PT Cruiser?

[kiki02]

does anyone own, or has owned this car? looking at a 2006. THANKS

 

[Order66]

I have never owned one, but around 2006 we had a truck damaged and the PT Cruiser is what the rental agency gave us while ours we being repaired. I liked it a lot for cruising around town. Lots of room. Thought it was very fun to drive.

Then I had to drive 180 miles (each way) to Buffalo and took the rental. I wanted to die after the first hour, my back hurt so bad. Really uncomfortable for a long trip. Made me cross that off my list as a car I'd ever want to own.

JMHO driving one for a couple weeks. YMMV.

regards

 

[cupcakefairy2u]

I did ....... My Dh made me drive it for almost 4 full years because I HAD to have it . Its fun to drive but the worst road noise ever ! I hated driving that car anywhere for more then a hour it was painful . It was a cool looking car but to do it over I would not have done it at all . My friend bought one with me and got rid of hers within a year ..... She was lucky to not have to talk it over with anyone like me LOL

 

[dwfanatic]

We rented a convertible one once and liked it. We ended up needing a new car and went to carmax (previously bought husband's Mustang there- we highly recommend ) and bought a 2008 PT cruiser. I love it. I am a SAHM do I don't drive it on long commutes, but we take it on road trips of about 3 hours. My only complaints are that it is not a powerful engine, but my husband can get it to go fast but I am more cautious so merging can be a problem if you are in high traffic areas. Also, it is a 'light' feeling car, meaning that it isn't the safest feeling car- I hope you understand my meaning. With that said, I don't feel UNSAFE in the car, but it definitely feels less solid than other cars I've owned.

On the positive side I love the headroom, and hatchback- not sure as your model is 2 years earlier than mine, but the seats fold up in such a convent manner you can fit a lot in the trunk! If you have other questions, just ask!

 

[ptcruisermom]

I had a 2003 turbo, bought brand new. had nothing but problems with that car, always in the shop. It began with it overheating not too long after I got it, dealership couldn't find the problem. Several other times had mechanical issues, that they had to call a reb in, I was probably know as a first class *itch at the dealership, but I knew something was wrong and they wouldn't fix it properly. I even had an extended warranty on it, and finally in Dec of 2006, it was finally(maybe ) fixed. Also had low profile tires and large rims, blew many a tire on that car. Got rid of it in spring of 2007, figured I had to pay a 100 deductible for every incident, even though was never fixed properly from the beginning. Extended warranty was about to run out. Bought a 2007 Pontiac Vibe and have had no problems what so ever with it, bust move I ever made. I will say this it was the first Chrysler I owned and it is the last Chrysler I will ever own. I will say it was a fun car to drive, but that is all I can say, besides theheated leather seats, how good they felt on a cold winter morning.

 

[figment52]

I have a 2001 that I bought brand new and I love it. I have had no problems with it whatsoever. I do regular oil changes and have replaced brakes and tires as routine maintenance and at 87,000 replaced all hoses and belts as a precautionary matter. The original battery lasted me 8 years. I love all the room inside. I had to drive the company Malibu a few months ago and felt very cramped inside and couldn't wait until I got to drive my PT again.

I use it for mostly city driving, not highway as I do not commute far for work. When I have been on the highway or road trips it was fine. I was not uncomfortable at all.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We had one several years ago - maybe 2004? And we traded it after two years. Just not as good as our Toyotas. Consumer Reports doesn't rate them very high. Especially used ones.

Consumer Reports say the transmission problems were not so bad on the 2006 model, but everything else is black or half black circle.

PT Cruiser (turbo) is considered Worst of the Worst. That's the one we had. My husband wanted it and I didn't want to tell him that it wasn't the best choice. He finally agrees with me on Toyotas.

 

[DisneyDanielle85]

I used to own a PT Cruiser. I hated it. It didn't have very good acceleration, It was too low down for me and it was very cramped. The Gas Mileage was alright but nothing to brag about compared to some cars. If you have a choice I'd go for something else maybe a Toyota Yaris or Maybe a Nissan. If of course it's affordable. If you like it and you test drove it by all means go for it. Just because I wasn't happy with mine doesn't mean you won't love yours.

 

[furb & dez]

Three things going against it;

1. It's a Chrysler.
2. Uncomfortable.
3. They are no longer made, so parts will eventually be scarce. And due to #1, you'll likely need those.

 

[bjscheel]

We rented one in 2008 on a vacation. It was okay, and looked fun, but to quote a trip report I read here, it "had the turning radius of an elderly yak".

 

[FLmomof6]

We rented one in 2008 on a vacation. It was okay, and looked fun, but to quote a trip report I read here, it "had the turning radius of an elderly yak".

We have a 2008 and I totally concur with this statement! I find it difficult to park or turn in a tight space. My Expedition does U turns in places I can't with the Cruiser. I can swing into a parking spot with ease with he Expedition, not the Cruiser. I do like the Cruiser, especially the gas mileage compared to the Expedition. It probably isn't fair of me to compare it to the Expedition considering the price difference (you get what you pay for). We would definitely purchase it again. I think overall it is a good car for the money.

 

[LJSquishy]

I think PTs are one of the ugliest vehicles out there, but my in-laws have two of them (one regular and one convertible) and they are super comfortable to ride in. They are very roomy in both rows. I would say the trunk area isn't huge, but I'm not a fan of hatchback-style trunks so it may be normal size, I can't tell. They don't put a lot of miles on their PTs so I can't say much about their reliability, maintenance, etc.

 

[luvthatdisney]

I drive one now!! Its a 2004 base model and I hate it. Seats are uncomfortable, lots of wind noise, it just seems like a cheap made car to me. Reason I keep driving it...well we are getting out of debt and this is my sort of beater. I will continue to drive it as long as I can stand it (which means when I get it paid off!!!!)

Would I ever buy another one? Nope

 

[pigletto]

Just a passenger in one, because I am short, the low seating and window shape made me feel sort of claustrophobic. It didn't feel as roomy as it was because of those things.

 

[kiki02]

Just a passenger in one, because I am short, the low seating and window shape made me feel sort of claustrophobic. It didn't feel as roomy as it was because of those things.

thanks all. looks like i shld buy another toyota. in my price range, there's usually over 120k, on them though.

 

[pigletto]

We bought a 2006 Cobalt which is smaller but I like it better. It was less than 12,000 miles and has given us no issues for over 2 years. Very happy with it and paid less than 7 thousand all in. However there was a recall for something on the steering column. I don't remember exactly what but it was covered by the dealership for no cost even though it was private sale. Is it my dream car? No way. But for that price it's been very good to us and great on gas since my husband drives more than 2 hours a day.

 

[arthuruscg]

What price range are you looking at?
What type of car?

Right now Toyota is offering 0.9% for 5 years on the 2012 Camry. I would run the math to see if you can afford the payments. If you qualify, the base model Camry (equivalent to any PT cruiser) would be $390 per month.

With rates this low, if you qualify, it doesn't make cents to put any money down on a car.

I would put more $ towards paying down my house then put down anything other then the minim down payment or even think about paying it off early.

 

[dwfanatic]

I do have to concur about the turning radius- it's horrible

 

[JAMIESMITH]

My husband is a mechanic and he wouldn't even let me consider having one after some of the ones he's worked on. Parts are expensive and they are very hard to work on.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

My mom has one, around that year, perhaps 07 or 08 ~ it's a bit of a lemon, odd issues *not normal wear and tear.