My PT Cruiser disappointed me big time on the Florida trip. While it was nice to have the top down in the beach areas, the gas mileage this car got on the highway was shameful. I had heard many stories of poor fuel mileage from these cars but my Moms has always done pretty well so I figured the people complaining were just driving the cars too hard. Back and forth to work it has been getting 20-21 with me boosting it sometimes. This is about the same mileage the GP gets under the same conditions but that mileage improves dramatically on a highway run with cruise control. So I had hoped for similar results with the PT. The best mileage was on the Overseas Highway to Key West where the speed limits are 45-55mph and strictly enforced. This tank brought 23-24mpg. However on the interstate with cruise control at a steady 65-70mph (just like I do the GP) the mileage plunged to 20mpg. I could almost see that figure if I were running 85-90mph with my hair on fire but for civilized travel its positively insulting. Shoot, our Montana does better than that and at least it has the excuse of weight and wind resistance. The seats also proved to be a sore spot (pun intended) they are fine for the short run but after about 3-4hours in the saddle I felt like I was sitting on a stone and my back made its complaint known. To me, highway cruising has almost always been the most enjoyable driving I do. If I cant enjoy me car under those conditions then it doesnt do me much good. Slower speed backroad cruising has always been the element of the convertible and that part it has done well, but if it cant handle the travel portions of a trip then its a non-starter. So as soon as I get the Aztek squared away I believe I will be de-modding the PT and preparing to trade it away. I'm about ready to investigate installing a ragtop sunroof in the GP and retiring the whole convertible affair altogether. Maybe something more practical to serve as a true daily driver so I can move the T-Bat even farther into "playtoy only" status.
i would say de-mod the Neon(pt cruiser) then buy a Chrysler Sebring one of my friends recently bought one and loves it. im not sure what she gets gas mileage wise but the car is much more enjoyable then the Neon.
He actually used have Chrysler Sebring. He trade or sell (not remember) for PT Cruiser. Good luck for whatever plan you do. Next time don't buy car and install exhaust few days later quickly like you did to PT Cruiser already.
Originally posted by jeremy: i would say de-mod the Neon(pt cruiser) then buy a Chrysler Sebring one of my friends recently bought one and loves it....
Yeah that pic 20gtp02 posted was my first Sebring which was an 04...that was actually a pretty nice car but I had too many nagging little issues with the 2.7 engine. The Sebring message board I was on was little help since most all of them just took the cars to their local dealers. Virtually no aftermarket support as well. I can easily change the exhaust back to stock on the Cruiser since I still have the original muffler and tailpipe.
My commute back and forth to work involves quite a bit of stop and go plus a little highway where I tend to get the happy foot for on ramps...so 20-22mpg is actually pretty good. The T-Bat gets excellent mileage on the long highway stretch so no complaints there.
The newer 08-up Sebring convertibles are pretty nice. The one we rented in San Diego was pretty sweet (Touring model) but having two 2dr cars just doesnt seem to make much sense. I try not to fold her car into any of my plans so the Aztek will just be maintained by me.
I'm thinking more along the lines of a sporty sedan to serve as DD so I can move forward with top swap, paint and other mods on the T-Bat. I need to check around locally and see if one of those ragtop sunroofs could be installed and how much it cost. The kits seem to be pretty reasonable but the install could be whole other animal.
My first choice for a sedan would hands down be a Bonneville with a newer Charger as a close second. I suppose a lot will depend on how much I can get for the PT.
the one I was thinking of is a folding ragtop that goes almost the whole length of the roof. If I got a set of roof rails I think it would almost hide it from view from the sides. I've seen them on few cars, if the install is done right I think it looks pretty good...not like those glass jobs where you can see the sealant gooped on all around it.
As far as a Bonneville goes, I would pop for an SLE. I love the dependability of the 3800 and there are more of them available. Whatever I get it will most likely be a V6 model. Part of this whole idea is to get me down to just ONE playtoy instead of two cars that I'm always thinking of modding (one is expensive enough) and I still have so many things I want to mod on the T-Bat.
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