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Do NOT buy/rent a PT Cruiser.

S

Sukhoi

Elite Member
Today I fly into Denver after getting 3 hours of sleep, and sleepily make my way to the rental car desk. I've reserved a Standard, and the examples listed on the website were Pontiac G6, Dodge Stratus, and equivalent. Sounds good to me. Both are somewhat sporty sedans which is exactly what I want. Well, there are TWO Standards left on the lot. What are they? A fvcking PT Cruiser, and a Chevy Classic (my ass). I felt like flipping a coin since I couldn't conciously make a decision to rent either of those cars. I finally made my decision by dropping to the ground to check the ground clearance of both cars (I'll be off-roading). The PT Cruiser seems to be about an inch higher. This action seemed to alarm the customer service representative. Also I should add that my mom has a POS Malibu (Classic), so I couldn't stand the idea of spending 2 weeks driving one of them. I pick the PT Cruiser.

MISTAKE.

My 1995 Toyota Corolla with a 100 hp engine is faster to 60 mph than this damn PT Cruiser. I have very little doubt about that. And what's just fantastic is a good portion of my vacation is driving through the Rockies. In this goddamned car. I'm going to be lucky to hold 55 MPH driving I-70 tomorrow. And the seating SUCKS. I feel like I'm being ejected into the air. I just about look at the top of the windshield because the damn thing slopes down so much and I don't happen to be the size of a small midget which I guess is who this car is targeted at. And the transmission doesn't have an option for 2nd gear. Just D, 3, 1. WTF? I'm going to catch my freakin' brakes on fire going down the mountains.

Did I mention it's REALLY slow?

Edit: I gotta give Enterprise props on this one. I called them up this morning, explained the issues, and they said to bring it back and I could get something else. When I got there the guy gave me a free upgrade to a Grand Prix. Quite a bit more power from the 3.8L V-6. 😀 It was awesome in the mountains as I maintained 80 or so all the way up to the Continental Divide on I-70, and cruises really well on the flat interstate in western Colorado.
 
Well yeah, it's basically a Neon isn't it? Turning radius sucks too. They do have a nice amount of cargo space, and the front passenger seat folds down so you can fit long stuff in it.

Even though it's slow, it still fits some people's needs.
 
I drove one and I happened to push it and it had decent acceleration in my opinion, however I definitely wouldn't want to drive one everyday (not a fan of anything chrysler)
 
You should have said, "You'd better give me the optional insurance, because I'm going to beat the hell out of this thing!"
 
Nice exaggeration. I drove every econo box on the market last year, including the Neon, and had no problems cruising ~80 on the highway in any of them.
 
Originally posted by: aswedc
Nice exaggeration. I drove every econo box on the market last year, including the Neon, and had no problems cruising ~80 on the highway in any of them.
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I didn't say it wouldn't cruise at 80. It does that just fine on flat ground. The issue is that I am going to be driving over the Rockies twice. It sure ain't gonna do anything near the speedlimit.

Oh and this thing weights like 3,000 lbs more than a Neon.
 
You wanna know weak? Try my 87 Suzuki Samurai...i think it had 65hp brand new, right now i'm sure it's down to 55hp. You can barely keep 65mph on a flat road, and if there's any hint of an incline, forget about it. haha..the thing is a mountain goat though. I love it.
 
Originally posted by: d33pt
You wanna know weak? Try my 87 Suzuki Samurai...i think it had 65hp brand new, right now i'm sure it's down to 55hp. You can barely keep 65mph on a flat road, and if there's any hint of an incline, forget about it. haha..the thing is a mountain goat though. I love it.
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Sounds like the Geo Metro...
 
Originally posted by: aswedc
Originally posted by: d33pt
You wanna know weak? Try my 87 Suzuki Samurai...i think it had 65hp brand new, right now i'm sure it's down to 55hp. You can barely keep 65mph on a flat road, and if there's any hint of an incline, forget about it. haha..the thing is a mountain goat though. I love it.
Click to expand...
Sounds like the Geo Metro...
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Except the Geo Metro needs a road. 😛
 
Originally posted by: Sukhoi
Originally posted by: aswedc
Nice exaggeration. I drove every econo box on the market last year, including the Neon, and had no problems cruising ~80 on the highway in any of them.
Click to expand...

I didn't say it wouldn't cruise at 80. It does that just fine on flat ground. The issue is that I am going to be driving over the Rockies twice. It sure ain't gonna do anything near the speedlimit.

Oh and this thing weights like 3,000 lbs more than a Neon.
Click to expand...

Another slight exaggeration. 😉 I'd rather have a manual to drive in mountains. Automatics suck at picking the right gear on hills in my limited experience.
 
I saw a fake wood grain one the other day... :frown: :thumbsdown:

I mean...who looks at that and goes.. "Where do I sign?!?!?!"

😉
 
Originally posted by: mugs
Originally posted by: Sukhoi
Originally posted by: aswedc
Nice exaggeration. I drove every econo box on the market last year, including the Neon, and had no problems cruising ~80 on the highway in any of them.
Click to expand...

I didn't say it wouldn't cruise at 80. It does that just fine on flat ground. The issue is that I am going to be driving over the Rockies twice. It sure ain't gonna do anything near the speedlimit.

Oh and this thing weights like 3,000 lbs more than a Neon.
Click to expand...

Another slight exaggeration. 😉 I'd rather have a manual to drive in mountains. Automatics suck at picking the right gear on hills in my limited experience.
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Oh I would absolutely prefer a manual, but those aren't the easiest to find at rental car places.
 
Originally posted by: supafly
I guess that's why they gave it a turbo for the GT.
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That one's fairly slow too. It's 2006, and getting 200 crank hp from a fairly large 4 cylinder with a turbocharger is so twenty years ago.
 
Had one as a rental. Very weak engine. Struggled to get up basic grades. I'd say it's one of the worst cars I've driven.

AND WTF is up with the Analog clocks in their cars?
 
They shouldn't be that slow. even the base model is a 2.4 150 HP ...

You can get upto 240HP .. I have no doubt that that car is more than friggin adequate. there is also a low pressure turbo with like 180ish HP too.
 
Mine was an automatic. It was downright pathetic. It reminded me of the old days in high school when my buddy had a 67ish Bug and it struggled to get up the same hill. Only difference was that in the bug the floorboards got so hot that they melted my shoes.

I drove about 250 miles in the thing. I got a good sense of how weak it is.
 
Originally posted by: BatmanNate
Originally posted by: supafly
I guess that's why they gave it a turbo for the GT.
Click to expand...


That one's fairly slow too. It's 2006, and getting 200 crank hp from a fairly large 4 cylinder with a turbocharger is so twenty years ago.
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Its rated at 215hp and 245ft-lbs but being that its exactly the same engine thats in a neon srt-4 which normally dynos at 225-230hp at the WHEELS I think they under rate it a tad. My mom has one and it not a speed demon but it isn't slow either.
 
Originally posted by: CraigRT
They shouldn't be that slow. even the base model is a 2.4 150 HP ...

You can get upto 240HP .. I have no doubt that that car is more than friggin adequate. there is also a low pressure turbo with like 180ish HP too.
Click to expand...

My mom's Malibu is 150 hp (180 ft-lb tho) and it is WAY faster than the PT Cruiser. I think part of the problem is the gear ratios on the transmission. They seem too high and it doesn't rev high enough.
 
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