fell in love with PT (have questions before purchase)

[LawChick]

Hi everyone im new here.

I recently have fallen in love with the PT. I have to admit when they first came out I did not like them at all but after seeing one up close and ridding in it I must say it is the coolest ride I have yet to be in.

I found a Red loaded PT 2004 Turbo that I loved and was about to buy until my mechanic told me there was a crack in the trans and that it was in a massive frontal crash and was rebuilt with all the front pieces put in wrong and crooked. You should have seen the look on the dealers face it was priceless.

Anyways this experience has not put an end to my quest to find one. I just found a black PT limited edition 2001(auto tran) with leather seats, chrome tires, tinted windows and other goodies. It has 61,000 miles with an asking price of 6,450.

I was just wondering if this price sounds right and also if I can get any comments on how the 2001 PT's handle and how many miles if well maintained that they can go for and just any general comments anyone may have about this model.

Im new to all this and this will be my first car.

Thank you.

[CREWZIN]

Welcome to the forum Lawchick,

If you learn how to post pictures I'd like to see what those chrome tires look like.

I have a 2001 with just under 100,000 miles and I plan on keeping it for a long time to come. If it's properly maintained it should last you a long time also. You sound like you have a good mechanic so have him go over the car for you. Go for a long ride and let it idle with the air conditioning on for at least 15 minutes. See it the temperature guage stays right below half way all the time. The first thing you might want to do is a tune up with new plugs and wires and a transaxle flush (not just drop the pan) but a complete flush.

Have your mechanic check the front end for worn bearings and check all the bushings. Both items seem to wear out prematurely on a lot of PT's and then again my front end has needed nothing. Luck of the draw.

Good luck.

[RNCRUZR]

There are good and bad things about the PT. I bought a silver '01 limited edition with the same goodies and fewer miles last year for far less, but I bought it from a friend, and it needed body work.

The good thing is it is a cute car and it has a lot of room.

The bad thing is there are known problems. If you look through the other threads in this section, you will find them. Such as: overheating, multifunction control switch failure, wiring harness problems, to mention a few. Also, there are quite a few recall items. If you can find out the serial number, you can plug it in and find out which ones apply to that car. Whatever you do, do not let the engine overheat, as it is made of aluminum and your cylinders will melt like butter.

As for myself, I have had nothing but problems with my car. It is a money pit which emptied out my bank account. I would never, ever buy another PT Cruiser, nor any other Chrysler product, for that matter. But that is just my take. There are plenty of people here who have perfectly good cruisers and are happy as clams.

[LawChick]

Wow thanks for the quick reply. Thats funny I meant chrome Hubs not chrome tires, but chrome tires would be pretty cool.

My mechanic is really good. As soon as we pulled up in before he even touched it he said this car has been in an accident and he was walking in from about 5 ft away. He is like a doctor when it come to cars.

Your PT in the pic looks awsome, I love the detial on it.

[CREWZIN]

To see more pics of owners PT, click on "Usernames Gallery" on the top right of each post.

[edsidders]

I have a 01 much like you described,I bought it when it was a couple of years old..Now has a little over 100 K miles..We don't really baby it.. Had a few problems but managed to overcome them..It's ready for a new timing belt and associated normal wear parts I expect this to cost less than a Kilobuck..
It's a neat little car with a amazing amount of carry junk room inside..Wife uses it to garage sale shop and we also tow it behind the small, short trip motorhome..I'm HAPPY ,but if you expect great gas milage forget it ,we get around 19-21 the way we use it..Sounds like you have a GOOD MECHANIC , that is the key for one of these neat little cars...

[Hooligan]

Lawchick, welcome to the Forum. You are one of the first that I remember who asks the questions before buying one.

I recently found a 2001 Touring for my grand daughter with all of the bells & whistles. Her Mom purchased it and it had 74,000 miles and the garage we bought it from had changed the timing belt and all of the necessary parts that are required by the 100K service schedule. Her Mom paid $4500 for it, and the owner when he found out she would be driving 200 miles to college and coming home most every weekend wouldn't let us have the car until he replaced the front brakes and rotors and rear pads.

I brought it home and checked the car out with OBI II tool and found all to be good. I did change the plugs and wires and reset the gap to 0.40. That is the only mechanical I could find wrong with it. As others have said, mileage expectation is only about 17-19 city and 22-24 highway if you leave it stock. If you do buy it you will find that it is a very comfortable car, I think at $6000 + is quite high. In Florida dealers are offering base, stock for $7, 8 thousand dollars. I would check around at dealers for a new PT so you will have some idea and can check for bargains. Good Luck on your decision.

[CREWZIN]

Forgot to mention about price. I agree with Hooligan. $6450 is too high for a 2001. My part of Florida seems to be a little bit higher with a brand new Base 2009 going for $9900.

[garyerrol]

I purchased mine about a year and a half ago for about $6400 with about 116,00 miles. Right away it needed new tires, which I knew about but wasn't expecting to have to replace the chrome wheels because the bead had deteriorated from salt on winter roads here in the Midwest. Just recently I had to have the rear brakes replaced. However it looks like they had never been touched so at 118,000, that's not that bad. Now the alternator has gone out.

Still, I love driving the car and drive it daily to and from work. I also use it for some volunteering I do in the warmer months.

[quicksilverdon]

Follow your mechanic's advice and you'll be fine.
Some of us are on our second or third PT, so we're not objective, but we're not delusional, either.
My advice would be find a 2004 or later "turbo lite" - it has a turbo, but doesn't need premium fuel - more pep and no mileage penalty.
Shop around, and take your time - there are good deals to be had.