2005
Chrysler PT Cruiser
Not So Fond Memories but
not a bad car.
Traded in on the Sonata
June 28, 2007
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2005
Chrysler PT Cruiser
Traded in on the Sonata |
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June 28, 2007 - The PT Cruiser has not been a bad car, but it has disappointed me in two areas - performance and mileage. Looking at my initial post, it seems I grew to dislike the car after almost a year of ownership. The design is great - I was able to fit all of the contents of a Toyota Van, its driver, and two dogs plus me when the friend had an accident in SC and I had to make a rescue run. And I used it for a while as a semi-work vehicle, setting up a power converter and running a printer and laptop in back for my horse photography hobby business. It has been reliable, which is a big deal, but pretty anemic in acceleration and fuel consumption. But not so bad that I complained! So I guess it was an appliance - one of those things you used and didn't really notice. I traded it in on a new 2007 Hyundai Sonata. |
| June 11, 2006 - If you have followed this web site in the past, then you probably noticed a couple of missing vehicles and this one new one. About 6 weeks ago, the 1985 Seville's A/C compressor locked up - annoying, but not critical. However, the next day, the timing chain dropped on the 1988 Oldsmobile wagon that was my other daily driver. And the 1988 BMW 325 iX started having front CV joint issues. I decided it was time to stop working on the cars I HAD to drive, and save my mechanicing for the cars I BOUGHT to work on. I'd already been considering a newer driver, and narrowed the field down to 3 - the Mini Cooper, the new Mustang, and the PT Cruiser. I decided that I had enough toys, and focused on the PT - a 2006 was about $22,500. I found this 2005 with 19K miles on a lot for $16,500, and got the car for $12,500. That's a ten thousand hit for one year! I really like the car a lot - it is peppy, handles and rides well, is comfortable for 4 adults, and has great hauling capacity. Mileage is about 26 mpg mixed, with an expected 30-32 highway. And the PT is distinctive looking - it's hard to tell a Honda from a Kia from a Buick. But everyone knows a PT Cruiser. There's a whole world of options and accessories for the cars. So far, the only change I have made is a K&N air filter (stock style), which improved mileage about 1 mpg. I've put close to 3K miles on it - it came with free oil changes and State inspections for life - be interesting to see how well that works out. So far, it looks and drives like a new car. Hope it continues! |