I'll miss you, Chrysler...

I used to be a huge fan of Chrysler products. My first car was a hand-me-down '87 LeBaron - it was dorky and slow, but reasonably solid. When I finally could buy a new car, I bought a brand-new, shiny red, 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser.

I liked the styling, the room, the features. It was comfortable, easy to handle and park, could hold a ton of stuff, fun to drive as long as rapid acceleration wasn't required. What it wasn't was reliable - I had a ton of "gee, I've never seen it do that before" problems, including a gauge cluster that blew out, a transmission controller that died, and an air bag warning light that would come on when it rained on. Maybe I was unlucky, maybe the car got struck by lightening at some point, but it soured me on Chrysler products, and when I could finally afford to get rid of it, I traded in for a Ford Ranger (which has been fine so far except for some random transmission noises).

I still like the styling of a lot of their products, but my experiences with the Cruiser made me reluctant to buy another Mopar. And the new reorganization makes me even more reluctant. Megan McCardle has a pretty good rundown of the issues that a union/government owned company will have. I've never been a big fan of unions, and have trouble believing that quality will improve with them holding the majority stake in the company. Throw in all the government money - and the pressure that comes with it - and I suspect that new Chrysler products will be small, fuel-efficient, ugly cars that nobody wants that break down all the time.

I suspect my next new vehicle will probably be a Ford, or something foreign. But I'd still buy a used Chrysler product, from back in the day. Maybe a Plymouth Prowler.