[quote author="graphrix" date=1222436198][quote author="skek" date=1222432371]I updated the title of the thread to accurately reflect it's content. I'd hate for someone to think we were only discussing the auto industry bailout...</blockquote>
Great idea!
I just got back from a trip to the bay area, and we rented a Dodge Caliber (same crappy platform as the PT Cruiser). I appropriately nicknamed it the sh*tbox. Not only was the color sh*t brown, but I felt like the handling was like a lifted Dodge Ram truck, but with a Yugo motor. As I would go up steep hills I would scream "come on sh*tbox, you are getting passed by another Prius (the official car of the bay area) and a 1978 Volvo. Gawdamnit this car sucks". There were times in which I really thought the motor would just die, and it would make a sound like it was taking a deep breath or its last breath. I understand rental car companies going for the cheapest possible cars, but for gawdsakes at least have keyless entry or power locks. I can understand no power windows, but all cars really should have power locks standard since it is 2008 and power locks have been around since the AMC days.
I am all for a bailout for the US car makers. On one condition: YOU STOP MAKING PIECE OF SH*T CARS! See BMW on how to do it.</blockquote>
graph, the Caliber isn't built on a PT platform. There was a rumor that the next-gen PT was going to be built on the current Caliber platform, before Chrysler decided to kill the PT. As they are now, the two lines share no engineering. The original PT was a cross breed of the Prowler and the Neon. The Caliber was built to replace the Neon, but was a new design from the ground up and was done under the Daimler leadership. I can't speak about the performance of the Caliber, but I have yet to have an issue with power or handling while driving our PCH edition Cruiser. It's not a muscle car to be sure, but it has 4-wheel ABS disc brakes, sport-tuned suspension and anti-sway bars, traction control, and is a lot of fun to drive. Your Caliber may have lacked power windows, power locks, keyless entry, but those all came standard on my PT. I just wanted to correct your blatant attempt to malign the PT Cruiser by equating it to that clunky box Dodge calls a Caliber.
