Should I buy a pt cruiser?

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BigPapaJava@reddit

It’s a low mile used car with no known issues that runs for $2500. That’s a steal. Buy it!

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ajm91730@reddit

Is it a good car? No.

Is it a good $2500 car? Absolutely.

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WolfThick@reddit

I personally think they look like Hurses for pets.

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------_____-_@reddit

Even though it sounds like a steal the PT Cruiser wasn’t a good car in the first place.

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seajayacas@reddit

It ran and drove just fine. Not up to the standards of some drivers though.

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I think the bad reputation came from a lot of older owners who never services them and only drove 1000 miles each year, and the older owners were probably a solid majority from what I've seen. The one my grandfather had still ran great when they sold it and never had any mechanical issues, they just aren't fast or super comfortable.

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overindulgent@reddit

The older owners took great care of them. It was the second and third owners…

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jstar77@reddit

But it wasn't an awful car either. Tough to find a reasonably reliable beater with a heater at that price let alone one with low mileage.

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FindingUsernamesSuck@reddit

They came with a turbocharged engine option in their later years, that made them legitimately quick.

I would (occasionally) drive a convertible PT Cruiser for the novelty of it.

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------_____-_@reddit

I guess so. It’s either this or a Toyota with 300k miles on it at that price.

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Twistygt@reddit

PT’s a decent cars in general, with low mileage and no faults, sounds like a solid buy. As lamented as they are for being “lame”. They get decent mileage, are fairly practical, and dirt cheap to repair. Why not?

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Tickles-The-Octopus@reddit

they are more "interesting" than most other econoboxes out there.

I agree and have said this forever.

They are not my thing, but I respect them for trying to be a little unique when most cars, especially cheaper economy cars are the same basic shape and style and are just boring. I respect car makers when they go a little outside the box styling wise and make something interesting instead of something that is boring, even if I don't like the styling choices myself.

Also agree that they are pretty decent in general. I am a mechanic and although there is nothing outstanding about their reliability they have no giant red flags and if it has been decently taken care of they can certainly serve you well.

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EvitaPuppy@reddit

Didn't they make a turbo version?

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JolyonWagg99@reddit

They sure did. Torque steer like crazy

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overindulgent@reddit

Made a turbo PT Cruise as well. You could even get it in a convertible.

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FarmerDave13@reddit

Had a turbo, 5 sp expresso. Was a blast. Damn deer .....

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Twistygt@reddit

Mechanic here as well. Just like you said, nothing glaring, nothing terrible.

I always found it funny how people would absolutely trash neons, cavalier, focus, etc… compared to Japanese cars. Are they as good? Of course not, but when you started to see the price spread on used ones grow, it was like, hell yeah! Why not? It’s not like they would fall apart at a quarter of the mileage if maintained, and they are so cheap to repair.

When it comes to $5k shitboxes, I’d take super clean domestic VS an okay, worn in import. And these were usually the choices at this price point.

And I worked for Toyota and am all about that JDM life LOL.

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Andy_850TB@reddit

Some Neons were an absolute stone cold blast to drive.

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overindulgent@reddit

Interesting? Yes. Decent gas mileage? Nope. Expect like 24 miles per gallon.

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dumpin-on-time@reddit

i thought they had a reputation of turning to shit after a few years

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OperationAsshat@reddit

In general they are kinda ass, but it's not like they don't keep running when you maintain them properly. The biggest issue I had driving one was the cruise varying 20mph whether you were going up or down a relatively small hill, but it ran just fine for a long while because it was taken care of.

They are slow and aren't the most comfortable thing, but I have still always liked them in spite of that stuff.

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DickWhittingtonsCat@reddit

2500 isn’t shit nowadays. I hated these things and in your shoes I’d probably do it- but…

Why so cheap and so suddenly. Make sure he isn’t selling you his problem.

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TeamFoulmouth@reddit

They catch shit from everyone cuz they look like shit, not because theyre complete shit...They were made when Chrysler wasnt shit...

Shit

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ReptarSonOfGodzilla@reddit

I remember when they were new. They were shit. The convertible was borderline dangerous with the top down due to the massive blind spots. The manual’s clutch and shifter were atrocious, anemic engine, and ugly to cap it off. Maybe they were mechanically ok, but everything else is pretty bad.

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LateNeedleworker6395@reddit

shit cuz shit theyre wasnt shit shit shit = you’re shit

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k3y4n0w@reddit

NO

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Wonderful-Victory947@reddit

$2500 is super cheap for a decent car. I just put $1200 in tires on my truck!

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HickoryHollow@reddit

I bought a 2010 PT with 42000 miles and your same price of $2500. Both you and me got a very good deal. PT works well. Mileage is never better than 24 MPG. Keep checking your oil, it uses a tiny bit. Only problem is the driver side WATTS Link arm is worn, noisy and needs replacement. Anyone here ever replace one?

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acreekofsoap@reddit

Are you Dwight and do you work at Dunder Mifflin by chance?

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ferraricare@reddit

No!

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TweeksTurbos@reddit

I still see them on the road strangely almost daily so i figure they must be decent.

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SnooStories7409@reddit

I haven’t seen one of those in the wild in a WHILE I wonder if it’s because they’re not reliable or because I don’t live in California anymore lol

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JolyonWagg99@reddit

My dad owned one for years and it was, kinda okay

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Individual-Area7121@reddit

Unpopular opinion, but I think they’re getting to be kinda cool again, especially if it’s in nice shape cosmetically, too.

At $2500, I’d absolutely jump on that. Just curious what year and color? Is it the turbo version?

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Interesting-Cause613@reddit

Former PT cruiser owner. Drove well. Comfortable. Mileage is terrible. Drove interstate for 1200 miles to Florida with it for vacation shortly after buying. Got 25-26 at best on the highway trip. And 23-24 in city. Not great fuel mileage at all. This was not calculated by built in fuel mileage gauge. Confirmed with my own calculations.

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SpeedyHAM79@reddit

No. Do not buy a pt cruiser. Get something else and maintain your dignity.

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jrileyy229@reddit

Any car that you know has a good history with only 47k miles you should buy for $2500

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thesockmonkey86@reddit

I remember when there was so much hype about those things. My godmother was even considering getting one and she wound up buying an Altima(which had to be lemon lawed) and then another Altima and then a Kia Optima that she kept it for 10 years. But anyway.

A $2500 running and driving car in this market is a steal. If it doesn’t need any work done to it you’re probably in the clear. Just check for rust if you’re in a rust state

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Bubbly-Pirate-3311@reddit

Naw fuck naw get literally anything else

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Jegan_V@reddit

The good, its got Neon mechanical parts which have proven to be pretty decently reliable. The other good, it has surprisingly good visibility inside, and its cargo area is rather big. The bad, the youngest PT is 17 years old the oldest is about 26 years old, and its a PT Cruiser...it gives you negative charisma. The car actively repulses people hence why I note the negative charisma, maybe its died down in the years because so many started disappearing, but be prepared.

You still want to get it looked over, this is really low mileage for a car this old. Worth paying for that inspection just to make sure, even if its not a whole lot of money, paying one hour of a mechanic's time could save you a total loss.

I personally don't like them, having driven a few myself and being a car I never liked driving. But as a beater...objectively at such a low price and such low mileage you might be getting a steal as far as cheap transportation on the automobile side.

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RLBeau1964@reddit

This feels like a can’t go wrong deal, bet you could sell at Carmax and make a profit.

Buy it, drive it and if things start to go awry, sell it to carmax.

This feels like a you can’t lose deal.

Just realize it’s old and used, and hasn’t been driven to death, which means you don’t want to beat the hell out of it, either. If you get 1-2 out of it, you’re ahead.

Remember, it it dies - your buying cheap as is car. Friend of mine bought a company car years ago and is still going strong today. It was a better vehicle, but getting a company car is just a good buy, usually.

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hellomister602@reddit

I'd recommend looking up review videos of the car youre looking to buy.

But I personally wouldn't buy a PT cruiser. Get a Toyota or Honda instead. Much more reliable and cheaper to fix.

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HaphazardFlitBipper@reddit

Chryslers in general are junk, but it's hard to argue with a safe running vehicle for $2500. That's cheap.

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RLBeau1964@reddit

Agree. I’m tempted to track it down, lol.

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dotherightthing36@reddit

Do yourself a favor and go seek out a high volume mechanic and ask him his opinion on a PT cruiser, I can't imagine him telling you it's a good buy a good car or anything even close to that. LOL

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Educational-Tone2074@reddit

Don't buy grandma's car.

Its $2500 for a reason. Its a lame car. Its a lady wagon. Regardless of wanting cheap transportation this car will cost you in loss of respect from your friends and family.

I know a guy who drove a PT Cruiser years ago and we still laugh at him.

Take that $2500 and buy something respectable.

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SpankyDammit@reddit

We’ve owned two. They were decent cars and the 2.4 has a beefy bottom end. When it comes time for the timing belt, those are a serious PITA. If you’re not mechanically inclined, find a shop willing to do it.

When I did the brakes on our ‘02, I watched the calipers flex while my wife pumped the brakes. While shocking to me, I haven’t heard of serious brake problems with PT’s, just something to consider.

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dotherightthing36@reddit

The only reason to buy a PT Cruiser is if it was The Limited production convertible model. Those cars have always had engine problems specifically head gasket issues as well as transmission problems. Even at low miles they have always developed problems

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One-Grapefruit-6548@reddit

I had a friend in high school who drove one and she called it her PT loser

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Mundane-Exercise6333@reddit

Omg I hate the midget hearse but 47k miles and $2500 is a no-brainer. What’s your boss’ phone number I’m calling him now 😂

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Gr8tWh1te@reddit

you’d have a hard time finding another car with those low miles in that price range. If it’s been regularly serviced, go for it.

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elmariachi304@reddit

Well, shop around for used cars around $2500. How do the other choices at the same price point compare?

You can get sooo much more car if you save until you have 4 or 5K

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ActionJackson75@reddit

I'd argue that a low milage PT cruiser without issues is a 4-5k car, normally. So this sounds like a good deal to me if what they want is a deal.

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Minimum-Function1312@reddit

Exactly this!

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PolybiusChampion@reddit

He’s offering you a great deal. A dealer would happily pay him 3k then resell it for 5-6k.

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Bulocoo@reddit

Known history, $2500. Get it...

Before I do - LOL...

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Gahreesen@reddit

One thing to consider is if something breaks on the car are you going to be mad at your boss? Many people including myself will never sell a car to friends, family or coworkers. There is always the chance the transmission falls out of it right after you sell it. That sucks, but it's a used car, and if shit happens, I don't want people I know upset with me.

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disabledMasshole@reddit

Egh.
Get an 2004 Buick LeSabre

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Boring-red@reddit

If you need a vehicle for some reason for sure buy it. If this PT is relatively clean I imagine you can keep it on the road for a few years for really cheap.

At $2500-$5000 you never know what you’re going to get so at least you know some of the history with this car.

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Independent_Good5423@reddit

Which year?

The interior kinda ass tho

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Independent_Good5423@reddit

Get it to 1.4k, its a loaner car