Chrysler PT Cruiser reviews

I bought this 5 years back, I find it solid and a safe ride. The fuel is great for a 2.2 around 40 mpg mixed running. 50 on a long journeys involving dual c and motorways, it's Mercedes engine chain driven belt,  although not ideal I hear, I tow a 14foot lightweight caravan ok. Not the fastest up hills but that's with slight split just found in inter cooler pipe, so will be better. I travelled from England through France and as far as Pisa in Italy 2yrs back touring ( no caravan though ) , never faltered and brilliant on fuel. Parts can be expensive especially a clutch. I do the air,oil,fuel filters myself, straightforward, I do get a lot of positive comments, mine"s the plum colour, the seating and interior is comfy and the retro look around the dash and doors is a nice touch to the style of car, it is a car by style that you love or hate, I love the American 50s look so was hooked lol, in 50 yrs of driving I've had better then again I've had worse, luck of the draw in my opinion, but this as been good to me and love it !

A friend of mine gave me this thing as he was fed up with all the repairs it needed. So far I have had the following work done: Replaced the clutch, tailgate struts, front and rear wipers, number plates, fixed the stuck electric driver's seat, welded the leaking exhaust in two places, replaced a burnt out tail lamp holder, had the tracking done to perfection, had wheels refurbished to stop the tyres going down every day and polished up a faded headlight lens using a kit. I also needed a new special gel battery which was £165 online, after the original (11 year old) battery gave up in temperatures of -10C. The car has also now been fully serviced and MOT'd. I just have a stuck rear window motor to replace, the rear tailgate switch to replace, the centre electric window switch to replace - only because the bulb has gone and it's not lit up at night, the driver's seat to replace as the plastic is split and the heated seat doesn't work and last and most importantly the air con compressor needs replaced - I'm still looking for a cheap one. All this will have cost me about £2350 using mainly used parts sourced from scrapyards, Ebay and some local mechanics, who have been very helpful. Having always driven top of the range Jaguars, BMW's and Audi's for many years, when my last fabulous BMW came to the end of it's contract hire, I thought I'd hold back and not just replace it immediately (as I had done for the past 25 years), and just run the PT Cruiser for a while. I had my reservations, but despite the fact that the car is relatively cheap and somewhat dated, I have to admit that I really do enjoy driving it. I like the fact that it's different. You hardly ever see another one and it's really quite smooth running thanks to soft suspension and thick tyres. Much more comfortable than my last BMW's 20" rims with half an inch of rubber that felt as if you'd hit a brick whenever you went over the cats eyes on the road and needed replacing at some expense, every time I clipped a pot hole! Also the PT is easy to get in and out of, whilst my BMW took some negotiating to climb in and out of without twisting my back and pulling a muscle. Another great thing with the PT is that I don't have to take up six spaces parking sideways in the supermarket car park as I don't really care if someone runs into it, because it's so cheap to fix and my excess is so low. I had an almost invisible split in my Audi bumper a few years ago and it cost £2000 to fix it. This car has only cost me that in a year and I've avoided paying about £10k in contract hire charges. I've also saved some £300 on the insurance. Performance is a bit sluggish when you're used to 0-60 in 5 secs, but who cares, I often drove my BMW slowly anyway. The PT does around 40mpg overall which is not bad and it's comfortable on the motorway, country roads and any roads in fact. The front wheel drive makes it better than most cars in the snow as well. I also find that other motorists are kinder to me on the road and people look confused or laugh when seeing the PT instead of all the jealous sneers I used to get while driving my BMW. One thing I'd like to upgrade is the headlights as they are not the brightest, but the fog lamps are surprisingly good. It has also taken some time to get used to not having all the electronics of new cars, especially the front and rear sensors, so you have to be extra careful in car-parks etc. The Euro NCAP report is not the best but the car is petty tough overall and I like the big chrome door handles and the oversized steering wheel. It makes you feel like you are driving some big old American classic car or pick-up. On the practical side, with the seats folded down including the front passenger seat, I've had a 7 ft Christmas tree in the car without a problem as well as washing machines, bags of pheasant food, 25kg bags of peat and various bulky items of furniture. I love the thick plastic lining which protects the doors and the rest of the interior without sustaining damage, no matter what you chuck into it. It's a really practical car and still fun to drive whether on country roads or the motorway. I have been looking at tyres. I can buy a whole set of top quality tyres for the PT, for less than the cost of one BMW tyre! I had originally intended to fix everything, repair and paint the very few scuffs on the bodywork and mothball the car for 30 years until it has some classic value, but it's just too useful as any everyday run-about and so easy to park in places my BMW would never fit into! I was going to order a new contract hire BMW for September - but maybe I'll just wait another year?

I always kept away from the pt cruiser coz when they first came out they were all petrol. Ok if you're in the states where this future classic is made at a dollar a gallon. But when I come across this diesel a few months ago i fell in love with this Yankee. I am a car crazy late 50s going on 20 kinda a lad. I. Promised myself this car is so good it has got to be the last car I will ever own. So I. Guess I will give up driving when I asked 75. Thats to say CHRISTINE. Will last another 15 year's and she will. I like working on and get to know a car. This is not a hard car to work on yourself If you have got basic car knowledge and interest. I have only had this car 4 months. And have sorted the troublesome anti roll bar bushes front and rear. Not a hard job axle stands and trolley jack. I have turned my purple ordinary retro classic into a Stephen King cult. Car film Christine. Has only cost me me £400 for 62 items to transform this car into a one off. The best car i have ever owned full stop

The Pt Cruiser is a marmite car but if you like it, it has such a range of quality features that are now very inexpensive to have if you pick the diesel model with the Mercedes turbo engine. Such a shame they are not made new any more but still possible to find low mileage examples if you are patient and prepared to travel. The convertible version though is a dogs breakfast and I wouldn't go for a petrol model and the facelift model looses it's impact with a smaller front grill and more messy front headlight pod. One other negative is the suspension which seems a bit fragile with replacement parts often needed but that aside it is pretty trouble free and starts first time even in the depths of winter.

I bought this car as I wanted one with character instead of looking like everything else, also comfort as I was about o have a hip operation and so wanted something I could get into and out of easily. In addition to this I was, and still am, impressed with the space and height for passengers in the back seat and the excellent storage space in the boot.

Lots of little niggles from new. Battery is expensive, difficult to get at (it lives under the seat) and doesn't last long. Various dashboard lights come on intermittently for no reason. Engine management light has come on a couple of times and the car gone into limp mode - this is cured by removing the filler cap, cleaning and replacing it!

My only gripe with the PT cruiser is the huge turning circle

This car is a good looker and feels the part but no longer manufactured which is a shame.Its an automatic and expensive to run and as Chrysler is owned by Fiat the parts are very costly as the dealers really up the prices. So if you can find alocal garage its a lot cheaper as i have found.The car is very solid and very comfortable some like them some dont ido.

EACH year suspension cups crack and have to be replaced at a cost of £250 chrysler know of this fault but will not do anything about it my chryler goes for aservice this thursday and already been told it will want the cups replaced this will be the third time at acost of £750 no more chryslers for me

A very well built car with plenty of adaptability parts built in for the adventurer. The removable seats are very heavy which lends to the high fuel consumption. A Head turner to say the least.

Excellent car all round. If you can afford the fuel it won't let you down. Droplinks are a design fault and can be modified to use engine grade bolts instead of the standard bolts which always seem to snap once you hit a large pothole.the bolt size is 10 mm reduced to a 6mm thread which in my opinion is bad practice and should be reduced to no less than 8mm at a push.known overheating problems and easily bypassed to add a switch inside the cab to manually turn on cooling fan. Once you get to know your car and address the little issues you will end up with a more than respectable car rust free still and very reliable on starting.

Has a distinctive character. Safe, but boring to drive. Many niggles since new. I used to drive old cars (classics); knowing what I know now I wished I'd stuck with them.

It's a cool design

I've been on a number of long distance trips in my PT Cruiser and it has been fantastic on motorways, small roads and just around town. I've never had a mechanical fault and the diesel consumption is pretty fair. The only downside for me personally is the MASSIVE turning circle.

A very practical car hwever, it is very heavy on fuel which is its only let down. Definitely a head turner with its retro style.