If you've read my other auto reviews, you'll know that most of my driving is with rental cars, usually with low miles. I'll recap what you need to know about all this. Rentals suffer from having multiple drivers, many of whom don't really care whether or not the cars make it to 20,000 miles, so I usually double the odometer reading as an estimate for how many miles a rental car has seen. That having been said, I've driven several 2003 PT Cruisers ranging from just 100 odometer miles to 12,000 (actual) odometer miles. I typically put on about 1000 miles on each car. I've totaled about 4,000 on these PT Cruisers. Here's what I've found...

Whether at 100 or 12,000 miles, these cars have been rattle-free. Trim pieces, switch gear, miscellaneous hardware, all seem as good as new. This speaks to the generally high build quality of these cars.

Interior trim is stylish and (for the most part functional). There are enough cup holders, the CD stereo puts out good sound (though with the windows down at highway speed I sometimes wished for a few extra watts of power), switchgear has a nice quality feel to them. The body-color trim above the glove box is a nice touch...very retro. The instrument cluster is functional (with a tachometer included). I don't care for the power mirror switches located on the center of the dash. Even after all these miles, I still find myself searching on the driver's side door for them before remembering to go to the dash. I also don't care for the air vents on the dash, which are round, look cool, and blend well with the rest of the stylized interior, but are finicky to adjust properly. The seats in both front and rear are very comfortable, almost cushy, while still providing enough lateral support for typical driving. Visibility is fairly good. Luggage space with rear seats in place is nothing to write home about, but the seats come out/fold for greater flexibility. Overall, I'd give the interior high grades for both workmanship, practicality, and aesthetics.

Exterior...style is what this car is all about. The flowing retro fenders flow neatly around the boxy cabin, creating a 30's style gangster mobile look. Trim is nice and quality of paint is good. No complaints here. One suggestion is that you opt for body-colored lower trim instead of the gray plastic trim on low-end models. It's worth the difference, especially on such a fundamentally stylish car.

Performance is adequate and not much more than that. The engine performs unobtrusively, but this is not a performance car. Handling is secure enough, with minimal body lean. Brakes performed well.

So there it is. This car is about comfort, practicality, and style in a reasonably priced (around $17,000 base) package. A nice cut above your typical minivan and less expensive than all but the smallest of SUV's.
Amount Paid (US$): NA