Car Rental Review: PT Cruiser

[Midlife]

Ah yes...the infamous PT Cruiser that a certain member of StangFix cannot seem to speed up to or pass. I rented one at the Atlanta Airport and drove the beast down to Panama City. Upon leaving the airport and getting on the freeway, I noticed I could feel every little bump on the road through the steering wheel. At highway speeds, the wheel shook excessively. I noticed a growl from the front that was speed dependent (not rpm dependent). My guess is a bad wheel bearing.

Performance evaluation: What performance? I had to measure 0-60 times in minutes, not seconds. This car was a dog.

Comfort evaluation: What comfort? I could not find a comfortable seat position. The controls for the windows is on the dash.

Selection criteria: When I was dropped off at National, I had the choice of any Midsize on the lot. My first criteria was a satellite radio, as the radio stations are crap the entire drive. Two cars had satrads, but two other people snagged them as I got off the bus. My choices were a PT Cruiser, another PT Cruiser, and a Kia. Sigh.

I believe I could overtake and pass a PT Cruiser on an open track if I was riding a bicycle. If you want to buy or rent a total dog, may I recommend the PT?

 

[KBMWRS]

PT cruiser....the car for the trailer park soccermom. :naug

I can't believe I see men driving that thing. There are cars that are chick cars and that's one of them.
Sorry to see you had to drive one. :vio

 

[monkeystash]

I had a Dodge Caliber rental on Wednesday, and it too was a total POS. I'm sure they are built on the same platform. It's no wonder Chrysler is where they are today.

 

[Midlife]

I had a Dodge Caliber rental on Wednesday, and it too was a total POS. I'm sure they are built on the same platform. It's no wonder Chrysler is where they are today.

While on travel, I had a Dodge Charger, not a hemi version. It was quite comfortable with reasonable power. I could spin the rear tires any time from a stop. It was nice and big!

 

[Anonymous]

<Hanging my head in shame>


Heavy sigh.............




Thanks, no really, thanks so much for making my weekend ick

 

[Fast68back]

So Mark, that was Mid you were trying to catch?

 

[Anonymous]

So Mark, that was Mid you were trying to catch?

If I'd have known it was Mid driving that POS, I woulda stopped on the track to catch him :voodoo

 

[Midlife]

So Mark, that was Mid you were trying to catch?

So THAT was the Mustang behind me the whole time. Jeez, I even pulled over to allow him to pass, but he was too skeered to do so!

 

[AzPete]

Maybe he liked the view to much to pass........

 

[johnpro]

You forgot to mention, there's not enough room in the PT cruiser to put luggage for 4. We rented one a couple years ago in the D.C. area. one of the kids had to hold one of the suitcases.

I couldn't find the window switch, so had to open the door to give the booth attendant the paper work.

Yup. They are total pieces of crap. I will say, though, that it wasn't as big a turd as the Ford Focus we rented in Vegas.

 

[Starfury]

I hate PT's. They're essentially neon's (same chassis) with a different body. Working on the motors is a nightmare, and they're incredibly unsafe in an accident. I've heard several stories, including one of a couple I know, where people were killed in collisions.

My gf rented a Caliber for a week and I have to say I kinda like it. It got out of its own way and it's kinda nifty for an ugly car. The interior is kinda sparse, though, as is apparently the problem with a lot of chrysler vehicles.