[bnorth]

PT Auto - Dangerous in Snow:
The PT Auto has 3 positions on the shifter, (Drive, 3 and 1). Note that here is no ability to select "2nd" and herein lies the problem. We recently ran the PT down a mountain pass in a heavy snow storm. If you select "3" as we did, you have minimal (zero at lower speeds) motor braking. If you select "1", the trans. will go into 2nd gear if the speed is above about 20 MPH. When you drop your speed, the trans. automatically drop into 1st gear and the immediate motor braking to the front wheels will likely cause you to loose control of the vehicle.
On downhill slippery roads this can be a very dangerous situation. I found it so serious that I am considering getting rid of the car (lots of mountain passes here in Western Canada).