Death knell for the PT Cruiser
Just a couple of days ago I wrote a post defending the looks of the PT Cruiser against those who dare call it ugly.
And now I read that Chrysler is ending production of the cute little guy, once so popular there were waiting lists to buy one. But after this Friday no more will be manufactured, and the PT will go down the road so many cars have traveled before it to oblivion.
Hey, Chrysler, did it have something to do with my post?
I told you it was a car for wimps and gurlz. But did you listen? Noooooo…….
Funny how sometimes attention makes a subject appear in all your areas of occupation. At one intersection, I noticed three PT cruisers. They hadn’t been there before. And just recently, an accident involving a PT cruiser.
I think if we all concentrated real hard we could get one to appear in Charlie Sheen’s driveway, which might solve his car-getting-stolen-and-being-dumped-down-a-mountainside-problem.
More importantly, Beyonce is looking better.
They didn’t name it Part Time Cruiser for nothin.
It had a good run for a vehicle that was based on the Neon but fetched a much higher price than its more pedestrian sedan-shaped sibling.
BTW Neo, whatever happened with your search for a comfortable car?
Yeah, I noticed a whole bunch of them on the way home from work today. I probably wouldn’t have paid much attention if I hadn’t heard the news.
Don’t blame yourself, Neo;-). Lead-times in the auto industry tend to be measured in years, so Chrysler obviously made the decision some time ago to stop PT Cruiser production. Pity it didn’t have the performance or reliability to go with its looks, which I always found to be easy on the eyes.
I’m still able to proudly state: No piercings, no tattoos, and I don’t drive a PT Cruiser…
“Hey, Chrysler, did it have something to do with my post?”
Let’s test the hypothesis — say something nice about the Chevy Corvette.
And it got designer Bryan Nesbitt a higher-profile gig at General Motors, too. (If the Chevy HHR looks rather PT-ish, now you know why.)
My wife likes how it looks too but a woman who has one told me it’s not well made. I’ve heard it was designed out of Geo parts. You don’t see many of those on the road these days, even used ones.
You do understand that the PT Cruiser was simply the Dodge Neon as a station wagon, don’t you? Same chassis, same parts stream, all identical.
You have to remember that they’re in the business of selling something new.
I kind of liked it. Looked like cars did when I was very small. My grandfather had a 36 Dodge that had to last through the war years. PT reminded me of that. If it blew a tire, or overheated a couple of times whenever you tried to take a 200 mile trip it would be perfect. It was really fun on a July trip crammed in the back with brother and a well padded great-Aunt or two.
Sometime just before or very early in WWII my Mother and Dad took the train to Detroit and picked up two Pontiac sedans for a dealer friend. They were the first of the “streamlined” look and Mom drove one with two tone paint. Allegedly the first ever in Florida. She said people all along the way just went crazy when they saw it. She was Queen of the Road, and loved it.
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I never really cared much for the “retro” cars. It just seems like automobile stylists run out of ideas from time to time and have to go back to the well. That Chevy thing was the worst example. If I get the bug to drive a car that looks like a 34 Ford or a 50 Chevy pickup I’ll buy or build one.
The PT Cruiser was cute. That’s not a compliment unless you are two years old.
It does have issues when the odometer gets around 125K and up. The electrical system circuit for the radiator fan motor has major issues. I have the burn scars on my left arm to prove it.
After a radiator/hoses/thermostat R and R, it was a direct wiring to the battery via a toggle switch. I live in the Mojave Desert. The fan needs to be on, ALL THE TIME.
Not Chrysler’s best engineering at all. Cute is all. The Missus went back to work to buy it ten years ago. It soldiers on as I was in and out of work for a couple of years. Now working. Civil Service.
And here’s the PT’s Swan song.