I can tell you honestly that I haven't had any real problems with my 2002 PT Touring edition (befor trading it in) or my 2003 PT GT. The 2002 depreciated more than I would have liked it to; in 15 months, it lost 13,000.00 in value. I gues that was market driven depreciation with the flood of used cars available due to low finance rates.
I like driving the GT, performance is satisfactory, paint has never been a problem other than being a little "soft" when it is new. The paint, fuel pump, clockspring issues are historical issues that Chrysler has had with past production (Most before the first PT was released) and were eventually addressed.
I had a new clutch put in at 1000 miles. It was a recall. It took a little time for me to get the info to the dealer so they could get the parts; I ended up getting the recall number from DCX Customer Service, and the part numbers from another dealer before my dealer could order the parts. That took a little time, but the car still drove fine (except 1 episode of clutch noise and car creeping when clutch was pushed in).
The 2002 had a recall for seal on the fuel tank/fuel pump, and it was taken care of promptly. No problem with either of these, and I don't consider them to be points of contention.
The only concern that I have about the front tag frame is that it blocks air from allowing the intercooler to do it's job as effectively as possible. Since my state doesn't require front license plates, I wasn't happy that the dealer torqued the plate holder on before delivery so they could get some free advertising. But, I accepted delivery, and that was my decision.
I still attend as many PT gatherings as I am able to, and I let the local dealer give out my name and number to contact for information about the various PT organizations.
Like you, I also have a Subaru. It is a Forrester, the wife's ride. It is her second Forrester, and the GT is my second PT. The Forrester and Subaru in general offer more "standard" items, but they are generally a higher priced car.
I guess what I am saying is that we aren't very far apart on the issue of liking our cars and enjoying the fellowship of other PT Owners. My only difference would be that I experienced the PT when the build level was apparently at it's apex, and I hate to see the PT killed off so early due to cutbacks. If I had never experienced the usefulness and comfort level of the items that were deleted, I would never miss them.
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