Looking for opinions about PT Cruiser

I never had a cruiser, but I had an '04 SRT-4. The PT was based almost entirely on a Neon platform (SRT-4 was basically a turbo'd neon). I even ran the bigger PT Cruiser convertible sway bars on my SRT-4, bolted right on.

Some of them did get turbo's, they all had the same 2.4L engine as the SRT (although all the SRT's had turbo's). But if the one you're looking at isn't turbo equipped it wouldn't exactly be a bolt on to convert it. And 25 PSI of boost would require A LOT of new parts, including the turbo. The stock turbo was good for 15 psi in stock trim, a little more with some fuel tweaks. The 2.4L is a solid engine, I know of guys that ran over 400 hp through the stock bottom end. But yeah, fuel economy wasn't its strong point. I also saw quite few really high mileage engines, the 2.4 is a good engine. I know the 2.0's had some head gasket issues, that wasn't as bad with the 2.4's. And the head gasket isn't a big deal anyway. The engine compartment is tight, especially if you're used to an A-body. A lot of work has to be done from below, which is a little problematic if you're doing your own work without a lift.

I know zilch about the auto. The 5 speed in the SRT was great. Not super smooth, but bombproof.

The thing about the PT, and the Neon, and the SRT for that matter, is that they were economy based cars. So some of the "fit and finish" type stuff is a little cheap. Lots of plastic, etc. I always had wind whistles in my SRT at 70 mph +, not really a big deal, but kinda annoying considering it was a new car at the time.