[JohnRogers]

Good Riddance, PT Cruiser Car Rentals.​

So apparently until recently one could very easily rent a PT Cruiser. This article is harsh. Like many issues the truth probably lies somewhere in between. Some parts of the article will be recognizable to the AllPar reader.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-02-21/good-riddance-pt-cruiser-car-rentals?campaign_id=yhoo

 

[guyverfanboy]

Honestly, I doubt this car will be missed except for a few.

 

[BigDaddySRT]

I like the PT... and my grandmother loves her PT to death... unfortunately I never owned one.

Although... I'd give a Manual Transmission Turbo PT a chance as a Daily Driver.

 

[TripleT]

Son has a 2002 with only 50K, You know why cuz lot of Grandma bought them. It is a good, solid, versatile, dependable car.

And if you do a search of used vehicle and sort by mileage they are all sort of a bargain. Article is needless subjective bad on a car that doesn't deserve it.

 

[Dave Z]

For a while it was fun and hip to dump on the PT, because that's what Daimler was doing, and because -- well, how DARE an American car be cool when it's neither a truck nor a muscle car?

I mean... really... that's what Scion was supposed to be for...

 

[Stratuscaster]

“They’re just so awful,” says Stephanie Springer, a former research associate at a large biotech company in Boston. Springer and her colleagues once visited Los Angeles and were issued a whole fleet of PT Cruisers. “We ended up carpooling because the people who had PT Cruisers refused to use them,” she says. They briefly considered the possibility that the office administrator who’d booked their itineraries despised them. “I mean, think of The Office. Michael Scott [the hapless boss played by Steve Carell] was driving a PT Cruiser forever,” she says.

Ms. Springer, if you can't figure out how to get a different rental car because you don't like what they had available or what they handed you, don't complain. Pay the difference, use a different company, request a car in advance, use a service that allows you to choose any car from a select group - there's ALWAYS an alternative.

Some people. Be glad you weren't stuck with the baby-blue 8-year-old Hyundai Accent coupe. You'd be screaming for that PT Cruiser.

 

[srt4evah]

I almost crashed a rental PT once, scared the crap out of me. Funny part was I had it as a rental because I had crashed my SRT-4, back in 2003, in a 5-car freeway pileup.

I went on to an on-ramp that had concrete barriers and took it at too high a speed, since I had been accustomed to driving my SRT-4, which obviously had much higher handling capabilities. When I hit the brakes it locked up, no ABS, and I slid within inches of the concrete guard rail. Talk about pucker...

Ms. Springer, if you can't figure out how to get a different rental car because you don't like what they had available or what they handed you, don't complain. Pay the difference, use a different company, request a car in advance, use a service that allows you to choose any car from a select group - there's ALWAYS an alternative.

Some people. Be glad you weren't stuck with the baby-blue 8-year-old Hyundai Accent coupe. You'd be screaming for that PT Cruiser.

Sounds like she had a corporate rental, pre-arranged. Not out-of-pocket.

 

[FreeLantz]

I really think there could be a college business course devoted to the PT as an example of a company systematically killing something that had enormous potential in the beginning and was very well received by the public and press when it went on sale. With the exception of the roadster, most of the models planned for the PT lineup never saw the light of day. And the roadster itself took too long to arrive.

But the biggest factor in the PT's demise, to me, is the relentless decontenting that started almost immediately, culminating in an '06 refresh that set the car back ten years in terms of refinement (as Daimler-era Chrysler was doing to everything it touched during that time). I think some owners of the early PT had high hopes for the '06 model and when it fell flat, they moved to something else. Two streets over from me is a house, where for years now, two PT's have sat in the driveway side-by-side. A few months ago one was replaced by a Kia Soul.

 

[Stratuscaster]

I've had corporate rentals, too. And I've worked with the counter to change or upgrade if I was not happy with the car I was provided. If it's important enough to me, then I'll pay the difference.

The last time via work we used National's "Emerald Aisle" service. Pay for a mid-size - which is what our corporate policy allows - and I can choose ANY vehicle that National has in that specific section - I ended up with a Kia Soul, but could have chosen a loaded Town & Country - at no extra charge.

My last rental from Enterprise was a Jeep Compass - and I gladly paid the difference, because I was NOT going to take the afore-mentioned baby-blue Accent. Or the Altima Coupe.

 

[dana44]

I had abouit three dozen rentals during the PT Cruiser lifetime and I didn't get one once. Sorry, I think the PT is by far one of the most versatile and comfortable car for its class. The competition has nothing on the PT. Had there been a little bit of insight of what the PT potential was, there would have been upgrades and improvements to a very decent car, not decontenting to sell more, something that has never worked in the past, why should it have worked for the PT? Sorry, this article is on one person's opinion, most likely a gnome from the other company lovers that do not like American cars to begin with.

 

[Bzevey]

I have a PT GT for a daily very nice car handles well only wish it had the 5spd and get better mileage. The versatility is great folding the seats or taking them out completely.

 

[PCRMike]

Friend of mine has one he just retired wit 280K on the clock. I rented a turbo for a week and had a cotton-pickin hoot with it. Cheapified interior and all. The old one (2001) Paul had was MUCH nicer inside, but the turbo 'vertible was a LOT faster. If I could have gotten a turbo stick in an 01 I would OWN it.

 

[jimboy]

I once had the opportunity to go camping for a long weekend in a PT Cruiser about 3 hours drive from the city. A friend and I stuffed it to the roof with camping equipment and it held it all. I fell in love with the darn thing and it was a pretty base model. I always thought it was far more innovative than it was ever given credit for and that DC really dropped the ball on its development. Old story, eh!

Anyways, I find myself looking at GT Cruiser convertibles on 'autotrader' every once in a while. Just saw a stunning maroon with matching top and 2 tone leather interior with about 40,000 miles. (2005)Looked in showroom condition, and advertised at $12,000 Canadian. (Remember the Canadian greed mark up!)

I'm kind of looking for a second car to preserve the Maggie (still in the body shop), and I actually think I'd prefer that to a slightly used Sebring/200 convertible. Whatever other people may think about PT's, I'll trust to my own judgement on how good the car(truck) actually is.

As a sidebar, I was at the body shop today to check on the repairs to the Magnum and happened to mention that I was considering another vehicle - both the mechanic and the adjuster offered to buy the Magnum on the spot, until I explained I was looking for a 2nd vehicle, LOL.

 

[saltydog]

I owned a 2001 Limited 5spd, was a great car 114k miles and nothing went wrong, other than the needing a new clutch(very expensive).

I kick myself for getting rid of that car. Was so nice inside and very well built, unlike my Aunt's 2008 which feel just awful!

 

[Mr.Source]

Im a PROUD owner of a rare and unique 2005 PT Cruiser SRT 4 this one was special made, it was intended for production,but it was never approved,but I was lucky and was able to grab it.
Besides being an SRT it has a unique two tone interior,seats and door. Trims are black with red,Ill post some pics of it later.

 

[Flot]

I've put about a thousand miles on a 2005 PT cruiser in the last 4 months, and the nicest thing I can possibly say about it is that it is affordable basic transportation.

Everything in that article rings true; the ultimate irony is how such a small vehicle can have such a terrible turning radius - I find myself making 3 point turns in it in average parking lots - and my other vehicle is a quad cab Ram.

However, I will make you guys a great deal on it.

 

[UN4GTBL]

Im a PROUD owner of a rare and unique 2005 PT Cruiser SRT 4 this one was special made, it was intended for production,but it was never approved,but I was lucky and was able to grab it.
Besides being an SRT it has a unique two tone interior,seats and door. Trims are black with red,Ill post some pics of it later.

I'd love to see pics of that!!

 

[duster92]

I think the guy who wrote the piece is some BMW driving elitist. Only an idiot would judge a car out of rental fleet. I own an 03 PTGT with the Stage 1 computer and suspension upgrade. It handles really well, is very fast, and can haul a lot of stuff. I do admit that the GT suspension was a little too soft for me and the lack of a rear sway bar was an issue so I added Eibach sways. Mine has around 40K on it. It is really a weekend summer toy at this point. It was featured in an Allpar write up.
http://www.allpar.com/i/meets/NJ/turbocars.html

 

[TWX]

The PT is a wonderful vehicle for people that have only one car and don't want or don't have room for a minivan. It has most of the capabilities of a mini 1/4 ton pickup, most of capabilities of a minivan, and all of the capabilities of a small four door sedan.

The only issue that *I* have with the PT is that it's so hard/expensive to work on compared to a lot of other vehicles, but if the vehicle is reliable (as my coworker's has been to 110K miles so far) then it's a good vehicle to have.

 

[SheltonBreeden]

Snobbery born not from money but rather from having an expense account.