I stumbled onto one of these today, while grazing at a used car dealer..it was an '04 in really, really good shape, 75K miles. My wife and I like the styling, but I know nothing of these cars...searches provide good/bad reviews..but no general consensus...So, while I'm waiting for a thumbs up from an admin at a PT-forum based website I figured I'd get a feel from you all..
ONLY problem with me and this car is it's an auto..breaks my heart, seriously. But it would mean my wife could drive it too...I'm not really sure if I'm interested in it enough to buy it, but at the price, I could haggle and pay cash and it wouldn't kill my bank account much at all.
Do these cars have aftermarket support like SRT's? Is it the same engine as the SRT? If I can safely boot this car to mid 200's and it not be a complete dog to drive, I'd probably consider it.
PS: Probably going to be a lot of posts like this from me for the next few weeks as I close in on a newish vehicle. I hope you don't mind, but I've been here awhile and I hate to say it, but I do rely on some of your responses to help me make decisions-vehicular speaking.
cody use to have a pt cruiser
The turbo PT is basically the SRT-4, same engine and what not
So, it should definently be worth 7K with 75K miles on it, considering clear title and excellent, excellent shape? I've always liked the styling, it's cheap, turbo
I just wish something could be done about the tranny....Automatics break my heart. I checked the KBB, it said 12K...so I'm thinking it is probably a salvaged title or something. When I dropped by the dealer it was closed already so I couldn't really get anymore information.
They seem like pretty cheap built cars..but I only need it to last 3 years, about 15K miles at most....Paying cash I could probably get it for a LOT less.
Update: Test drove the car today and I really, really enjoyed it. It's the light turbo model, so it's only pushing 180hp. With the stage 1 kit, it goes up to like 245hp...for only 600$. I'm seriously considering buying it. It drove really well, and I enjoyed the auto tranny. It shifted very well and for weight/height..it honestly felt sporty.
I called a couple of the larger dealers in my area and am asking them to try and beat it. If I can't find a better price in like a week, I'll probably go pick it up. Title is clear and I have the vin to do a Carfax..need to do that now actually.
The only issue it had was a really, really light shimmy/shake at 45mph. I'm thinking it is more than likely a balancing/alighnment issue..But to make sure, if I get really serious about it I may have Chrysler or my mechanic put it up on a lift to double check it.
basically the same motor, run 2lbs less boost, no lsd and the exhaust is more restrictive on the pt. oh and its a heavy mother. ive run a few there quick. but a 5 speed eco is just as fast with cold air, a header and header back exhaust. stock srts on the other hand hand me my ass by about 4 car lenghts by the end of the quarter.
the shimmy/shaking could be as simple as a loose lug nut. does this continue after 45mph or go away?
My fiance had one and ended up paying more for repairs then he did for the whole car.
At 60k he had gone through 3 water pumps, 3 thermostats, a head gasket, and a couple other things.
If anything goes wrong with it be sure to have lots of money in the bank to be able to pay for repairs.
Brakes are even really expensive for that thing.
ecosleeper wrote:basically the same motor, run 2lbs less boost, no lsd and the exhaust is more restrictive on the pt. oh and its a heavy mother. ive run a few there quick. but a 5 speed eco is just as fast with cold air, a header and header back exhaust. stock srts on the other hand hand me my ass by about 4 car lenghts by the end of the quarter.
Ty much for the information! The shimmy/shake stops after 45 mph. In all honesty, I think I'll be looking elsewhere. I think it's just too many miles for me. I think I'll start looking for the GT version(Higher output and nicer interior).
A lot of guys are saying the transmission is a weakpoint..and it looks like I'm getting an auto for sure. The transmission code is 41TE. I don't play on running anythign over stage 1 stats for a long while..but someday, it'd be nice to push it up a little bit....Just worried about the longevity of the transmission.
Crap Sommer..that sounds like a real lemon. I have heard repairs for the car are expensive..but overall it seems to be one of the lesser problem children for Chrysler.
PS: checked carfax..in a year and a few months the first owner put almost 30K miles on it.....It'd almost have to be all highway, and the car is in such sick shape..I still consider it...I'm finding better deals, like 1K dollars more, but with half the miles..but they are a solid 5-6 hour drive away. Just trying to see what's better..more headache now, or more headahce later..probably best to get it out of the way early.
heh that pt beat me @ a carshow not too long ago
it's a nice car in person, too bad he snaps axels like crazy now, (its also around 800whp.....)
watch for flying sparks!!!
It's a Dodge, and an '04. It's life is almost over.
2010 Honda Fit LX
Scott Ryman wrote:It's a Dodge, and an '04. It's life is almost over.
Ugh..I don't want to hear that already, lol. I'm not really caring about the year of the car, just going by mileage. If i can't find anything like that I'll move on.
It's just seems dumb to me to buy a lat 90's Civic with 150K+ miles for the same price as a mid '00 american made car with <70K miles....That's just going off the prices in my area. I can find good deals, but they're far away. Hell, I looked at a 1998 Corolla with 145K miles yesterday. They were asking 8K for it.
I'm just going off the pretense that I drive VERY little each year...hope that'll save me if I do end up getting a car with a less than perfect track record.
well if you want a pt so bad just buy a neon its the same chasis but diff body i owned a neon and took parts off pts to fix my neon. but those pts are heavy and slower that a neon and the auto mtics dont last long at all dodge builds their stuff cheap and overprice their cars. so imo i would buy an 04 neon srt4 that has the stock quafai LSD 5spd trany and 2.4 turbo for around $15,000 or less since you would spend that amount total to buy a PT and upgrade it.
I'm stuck with an automatic. I don't understand how 8K for an 04 with 40K miles is the same as 15K for an 04 STR4. The GT PT cruisers have the same hp as the STR-4's I believe. And the Stage 1 kit is 700$. So I still don't see how I could spend 7K more dollars upgrading it. I'm not really buying a race car, or a car I plan on radically upgrading right now.
At most, it'll be transmission/oil cooler, Exhaust, Intake, Stage 1..then work on the suspension, that's if I even get that far. This is going to be a DD for me, so I'll probably mess with it as little as possible.
It doesn't sound like a bad deal to me. Do it.
With the Pt in 2003 Chrysler added a turbocharged version that had 220 horsepower at the crank. Both engines could have either a 5-speed manual transmission or 4-speed automatic. It was optional for Touring and Limited models in 2004 to have a 180-hp turbocharged 2.4-liter 4-cylinder which has less power than the SRT-4 which has 230hp with 250tq
at the wheels. which both use the same engine. The PT weighs about 3100lbs the SRT-4 weighs about 2500lbs so even then the weight alone is big difference. you can see some of why the PT isnt as fast as a neon. hopefully this info will help.
exactly what andy said more bang of the buck with an srt4
I never dealt with enough of the turbo PTs when I worked for dodge to tell you if they really had problems or not. Of the few regular PTs that were regular customers though, in all honesty I never had one in for a major issue... Kind of odd considering I did trans' and electrical work on Neons left and right but all the PTs I saw were mostly regular maintenance. They're not that bad of a car, the 2.4 is a tough motor, the only link I'd be concerned about is the trans because Chrysler's transmissions are not known for being very long-lived, and on top of that, I believe the PT turbos had a reinforced version which will be quite rare and thus, expensive.
Arrival Blue 04 LS Sport
Eco
Turbo
Megasquirt
'Nuff said
LiLRedZ24 wrote:With the Pt in 2003 Chrysler added a turbocharged version that had 220 horsepower at the crank. Both engines could have either a 5-speed manual transmission or 4-speed automatic. It was optional for Touring and Limited models in 2004 to have a 180-hp turbocharged 2.4-liter 4-cylinder which has less power than the SRT-4 which has 230hp with 250tq at the wheels. which both use the same engine. The PT weighs about 3100lbs the SRT-4 weighs about 2500lbs so even then the weight alone is big difference. you can see some of why the PT isnt as fast as a neon. hopefully this info will help.
Immensely. Even with all that against it, I think a PT would fit my lifestyle more than the SRT....and unfortunately the price is going to be a big deciding factor as well. God I wish I could get a manual..but the more I think about it the more I think auto is going to be my only option. Are the manual transmissions the same as the SRT's?
There's so much talk about how crappy the auto tranny is maybe I can just flat out tell my wife. "Look..you're learning to drive a 5 speed or we're getting a divorce." See how well that works.
The highest goals I think I could set for this vehicle would be 300 hp at the wheels, a slightly stiffer suspension, and a decent amount of added sound/video goodies...I don't feel like that's too unrealistic..I'd imagine for a auto it would be.
----More than likely it'll just get some very minro upgrades to help it breath a little better..but the above is where I imagine I'd go with it if I am given the opportunity.
no just tell her your getting the manual and youll teach her to drive it, because you can spend about 500-750 less on an automatic. which is going to entail about 1-2 g's more when the diff or clutches fail out. or buy a manual and have to replace the clutch for 300 at 175000 miles. which is a much more cost effective plan of action, plus better mpg when cruising in 4th or 5th gear, oh and best yet faster and more fun to drive. i bought my cav and tought my wife to drive manual in about 2-3 hours. and she hasnt killed it since the second week we got it.
like i said b4 the pt is a neon in disguise and if you have an automatic you will see problems no matter what the five speen is better as long as its not abused if you abuse the manual you will blow out the differencial like i did on my R/T neon. but for a family car they are not too bad its just that dodge/chrysler do not put quality into there vehicles so when it breaks they blame you and do nothing but send you the bill for repair. I'm not dising dodge/chysler but too many ppl go down that path and suffer. my friends durango has had a new engine installed and 6mo. later the car dies for no reason and now is an enormous paper weight that he still makes payments on. just becareful when you buy from these guys.
My mom's PT cruiser has had lots of electrical problems and there are a good many recalls. Most Mopars from 1995-2005 seem to have the electrical gremlin.
Well..let me ask you guys a question..would I be better off buying a different car as opposed to going this route?
I honestly don't need 4 doors..it's just something to make my life easier with my son(that's like two days a week at most)
I only drive 6 or so thousand miles a year..so mpg isn't a really big concern of mine.
My dad is trying to convince me to buy more of a sports car..Mustang, Tranz Am type car...
I'm kinda for that, but I'm also hesistant.
I'd just like something small, that's quick and can be made fast, reliable, and is going to be cheap with low miles. Lol. I want too many things.
you could try looking at the chevy HHR some what looks the same as a pt. For $8-10k I dont know if that would get you one though. they come with two diff engine sizes either 2.2 eco or 2.4 eco. Seats 5ppl and you can make room for cargo too. what i find funny though is it doesnt matter if its automatic or manual they both get the same gas milage which is 23city/30+ highway. Im only offering this info because it is compareable to the PT. also like i said about the pt this car is built off the colbalt chasis. but the HHR had great reviews and ppl that own them like them and i coulnd find any bad reviews. People also said it comes well equiped for the price and warranty for rust etc was good. so maybe this is close to what you want.
