this post was submitted on 11 Jun 2024
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[–] RightHandOfIkaros 60 points 3 months ago (7 children)

The PT Cruiser is probably the worst car Chrysler ever manufactured, mechanically speaking. And that's saying something because basically every car Chrysler ever manufactured was the worst one they ever manufactured, but the PT Cruiser surpasses them all as the absolute worst.

This isn't a driveway, its a boneyard.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 months ago (1 children)

My dad was a mechanic his whole life. After he retired, he got a PT, and he absolutely loved it. The only thing I can think is that after a lifetime of driving "mechanic's cars," the PT was brilliant by comparison.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Hahaha, damn, that's saying something.

And I grew up in a shop. You couldn't give me a Chrysler product.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Thinking back, he drove a lot of Mopars. What I can immediately remember:

  • 67 Plymouth Fury
  • 70 Dodge Polara
  • 69 Plymouth Valiant
  • 78 Chrysler Cordoba

All of those were in really nice shape. The one non-Mopar I remember was a 78 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, rusty as hell, which he gave me when he bought the PT so I could take it to the dirt track. And that was shortly before he retired. That Caddy had the 425 V8 making a whopping 180HP when it was new.

[–] bitchkat 1 points 3 months ago

Rich. Corinthian. Leather.

[–] RightHandOfIkaros 1 points 3 months ago

Ive been a mechanic for 11 years and you couldn't even pay me to take one.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

PT cruisers are the only cars I've ever seen pulled over because the engine was on fire.

[–] bitchkat 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Postal truck for me. That thing burned like you wouldn't believe.

[–] SomeKindaName 1 points 3 months ago

Postal truck may have had half a million miles or more on it first. Hard stop and start miles.

Hell I don't think they've been manufactured since the early 90s.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

You're omitting the neon.

Granted it was just the pt loser in a different body

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

There’s no way the convertible Sebring from that era isn’t worse.

The battery is under the left front headlight and requires removing the wheel and fender liner to change

And actually the OG K cars were pretty bad too. My grandma gave her Reliant to my younger brother when it was 15? Years old, but had less than 20,000 miles on it.

On the drive home all the paint peeled off the roof and the first big rain storm the ECU module melted down.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I had one and God it sucked. Constantly breaking and the engine bay was so small and compact that it was difficult to do any repair especially if you're a big guy with big hands like me. I didn't even have an old one, it was the last limited PT Cruiser made before they discontinued them.

[–] RightHandOfIkaros 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

I will admit, I liked when they had the wood style design, it was fun looking. But mechanically the trucks were bad. Like worse than the Dodge Caliber, shockingly.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

The Caliber was the same engine lol and the subrames rot out of the calibers. You see more PT's on the road now than you see Calibers.

[–] Pacmanlives 2 points 3 months ago

I thought the motors and trans on them were fairly reliable if you did basic maintenance on them

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

Nah man, Dart has the worst title by a fucking long shot. The GT PT is pretty cool if you know what it is.

[–] Trex202 22 points 3 months ago

All but one PTC are donors.

[–] Num10ck 11 points 3 months ago (1 children)

i rented one once because it looked interesting on the outside, like a 1930's delivery truck. inside all of the materials were of very poor quality and not put together well, everything inside was like poorly painted plastic and rattled even at low speeds. the engine didnt want to go, and the steering was poor. i still like the form factor, if it was much larger and built well.

[–] grue 8 points 3 months ago (3 children)
[–] Num10ck 5 points 3 months ago

thats cute too. but i really want a brubaker.

[–] Voyajer 3 points 3 months ago

Both were designed by the same person interestingly enough.

[–] KuroiKaze 1 points 3 months ago

Yeah these were just way way better cars

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 months ago

I think I'm stuck in the matrix. The open world suddenly spawned 7 of the same car.

[–] PancakeTrebuchet 8 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I'd love to know the backstory here.

[–] Thrashy 22 points 3 months ago (3 children)

PT Cruiser people are weird.

[–] Addv4 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Young people buy them too.
They're ridiculous. But it does happen.

[–] Addv4 3 points 3 months ago

Oh, I believe it. They're not great, but they are often a common handme down to the poorist relatives when an older member of the family dies, as well as just generally being cheap to get.

[–] jj4211 2 points 3 months ago

My little cousin got one because she loved how "cute" it looked

[–] Metype 1 points 3 months ago

Coming from someone who's dad has a PT Cruiser: yeah they're weird

[–] NeptuneOrbit 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

He buys one because the wife likes the look of it.

A few years later it needs some major repairs and he's mad. He sees they now sell pretty cheaply used and buys a bunch to do the future repairs himself. Before you know it....

Or it's a composite photo. Wouldn't be hard to put a camera on a tripod and move the car around.

[–] PancakeTrebuchet 6 points 3 months ago

Ahhh, a composit photo makes sense.

I could also understand multiple cars for parts, but the identical color threw me. I've got a neighbor with a dozen miatas on his property at any given time. He races them and parts them out.

[–] ChicoSuave 8 points 3 months ago

The person with all these PTCs is doing the world a favor by putting out to pasture so they can die. This is what a hero looks like. It's not pretty, but it's who we need.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

The pt cruiser handles surprisingly well. It’s not good just not awful. It also gets like 18 mi a gallon.

[–] Addv4 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

At low speeds. My grandfather has one (a really low milage one he inherited) and I've driven it a bit. It's a small, cheap car that doesn't get good milage at all (a 90s camry will get much better), but if you just want something to putter about in it works. Easy to park, cheap so you don't have to worry about people messing with it, and pretty simply designed.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Lol, so will a late 90's v6 Honda accord. Got like 22mpg with my lead foot.

[–] TeckFire 2 points 3 months ago

I get 30+ highway and 25 combined average in my 2002 V6 Accord. In a 4 cylinder you can get 3-4 more to both

It has like 300K, I grew up in the thing, parents gave it to me and I drive it now. It was not even well taken care of lol

And yet… it won’t die

[–] Gradually_Adjusting 5 points 3 months ago

De gustibus some disputandum

[–] partial_accumen 4 points 3 months ago

PT Crusier was the first car (non exotic) I ever saw sold new with a "dealer markup" above MSRP. Curious, I sat in the back seat and it felt like I was sitting on a bag of sawdust.