Chrysler PT Cruiser

I'm not a big car fanatic, and I with most cars I can't even immediately tell you what brand they are when I see them. But this week in the USA my rental car was a Chrysler PT Cruiser, and that car has such a unique shape, even I could recognize it.

I didn't choose it, but I was quite happy when I found out what I had got. The PT Cruiser is a "small" car, compared to American standards, but it has lots of headroom, and it being short in length just makes it more maneuverable. The driver is placed relatively high, and I like that, it gives me a much better view around than a low built car. Drove 200 miles in one stretch with it, nearly 4 hours at US speed limits, and found the drive quite comfortable. Of course in the US I can use cruise control, which wouldn't be a good idea on most European highways.

But of course the major attraction of this car is the retro look, reminding you of Chicago in the 30s, or Al Capone. I find the car looks pretty cool. Nevertheless I wouldn't buy one, the cool look comes with a hefty price tag over here in Europe. The basic 1.6 version already costs 16.000 Euro, and the better 2.2 model cost 22.000 Euro. (Multiply with 1.2 to get the $ price tag.) And for owning a car I tend to prefer reliability over good looks, thus I go for Toyota. But for driving it as a rental for a week, the PT Cruiser sure was fun.