GT Cruiser...bad idea or the worst idea?

My apologies, this is a little long-winded. (If you want to skip ahead, I'm looking for opinions on the Chrysler GT Cruiser as a fun little daily and lightly modded project car.)

A few weeks ago, I was kicking around the idea of selling my 1994 Mustang and 1997 Lexus and picking up something brand-spanking new with a warranty and all the trimmings. Basically, I'm looking for a 4-door hatchback so I can haul my bike without doing the bike carrier dance every few days I want to ride.

My first visit was to the Honda dealership, where I test drove a new Fit. To be honest, I wasn't too impressed and thought the car felt slower and less agile than the previous version. Plus, the market for these things is still fairly decent around here and there was no room to negotiate on price.

Then, I decided to test drive a new Mazda 3...when I was sidetracked by a brand new Mazda MS3. Now, I'm aware that this car is the darling of GRM and quite a few others on the board...but I stubbornly thought there was no way a 260 horsepower FWD car could be any fun.

I was wrong.

After a half hour in that car, I left the dealership absolutely in love with the Speed 3...and hating my old Lexus daily driver. The surge of power you feel from that wonderful 2.3 liter motor will absolutely ruin most of the other econoboxes for you.

But, reality soon set in...and I began to doubt the financial intelligence of "shiny new thing" when the car I'm driving is running just fine. Besides, instead of spending 25k on a loaded MS3, I could always buy a modded NA Miata and a fun hatchback that I could daily.

So, I started searching possibilities around 10k in a fun, manual (preferably turbocharged), hatchback and was presented with a car that I had nearly completely forgotten. That's right folks, the Chrysler GT Cruiser can be found now with less than 50k miles in manual for under 10k.

From the little bit of research I've done so far, the GT Cruiser is basically the SRT-4 drivetrain in a PT Cruiser body...which sounds like it could be great fun.

So what say you GRM forums? Are the GT Cruiser's kind of ugly diamonds in the rough? Or are they to be avoided at all costs...like most all other Chrysler products?

The little time I've spent in PT Cruisers left with a supreme distaste for their interiors. I'm usually not a big nitpick with vehicle interiors (I mean, I do drive a Mustang, squeak! squeak! rattle! squeak!), but I would have to either gut it, or replace every bit with something else.

My father-in-law has one. He's retired Navy and it shows, that thing is a boat!

It feels a lot bigger than it is, in a bad way. The steering must be out of a Ram, it's heavy and numb. The suspension is also truck-like. You sit really up right as well and where I have to have the seat, at 6' tall, you cannot see the hood out of the vertical windshield no matter how hard you try, that realllly bothered me.

On the positive: it does swallow a lot of things in the back and the hatch opens really low so you don't have to lift heavy things too high to get them in.

If I were you, I'd look elsewhere, I don't think you'll enjoy the driving experience. Especially since you were not impressed by the Fit, which, in my opinion, is better in every single way.

Well, if the GT Cruiser (which I'd never heard of until this thread...) is an SRT-4 with a PT body, I'm not sure the driving characteristics of a standard PT Cruiser would be much of a comparison. I would hope the suspension is upgraded to match the engine to some extent.

You sit bolt upright in them, they're the most uncomfortable thing I've been in lately.

Think of them as a shrunken minivan, even Elvis wouldn't look cool driving one.

At least the PT Turbo is fast, if you have to drive something that's ugly as sin you should at least be able to outrun something with it.

That being said, some people love them, ChrisV can tell you more and give you some reasons to have one.

The PT-Loser also going to be an orphan vehicle soon so the value may go up once it's parent company is no longer with us.

Shawn

as i understand the turbo engine almost makes up for it being a total piece of crap...

What about WRX hatches? I think they're close to that price point.

From what I have heard the engine compartment on those redefines cramped. It might not be a fun car to do maintaince on...

I have respect for the turbos at least. I had one absolutely embarrass me on the carcinas bridge as I was driving home from my first track day a Thunder hill. He was pulling an unloaded trailer too !!!

I like MitchellC's idea, but if you're hauling bikes you might try to find a Forester. Mechanically, it's an Impreza so there are lots of performance options.

Some of them even look decent...

MitchellC wrote: What about WRX hatches? I think they're close to that price point.

Yup. Plenty of 02-03 WRXs running around at 10K or less. Much much better starting point than the GT Cruiser.

Subaru has a bunch of nice hatch backs.
The Foreseter turbo or even the 5-speed N/A version might surrpise you. I'd go '03 or newer if you could afford it.

Racer1ab wrote: ...I'm looking for a 4-door hatchback so I can haul my bike...

You know the answer:

click http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1177020715035467440qKlWAg

You live exactly once according to most Christian religions. Might as well do it right ya know?

Here's one for $17k. You'll have to drive for it tho.

Hm... yea it took me a minute to figure out which car you were talking about. Yes, PT Cruisers are pretty much the ugliest car ever and also have one of the worst turning radii ever.

I actually loved the seating position though, at 5'10", 200#. It was like the perfect height and I still have lots of headroom..

they look like they'd be super hard to work on. I don't think they're as ugly as they are uncool. I actually like aztec ugly, but not pt ugly.

I feel like an old man saying they're easy to get in and out of but they really are. Oh I don't know what to tell you. Those old turbo caravans are cool right? It's like a smaller faster newer version of that I guess.

+1 on the Forester!

David

I want to build a slammed lightened twin 2.4T powered "PT Bruiser" as well as a V10 powered 4WD on 38's "PT Crusher" keeping the paint and accesories identical between the two vehicles.

In reply to John Brown:

It will still have horrible blind spots.

I have ridden in a regular pt cruiser, I didnt like it mugh. The seats as mentioned are uncomfortable, the automatic transmission downshifts very harshly when coming to a stop, it really doesnt hold all that much stuff, the handling isnt anything special, and it has alot of annoying electronics (like the doors dont stay unlocked after it stils for 5 minutes, etc)

I would personally stay away from anything dodge/chrysler makes. I haven't heard good stories from a couple owners. The person who had one die right out of warranty at 50k miles or all the ones you see broken down on the side of the road. Not to mention I rarely even see dodge work trucks out on the road. I have been in 2 newish dodges caravan and seebring, and was not impressed. The only one I'd consider is the crossfire st6 or whatever it is, a mercedes in chrysler trim.

One of my uncles is on his second neon and he really likes the thing, but I think Dodge has lost their way.

Neons were the last good car that chrysler made in my opinion. They are perfect for what they are meant to be, a cheap car that gets good mileage and handles well.

My uncle lives up by Redding california where it gets really cold in the winter and snows, and he says the neon can handle in the snow believe it or not.

Neons are quite good in the snow. Other than some pretty iffy quality control and materials, Neons are great little cars.

i had a pt gt HO it was FAST at first but with 60k it was suffering from turbo lag and the air filter had pools of oil under it and it stumbled from a stand still but when it was new it would roast both front tires when you got down on it even from a roll and that was with the automatic but the light that burns twice as bright burns half as long my 98 acura cl has 114k and runs WAY better then the pt that pt will be a dog at 114k like the muscle cars from the 60's 100k and your done if you have one GET RID OF IT it' also the most popular car for lesbians I'm a dude so i got rid of mine

carlsandrews wrote: it' also the most popular car for lesbians I'm a dude so i got rid of mine

So it's actually a replacement for the slant six Valiant?

Shawn