"Really, both this and the article is an opinion piece. "
Yeah, one is based on facts and one is based on trying to appear dramatic to prove his point. How is the fact that the 2g has a more useful power seat an "opinion"? Or the fact that the BA stereo has better speakers and a 368 amp an "opinion"?...or the fact that the center console is usable by the driver while driving? Yes, some things like the horrible grey bumpers are taste (does anybody REALLY like the grey bumpers better though???) and grey vs tan interior and the bumper wrap are subjective but the other items are really not.
"The issue is that in 2006, the market mix changed from mostly high end to mostly low end sales"
A great example of WRONG info. Actually in 2005 is when the trim lines were re-shuffled to make the Touring model the true base model for better sales. Most people dont realize this at all and continue to think its true. Here is a quote from a great source and the link. "
However, the decontented 'value approach' begun in 2005 continues for the most part (Touring models have gained back the security alarm and the light group). " http://richweb.allpar.net/ptcruiser.htm
Come on Mr Zatz, you can do better than that. I know its your site, but why wipe out the truth just to prove a point?
"However, the rest of the interior, especially the seats, are not as nice as my PT. My wife always says she much prefers the seats in my 04, especially when she wears shorts; and really does not like the material of the newer seats. They do show the dirt a lot. Also, riding any distance in the newer seats is nowhere near as comfortable as the seats in my 04."
I may agree with you on base or Touring models with manual, cloth seats. But I have the leather/suede, power seat with lumbar adjustment (I have two blown discs) and the comfort of the 2G power adjustable seats is better for me (yes subjective). I do agree that the cloth on the base models seems cheaper BUT in 2007 they went to YES esentials stain resistant seat fabric.
I dont mean to seem snarky at all. But the response above sniffing that "both are just opinions" is a total cop out because that poster knows that saying the 2G is a joke is not a defensible position. . I LOVE ALLPAR and have been reading it for years (ever since I bought a used 98 Stratus ES) but sometimes when such blantently WRONG info appears, one has to say something. I have also noticed a bit of 1G snobbery in some people (NOT anybody posting above) regarding 2G models. I was at a car show a few months ago with several PTs. Mine was parked in the lot (not a part of the show) and a guy with a 2001 (nice condition) in the show was pontificating about how much better the 1Gs were. He used the same tired BS that the article. When I politely pointed out simple facts like the power seat, more powerful GT engine, center console and IP, he got extremely irritated that somebody would DARE to dis-agree with him. The best part of his diatribe was him trying to say that ANY PT without grey bumpers was not a "real" PT because was not the "original" design. SIGH.
I would not call ANY PT a "joke", ever. Were the last two model years vastly different in trims? Absolutely!! Fleet sales rocketed in 08-10 and that makes any car take a hit in reputation and
perception of quality. But to simply put out a blanket statement like the above and continue to spew wrong info was the wrong thing to do. Discussing or debating the differences in a fun and friendly way would always be welcome, but ALLPAR needs to fact check a bit better.
Come on David, you can do better than that.