Last PT Cruiser will roll off assembly line July 9

[Chuck]

With sales at just 5,452 this year, the PT Cruiser has finally run its race.

Mark Phelan - FREEP - June 29, 2010

The last Chrysler PT Cruiser will roll off the assembly line in less than two weeks, signaling the end of the line for a historic and beloved little car.

The PT Cruiser's history is the story of what Chrysler does brilliantly -- create unique, desirable new vehicles -- and of the failure to build on success that has repeatedly brought the company to its knees.

The PT Cruiser went on sale in 2000, during the SUV craze. Despite that, the compact sedan's quirky styling and useful interior made it a sensation. It helped establish Chrysler as a design leader, sold far beyond the automaker's expectations and became one of the rare American small cars that's an undisputed hit.... [Read More]

[PaleMelanesian]

Not even an attempt to make a Gen 2? Or is that what the Caliber is meant to be?

[Blackbelt]

Yes and no. The caliber is pretty different than the PT, but the caliber is more mainstream. Having owned 2 PT's and currently owning a caliber, I can say they are very different cars. I really liked the PT's. I considered buying another one a few months ago. I test drove a low mile 2009 that was on a dealer lot. They seemed to cheapen it when they did the 2005 refresh. I still liked it and would consider picking one up in the future, because they are bargains used. I ended up buying a new 2009 smart cabrio instead. For me, one of the biggest advantages the Caliber had over the PT was AWD availability. my caliber has been a good car, and since i have the lifetime powertrain warranty, i will hang onto it for a while.
I do see a used PT in my future sometime though. The 2 i had were the 2 most reliable and problem free cars i ever owned, other than my scion xB. They were the most useful in terms of daily utility and cargo carrying flexibility. It's amazing what you can haul when you remove the rear seats(which takes about 1 minute to do.)

[Silver bullit]

I heard that repairs on the cruiser are expensive. Any truth to that?

[ILAveo]

It's a shame that Chrysler never really invested in the platform. My guess is that the car ended up being the loser in corporate politics that favored SUV's like the Nitro and Patriot in the early 2000's.

This isn't really the crowd, but they never gave it a power plant option that matched its hot rod looks. If they had engineered a "hemi" option into it, it might not have gotten the same slow old person car image. Putting AWD and significant towing options in would have helped too.

[Blackbelt]

Originally Posted by Silver bullit

I heard that repairs on the cruiser are expensive. Any truth to that?

I don't think so. I can't say definitively, because neither of mine ever broke. The few normal wear type things i had to replace(tires, brakes, battery, belts) didn't cost any more than any other car. The powertrain was standard Chrysler used in minvans and ther sedans, so it wasn't anything exotic.

Originally Posted by ILAveo

It's a shame that Chrysler never really invested in the platform. My guess is that the car ended up being the loser in corporate politics that favored SUV's like the Nitro and Patriot in the early 2000's.

This isn't really the crowd, but they never gave it a power plant option that matched its hot rod looks. If they had engineered a "hemi" option into it, it might not have gotten the same slow old person car image. Putting AWD and significant towing options in would have helped too.

They did offer the same turbo engine that was offered in the Neon SRT-4. The 2.4 turbo was rated around 225-230HP. The also offered a low boost turbo rated at 180HP.
I agree that the platform languished while they sunk their cash into hideous crap like the 'commander'.