Should I or shoudn't I?

[daffy]

I'm thinking of getting the pt cruiser. Can you people give me a quick low-down on pros and cons about the car? That would be really helpful. Thanx in advance.

[Mike-in-Orange]

Pros:

- Incredibly versatile
- Great ride for a car its size
- One of the quietest cars in its class
- 7/70 factory warranty
- Slightly higher seating position gives better view of the road than your average run of the mill car
- Supremely customizeable - tons of aftermarket parts available
- GT is very fast - check Road&Track or Car&Driver times (you can take a Mini Cooper S, Mustang GT, Chevy SSR, etc)
- Wide choice of trim packages: Touring, Limited (with or without 180HP turbo motor), GT (high output 220HP motor), Convertible (with choice of all three motors)
- In Road&Track Magazine's long term test they said it was the single most trouble free vehicle they had ever tested
- Won't get lost in a crowd even though quite a few have been sold
- This forum

Cons:

- GT doesn't get the greatest gas mileage
- Supremely customizeable - potential to spend lots of extra $$$
- Not the greatest handling car due to it being rather high centered, but that can be easily fixed with aftermarket springs/shocks
- I used to dislike my wife's Camaro....now I hate driving it (OK, so that's a uniquely personal point)

[daffy]

I happen to live in australia...They are not importing the GT here. [xx(] How well does the limited go? I'm not expecting a race car.

[Mike-in-Orange]

I'm not sure about performance on the naturally aspirated cars, and I don't know if there's any real difference between the US and Aussie models. But if you aren't expecting a race car, then you'll probably be pleased with the N/A version. I've never heard anybody honestly complain about performance in the N/A car unless they really wanted the performance of the GT. Not everybody is a speed freak (like some of us[8)])

Is the 180HP turbo lite available down under?

[Sci-Fi]

Believe you only get the 2.0L engine. Not sure if the auto stick is available there. Get the 5-speed if you want the extra gear. Too bad the PT turbo diesel isn't right hand drive, would recommend getting that. It would be the closest thing to the PT GT as far as low end torque and passing power, but not top end or ET. The turbo diesel, 180 turbo, and GT doesn't have the room necessary to build it as a right hand drive model. The Europeans seem to be happy with the 2.0L engine, automatic or stick. Take a test drive with both the automatic and the 5-speed on the street and freeway/highway, and see if the power is ok with you. The power band doesn't kick in until you get in the 3,000+ rpm range. But once you are there, the PT moves out pretty well for a 4 cyc. Otherwise the PT has enough power to get out of trouble or somebody's way and will get you where you want to go.

The 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) times for the 2.0L PT are:
11.1 seconds for the 5-speed and 12.8 seconds for the automatic.

[Jimbo]

Get one, you will love it.The mods are endless.[?]
Take it for a test drive.Thats all I had to do.

[quicksilverdon]

Aussie, eh? Here's a PT fanatic you need to contact:
http://ptenthusiasts.org/PTForums/member.php?u=2088

The pros are pretty well covered. Some more cons -
for a small car, it's heavy, so gas mileage isn't superb.
Turning radius is too large.

One more pro - It's very comfortable.

[Lucretia]

I've had my Cruiser for about 6 weeks now and haven't regretted buying it yet