 | | |
|
playgames1970
Cruiser Fan
Posted: Sep 17, 2007, 11:57 AM
Post #51 of 81
(360 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [MICKEY41] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
Let me start off by revealing that I am the enemy: I bought an HHR back in June of this year. (dodging rotten eggs, tomatoes, and wrenches)
I wound up in this forum by clicking here and there, and found this thread interesting, so I thought I would add a few comments, if I may be indulged to do so. Let me also add that stuff I write is just my own personal experience...if yours is different, I'm not saying yours is any less valid than mine. All we're talking about is what car someone likes, not international politics, right? 
I drove a PT on a test drive back in 2002. At that time, I found the driver's seat to feel too much like a barstool: I felt really pitched high and forward, like I was balancing on the seat rather than sitting in it. The HHR seat feels somewhat raised to me compared to my two previous cars (a 1997 and a 2002 Cavalier), but not quite so unwieldy. Have the seats changed design since, was that test drive PT's just not adjusted right, or is it just my personal feeling, do you think? I see a few comments above about the HHR seats being uncomfortable, but my experience was the opposite.
A lot of people with HHRs comment about the odd placement of the window controls as well as the cupholders. I agree with those, but also don't get bothered by them that much either way; I've yet to drive with the window down, and I've gone psychotic about keeping the car clean inside, so I've not brought any drinks into the car! (Of course, those of you that are mentally healthy and don't treat your cars like museums might have a different experience!)
About the interior room, it was mentioned above the PT has the same or more space. Since the HHR is longer, it looks to the eye like it has more floor to put things down on in the back. If the PT has the same cubic space, is it because its back ceiling slopes upward somewhat?
About the age of owners, someone above mentioned HHR owners being all oldies and not appealing to the younger crowd. I'm REALLY going to be booed off the stage for this one, but I see it around my area as the opposite: as I general rule the few HHRs I see tend to be driven by somewhat younger drivers than the PTs. Granted, though, there have been waaaay more PTs sold than HHRs, so the sampling I've been exposed to is hardly a scientifically valid sample. I'm 37...does that qualify as "younger crowd" or "grizzled old geezer full of gristle and ire?"
About the power of the HHR: I have the 2.2 liter engine, and it feels fine to me, but I'm not a lead footed type driver, and if your 0-60 is a big deal to you, I can see how you might not like the HHR in comparison. I do like my HHR, but a nimble sprinter it is not. It's not a PT Cruiser, but it is a cruiser in the sense of the common noun "cruiser." I don't recall from my test drive way back when how the PT felt in comparison, but I will admit the HHR is no racer.
Anyway, I just thought I would share a few thoughts. I probably would have been a PT guy right now if back in 2002 the Chysler dealers I went to hadn't been so unbelievably awful to me. One acted wholly disinterested in selling me one and gave me a "take it or leave it" offhanded offer on one, and that was it, while another dealer got me into that sales office and laid into the hard sell tactics like you would not believe, trying to get my bank account number out of me before anything else, etc. It was just awful, and once I escaped I went to a Chevy place and the same day got my second new Cavalier. In the meanwhile the HHR came out, and I went that way to be a little different, since PTs are everywhere and HHR is not as common, but I still have liking for the look of the PT, even if I went HHR in the end.
In any case, diff'rent strokes for different folks, right? There's room on the roads for all of them, methinks! Cheers, everyone!
----------
|
|
Posts: 7 | From: southern Californa
| Registered: Sep 17, 2007, 11:28 AM
|
|
| |
|
BlueHaze
Cruiser Expert
PT Cruiser Club Member
Posted: Sep 17, 2007, 2:31 PM
Post #52 of 81
(347 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [playgames1970] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
Thanks for the interesting commentary. I, for one, found it interesting to get the hhr owners point of view. it is a shame you had such a bad sales person when you were looking at the PT's. i have owned 3 pt's since they came out and have never found the seats uncomfortable. in fact, i have arthritis pretty bad and this is one of the few seats that doesn't bother my hips after a long drive. again, thanks for your giving us a different point of view. teddi
----------
Life is just one long Cruise! Why not enjoy it in a PT!
|
|
Posts: 231 | From: Navarre, FL
| Registered: Feb 29, 2004, 6:21 AM
|
|
| |
|
playgames1970
Cruiser Fan
Posted: Sep 17, 2007, 2:34 PM
Post #53 of 81
(345 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [BlueHaze] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
And thank you for not chasing me out of town with torches and pitchforks! 
----------
|
|
Posts: 7 | From: southern Californa
| Registered: Sep 17, 2007, 11:28 AM
|
|
| |
|
Cruiser RN
Cruiser Veteran
PT Cruiser Club Member
Posted: Sep 17, 2007, 3:27 PM
Post #54 of 81
(341 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [playgames1970] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
It is no secret that I am a Pt guy for life and we are a PT family,but the only opinion that counts is the one of the person who is making the payments.I feel bad you were treated so poorly by the Chrysler Dealers,and quite possibly if I had been subjected to our NY Chrysler "Stealers" before I got Miss CRN in 2002 maybe I would be driving a Chevy.I do have to give credit to Chevy putting out a Panel Van,something we have been asking for since 2001,and the emminent release of the 280 horsepower SS Model.We have the GT model discontinued and the announced "Death" of the PT in 2009.Looks like the war might be won by attrition after all.Peace Out and God Bless..........Mike
----------
Mike Casabianca
His: 2001 Black LE with Auto Transmission, BullDog Signs Flames, WeatherTec wind deflectors, cargo area mat, PT trash can, PT valve stem caps and Dart's coldair intake, chrome tail and headlight bezels, chrome bumper inserts, chrome license plate pillow, chrome fender trim, 1940's retro chrome on front and back fenders, door spears, chrome hatch door trim, chrome gas door, brushed chrome door sills, billet door pins, custom "BlueHaze" dash mat, MRK Group lugnut covers, dome light trim, etc. and the chrome goes on......
Hers: 2003 Patriot Blue Woody with Automatic Transmission, Bulldog Signs Eeyore, Cargo area mat, WeatherTec wind deflectors, PT valve stem caps, PT trash can, "BlueHaze" custom dash mat, and chrome tailpipe extension, "Old School" wood shifter knob, wood and chrome door pins, MRK Group interior knob and switch covers, door surrounds, and dome light trim, chrome door surround trim, white eeyore window decals, smoothie hub cap, wood eeyore plaques ....and the Wood goes on
http://community.webshots.com/user/mdcvmvc
|
|
Posts: 2296 | From: Yonkers, New York
| Registered: Aug 21, 2002, 12:00 AM
|
|
| |
|
playgames1970
Cruiser Fan
Posted: Sep 17, 2007, 6:02 PM
Post #55 of 81
(329 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [Cruiser RN] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
When I was looking at the PT in 2002, it was a time when they were highest in demand and lowest in availability, so the first dealer seemed to have the attitude of "these are my numbers, and if you can't come up with the down payment and monthlies I'm giving you, someone else will walk up in ten minutes and will." The second guy did that whole routine of getting you into that tiny office, closing the door, and laying into you for information, a check, and pushing for the sale right then, right now, TODAY. He pushed so hard it seemed like a parody of real life...really ridiculous.
In any case, I'm pleased with the HHR, and it's still fun to exchange looks with both PT Cruiser people and HHR people at lights...sometimes PT to HHR is friendly, other times quizzical, other times hostile, but it's always interesting.
I noticed on a couple of HHR boards that PT meets now invite and welcome HHR owners, and vice versa as well. I think that's pretty cool...the two cars aren't quite apples and oranges...maybe oranges and tangerines? Anyway, if anyone is in southern California and sees a blue HHR with a vanity plate "CA HHR" with the whale tail/beach conservation graphic on it, grin, wave, and say hi! Some prefer one, some prefer the other, but at least they're both out there for whomever!
Cheers!
----------
|
|
Posts: 7 | From: southern Californa
| Registered: Sep 17, 2007, 11:28 AM
|
|
| |
|
Cruiser RN
Cruiser Veteran
PT Cruiser Club Member
Posted: Sep 17, 2007, 7:10 PM
Post #56 of 81
(324 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [playgames1970] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
At Cruizin Clarion 6 which was hosted by Maggie of Race and Street both PT CRuisers and HHRs were there.The HHR owners were people who owned award wining PT's who wanted a new challenge so they bought base HHR's and saved the money to drop into the interior,which to me is the HHR's weakest link.After seeing one with a entire wood dash and trim kit I can say that I warmed up to the car.Our tailgate was the PT Cruiser Pro Bowl with the 2001 NFL PT Cruisers playing the game in our stadium.WE also had N.E. Patriots and NY Giants Bears acting as cheerleaders and a Giant Grill with little HHR's on scures roasting on the grill.It was taken in good humor by all with the HHR owners getting the biggest laugh.The cars are really an excuse for all of us to get together and throw a party.The more the merrier........Mike
----------
Mike Casabianca
His: 2001 Black LE with Auto Transmission, BullDog Signs Flames, WeatherTec wind deflectors, cargo area mat, PT trash can, PT valve stem caps and Dart's coldair intake, chrome tail and headlight bezels, chrome bumper inserts, chrome license plate pillow, chrome fender trim, 1940's retro chrome on front and back fenders, door spears, chrome hatch door trim, chrome gas door, brushed chrome door sills, billet door pins, custom "BlueHaze" dash mat, MRK Group lugnut covers, dome light trim, etc. and the chrome goes on......
Hers: 2003 Patriot Blue Woody with Automatic Transmission, Bulldog Signs Eeyore, Cargo area mat, WeatherTec wind deflectors, PT valve stem caps, PT trash can, "BlueHaze" custom dash mat, and chrome tailpipe extension, "Old School" wood shifter knob, wood and chrome door pins, MRK Group interior knob and switch covers, door surrounds, and dome light trim, chrome door surround trim, white eeyore window decals, smoothie hub cap, wood eeyore plaques ....and the Wood goes on
http://community.webshots.com/user/mdcvmvc
|
|
Posts: 2296 | From: Yonkers, New York
| Registered: Aug 21, 2002, 12:00 AM
|
|
| |
|
MICKEY41
Cruiser Addict
Posted: Sep 17, 2007, 9:31 PM
Post #57 of 81
(317 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [playgames1970] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
 HI PLAYGAMES, First of all I have to give you your props for coming into a PT forum and praising your HHR. I admire your spirit. I will start out by defending my PTC. As far as the seats being uncomfortable- wrong- I am 5' 10", tall for a woman. I find the seats hug the body, I have plenty of head and leg room, I never feel cramped or hit my head on the top. I can travel long distances and be able to get out without that stiff, my legs are gone feeling. I have never sat in your vehicle so I can not compare.
I, too, do not allow drinking or eating in my car. I have a clean car and want it to stay like new.
As far as space, I have only looked in one and seems out PT has more head room but maybe because I looked at it from an angle.
We have quite a few young drivers on this forum. To own a PT is a privledge and a bringing together of young and old. Age does not matter to these kids, most of them are dear friends of mine. I would consider you a young driver and I am an old driver, who probably acts younger than you since acquiring my PT.
I am a lead foot driver but I do not have a turbo. My car has the power I want as I am fast on a take off and fast on a trip. I love to race and beat a Volks Jetta, one of my best moments.
Sorry about the bad experience you had at the dealership. I have only positive things to say about mine, in fact they are close friends. I hang out there as I am alone here in Hastings with no PT lovers. They only use theirs for transportation. My car is my life, no one understands that but the members of this forum
My feelings on your car: I am happy for you that you love yours. To me there can not be any comparison. I do not know enough about your car to do so. However, right now is not a good time for the PT community. We are fighting to keep our car in production. I am very involved in our Save the PT petition. Some of us are resentful of Chevy for coping our car. You must admit that when you see an HHR or you a PTC, they look identical coming towards you. Now there are rumors of Chrysler taking our car and completely changing the look. What draws us to the car is the look as I am sure that you were drawn to the HHR for the same reason. If it is changed, we want the PT name off the new version.
Thank you for your kutzpa. You have not offended me by your comments and I hope I have not offended you. If I did, I apologize. I am just very passionate about my car. Nice to meet you, Mickey
----------
2005 ELECTRIC BLUE CLASSIC
Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect.
It means that you have decided to look beyond the imperfections
|
|
Posts: 884 | From: Gilbert, Arizona
| Registered: Apr 24, 2007, 8:45 AM
|
|
| |
|
playgames1970
Cruiser Fan
Posted: Sep 18, 2007, 8:18 AM
Post #58 of 81
(308 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [MICKEY41] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
Concerning saving the PT: I think the HHR is proof that the body design of the PT could be altered noticably and still be a PT and yet different. From what I've heard about the discontinuation of the PT, one of the company lines is that there is nowhere to go with the design, since the shape is unique and if it is changed it really isn't a PT. That doesn't make sense to me...every model car gets altered over the years, even ones that are completely iconic. The PT and the HHR bodies were designed by the same person, correct? If that guy had remained with Chrysler, it stands to reason that maybe he could have been put up to the task of coming up with a new bodied PT, which the HHR could have been. With any change in styling, some will like it, some will not, of course, but my point is while the PT has stayed with basically the same body shape from day one, it could be evolved a bit by Chrysler if they wished. I don't think it's realistic to think that they'll be able to produce PTs forever with the same body, similarly to how the VW Bug was made for decades with only small tweaks, though its run for so many years is quite a feat already! Most cars get redone in just a couple/few years, but the PT has gone on much longer than most can claim.
If Chrysler drops the PT, that's ridiculous. Why should a company that is struggling mightily abandon a car that has sold bazillions of units without even trying to redesign/invigorate said car? If the lines thrown out by salesmen on the car lots are true, the profit margins on "entry level" cars like the PT (or HHR **cough**) are small, but still...it seems like a company shouldn't snub its nose at the potential for selling tons of something for a little gain per unit rather than nothing at all.
Personally, I hope the PT does go on. I didn't wind up buying one, but I still like 'em, and hope to see 'em out there for a while to come!
Oh, and as far as mods go, I guess I'm the odd one out on boards such as this (I'm on a couple of HHR ones), but I personally would not mod my car at all beyond manufacturer's parts. All I did to the HHR is add the running boards, splash guards (euphemism for mud flaps), and stainless steel exhaust tip, and I was done. I think some of the stuff people do to customize their cars is remarkable, but I personally just like my own to be "stock," without aftermarket parts. But, hey, I'm dumb enough to join a PT Cruiser board when I own the enemy car, so how smart can I be?
I am glad to know I'm not the only one who has gone nutso enough to not allow food or drinks inside the car. The other night I went on a hamburger run since it was really late and we had nothing for dinner in the house...it was difficult, but I didn't sneak so much as a single fry on the drive home, and brought a towel to put the bag down on so there was no chance of grease leakage through the bag! I need therapy...
----------
(This post was edited by playgames1970 on Sep 18, 2007, 8:25 AM)
|
|
Posts: 7 | From: southern Californa
| Registered: Sep 17, 2007, 11:28 AM
|
|
| |
|
PT_TAZ
Cruiser Certified
Posted: Sep 18, 2007, 1:02 PM
Post #59 of 81
(295 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [playgames1970] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
Welcome Playgames! I know of at least one person that owns both a PT and an HHR. I think Brian Nesbitt is an excellent designer and some of the custom HHRs I've seen pictures of are excellent.
Since Chrysler hasn't done much to the PT to excite folks recently, they have moved on to what is the next best thing in retro. How did the HHR get a panel wan we didn't???
Maybe Cerebus should get Brian back to do the next generation PT 
----------
|
|
Posts: 1179 | From: PA
| Registered: May 30, 2001, 12:00 AM
|
|
| |
|
playgames1970
Cruiser Fan
Posted: Sep 18, 2007, 1:18 PM
Post #60 of 81
(293 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [PT_TAZ] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
Would I be branded even more of a heretic than I already am by saying I don't really care for the panel HHR? It's cool as a novelty, I guess, but as a production car? I'm not sure on that.
One other thing to mention that may amuse some of you here: I noticed yesterday on an HHR board a thread discussing the sales figures of HHRs. Depending upon whom you ask, and how different reports are interpreted, you get all sorts of perceptions about the numbers sold. Anyhow, someone posted that the HHR wouldn't last more than another year or two at most, and it would be just like the PT Cruiser..."a flash in the pan." Umm....how many years has the PT been made now? How many units has it sold? I don't think that's a flash in the pan! Both those figures are far better numbers than most car models can boast.
----------
|
|
Posts: 7 | From: southern Californa
| Registered: Sep 17, 2007, 11:28 AM
|
|
| |
|
MICKEY41
Cruiser Addict
Posted: Sep 18, 2007, 6:47 PM
Post #61 of 81
(281 views)
Shortcut
|
Re: [playgames1970] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
I disagree with what you say about changing the shape of our car. If they change it into something that does not even look like a PT Cruiser, I will be appauled. The uniqueness of our car is that everyone knows a PT Cruiser. We make the changes to be as individual as we are. We have a choice to alter the appearence if we choose too. I do not have the pictures of the car that is supposed to be our replacement but it is no PTCruiser. This is what we are fighting against. Many want a panel but I am sure they want it to be a PT Cruiser Panel.
You mention the Volkswagon. look at the beetle, everyone knows what that is and have for decades. Sure it has changed a bit but does not look totally different than the original. Look arounfd the forum and find the picture.
If our body shape needs to be changed, why is your car a copy of ours? Must be something good about the shape as you bought the copy. Why don't you tell me why you like the shape of yours? Mickey 
----------
2005 ELECTRIC BLUE CLASSIC
Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect.
It means that you have decided to look beyond the imperfections
|
|
Posts: 884 | From: Gilbert, Arizona
| Registered: Apr 24, 2007, 8:45 AM
|
|
| |
|
DixieGal
Cruiser Fan
Posted: Sep 19, 2007, 5:26 AM
Post #62 of 81
(266 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [MICKEY41] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
Boy, you've got guts, showing up on a PT Cruiser forum.
I agree with MICKEY...the body of the Beetle has changed over the years but it still looks like a Beetle. If they can do that with a Beetle they should be able to do that with a PT.
As for the younger drivers...hmm...I'm 35, soon to be 36. I believe that would make me about a year and a half younger than you. And I drive an 07 Cruiser.
I'm 5'8"...still on the tall side for females...and I've got plenty of room in my Cruiser.
Power? I've got a 2.2 L, 4-cylinder engine. Doesn't have quite as much of a punch as those Ford F350 Super Duty, Chevrolet Silverado 3500 and Sprinter AMBULANCEs that I used to drive back when I worked as an EMT, but having been trained to drive in the conditions that I was trained to drive in, but I know how to get power out of it. Long story short, the power argument doesn't hold much water with me as I've driven ambulances when they were "all systems go" and when they weren't getting much power at all (when someone had to go get them and bring them in for repair), and I know it's apples and oranges but my point is they had different engines and different driving conditions. If you can get power out of them you can get power out of anything.
----------
|
|
Posts: 31 | From: N/A
| Registered: Aug 25, 2007, 11:30 PM
|
|
| |
|
MICKEY41
Cruiser Addict
Posted: Sep 19, 2007, 5:36 AM
Post #63 of 81
(264 views)
Shortcut
|
Re: [DixieGal] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
YOU GO GIRL, PROVES WOMAN RULE!  JUST LIKE OUR PT CRUISER! MICKEY
----------
2005 ELECTRIC BLUE CLASSIC
Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect.
It means that you have decided to look beyond the imperfections
|
|
Posts: 884 | From: Gilbert, Arizona
| Registered: Apr 24, 2007, 8:45 AM
|
|
| |
|
pt dave
Cruiser Expert
PT Cruiser Club Member
Posted: Sep 19, 2007, 7:59 AM
Post #64 of 81
(254 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [PT_TAZ] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
Quote:
Welcome Playgames! I know of at least one person that owns both a PT and an HHR. I think Brian Nesbitt is an excellent designer and some of the custom HHRs I've seen pictures of are excellent.
Since Chrysler hasn't done much to the PT to excite folks recently, they have moved on to what is the next best thing in retro. How did the HHR get a panel wan we didn't???
Maybe Cerebus should get Brian back to do the next generation PT
Welcome Playgames, I sorta like the HHR. Brian did a good job, even with the bean counters trying his hands. at least they got the Panel, score 1 for GM, 0 for Chrysler. if GM makes A SS Panel. and Chrysler don't give me my panel in 09. I might go over to the Dark Side.
I can mot believe it took GM 2 years to make a panel and Chrysler was the first to show a Panel back in 2000. WHY!!
and Now the SS Turbo will be here in days, Chrysler drops the 230 HP Turbo, When was the last time there was a National TV add promoting our PT???
No adds and the PT still sales it came in 7th. even with the European refresh back in 06 and it still sales.
OK I will get off my soap box. thanks for letting ME rant.
----------
http://community.webshots.com/user/davidrs100
|
|
Posts: 404 | From: OKLA CITY OK
| Registered: Oct 18, 2005, 11:01 AM
|
|
| |
|
Clive G
Cruiser Expert
Posted: Sep 19, 2007, 8:23 AM
Post #65 of 81
(252 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [pt dave] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
Another retro-ish wagon, the Scion xB, has been remodelled for 2008.
It's now a little bigger, has a larger 4-cyl. engine and the extreme boxiness of it has been rounded out a little.
But, it's still unmistakably an xB.
The Mini has even been enlarged a bit this year, but still looks like the new Mini.
I dunno why Chrysler thinks they need to radically change the PT Cruiser formula. The shape has been popular.
Maybe tweak it a bit and offer some mechanical and/or electronic updates under the skin.
Another interior redo?
What attracted me to the PT in the first place is what I still value most today--
it's a well-built small car with lots of interior space, that looks distinctive.
If there's not enough interest in the marketplace to carry on making such a vehicle, then perhaps Chrysler is justified in making a change.
I'm skeptical about that, though...
----------
|
|
Posts: 224 | From: N/A
| Registered: May 18, 2007, 11:05 AM
|
|
| |
|
playgames1970
Cruiser Fan
Posted: Sep 19, 2007, 9:47 AM
Post #66 of 81
(248 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [Clive G] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
I was wondering last night what the campaign to save the PT was after, precisely: (A) a preservation of the model name, and with evolution of the car, or, (B) keeping the shape just as it has been. From the above posts, I gather the main idea is to keep it just as is for future model year runs, correct?
I brought up the VW bug as an example of a car that never really changed, but that car is pretty much the lone exception among untold numbers of makes and models sold in the North American market that pulled that off. I'm not so sure that will ever happen again with the way people think of cars nowadays. Clearly most people on the board here would like that to happen with the PT (as would I, even though I'm the Philistine HHR owner here), but the marketplace and industry is different than it was in those decades when the VW bug was the entry car king. I don't think we'll ever see a car do what the bug did for many decades up until its more or less discontinuation in the USA in the late 70s.
Mickey41 above mentioned that I must like the PT shape. I do. In my first post and in some others I told the Readers Digest version of the sordid tale of trying to buy a PT back in 2002, and how that turned out. As a result of that epic, I bought my second new Cavalier in 2002 instead, after I had paid off the one I bought in 1997. I drove basically the same car for ten years, and still have both of those Cavaliers in the driveway (the HHR gets the single car garage now). A few months back when I was a'shoppin' for a new car again, I looked through ads and websites for PTs, the Chevy Cobalt (which would have been just like a Cavalier yet again!), the Dodge Caliber (now I wonder what I was thinking...uuuuugly!), a couple of the low-end Jeeps, and the Pontiac G5 (also quite Cavalier/Cobalt like). It just turned out that things came together for me to get the Chevy, but I'm no PT hater by any means. If the salesmen at the Chrysler dealers hadn't been as they were way back when, I'd probably have a 1997 Cavalier and a 2002 PT in my driveway. Heck, I'm a high school teacher, and back in 2002 I had posters of the PT up in my classroom!
As far as why I like the HHR, it's because modern car designs don't particularly interest or excite me. My first car and first love in cars was/is the 1967 Mustang. By association, I like many of the American muscle cars of the 60s and 70s. Other than that, I am drawn heavily to the cars of the 30s and 40s, and much of the design concepts of the time (I have a huge interest in Art Deco style, for example). The PT caught my eye from its introduction because it is reminiscent of that era of car, undoubtedly. The Chevy does the same thing.
I guess it comes down to I'm more drawn to the overall genre of the old fashioned or old fashioned looking car more so than one particular model. I wound up with the GM, but don't have anything against the Chrysler's looks whatsoever. In part, maybe the PTs very popularity sort of worked against me when I was shopping this time around; I like them very much, but maybe I leaned to the other car because of it being more uncommon? (Come to think of it, I never belonged to any clubs in school, and I don't like team sports...hmmm...)
In any case, any new car is like a Rolls Royce to me: I spent several years after high school and in college when I drove a death trap 1971 Toyota Corolla that had no heater or fan, a broken seat that kept ripping my clothes and was held together by brackets I bought at Home Depot, dropped its driveshaft due to a broken U-joint on me twice, and literally had no rear shocks...the mounting brackets broke off, so only the limp leaf springs were back there. Scary!
One last note to conclude this novel I've written: Thanks for the several "welcomes" up above, even if some would like to chain me up inside the HHR, lock the doors, set it on fire, and watch us burn...I've put a few things up on some HHR sites, and gotten nary a "welcome" over there by comparison! It is appreciated.
----------
(This post was edited by playgames1970 on Sep 19, 2007, 10:04 AM)
|
|
Posts: 7 | From: southern Californa
| Registered: Sep 17, 2007, 11:28 AM
|
|
| |
|
Clive G
Cruiser Expert
Posted: Sep 19, 2007, 10:49 AM
Post #67 of 81
(233 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [playgames1970] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
We're being nice, cuz there's still a chance you'll trade the HHR for a Cruiser.
Just kidding!
PT Cruiser folk are some of the friendliest you'll find. 
Mebbe this will get *me* smacked, but I also think PT Cruiser ownership is skewed more towards a mature crowd. Over 30, let's say. (BTW, I'm 48)
I'm not suggested every PT owner is going grey, but from a casual survey I've done over the past year, many do seem to have a few miles under their belts.
I dunno if HHR drivers tend to be younger. It would be interesting to get some idea of this.
There's definitely been an increase in the number of HHRs seen in my area, over the past 6 months.
They seem like a slightly younger crowd, to me.... 
----------
|
|
Posts: 224 | From: N/A
| Registered: May 18, 2007, 11:05 AM
|
|
| |
|
playgames1970
Cruiser Fan
Posted: Sep 19, 2007, 11:22 AM
Post #68 of 81
(231 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [Clive G] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
Quote:
PT Cruiser folk are some of the friendliest you'll find.
I hope one particular HHR owner doesn't come off as too offensive, either, other than having committed that particular cardinal sin!
----------
|
|
Posts: 7 | From: southern Californa
| Registered: Sep 17, 2007, 11:28 AM
|
|
| |
|
DixieGal
Cruiser Fan
Posted: Sep 19, 2007, 7:17 PM
Post #69 of 81
(211 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [Clive G] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
Ummm...dunno if you read this or not but I'm 35, soon to be 36 and I own a PT. It was the retro look that got my attention...always has, always will.
----------
|
|
Posts: 31 | From: N/A
| Registered: Aug 25, 2007, 11:30 PM
|
|
| |
|
garpike
Cruiser Expert
Posted: Sep 19, 2007, 8:21 PM
Post #70 of 81
(200 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [DixieGal] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
I am only 30 and I have wanted a PT since I was 22!
It took me awhile but I finally got one!!
I love my PT Cruiser!
----------
** NUMBERS 6:24-26 **
|
|
Posts: 234 | From: Cincinnati, Ohio
| Registered: Aug 22, 2007, 2:20 PM
|
|
| |
|
MICKEY41
Cruiser Addict
Posted: Sep 19, 2007, 8:30 PM
Post #71 of 81
(198 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [garpike] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
 Finally Garpike, it is about time you got on here. what do you think? WE LOVE OUR PTC's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mickey
----------
2005 ELECTRIC BLUE CLASSIC
Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect.
It means that you have decided to look beyond the imperfections
|
|
Posts: 884 | From: Gilbert, Arizona
| Registered: Apr 24, 2007, 8:45 AM
|
|
| |
|
Ptrope
Cruiser Buff
Posted: Sep 23, 2007, 12:42 PM
Post #72 of 81
(161 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [playgames1970] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
playgames1970, welcome to the fray ;). Clearly you like your HHR for many of the same reasons we - and even you - like the PT Cruiser, and even if I often refer to the HHR as the "MeToo Cruiser," just remember that I'm addressing GM, not the owners like yourself. In fact, despite the fact I much prefer the PT, I'm kind of glad that GM made the HHR, so that some owners who prefer GM to Mopar could still have a fun, retro machine for a good price.
That's also not to say that I'm particularly enamored of the HHR's details - to my eye, it has too much evidence of trying to look like the PT while at the same time trying even harder not to; it's like Bryan Nesbitt knew he got the details right the first time, and was forced to hold back when finishing off the HHR. Frankly, I think that with a somewhat different doghouse, the HHR would be a better Hummer H4 - many of the details, including the general (no pun intended ;)) shape of the windows, would be right at home alongside the H2 and H3.
However, I have seen one aftermarket mod for the HHR that goes 90% of the way to eliminating most of my complaints about the design of the HHR - the front end from PTeazer; this is what the HHR should have looked like from the very start, IMO, and if it had, I might actually have considered it when I was shopping for my 2006 PT Cruiser (the color scheme in that photo is a big plus, too).
I haven't driven the HHR, and I've already stated on this board that I was surprised by how hard the seats in my PT felt when I drove it home from the dealer (I hadn't test-driven it because I'd rented numerous first-gen PTs previously for long trips and loved every one of them), but I drive 250 miles every weekend since I bought the car and the seats are perfect. Only sitting inside an HHR, I thought it felt very cramped, and even though I thought the interior design - the dash, especially - was as self-consciously copying the PT as the exterior, it did have some nice touches, but it still wasn't "retro" enough to compensate for the claustrophobic aspects (although, frankly, I much prefer the dash of the 2001-2005 PT to my own 2006, and seriously considered getting a used PT just so I didn't have to get the new dashboard!).
In the end, everybody gets what they like, right? And at this point, I hope that Chrysler seriously considers continuing the PT Cruiser in a form that is both recognizable and respectful of its roots, and they avoid further homogenizing it as they did with the 2006 (I hope more than anything that they never put the grooved "Chrysler hood" on it!!). I'd like to see them step back a few years, even, and find inspiration in the '32-35 Ford, as they did with the '37; I could easily see a great and practical mod-rod based upon the more upright lines of the older machines, and it would even fit in with the recent design thrust begun by the 300, the Grand Cherokee and Commander, and the Nitro, which all have very upright and slab-sided lines, with massive grilles and obvious, extended fenders. If Chrysler can't figure out what to do with the PT Cruiser, I'm shocked, becase the answers are staring them right there in the face. It might not be "just like" our lovable, cute Cruiser, but as with hot rods themselves, there's a lot of variety that can be achieved without bowing to generic econocars.
----------
On a cellular level, I'm really quite busy!
|
|
Posts: 59 | From: Indianapolis, IN
| Registered: Dec 10, 2006, 8:33 PM
|
|
| |
|
MICKEY41
Cruiser Addict
Posted: Sep 23, 2007, 2:24 PM
Post #73 of 81
(156 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [Ptrope] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
Hi Ptrope, I thought this thread was dead, but the way you brought it back to life is miraculous. I look at your profile and see no occupation listed. You have got to be a writer. I am thankful you defended the interior as far as being comfortable and roomy. It is a very enjoyable ride.
I am also so glad you defended the recognizable shape, something I am a firm believer in. I would love you to design a hot rod looking PTC and still keep the shape that I love. Hot rods are so popular now and that would be such a much better design than what we have been shown as the new 2010. Again great post, Mickey 
----------
2005 ELECTRIC BLUE CLASSIC
Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect.
It means that you have decided to look beyond the imperfections
|
|
Posts: 884 | From: Gilbert, Arizona
| Registered: Apr 24, 2007, 8:45 AM
|
|
| |
|
Ptrope
Cruiser Buff
Posted: Sep 23, 2007, 9:08 PM
Post #74 of 81
(146 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [MICKEY41] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
Glad you liked it, Mickey! Actually, I'm a data wrangler for a document management company; I like to write, but I'm not a 'writer' (yet!). My first love, though, is cars, and esp. design.
If I were at Chrysler, and trying to be practical, I'd look at the Caliber platform for the next PT Cruiser; the Caliber already has some of the hard points that would work under Cruiser-esque lines. On the same platform, and in line with my idea of a PT inspired by the '32 Ford Tudor, Chrysler already has an upright windshield on the Caliber platform, in the Jeep Patriot. I could see that as a starting point, with a clean, retro-inspired body that repeats the tail-high "jacked up" stance that really distinguishes the PT Cruiser, even from the HHR. A tapered nose with a full-height grille, as demonstrated by Chrysler's own 300, would sit between prominent fenders that would be echoed in the rear, just as with the current one.
One advantage of the Caliber platform is the potential of an SRT-4 version, a REAL hot rod, with exhaust tuning that would sound more like a rod than a tuner.
One of the biggest things I'd hope to see in a new Cruiser would be an interior that echoes the hot rods that inspire it. Two dash panels that match the exterior isn't enough; the VW New Beetle has already demonstrated a modern interior that has large expanses of 'sheetmetal,' painted to match the body, and still manages to be modern and retro at the same time. I'd like to see this in the next Cruiser, even a body-colored center console, rather than expanses of hard gray plastic that only looks like leather - if it's hard, paint it! If it looks like leather, make it soft to the touch! There are thousands of gorgeous Deuce interiors out there that mix materials and STILL look more luxurious and comfortable than what you'll see in a Lexus :).
Chrysler has an opportunity to step up the game, and they need to show the world that they can be the style leader again. The PT Cruiser is a perfect market to set themselves apart, and above, the generic.
----------
On a cellular level, I'm really quite busy!
|
|
Posts: 59 | From: Indianapolis, IN
| Registered: Dec 10, 2006, 8:33 PM
|
|
| |
|
MICKEY41
Cruiser Addict
Posted: Sep 23, 2007, 9:20 PM
Post #75 of 81
(145 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [Ptrope] That "Other" Retro Wagon...
|
Can't Post
|
|
Great again Ptrope, I think you should go work for Chrysler as head of the design team. I have a picture of what you could use to combine the PT with a hot rod, I have the hot rod part but you have to take it and Cruiser it out, OK?
I wish I knew how to put it in the body of the email but I don't, forgive me, Mickey
Do you like that? lol
----------
2005 ELECTRIC BLUE CLASSIC
Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect.
It means that you have decided to look beyond the imperfections
|
|
Attachments:
|
Reds%20Charity%20Day%20012[1].jpg
(67.6 KB)
|
|
Posts: 884 | From: Gilbert, Arizona
| Registered: Apr 24, 2007, 8:45 AM
|
|
| |
|
|
Product Reviews |
 |
|
MAIN
SEARCH
WHO'S
LOG 
