Farewell to the PT Cruiser

[wingFeather]

Why so much hate for the PT Cruiser?

[Bubba1]

Why so much hate for the PT Cruiser?

Aside from them being poorly built, cheap, unreliable, with a horrible resale value and dated design? Uh, nothing.

[Jesda]

Why so much hate for the PT Cruiser?

They were interesting and unique when they came out, but they never improved them. There was a convertible and a turbo, but quality never improved and feature content barely changed.

Some cars, like the MB W124, BMW E46, and various Mercedes SL roadsters are so awesome from day one that it takes the competition years, sometimes decades to catch up, so hanging around the market for 10 or 15 years is completely justified. But the PT Cruiser gained some healthy competition and Chrysler did nothing to improve it.

Its not quite as bad as automotive types describe, but after a decade it was far, far behind. For 1999 it was decent. For 2010 it was laughable. Imagine if the 1998 Sentra, which was just okay when new, was still being built exactly as it was 12 years later.

[wingFeather]

Aside from them being poorly built, cheap, unreliable, with a horrible resale value and dated design? Uh, nothing.

Of course it's a dated design - it is based off OLD cars. Just like the "new" Mustang & Camaro... they look dated, too. That is what their customers want.

As for resale value, no car is immune to losing almost half it's value the moment you sign for it. My $23,000 NISSAN Cube was worth $12,000 TWO MONTHS LATER!!! Yes, Nissan! And my $60,000 Infiniti was worth $30,000. Do you see the correlation? Cars are a losing proposition, no matter the marque.

Hopefully you understand all this... or you will get raped when you buy a new car based on what the TV commercial claims.

For 1999 it was decent. For 2010 it was laughable.

I hardly think the car was laughable. It is on par with the Versa from what I saw when I drove both, it's just that the PT was designed for a different age group. The PT is a winner when you factor in the ($8,000?) discounts they were giving out last year.

Trying to defend an old man's car to young kids... it's a losing battle, so I will bow out

[Jesda]

Yeah, you definitely have a point. The Versa isn't exactly stellar. I'd call it "strongly meh"

[MinisterofDOOM]

Aside from them being poorly built, cheap, unreliable, with a horrible resale value and dated design? Uh, nothing.

Of course it's a dated design - it is based off OLD cars. Just like the "new" Mustang & Camaro... they look dated, too. That is what their customers want.

He said DESIGN, not styling.

The PT cruiser's DESIGN is ten years old. The Neon on which it was based has been replaced (with, ironically, a compact hatchback). But the PT Cruiser has not been updated. It is a ten year old design that still sells for new-car prices (starts at $18k!). It is outdated. A LOT has happened in the compact market since the PT Cruiser was introduced, and it has failed to keep up. Hasn't even TRIED to keep up. It just stagnated. That's not how the automotive world works. Like Jesda said, imagine paying $18k for a B14 Sentra today. Outdated DESIGN.

Trying to defend an old man's car to young kids... it's a losing battle, so I will bow out

Considering who you're talking to, this statement is pretty funny. Bubba's not a young kid. And Jesda and I are the fogeys-in-disguise of the forum.

[Bubba1]

Well said MoD.
And as far as as depreciation, of course all cars depreciate, but not all at the same rate. What you're overlooking is how much the PTCruiser depreciates as compared to it's competition, like a corolla, civic, or matrix. Answer? much worse.

[frapjap]

AWESOME! Not to much longer where I have to dread getting one of these god-awful excuses for transportation as my rental car.

[HashiriyaS14]

They should have updated it five years ago. A car-based tall wagon is a good idea.

I agree.

Only Fiat that would fit that bill would be the Multipla, but I don't see that coming over as-is:




I like the Ford C-Max, which is allegedly headed to our shores:

[poems2beats]

That's too bad. The PT Cruiser gave lots of work to the techs. Job security lol

[HashiriyaS14]

My $23,000 NISSAN Cube was worth $12,000 TWO MONTHS LATER!!!

^^
This can't be right....that seems like a little much.

[Bubba1]

That's too bad. The PT Cruiser gave lots of work to the techs. Job security lol

That's an excellent point!

[hbpignosePA]

woah i never realized thats when they came out!

yea i actually like retro styling; but i thought they caem out in mid 2000s

if nissan ever makes a z with a retro theme to look like the 240z's id actually consider buying a new car

[GrilledCheese33]

you can buy these cars ridiculously cheap... Just sayin'. My parents bought an 04 turbo model brand new, it sure was fun to drive lol. They sold it 6 mos after though.

[Bubba1]

woah i never realized thats when they came out!

yea i actually like retro styling; but i thought they caem out in mid 2000s

if nissan ever makes a z with a retro theme to look like the 240z's id actually consider buying a new car

Actually, back in 1999(?), Nissan unveiled a back to basics 240Z concept car. Critics flamed it, and evidently it got shelved.

[wingFeather]

My $23,000 NISSAN Cube was worth $12,000 TWO MONTHS LATER!!!

^^
This can't be right....that seems like a little much.

It's true. Carmax offered me $11k. The thing was MINT!!! Go on eBay & look at how many get bid up to only half of new prices and not won.