet at high way speeds. It is a bit noisy at idle and under acceleration.
#100 of 879 Rear Window controls revisited
by crkeehn
Nov 01, 2001 (3:12 pm)
There are apparently three versions of the PT Cruiser floating around now. It first came out in 2000 as a 2001. Midway through the extended model year, they came out with a later 2001, what the differences were, I can't tell; however the window switch may be one. All the reviews seem to be based on the early 2001 models and all comment on the odd window controls, the front windows on the dash, the rear windows on the rear of the console.
All things said, I love my 2002 Touring, I'm sure I would love it more if my wife would let me drive it.
#101 of 879 Son of Rear Window Controls revisited.
by crkeehn
Nov 03, 2001 (10:51 am)
I dropped by my local Chrysler Dealer yesterday, they have a 2001 on the lot that someone had apparently ordered and then didn't complete the transaction (when I first saw the car it had a new car sticker with the notation "made expressly for.." ) In any event the car is still there, sans sticker. It is apparently an early model 2001, the only window controls on the dash are for the front. You have two large switches flanking the rear window lockout switch, rather than the four smaller switches flanking the lockout switch. Forgive my repeating that but it's the first time that I can truly say that I have looked at the dashboard of a 2001.
That said, I love my Inferno Red Touring Edition. I suspect I would love it more if my wife would let me drive it.
#102 of 879 PT Cruiser -- Bushing on A-Frame Tearing
by rhinette
Nov 15, 2001 (7:53 pm)
My hubby is a mechanic at a local beer distributor. This company has 4 2001 PT Cruisers, bought brand new, ranging in mileage from 25,000 to 36,000 miles. Just this week here are two discoveries: All 4 needed new front brake jobs. One was so bad it had to have the rotors replaced. Granted these are driven by salesmen, some of them fairly young and in all kinds of traffic. He was not too concerned about this being "early" for brakes due to the factors involved. But the second thing is bothering him. The lower A-frame bushings are tearing. If this is continues, it will cause severe toe-out (of one or possibly both tires depending on condition of bushing) and could cause loss of vehicle control. When he found the first, he called the other three in to check them. Same thing. When they took it to a local Chrysler dealer for repair (still under warranty), the service manager had never seen or heard of this before. We don't know if the Service dept will report this or not; don't know if this is a common problem or not. Checked AllData.com and no mention of this in TSBs or recalls. Am considering contacting DOT Safety and have them investigate as well as notifying D-C ourselves.
For the record, we do not own a PT, but was trying to find out if anyone else has seen this. And if not, to let you all know that this needs to be checked on your own vehicles just to be on the safe side.
Sue
Nov 15, 2001 (10:23 pm)
i just rented a pt cruiser for two days on the hawaiian island of maui. it was a fully loaded limited edition with a sunroof, chrome wheels and power everything. i was expecting a lot after reading the reviews and have come to the conclusion that they are all true. if i didn't have the itch for a sports car then i would probably buy one. it's a real head turner, it's comfortable, the fit and finish is really good for a car in it's price range, the sound system sounds nice and it has plenty of pick up although you wont confuse it for a camaro or wrx. i drove it to the top of haleakala (a dormant volcano)which goes from sea level to just over 10,000 feet in under 40 miles. it had no trouble going up the steep switchbacks. real cool car.
#104 of 879 PT Cruiser
by teo
Nov 16, 2001 (3:09 pm)
Consumer Reports highly recommends the PT Cruiser. First year reliability has been "MUCH BETTER THAN AVERAGE". The PT Cruiser is, without a doubt, one of the highest quality, if not the best reliability, products to ever come out of DCX in many years.
Resale value appears to be in "Toyota/Honda" territory according to CR.
Autoweek magazine just finished a long term review on the PT Cruiser and the car got high marks for quality and reliability which is unheard on a DCX product.
Congratulations, PT Cruiser owners, you have one of the best cars out there...
#106 of 879 Teo: You stole my thunder
by crkeehn
Nov 17, 2001 (5:52 am)
I just caught the CR frequency of Repair results myself. I think it's the first time I have ever seen a listing with ALL red circles.
All the early car reviews commented on how tightly the car seemed put together. That was also my impression based on 1.5 months of ownership. It's good to see that that initial impression is being upheld, a year down the road.