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Goodbye PT Cruiser: Will anyone miss it?
The 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser 'Woodie Package.''
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One of the weirdest cars of the 21st century might be the Chrysler PT Cruiser. While the playful, retro, odd [insert your own adjective] car lost its popularity with drivers a few years after its release, it became a staple in rental car fleets.
"It was a novelty car, and like all novelty items the enthusiasm faded," says Keenan Mayo, associate editor at Bloomberg Businessweek, who wrote an obituary of sorts for the Cruiser. "The only people who were really buying it for much of the last decade were the rental car companies because it was cheap."
But after government intervention in Detroit drove up the price, the rental companies backed off. Then, in 2010, Chrysler discontinued the PT Cruiser line altogether.
Often a punch line, PT Cruisers had quite a run. Over the course of 10 years, Chrysler sold 1.4 million Cruisers, reaching a peak in 2008-2009, according to Mayo, who was issued a PT Cruiser rental back in 2008.
"It was very under-powered as a car, it had this weak four cylinder engine. The other problem was you are driving it and people stare at you," Mayo says.
A business traveler Mayo interviewed for his story described the car as "what Steve Carrell drove in [the TV show] 'The Office'" and Mayo agrees.
What's the first word that comes to mind when you think of a PT Cruiser? Tell us on Facebook or in a comment below.
My wife and I share a 2003 turbo PT Cruiser. Mini Mercedes- great tailgater
Runs fine (turbo is necessary), 28 mpg plus on highway- 110,000 carefree miles. Foggy headlights need a little loving care as do most Chrysler products. 17 inch tires are not cheap, but look cool, and last a long time. Decent sound system and four full size adults can travel to events without feeling scrunched. Sound system sounds fine, too. Al;l four of us have rarly gone on truly long trip to check out how all the luggage would work, but sets of two and three have gone on multiple 1000 Kilometer each way trips. It cruises at 80 m.p.h. with ease , and can still accelerate rapidly if needed.
This report was a cheap shot. After all, what did U expect from the Co. that gave us the Neon? And on this page-a Woodie! A great concept U overlooked.
The digs at the weak horsepower- U forgot that they made a Turbo. Y should Marketplace be an Octane radio show anyway?
When i shopped a new one once, it was pointed out that Mercedes had a unibeam safety rail built into these (visible on the convertible), and a front crumple zone. That's a nice bonus for the unique styling.
Maybe U should have mentioned that Mercedes essentially Paid to sell off Chrysler. My sis calls the 300 a "pimpmobile". By the way, U should also educate listeners about the "PT" acronym. Originally, it was "Patrol, Torpedo" and JFK skippered one inWW2. Grow up!
Love PT Cruisers! Had 225,000 mostly highway miles on my first one, and it was still going strong when I sold it. I'm on my second one, and no problems with either one other than regular maintenance. The car is easy to get in and out of, easy to park and it's very versatile. Has all the amenities I need. Gas mileage is fair-to-good. I really wish the car was still being made, especially the first generation, and I really wish they had made a Panel PT with a 5-speed!
My husband bought a PT cruiser in the mid-2000's---with the thought that he would pass it along to our son (who must have been about 14 or so at the time). Our son & his younger (by 4 years) sister, made it very clear that they were not impressed with the car. They had several nicknames for it including the "Loser Cruiser" and the "Anti-Chrysler". The only good thing about the car was it was sturdy--when my husband ran a yellow to red light and was clipped by a car who was crossing on a green, the car handled very well and everyone was safe. My in-laws ended up giving us a Vibe for our son to drive when he turned 16....and my husband traded the PT in for a manual transmission Honda Civic....
I NEVER would have purchased a PT Crusier, but my dad was cosigning when we went shopping for a slightly used car and thought they were really neat.
It was cheap, the gas mileage wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be, and once I bought a house, I really came to appreciate that I could fit almost anything in this large car/small SUV -- doors, trees, flooring, you name it, once I pulled the backseat out, ANYTHING fit in that car. Plus plenty of legroom for backseat drivers. And it's still short enough to parallel park. Petey does handle like a damned Italian cruise ship, and looks nerdy as all get-out, but I LOVE this car. Hopefully the fact that there were so many of them on the road will mean I'll be able to keep piecing her together from junkyard parts for the next decade.
I suffered the misfortune of being baited and switched into a PT LOSER during a trip to Arizona by Enterprise Rent-A-Car. So much for trying to save a few bucks per day by renting off the airport. On the drive from Phoenix to Flagstaff, a 7000 foot assent, the ugly slug could barely stay ahead of big rigs in the right lane while everything from Chevy Aveos to retiree driven campers blew past us. The PT LOSER is an unfunny gas guzzling joke.
