I purchased the PT Cruiser Limited Edition in 2005 with 44,122 miles already on it. My original intent was to buy a used Nissan Sentra because of their reliability. But when I saw the PT Cruiser, I fell in love with the nostalgic look of the car and all the great features. I made an offer and drove off in the car that same evening.
Prior to the automatic transmission going out at 181,965 miles in 2014, the only major thing that happened was the dashboard cracking badly and the control knob for the fog lights going out (electrical problem). When the transmission went out it was without warning and at the time it would only stay in 1st gear. I always took in my car in for scheduled maintenance and it was garaged.
My mechanic said that it would cost me $3,375.00 for another transmission and I was also coming due for a timing belt service ($1,100.00). To make matter worst, he informed me that the place he gets his transmissions from said that this was not uncommon with the PT Cruiser. They even had two transmissions already in stock.
After several days of soul searching, I decided to purchase a new car and trade the PT Cruiser in.
It saddens me that a major American automotive manufacture like Chrysler wouldn't have addressed this issue by now. I've read so many similar complaints. To date, no recalls.
The PT Cruiser has a very large following and I was planning to join a PT Cruiser Car Club upon my retirement from the military. Even with the low resale value ($1,000), my intent was to invest in upgrades and continue driving the car for a long time.
I purchased the PT Cruiser Limited Edition in 2005 with 44,122 miles already on it. My original intent was to buy a used Nissan Sentra because of their reliability. But when I saw the PT Cruiser, I fell in love with the nostalgic look of the car and all the great features. I made an offer and drove off in the car that same evening.
Prior to the automatic transmission going out at 181,965 miles in 2014, the only major thing that happened was the dashboard cracking badly and the control knob for the fog lights going out (electrical problem). When the transmission went out it was without warning and at the time it would only stay in 1st gear. I always took in my car in for scheduled maintenance and it was garaged.
My mechanic said that it would cost me $3,375.00 for another transmission and I was also coming due for a timing belt service ($1,100.00). To make matter worst, he informed me that the place he gets his transmissions from said that this was not uncommon with the PT Cruiser. They even had two transmissions already in stock.
After several days of soul searching, I decided to purchase a new car and trade the PT Cruiser in.
It saddens me that a major American automotive manufacture like Chrysler wouldn't have addressed this issue by now. I've read so many similar complaints. To date, no recalls.
The PT Cruiser has a very large following and I was planning to join a PT Cruiser Car Club upon my retirement from the military. Even with the low resale value ($1,000), my intent was to invest in upgrades and continue driving the car for a long time.
- rbsmith13, Oceanside, CA, US