PT Cruiser...I don't get it

motopuffs

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Mar 15, 2001
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This isn't really a flame of the PT Cruiser, but more of a call for someone to rationalize their existance.

1. What the heck does "PT" stand for?

2. Dodge...different is better...in my opinion, different is ugly in this case.

3. Aren't they built on a Neon chassis? Wimpy!

4. Much like the Prowler (until recently), there isn't an engine available to back up the (dabateably) sporty looks. Wimpy!

5. It looks like a mini-mini van with some kinda weird grill on the front.

6. People pay buku bucks for them! When they first came out, people were paying thousands over retail! Even now, whenever Dodge has a promotion, read the fine print...the PT is excluded!

7. Don't you dare call it a truck! It bugs me when people call their sport utility vehicles a "truck", but that's another flame in itself. If you can't put at least two (better yet three) dirt bikes and gear in the back, in my book it aint a truck.

8. People who drive them tend to think they are really cool and park way in the back section of the lot. Yes, I know I am generalizing.

If you are the proud owner of one of these, and you like it, than by all means don't let me rain on your parade or be offended...I guess different strokes for different folks.
 
B

biglou

I like'em. I don't have a use for one, but I think they are sharp. There cool in a "It'd be neat if my parents had one" kinda way. JMHO! You know, I've not really ever seen a big advertising push for them, either. They probably don't have to. Plus, everything I ever read about them said that they were basically a minivan with better body work as far as power and handling went.
 
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Okiewan

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I guess different strokes for different folks.
That would be the key?

I think they are cutein a chick car kinda way :), wouldn't drive one, but hey, took some guts to produce it and they are selling them as fast as they are making them.

It's the retro thing, the Prowler and T-Bird are other examples and yes, the Viper.
 

KLX4smoke

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I like the PT but opinions are like a-holes, everybody has one. Yes, it is built on the neon platform, 4 cylinder front drive, etc. I applaud any company with the guts to do something different even if I don't always like the results (viper).
 

smb_racing

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PT=Personal Transportation (from what I heard)
there's a local body shop who threw a set of chrome wheels and some mystic paint on one and it's really sharp. I like em..
 

OnAnySunday

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lost in the deserts of NM
<rant mode on>
All show- no go.
Anyone remember the 60's tune "No go showboat"??
Thats the PTCruizer.
I mean, come on Chrysler, if your gonna do up a car with style how about at least a 318 under the hood?
And the Prowler? Dont make me laugh.
At least Ford is stuffing a 3.9 V8 (yes, a good ol' double slant 8!!) in its IMHO much better looking Thunderbird.
(why they killed this legendary marque off in the first place is beyond me.)
Maybe Chrysler was looking back at the success (?????) of Ford's infamous "Cobra 2" and decided to build one of their own.
On Chrysler's behalf, i will admit that todays modern emission standards make v8's in these cars a difficult thing to do (thanks again environmentalists:( ) but how about at least a souped up V6, or a limited edition V8????
<rant mode off>
 

motopuffs

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Mar 15, 2001
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At least the viper has four or five hundred horsepower with a manual transmission...that makes styling a little less important in my book.
 

dirt bike dave

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My wife really like's them; reminds her of a 1930's gangster car. Saw a black one the other day with little bullet hole decals on the back like the car had been shot at during a bank robbery. Bonnie and Clyde watch out!

Most people that buy them don't know what a 426 Hemi is and they don't care about turbos and superchargers. They just want a car just makes them smile more than a Camry or an Accord. Nothing wrong with that.
 

CC_RIDER

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I think they're pretty cool !

When they first came out I read that the PT stood for "Past Times". The styling is reminecent of the late thirty/ early forties cars, but with modern touches borrowed from the hotrod genre, hence... Past Times Cruiser.

The retro look is popular. I'd say Dodge / Chrysler was pretty smart to bring it out, they've sold a zillion of them already. And pricing is not that high, actually they are quite resonable when compared to other stylish bodied vehicles.

Maybe you don't get it, I never got the hoola hoop or the Cabbage Patch dolls, but someone did, and they made millions on them!
 

JuliusPleaser

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It's ugly...

but it ain't no Aztek. :scream:

At least the Chrysler products are a bona-fide success.
 

BigBore

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Jun 16, 1999
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Yes, the "PT" does in fact stand for "Personal Transport." Saw it on Car & Driver TV. :)

And I do believe its pretty cheesy to make a sporty looking car with nothing special under the hood.
 

motopuffs

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Mar 15, 2001
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They just want a car just makes them smile more than a Camry or an Accord.

That's true. There's only one person that has to like the car, and that's the owner.

By the way, my wife drives an accord, and it makes her smile!
 

smb_racing

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the pricing isn't bad for them either, I think they're less than $20k fully loaded? That's a rarity nowadays, it seems like and company who thinks they can build a sport ute type vehicle will hold you up for at least 35k. At this point I'd like to rant about the "luxury SUV" craze but I wouldn't want to bore you guys.
 

John.T

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Aug 2, 2001
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Now A PT-CRUHSER or a PT-BRUISER now those are cool!!! They are both supercharged, BIG rims etc, cool paintjobs, groud affects, they look really sweet! I guess dodge was suppost to make the GT-Cruiser but I don't know what happened!!!! But I do agree DONT make a that's suppose to be all pimp daddy and just put a new body on a neon! blah!
 

motopuffs

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Mar 15, 2001
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smb, I believe the other utes you are comparing to are built on t truck chasis and have a real engine. No comparison, even if they cost 5-10 thousand more.

The other bad deal is what happens to resale value when the fad is over? Any time you pay more than retail, this has a way of coming back to bite you. I think Neons are already notorius for their terrible resale value.
 

spanky250

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Dec 10, 2000
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Originally posted by OnAnySunday
(why they killed this legendary marque off in the first place is beyond me.)
Probably because people stopped buying them once they became a bloated, underpowered, generic family boat, like most American cars of the '70s and early '80s.
 

IDkTm

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Jul 12, 2000
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My cousin has a PT cruiser and IMO it is a worthless little contraption. In order to get it he had to sell his motorcycle and his pickup and now is the bike mooch of the century. The funny part about his is that he thinks its way cool(kinda like all those kids with there hopped up Civics, also dumb IMO) and yet 90% of them around here are drove by Grandmas except his.

I don't know, I mean he likes it and thats all that matters but I'd never own one. If you're going to drive a car it better have something special, like some motor.
 

KLX4smoke

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Tell em Spanky! The t-bird got canned because it didn't sell. But the new t-bird is a home run, what a great looking car! :) (that's a rare compliment from me, I usually only lust for Porsches)
 

XRpredator

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Originally posted by Okiewan
It's the retro thing, the Prowler and T-Bird are other examples and yes, the Viper.
Exactly.

I gotta give it up to Mopar, they at least have the balls to build some different stuff. They stepped up to the plate, and now the other 2 of the "Big 3" are playing catch up. Ford redid the Mustang a couple years ago, and now they have the new T-bird coming. Chevy's got that new little pickup thing coming out, which looks way cool (kinda like an ol' 50 Chev pickup).

The retro stuff is cool, but I gotta have a 4x4. And the wife likes her Tahoe :) .
 

nephron

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. Ford redid the Mustang a couple years ago, and now they have the new T-bird coming

It's interesting how Ford did that. For years we saw the original birds of the mid-50's (drool...) decay into humiliation, if not to reach its ultimate low in the mid-70's as a boat-svelt LTD-like tanker.:scream: Ford apparently and subsequently did the right thing by pulling the plug, only to have it back after a few years off as an entirely new, retrograde, and "startover" car.

Even though I'm more of an old Chevy fan, particularly vettes, I'm still proud of the T-bird's complete circle, even if it does have a 53 Corvette front end! :eek:
 

motopuffs

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Mar 15, 2001
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Dodge has spend cubic dollars on ad campaigns in the last few years, and it has paid off. Much hype. Snob appeal (Dodge is better, if you buy one YOU are better than your Ford owning neighbor).

Heck, they could have made a limited production of the Viper and just given them away! They have gotten a lot of mileage out of the whole Viper thing, even tho 99.99 percent of us will never own one. Conversely, how much advertising does Chevy do with the Corvette? Almost zero. (I'm not saying one is better than the other, but I think it is interesting how different the marketing strategies are between Dodge, Ford, and GM).

That ad telling us about rebates, but made a big production about it not applying to the viper...clever way to once again wave that viper around. Then put a (highly detuned) version of the same engine in trucks. Awesome marketing tactics.

They scored with the V-10, but the only problem is that at the same time, the V-8 line got neglected. While Chevy and Ford have had more modern v-8s for years, Dodge sticks with the same 318 and 360. My friend has a Durango...great vehicle but SINGLE DIGIT mileage with the 360 when pulling a trailer with bikes.
 

JuliusPleaser

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I've heard the same story about Durango mileage. I seriously considered buying a Dakota R/T, but the mileage killed that option.

The convertible version of the PT Cruiser is pretty cool, but it has the same "basket handle" that ruined the VW Cabriolet.

The Viper is a winner, but the V-10 sounds like it came out of a UPS truck. That hasn't stopped Team Oreca from waxing all the Europeans in FIA GT racing though. Can you say "invincible"? The newest C5-R Corvette is a contender though. Next year's ALMS series will be very interesting.

Nephron--great analogy!

Pred, Chev has actually produced a "production prototype" of the SSR pickup. The new version looks very much like the original. Very cool, and they might actually BUILD it???

Ford has come a looong way in a short time. The future is niche vehicles, and Ford is running toward it. Kudos! It's about time we had some products with a little personality.
 

spanky250

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Originally posted by motopuffs
They scored with the V-10, but the only problem is that at the same time, the V-8 line got neglected. While Chevy and Ford have had more modern v-8s for years, Dodge sticks with the same 318 and 360. My friend has a Durango...great vehicle but SINGLE DIGIT mileage with the 360 when pulling a trailer with bikes.
They have finally decided to wake up and smell the coffee in regards to their V-8s. The 5.2L (318) is gone, replaced by the new 4.7L OHC V-8, with 235 HP and 295 lb./ft of torque. This engine,while on paper not sounding much more powerful than the 5.2 it replaced, in reality absolutely trounces the 5.2 in every way. It is much more responsive, torquey, and peppy, and gets better fuel mileage. I have this engine in my Dakota, and it is sweet. I am told that the 5.9L (360) will go away soon, to be replaced with a 5.6L version of the 4.7, and reportedly making as much as 295 HP and 370 lb./ft. of torque.
 
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