what do you think of a person with a Chrysler PT Cruiser?

Question 1
what do you think of a person with a Chrysler PT Cruiser?...  a) If a teenage girl has a Chrysler PT Cruiser
b) If a teenage boy has a Chrysler PT Cruiser
c) If an adult (male or female) has a Chrysler PT Cruiser
I recently got one and my older brother (He has a Kia Forte Koup) said that it's the worst car ever. So, do you think it is really that bad? (I'll still use it regardless of the answer)

Answers
1)   not much - ken k

2)   I don't think anything of it. I don't judge people by what they drive, its a dumb as judging them by what color they are. Maybe it's their friend's car. Maybe they borrowed it. Maybe they inherited it from their grandpa, and it has sentimental value. Don't worry about it. - D

3)   a)they drive a PT Cruiser.
b)they also drive a PT Cruiser.
c)they too, drive a PT Cruiser.

That's about it. Other than a brief thought..."Do they know it's really a Neon?" - Sean

4)   don't judge people by what they drive. - roadawg

5)   Does not matter what they drive, a person is not judged by what they drive, eat, or what color they are, they are judged by their actions. People who judge others based on what they drive should look at the mirror themselves and as why they are so superficial when they have so many flaws themselves. - wiseornotyoudecide

6)   i call myself a looser and think its ugly everytime I get in mine. - Just Me.

7)   don't judge a person by what they drive. go by who they are. - badbill1941

8)   Well I see a lot of different age groups driving PT cruisers including males and females, people even mod them so I don't think it's made for a certain gender or age group. I'm about to buy one and I'm 19 so it's all about if you like it because it's going to be you driving the vehicle majority of the time not anyone else. - ravenr17


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Question 2
Why is Chrysler sitting at the free money trough with Ford and GM?...  Ford and GM are publicly traded companies and their stock is subject to impact average Americans and their retirement plans. I don't agree with a bail out, but I see why they are at the table begging. I can't believe no Senator or Representative in either of these trips to Washington asked Chrysler why they were there also. They are a private firm held by a private company that has plenty of money. If they need money shouldn't they just ask the parent company for it? Are we really going to give a few billion dollars to a hand full of guys that already have a few billion dollars in the bank?

Answers
1)   They are sitting at the free money trough because free money is being offered....instead of making quality cars in styles the public wants. Chrysler was bailed out once before, and was able to recover and pay it back..although at a small interest rate. They don't seem to be very enthusiastic to 'recover' this time around though. Maybe they want even more bail out money?..Oh God no... - likesfemalefeet

2)   First of all the money was not free!
Second Ford removed it's self from the table and took no government help. The Ford family still hold the majority of preferred stock and did not wish to loose control of the company. It is rumored that the preferred stock holders put up some capital out of pocket to help keep the company out of government hands.
Chrysler, which as you noted was privately held had to make concessions concerning the private ownership. The exact extent I can not remember. But the out come was that Fiat is now the owner for practical purposes. Fiat is investing capital into Chrysler.
Chrysler and GM ended up filing for bankruptcy protection and was able to shed billions of dollars worth of debt.
The Government received stock as payment for part of the loan at least from GM. Which they soon will be selling on the market at a profit we hope. - Old Man Dirt

3)   There is no "free" money trough. Cerebus which owned Chrysler has given up control and lost billions. If Chrysler went under, over 100,000 workers and small business owners who supply Chrysler go under sucking up more taxpayer money. It was the best of a bad situation for Chrysler and GM. Ford did not take any taxpayer money. - C-Tech

4)   From the Wall Street Journal:

Lawmakers last week questioned Chrysler Chief Executive Robert Nardelli on Cerberus's commitment to the company. In one exchange with Mr. Nardelli, Sen. Robert Corker (R., Tenn.) criticized the firm. "Cerberus has cash, lots of cash, that it is unwilling to put into this company," Sen. Corker said.

I'm not sure if Senator Corker was the only one to actually ask the question (I was at work, and am relying on media reports), but plenty of others are objecting to Chrysler getting money. In fact, it's bipartisan opposition:

If the Senate fails to pass a measure to aid the industry, the House will not act.

That would be fine with Rep. Steve Kagen, D-Appleton. He opposes providing money to Chrysler, which is owned by Cerberus Capital Management LP.

Admittedly, Rep. Kagen's opposition sounds personal: Another of Cerberus' companies closed paper mills in his district, but refuses to sell the facilities to investors who want to have a go at running them. But he's urged other Members of Congress not to give Chrysler any money at all.

It looks like there are Congresscritters who support giving GM and Ford help that object to giving Chrysler help. Whether they're enough to change the outcome remains to be seen. - dipaolo

5)   Yeah, the big 3 have the govt buffaloed.

All 3 are cash strapped. Chrysler is a fairly new company that is privately held and does not have the backing of a huge number of stockholders. Daimler still holds 20% of Chrysler, but Daimler is not interested in putting any more money into the company. Chrysler's intent is to eventually buy out Daimler.

But Ford and GM need Chrysler to keep out of monopolistic charges. For example, if there were only 2, and one of them did not offer a specific product, the other company could claim monopolistic practices and the lawyers would get rich at our expense. Back in the '60s, GM financed Chrysler's greater warranty program in order to keep Chrysler afloat.

If the car makers were smart, they would crank out a high quality model and private lable it to the other car makers. Like Toyota Matrix does for the Pontiac Vibe. Why should each company produce very similar models? All cars are going to look virtually alike because fuel economy dictates a shape that moves through air efficiently. - intuitiv

6)   The way they ended up with money was to sit around in nice suits and convince other people to let them use their money. It’s called using other People’s Money, or OPM. In that business you never leave any cash on the table. Other People’s Cash. If legislators are dumb enough to stack the thousand dollar bills to the ceiling, no Wall Street type is going to leave a dollar on the table.

And they don’t have that much money either. You see money is *all* they have. Once that is gone the show is over. No more yachts and cigars. And if you publicly blow all your money on a bad investment, the OP are somewhat reluctant to let you manage any more of their M. - cekniks

7)   management of these companies without restrictions who screwed up and, in the case of Bank of America, won't give a loan to that company where the employees are picketing. And all of those bonuses and golden parachutes that are being paid to those executives with our money. Who is protesting against that? Not enough people that I can see. But I do believe this feeling against the Big 3 is a backlash.

The loan (not bailout) is being given to the Big 3 so that our last manufacturing base in this country (thanks to the Bush administration) does not go under. Manufacturing cars has always been a tremendous industry in our country, and in WWII the assembly lines converted to war production and helped us win the war. This is a gift to main street, the hourly guy who breaks his back everyday for maybe $28 per hour (not the $72 talked about). If we allow them to go belly up, there are about 3 millions jobs across the U.S. that will go under because they are small businesses that get their income from the auto industry. You are talking of crippling Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. This will tip us over into a real Depression. This is a lot like locking the barn after the horse has run away. You think things are bad now, just let the Big 3 go under.

I admit that the public is disgusted with the previous bailouts, but the emphasis on punsihing the Big 3 for the others, is unfair. The automobile companies are guilty in the past of riding the gravy train, but so was everyone else, the American public for instance. How much have you charged to credit cards? Can you pay your mortgage? Let's get real.

I come from Michigan and know how much the Big 3 supports the Mid-west. My family is still there and things are so bad now with layoffs that there are a rash of home robberies going on now. People are afraid that if the Big 3 goes down, the state will become a welfare state and crime will become rampant.

But, as I said, this loan affects main street, not corporate executives, and we have enough people floudering because of the home failures, let alone adding a 3 million job loss to the burden that Obama will take over in January.

To put things in perspective, Bush just bought a $2 million house in Dallas where he will reside after his presidency. He gets us in two wars, bankrupts the surplus, in debt to China, and leaves us with a near disaster of an economy. Why isn't anyone angry about that?

It's smart business to save the Big 3, and it's a loan people not a bailout. - Freddie

8)   The automobile industry in America is absolutely huge. I can't tell you why the CEOs decided to ask for a bailout, but I can tell you that we've got to do it. There are way too many possible seriously negative outcomes if we don't bail them out. I understand that we're going to have some hefty governmental oversight of their businesses after the money is received. I'm furious at all the wealth some of the car manufacturer CEOs and higher management have socked away. If they had been saving some of that excess money they wouldn't need a bailout. Mis-management for sure, among other things.

Not to mention disgusting that they showed up for their first go-round at asking for a bailout in private company jets. What nerve! - Andrina


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Question 3
how much should it cost to get breaks and rotors changed for a 2000 chrysler grand voyager?...  in indiana if that maters. is $300 a good price

Answers
1)   if you do it your self you just pay for the pads and the turning of the rotosrs under 150 bucks - v4power

2)   $300 is good. That's for the front, right? 4 wheel will cost more. - John

3)   Depends on if you do it yourself or not. Pretty much any shop you take it into is going to rip you off, some worse than others. I have a pickup truck, I was paying $600 to have just my front breaks changed and got tired of it. The parts are cheap. $300 isn't the worst I've ever heard but still not great. You could do all 4 for around $100 if you do it yourself. Definitely ask around every place will tell you something different. - andrew

4)   BRAKES on front and new discs is the question? if it MATTERS 300 hundred is ok - ken k

5)   Go to autozone or other shops around u where u can buy just parts then go to a mechanik and ask him how much he wiil charge per hour to do the job usualy no more then 2hours and all toghether should cost u less then 300 i would say like 170 if u do the fron and with back it migh get to 300 - Prikindel

6)   Here in NJ at a private shop 350-400. The brakes are about 100 per axle, good rotors maybe 50 each. 300 is a fair deal. - stephen c


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Question 4
I just got my motor mount replaced in an '04 Chrysler Pacifica, SAME SYMPTOMS!!!?...  I had a random/multiple misfire trouble code in my 2004 Chrysler Pacifica that I bought less than a week ago. I took it to my mechanic and realized my motor mounts were broken too. He did a full tune-up to it, and replaced three motor mounts. The total, parts and labor, cost me over $450. I don't know if the misfire problem is solved (we'll have to wait and see if the "Check Engine" light comes on). When I got home, I heard a grinding noise that was in rhythm while idling, when I turned off the engine, I heard a severe clunking noise for about a second while it wound down. While shifting between "Drive" and "Park", you can hear and feel impact. Pretty hard at that. Did my mechanic screw up, or is this another problem. I've only owned this car for less than a week and my wife doesn't want to drive it anymore. She feels extremely unsafe, she doesn't like how it drives, although she loves the styling and options. I will NEVER, EVER buy another Chrysler product again... This was the biggest mistake I've ever made. The dealer won't take it back. Please, I've put in almost $500 and I found out on my way back that it needs either brakes or rotors (grinding noise while stopping).
While shifting it, the engine VERY noticeably moves forward and backwards and you can hear impact. PLEASE help me...
I know it's not a transmission issue because it shifts very fluidly, I LOVE the transmission on it. I used all MOPAR parts on it. Spark plugs, PCV, all three motor mounts, all bought from the Chrysler dealer.
I took it to the shop twice, and apparently, I spent over $700 trying to repair it, parts and labor. The $450 thing was the estimate.

Answers
1)   sounds like a transmission problem
not sure of that grinding noise but why would a 2004 vehicle need new motor mounts.
maybe that was an indication it was a crap vehicle - Alex

2)   A grinding noise in the wheels indicates that you need brakes for starters. If you find yourself taking forever to stop that would be the rotors. What is happening is a transmission issue, either someone took something out and forgot to put something in or you have a new issue on your hands. You are right, Chrysler is a bad product to buy. They went out of business and were forced to sell themselves overseas for a reason. Depending on the cost of the vehicle, its a good rule of thumb that when buying a used vehicle you find that you have spent 25% of the value or more of the purchase price, the investment should be canned. You will wind up paying more for that car than if you were to buy a new used car. For example. The car cost you $2000 to buy but you have paid $1000 for repairs. That car now costs $3000 bucks. so if $2000 was your purchase price, anything over $500 bucks in repairs would be more worth your time to toss out and try again.

As far as your mechanic is concerned, dont give him another dime. He already knows he will see you again. Its just a matter of time. You really should consider scrapping the car in all honesty - LP Dan

3)   The previous owner must have dogged the heck out of that car. I had an '86 Corolla that I got rid of last July, and it never ever broke a motor mount. Your car is an abused child. The transmission shifts rough. The motor mounts that were replaced are good- that you know. Get the brakes fixed. If they're grinding it will be more expensive than a simple brake job. It's not getting any better. Check the exhaust pipes. they're probably bent up against the bottom of the car so they bump on it and make that noise you hear. It is a stylish car, but you got the wrong one. - don r

4)   Did you buy the Pacifica from a Chrysler dealer? Were the repairs made at a Chrysler dealer? Did it need brakes when you bought it? Try either working with the shop that made the repairs (have you discussed the condition of the car AFTER repairs with the shop? Did they use Chrysler parts or aftermarket parts - this can make a difference). If not satisfied with the repairs, try a Chrysler dealer. Would you trust your Porsche to a non-Porsche mechanic? - C-Tech

5)   I'm not familiar with the Pacifica but if it is a rear wheel drive vehicle, was the transmission mount checked or was that the "third" engine mount (". . . replaced three motor mounts.")? Usually rear drive vehicles have two engine mounts and a transmission mount but like I said I'm not familiar with the Pacifica, it may have three engine mounts.

A broken transmission mount will also cause the problem you have mentioned.

And if both or all three engine mounts were broken, I would fix it and unload it ASAP, the vehicle sounds as if it has been severely abused. - Don't know everything !


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Question 5
Chrysler Sebring Convertible Won't Leave Park?...  I have a 2008 Chrysler Sebring Convertible.
It was working great until a minute ago. I parked it and came back and now it's stuck in park.
Everything is working great except the gear shifter. starts and everything...
I have tried over-riding it from the manual but that didn't work. I have also checked the fuse box. But no luck either.

Any advice??

Thanks in advance!!
Yes, I am pressing the break down.

Answers
1)   Does the shifter move? If so maybe the linkage came loose. - Barcadcadacada

2)   lol are you pressing the brake pedal down when your trying to put it in gear?

your probably broke something in the shifter itself, I doubt it's your actual transmission, possibly be a Linkage issue. - michael

3)   Your shifter module is is broken. You can release the shifter by hand. There should be a small removeable square or rectangle on the shifter. Remove that piece and stick a screwdriver or pin through the hole to press down on the pink lever. You will still need to put your foot on the brake to move it out of gear. There are more detailed instructions in the owner's manual. Good luck. - C-Tech

4)   I would put my money on the linkage also. Probably have to take it to a shop via tow truck and get it checked. - Steve Stifler

5)   Ok I just answered this for someone else so here it goes. You have a broken spring in the shifter itself. That is why you can't move it with the manual override. You need to take off the chrome trim bezel (it just pulls up and out). Then look inside there you will see a pink lever with a cable attached to it on the drivers side of the shifter towards the front. Using a small screwdriver or pen or whatever you have pry the little pink lever towards the rear of the vehicle. You need to have the ignition on and the brake applied and with your other hand moving the shift lever. Pull the shifter into neutral and set the park brake. You can then start the vehicle in neutral then shift to drive or reverse as needed and get it to a shop to have the shifter replaced. You will have to do this anytime you put it into park and want to drive it again. Good luck - Mike J


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