I found these renderings, I was surprised to find myself thinking I actually like how these look.
I found these renderings, I was surprised to find myself thinking I actually like how these look.
Somehow the forum finds a way... 
Reminds me of the one cool Aztek in existence... All it took was basically shoving a C5-R underneath and modifying to accommodate.
In reply to Driven5 :
I got to see that one in person, circa 2005. Looked really good in person
In reply to Apexcarver :
Same here, on all accounts. That's a big part of why it still sticks out in my mind. FSAE GM tour?
NOPE.
From one angle. with one particular photographer, yeah, maybe, could be. sorta. But in person? Not gonna ever happen.
Execution is 90% of any aesthetic, turns out.
Still a nope for me, Dawg. E36 M3box gonna E36 M3box.
I too am surprised...by how cool you think those look...
In all seriousness, there was a time when I wanted a turbo stick shift.
I've since stopped drinking.
I had a 2002 PT Touring 5 speed manual I bought new as a family car in 2002. Had it for 7 years. Actually a really good little family car. Fun to drive, practical, dead nuts reliable. And I love the mini-'37 Ford looks.
I drove one once, was shockingly bad.
However, there a context where I like weird stuff.
If someone shows up at an autocross with one that they have prepped with some idea of what they are doing and a set of 200 TW tires, I'm going to be sure to be supportive.
In reply to Chris_V :
Cool looking is not the word I would use to describe any of those other then maybe the last one.
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) said:I drove one once, was shockingly bad.
How, exactly was it "shockingly bad?" I've driven hundreds of cars, and owned everything from Pintos to Porsches. I spent 7 years with mine, along with autocrossing it in stock form. It was surprisingly good (it didn't have to be good at autocrossing as a family car, but it was). I'd really like to hear how your once is more accurate then my 7 years of experience with it.
93EXCivic said:In reply to Chris_V :
Cool looking is not the word I would use to describe any of those other then maybe the last one.
Well, I come from a street rod background, from building hot rod model kits in my teens in the early '70s to building hot rods and street rods in my shop in the '80s and '90s. So I think the '37 ford looks are enhanced by street rod styling. Especially the Boyd Coddington 2 door panel version.
One thing for sure: I'll take a PT Cruiser every day all day over a Dodge Caliber
Chris_V said:Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) said:I drove one once, was shockingly bad.
How, exactly was it "shockingly bad?" I've driven hundreds of cars, and owned everything from Pintos to Porsches. I spent 7 years with mine, along with autocrossing it in stock form. It was surprisingly good (it didn't have to be good at autocrossing as a family car, but it was). I'd really like to hear how your once is more accurate then my 7 years of experience with it.
Well, after reading your post, it's obvious that my 10 minutes to the convenience store in a worn out example doesn't give me an accurate perspective on the cars as a whole.
I'm glad to see that they are better than I assumed. Thanks for the reply. Now I really do hope to see one at an auto cross!
I never understood the hate. I got stuck with a service loaner PT Cruiser back when my local Mazda/Chrysler dealer was offering free loaners when I dropped my MPV off for an oil change. It really wasn't bad. Basically a cheap economy car with an amazingly roomy and capable interior. I mean, nobody hated on the early Neons. What's a PT Cruiser but a Neon that can actually function as a family car?
Lifted from the wiki:
"In 2001 Motor Trend named the PT Cruiser as its Car of the Year and Car and Driver put it on its Ten Best list. ...The PT Cruiser also won the North American Car of the Year, based on a solid majority of top automotive journalists charged with "picking a vehicle that has set new standards or benchmarks in its class while considering aspects such as general design, safety, fuel economy, handling, general roadworthiness, performance, functionality, technical innovation, driver satisfaction and price."[16] It also held the distinction of being listed by Consumer Guide automotive editors as "Best Buy" continuously from 2001 through 2006.[17]"
We'll just let a ten-year production run and US sales of over a million units speak for themselves, shan't we?
1988RedT2 said:I never understood the hate. I got stuck with a service loaner PT Cruiser back when my local Mazda/Chrysler dealer was offering free loaners when I dropped my MPV off for an oil change. It really wasn't bad. Basically a cheap economy car with an amazingly roomy and capable interior. I mean, nobody hated on the early Neons. What's a PT Cruiser but a Neon that can actually function as a family car?
Shared 8 bolts with the Neon. None of the Neon's came with the PT's 2.4, with the exception of the SRT4 and GT Cruiser that shared the 2.4 T (and were a riot to drive). The PT had a completely separate platform that had a lot of minivan and stratus parts, but a completely unique rear half to allow for a really low load floor. A lot of clever packaging in it, with rear seats that folded in a lot of ways and simply flipped a lever and they came right out for an even bigger cargo area.
Lifted from the wiki:
"In 2001 Motor Trend named the PT Cruiser as its Car of the Year and Car and Driver put it on its Ten Best list. ...The PT Cruiser also won the North American Car of the Year, based on a solid majority of top automotive journalists charged with "picking a vehicle that has set new standards or benchmarks in its class while considering aspects such as general design, safety, fuel economy, handling, general roadworthiness, performance, functionality, technical innovation, driver satisfaction and price."[16] It also held the distinction of being listed by Consumer Guide automotive editors as "Best Buy" continuously from 2001 through 2006.[17]"
We'll just let a ten-year production run and US sales of over a million units speak for themselves, shan't we?
A 10 year run with zero advertising, as well. they had planned on selling 50k of them a year. The first two years had waiting lists and in order to meet the demand, 2 additional shifts were added and they sold over 150k per year for many years. Again, with almost zero advertising. PT clubs were started in Germany, France and Japan almost before they were released and had a huge following there.
Now, to be fair, the base automatic equipped PT was a serious dog. 11 seconds 0-60 and a transmission that hunted for gears all the time if there was even a slight chance of a hill. It was a minivan trans, and they were known to have issues (though the PT didn't have as many solenoid issues as the minivans did). The 5 speed manual was nearly 4 seconds quicker 0-60. And for some reason it seems that the manual also had a tighter turning circle (there were some complaints abut trying to maneuver a PT in a parking lot, but I never had an issue with the manual version).
I think the abuse cheap cars usually get at the hands of their owners combined with early 2000s Chrysler build quality didn't do their long term reputation any favors.
I've considered that a basic NA 5 speed with a warmed up 2.4 and suspension work would make for a decently fun kid hauler around town.
In reply to Chris_V :
This article seems to imply more than 8 shared bolts, but let's not quibble. Agree the platform is significantly different.
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