Ventura County Star - December 08, 2000
PT Cruiser Club in the News | PT Cruiser News Discussion Forums
A modern-day throwback to an era long gone, the little 'tall car' has lots of interest
By Wendy Dager - Correspondent, Ventura County Star
She is riding high, both figuratively and literally. The high she's feeling might be because the PT Cruiser, with its "tall car" look, has seats that sit up slightly more than the average sedan. But it's more likely the real high comes from owning a vehicle that creates a clamor at every stoplight.
"I'm really hoping it doesn't cause a wreck because of the staring of other drivers on the road," Reed said.
The Cruiser, modeled on cars of the past, is sleek, shiny and innovative in its design. But, mostly, it's hot, hot, hot. So, hot, in fact, it would be tempting to paint flames along its sides.
While Reed wasn't interested in a fiery statement, she says she would have liked a bit of pinstriping on her taupe beauty. Still, the customization -- including painted-on detailing -- that seems popular among owners of the hard-to-get Cruiser remains almost an afterthought. That's because the vehicle itself, even in unimproved, base model condition, is a novelty.
An amazing fact, since the PT Cruiser was introduced nearly two years ago, in January 1999. Reed, who had been driving a Dodge truck, got her Cruiser this summer and has been having an adventure nearly every day as she drives the car to her job teaching second grade in Moorpark.
Her husband, a high school teacher, has been a vintage car buff for many years. The couple also has a Mercury woody and a 1948 Chevy, but Cynthia Reed prefers to drive her Cruiser.
"I like the look of an old car with all the new car things on it," she said.
Apparently, Reed is not alone. With the demand for the Cruiser reaching epic proportions, more than 130,000 have been ordered, including 40,000 for overseas markets. Currently, the Cruiser is produced at the DaimlerChrysler plant in Toluca, Mexico, which manages to turn out 40 vehicles per hour. Yet, this isn't nearly enough to satisfy those yearning to drive the car the Road and Track Guide to the Chrysler PT Cruiser says is "different-looking E blend(ing) a late-1930s Ford nose and a four-door body style with a panel delivery vehicle."
Many Chrysler dealers have waiting lists, and most are charging upwards of $2,000 above the $16,500 (base model) sticker price. Chrysler has issued a memo asking dealers to keep the price at MSRP, but, since dealerships are independently owned, most dealers don't heed the request. Reed and her husband, who waited a month for their Cruiser, paid an additional $5,000, but they don't regret it for a moment.
"The price was so reasonable that it didn't really bother us," she said.
Many Cruiser owners agree. With the average price of a car well over $20,000, the PT Cruiser still is within the means of those who want to own something that not only looks like a hot rod but has its practical points as well.
Classified as a truck and built on a Dodge Neon frame, it is actually 5 inches shorter than the Neon, making it compact enough to maneuver better than the standard sport utility vehicle. Like an SUV, however, when the Cruiser's seats are folded down, there is more than adequate cargo space -- enough to carry an 8-foot ladder.
"It's kind of like a small van," Reed said. "It's really versatile."
This versatility, along with its "fun factor," has made the PT Cruiser Motor Trend's 2001 Car of the Year. The Cruiser's distinctive features are outlined in the January 2001 issue of Motor Trend, but for an abundance of information, anyone interested in the Cruiser should check out www.ptcruiserclub.org, the official Web site of the PT Cruiser Club.
Long Beach, Wash., resident Michael Challis began the club in September of 1999.
"I was a gold-level Chrysler technician for 12 years," said the 33-year-old Challis. "I put my extensive background with Chrysler vehicles together with my skills at the Internet and started the club. Then, the club got so big and so busy that I run it full time. I didn't expect it to get this big so fast."
With nearly 4,600 members -- 30 percent of whom who don't even have their Cruisers yet -- the Web site, which is not affiliated with DaimlerChrysler Corp., gets 450,000 hits a day.
"There are so many people who are glad they found (the site)," Challis said. "It's one of the biggest resources of PT Cruiser information on the Internet. We have events going on all over the country. Even people who aren't members can participate in the events."
The site also conducts polls that include Cruiser owner demographics and favorite color choices and has member perks such as the ability to view photos of some of the most unique Cruisers around, including some that appear at industry shows.
"At the customizers' convention last month in Las Vegas, there were 70 custom PT Cruisers," Challis said. "I would say the coolest one I've seen is the Decoma Cruiser. It's like a woody, and is yellow with a matching yellow trailer with a yellow Indian motorcycle in it."
Also at the Las Vegas convention was rockabilly star and former Stray Cats' band member Brian Setzer. The consummate cool guy, Setzer is a Cruiser owner.
"He opens up the back and he keeps his guitar in it and he can play right next to it," Challis said.
But cool isn't the only thing that sells the vehicle.
"It's put together really nice," Challis said. "There haven't been any major flaws. The warranty service data is pretty low and there aren't many problems with it."
Since the engine is a relatively small 4-cylinder, rumors have been circulating about the availability of a turbo-charged model for the year 2003. Currently, both a panel cruiser and GT cruiser are being exhibited as what DaimlerChrysler is calling "concept vehicles."
"They haven't officially announced their availability," Challis said.
There are after-market parts available, however, including a supercharger. Challis, with his mechanical expertise, is anxious to add it to his own Cruiser.
"I'm going to put it on as soon as it's available," Challis said.
The supercharger should add some muscle to Challis' car, which features magnetic flames on its sides.
And, flames are very, very hot -- much like the phenomenon that is the Chrysler PT Cruiser.
------
On the Net: For information about the PT Cruiser, DaimlerChrysler's Web site is www.ptcruiser.com. To join the PT Cruiser Club, check out www.ptcruiserclub.org.