2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser Limited Edition review from North America
"I will keep on cruising!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The first thing to go wrong was the serpentine belt adjuster - at 30,000 miles. It went wrong -- and a belt broke. The adjuster also needed replacement.
The next thing was oil appearing from one of the spark plug holes (I noticed this about 5000 miles after a local dealer replaced the spark plugs). They had to replace the spark plug tube seals (in the manifold), and I had them replace the oily spark plug wire (I opted to replace them all).
Then the battery cables corroded very badly, to the point that the car would not start. This may have been caused by a local mechanic who replaced the battery after three years -- and not using Chrysler parts.
At 49,000 miles, the air conditioning went south. I live in an extremely hot area of the country, so this was a drag. Under a separately purchased warranty, the dealer replaced the condenser, compressor, dryer, hoses -- the whole shebang. That would have cost me $1500.00 if I hadn't bought the extra warranty.
By the way, the original Goodyear tires needed replacement at 25,000. I expected more from Goodyear.
The front brakes were replaced at 45,000 miles. From what I've heard, I got a lot more miles than many on this issue.
General comments?
Aside from a few haunting noises from a nut or bolt in the interior of the car (which elude me to this day), I am quite pleased with our Cruiser. It only gets 24 MPG on the highway -- but we travel about 70 MPH, and use the air conditioner whenever we travel. So I should not complain, I suppose -- unless gas goes through the roof again.
I am especially happy about the fact that I can put my seats down -- or take them out completely -- and stack wood fencing (like 8 ft. 4X4's) in the car. Also, I had to replace a dishwasher in our home, and the new dishwasher (box and all) fit in the back with no trouble.
I have heard some bad reviews about trans going out -- and this scares me a little. But, so far, no problems in that area. It's a good idea to change transmission oil at least every 50,000 miles, folks.
Recommended reviews
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| 2003 - PT Cruiser Touring Edition 2.4L 4 Cylinder Love it! Great fun to drive and feels well built |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Model year | 2003 |
| Year of manufacture | 2003 |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2009 |
| Engine and transmission | Non turbo Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 9 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 200 miles |
| Most recent distance | 58000 miles |
| Previous car | Subaru GL |
| Date of Entry | 22nd March, 2009 |