PT Cruiser.... thinking about buying...

Make sure you know all the incentives out there for the new ones. I doubt you can find a better deal on the used ones since so many people paid over list early on. The new ones seem like a bargain to me.

Thanks Art. People paid more than list ? Wow.... I am in Canada and we dont seem to get as many great incentives here... but I will check into it.

Go to

and check out everything there. thengo to their forum section and post some questions, anything you'd want toknow about PT Cruisers, and you'll find many answers by the people who ownthem. There are also many other forums and links there as well. Good Luck.SRG

In the US PTCruisers are advertised at $5k off in my area.

Used or new, I'd recommend a Cruiser. Not killer fast, but quick enough for real world driving. Highly versatile with terrific carrying abilities. This is the most fun car I've ever owned. I'm on my second one: incentives were so good I couldn't refuse.

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also, since the admin at the above forum is a JERK, try

220hp not enough?

Only if you get the HO turbo. The normal 150 hp engine has been criticized for being "too slow". However, in both automatic and 5 speed mode, it is certainly adequate for the real world. Neither my wife or I have any difficulty in keeping up with traffic. The flexible interior means that we can haul a bunch of stuff while doing so.

Yup, I was talking about the non-turbo. When we moved, we LOADED this car to the brim and still had enough power to get up and down the hills of the Hudson Valley. Definitely adequate for the real world.

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Here is my review and some favorite links to articles about the PT Cruiser.

I got my used 2003 GT for $17,000 at CarMax. If you want a faster car, get the GT and you will be more than satisfied. It will out accelerate a 1967 Ford Mustang V8 w/4spd (390ci). And that's with a PT GT with an automatic transmission.

Joe

Thanks all for you help. I personally want a cruiser ...maybe in the dark purple...lol,.. I think they look like a lot of fun and I lvoe the flexibility you have with the seats . Husband is leaning towards a Honda CRV. He really wants to get a late model used car and there arent a lot of used PT Cruisers out there it seems. Maybe because it is still a relatively new model.

There are few used PTCruisers out there because people like them and keep them.

skittish-

I love using

to compare vehicles.PT Cruiser GT: CR-V I own a PT Cruiser GT so my opinions might be biased, but I would say that the CRV haas more cargo room. But do you really need that much room? Also, it has available 4WD, but will you ever go off road? I have been driving for 25 years in NY and Virginia, and I've never gotten stuck in snow with a front wheel drive vehicle. 4WD may be more important to you in Canada.

I would say that the CRV and the standard PT Cruiser are a little under powered. The PT Cruiser GT is much more powerful. Great for merging on the highway with confidence, even with a full load of passengers and cargo, and with the AC running.

Consumer Reports give the PT Cruisers a very good reliability rating, comparable to Hondas. However, they don't retain their value as well because many people aren't aware of the improvement in Chrysler quality over the past few years. Since you are buying new, this works to your advantage for the PT.

I got my PT Cruiser GT with only 4,500 miles (that's four thousand five hundred miles) on it for only $17,000. That's a practically brand new car for the price of a 4WD CR-V with about 30,000 miles on it or a 2WD CR-V with 15,000 miles on it.

I guess the bottom line is that the CR-V has more cargo room (especially with passenegers) and the PT Cruiser GT has more power, or if you go with a non GT PT Cruiser, you can save a few thousand dollars. Also, the CR-V is too big for my taste.

Hope that helps. Joe