Before buying my PT Cruiser I did a little research online ie clubs, forums etc. It did seem that the brakes were a weak link for alot of owners. Pads and rotors were the big problem with no mention of the calipers. With that and the fact I was going to use the Cruiser for my courier business I attacked brakes at the time of purchase. I went with OC Autosports drilled and slotted rotors and coupled this with Wagner Thermo Quiet pads. This was with 27,000 miles on the PT. Now at 70,000 miles the brakes at last inspection looked excellent with minimal wear for 40,000 plus miles. Yes, I do alot of stop and go traffic throughout the day in heat indexes of 95-105 for months on end. I've been in the courier business for 20 plus years and this brake combination has been the best performing for me ever, not to mention the little to no dust to deal with.
Side note.... the only repair to the Cruiser outside of regular maintenance has been a cooling fan. In which I purchased an after-market fan at 1/3 the cost of a dealer fan with an install cost of $60.00. Needless to say the upkeep of the Cruiser is not offering many tax write-offs for repairs, but thats a good thing in the long run.
Happy Cruzin'