General Comments:
This is only my second car, but the better of the two. I got this one "newer" from my sister and am overall satisfied to pleased with the car to date.
The V6 eats more gas, but you get your money's worth under the gas pedal.
The Autostick is a great concept, but there is one problem: there is no "tactile" cue of what gear you are in when you are using this optional feature. The only way to tell is to look at the digital indicator on the speedometer. It sounds dumb, but after driving a manual transmission on my old car I felt like I was always looking down to check the gear selected. A cool aftermarket or factory option would be a windshield digital display for the gear indicator.
Mileage has gone down from the 26-30 range when I first got it to 22-26 range.
I'm six feet tall. I have a "longer" torso and my head touches the ceiling. I have to angle the seat back a few degrees.
The forward cup holders are poorly designed. A large taco bell cup must be force wedged under the radio/AC console to fit. Medium cups must be held or they will topple in hard turns.
I have the factory in-dash CD changer. Good sound system, no EQ. No random/shuffle function on the player. I've gotten a couple of error messages on the CD player, but was able to clear them by removing the magazine and letting it rest. It has also skipped a few times in the last few months, but before then I could hit the deepest potholes and not get a skip. I think it was more the disc.
The armrest box is well positioned and functional. I wish it were a little deeper.
Plenty of leg room for rear passengers.
Large trunk with cargo net. The cargo net could have been bigger with a tighter mesh. The edge is good and snug, but the mesh part gives several inches before securing anything. The fold down seats rest with an upward angle when folded down.
The glove compartment is oddly small. I have the owner's manual, a 5x7 hardcover notebook, and my dart case in there and I have to continually arrange the three so it will close properly. Extra things go into the seatback pocket. There is also a decent storage space below the center console forward of the lame cup holders.
8th Sep 2005, 16:52
Spot on. I have a '99 Stratus, 4 cylinder. Surprisingly powerful. My mechanic tells me the Stratus became the PT Cruiser, i.e., they retired the Stratus, but used the chassis for the cruiser.
Bought mine used, replaced the timing belt after it blew at ~130K miles. A/C still great, too cold after an hour or so of driving. Previous owner put 16" rims & low-profile tires. Transmission seems to be slipping a little.
Recent recall for the shifter. I totally agree with the "no tactile feedback" comments above. I typically check the RPMs to make sure I'm in 3rd/overdrive.