Opinions on PT Cruisers?

[welovedisneyx4]

I think I have found a good deal on a 2005 PT Cruiser w/ low miles. I was looking for others opinions of them. I don't know many people who have had them. Anyone on here have any opinions about them? How are they on gas?

 

[Darcy03231]

We got one as a rental car once and hated it. DH and I both thought it was like driving a go-cart. I will say that it was very good on gas. DSis got one as a rental car too and after driving it for two weeks said it was ok, but she wouldn't buy one.

 

[NMAmy]

I have a 2004 which I love. They're quite roomy inside (DH is 6' tall and has plenty of headroom) and I can put the seats down and cart a lot of stuff around and yet, they're small and easy to park.

It's used mostly for city driving so I have no idea on the mileage on the highway. I drive 24 miles round trip to work and only fill up about every two weeks.

 

[LoraJ]

I had one as a rental car once and I liked it.
It was in Orlando and when we hit the first toll booth on the way to WDW I could not figure out how to roll down the window. I guess the toll booth guy sees this a lot and yelled out, "it's in the middle."

 

[Fintastic]

We got one as a rental car once and hated it.

Same here.

 

[welovedisneyx4]

It's used mostly for city driving so I have no idea on the mileage on the highway. I drive 24 miles round trip to work and only fill up about every two weeks.

I drive about 40 miles round trip to work (about 30 of it city driving) and have to fill up about once a week, so it sounds compatable to what I have now. My current car gets great gas mileage, but I don't know how much longer it is going to last.

 

[snykymom]

I also got one as a rental. I really loved the way the Cruiser looks, but as far as acceleration - forget it! The stupid thing couldn't get out of its own way! I'm not a hot rodder; I'm happy with the acceleration that my Prius gets (which my husband hates!), but this was even too slow for me, with the pedal floored!

 

[welovedisneyx4]

I had one as a rental car once and I liked it.
It was in Orlando and when we hit the first toll booth on the way to WDW I could not figure out how to roll down the window. I guess the toll booth guy sees this a lot and yelled out, "it's in the middle."

Too funny!! LOL! DH had a rental car many years ago and we couldn't figure out how to open the gas tank. It was when they 1st put the lever beside the driver seat for the gas.

 

[LoraJ]

I also got one as a rental. I really loved the way the Cruiser looks, but as far as acceleration - forget it! The stupid thing couldn't get out of its own way! I'm not a hot rodder; I'm happy with the acceleration that my Prius gets (which my husband hates!), but this was even too slow for me, with the pedal floored!

My 2010 Prius arrives in a few weeks. The gen III is supposed to have better acceleration.

I don't remember how it was for me in the PT Cruiser. I drive a stick presently so just about any automatic's acceleration sucks for me. The Prius will be an adjustment.

 

[edandcolleen1995]

We got a 2007 PT Cruiser and love it! We got stick so some of the acceleration issues is better with that I assume

I use it for work commute which is 60 highway miles a day (total both ways). I get about 29mpg on it.

What I love is the room. I am 6'2" and have tons of room driving it. Plus the seats fold down in 2 seconds and you can put a bunch of stuff in it when you need. Even does split seats if you need to have 3 people but say a long box to bring home.

So far, very reliable. I keep up on oil changes and stuff.

 

[MushyMushy]

We got one as a rental car once and hated it. DH and I both thought it was like driving a go-cart. I will say that it was very good on gas. DSis got one as a rental car too and after driving it for two weeks said it was ok, but she wouldn't buy one.

Same here. I thought it felt really cheap, and that's with me driving a Hyundai, which IS cheap. Acceleration stinks and it felt really small for such a decent sized car.

I wouldn't buy one, personally.

 

[figment52]

I fought mine in 2001 and love it - I would buy another one. Yes it is only a 4 cyl. so it is a bit slower on accereration but once you get used to it, it is fine. I mostly drive around town so it is not a problem for me.

As everyone else has stated it is very roomy on the inside and has lots of flexibility if you need to haul things.

 

[AmazingGrace]

We have a 2002 and we just bought an 09 and we love Cruisers. we love how they look, how they drive and the gas mileage is good. We actually just got the 09 this weekend. When we set out car shopping, the cruiser was all I was interested in.

 

[AristocatFan]

Around here they're called "PT Crappers."

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

I have an '01 Turbo and it's great! I drive about 32 miles RT to work and fill up not quite every week (i.e, if I fill up on Monday, then next week it will be Tuesday or Wednesday). It hauls a lot of stuff and is roomy on the inside. While it isn't a "race car" it does have quite a bit of zip. Maybe it's the turbo?

Mine has been very reliable. I have to change the timing belt soon and that's a huge job -- but I've had only 1 other repair (windshield wiper switch)!

K

 

[mrsheppo]

I have a 2006 Cruiser that we bought new. I get about 22 mpg around town and fill up every 2 weeks.Yes, the acceleration is not the greatest, but we gave had no problems with the car. I love how much stuff can be hauled just by folding down the seats and it's a very simple process to do so.

I am definitely happy with my Cruiser.

 

[DVCLiz]

I saw a Consumer Reports list and it's in the bottom 5 on safety issues.

 

[Handbag Lady]

We love ours. We have a 2008 (bought in December) so it is still new-ish to us.

I drove it home yesterday from Disneyland and I really enjoyed it.

The room on the inside is terrific! We had bags as we stayed the night and my dad gave us a banjo and I bought LOADS of stuff at the SHAG HM event, and we still had loads of room. I could have purchased even more stuff!

The whole point is to NOT jackrabbit at a green light, so what everyone is saying about take-offs are correct. It isn't a race car, keep in mind. It is a cruiser!

We also drove an SSR (the Chevy one) and found it had too many blindspots.

 

[taylor1293]

My husband has one, a 2004. We've had no major issues, but IMO, it's just cheap and junky.

And it's horrible on gas for a 4 cylinder. It gets about 18 mpg. Terrible!

 

[Mad4Mickey]

I bought one brand spanking new in 01 and I had a bad bad bad one . Spent alot of time in the shop . So all I can say is been there, done that , got the t shirt and wont ever do it again.