Chrysler quality

I was actually surprised by the initial build quality of my 01 PT Cruiser Limited and my 04 Town & Country Limited. Those cheap rental versions of these vehicles likely turn off more potential customers than they attract. I would never have purchase my PT if I have first rented a basic model from a rental store. Different seats, tires, breaks and suspension can make a world of difference.

Richard.

Interesting concept: extra-cheap versions of cars for the rental companies. Doesn't sound very economic...:-)

I bet not a lot of people know that. You have evidence for this?

DAS

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What he is saying is that the rental companies get the cheapest versions. Those versions are available for sale but few people buy them. They are price leaders for advertising purposes. He is suggesting that it would be better for the manufacturers to supply higher end versions to rental fleets.

In any case, I thought the low end version of the Dodge minivan I was driving was fine except the darn defroster and ac blower was doa even though the car had only 1600 miles on it.

This says more about the crummy inspection process at National than anything else. You can bet that they tested the blower before the minivan left the factory. It could have failed within the first 20 miles then National ignored it.

With something as complex as a car with hundreds of different moving parts in it, it is not unexpected that a failure would happen in something within the first thousand miles. That is why cars have warranties. You cannot draw any conclusions about the rest of the vehicle with a minor subsystem failure in the first thousand miles. It really says a lot more about the quality of the vehicle if stuff starts breaking at the 50,000 mile mark.

Ted

There is an element of truth to what you say. A few years ago I rented a Magnum which surprisingly had the 2.7L V6. That engine is just fine in my wife's Sebring, but is not fine in the heavy Magnum. As for the model level of rental cars, we all know how overpriced those optional items are- don't we!

Well our experience over 25 years is constantly improving Chrysler quality which has been at a very high level in the last 5 or so years. My wife's Sebring has been a first for our cars of many stripes over the years- absolutely no problems or even adjustments since new in July 2001.

Of course problems do happen with any vehicle. Your blower problem could have been as simple as a loose connection, since the fuse wasn't blown. I do recommend an auto parts store for fuses, or any parts. Walmart is a low end store, I wouldn't buy any car part from them.

Well, maybe they do things differently over there (NA) or I am just blissfuly ignorant but I thought things like seats and tyres are standard across a range unless one specifies the occasional wide tyres (where available as an option) or leather seats. Some extra-sporty cars might offer Reccaro seats.

Brakes might only be uprated if the engine size/power demands it. Suspension is only adjusted at high price or when necessary for the car's performance, but these things are, in the round, marginal in terms of percentage of cars bought. I would have thought.

DAS

For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling

You can visit the Chrysler web site and put in a US zip code like 27519 and build a vehicle to see the ridiculous choice of options. For example, stripped model still sometimes come with rear drum brakes. Also my rental was not bottom of the line. It had a 6 cylinder engine. You can still buy one with a 4 I believe.

Hogwash. Never judge manufacturer quality by a single rental car example. For all you know, someone could have blown out the 12v outlet fuse with some accessory and swapped the blower fuse in to keep it running. And of course you could have swapped fuses to make the blower work too...

Not that *I've* ever done that to a rental car

You wouldn't think so, but GM was for a while building a car *solely* for rental fleets- the Chevy 'Classic,' which was formerly called the 'Malibu' before the common-platform (Saab/Chevy) Malibu came out. The "Classics" were just about the lowest form of automotive life you can imagine.

But then, we ARE talking about GM. AFAIK Chrysler doesn't build "rental specific" models, but the rental companies do tend to order very low-option models for the most part.

Like I said the fuses looked ok. I would have tried a new one if I could find one easily but swapping out on a car that wasn't my own was out of the question. Suppose I got butterfingers and I dropped it into never never land. I'd have to explain it to National. As for whether our judgement was unfair, my wife probably has rented from National 150 cars over the last few years when traveling. She doesn't remember a single Chrylser other than this one and no malfunctions before this one.

Nothing wrong with the basic model of the PT, at least in 2002. My wife got a 2002 TE, which I liked so much I later got myself a 2002 Classic. The only option I got on mine was the privacy glass. Even then it was a well made and full featured car, with everything I needed for commuting and for travelling. I actually preferred the handling and ride of the classic over the upgraded touring suspension of the TE/LE.

Both cars continue to prove their reliability and flexibility.

Question: How do you check a fuse by simply "looking" at it? Answer: You can't since visual inspection will not always indicate it is bad. You really need to verify this fact with an ohm meter or similar continuity checker.

Another option is to swap the fuse with another of the same type and value that is known good.

Bob

Check fuses with a load testing device such as a test lite, not an ohm meter. it is possible to ohm out a faulty fuse

Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech

That is why I was trying to buy a fuse to switch it out.

Condemner Retards is always full of amusing fiction like this.

"Consumer Reports" knows nothing.

Larry Behold Beware Believe

That must be uneconomical - to make especially low quality even for a large client. Can you cite proper evidence?

DAS

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