**The PT Cruiser Community: A Cultural Phenomenon**

In a world where cars are often seen as mere vehicles, the PT Cruiser has become a cultural icon, evoking a sense of nostalgia and community among its enthusiasts. I recently had the opportunity to attend the Spring Fling meet, a gathering of like-minded individuals who share a passion for this unique car.

As I walked around the Spring Fling, I was struck by the sheer number of PT Cruisers on display. Owners proudly showcased their vehicles, adorned with custom paint jobs, decals, and other modifications that set them apart from the standard models. The air was filled with the sound of chatter and laughter as people shared stories and experiences related to their beloved cars.

I approached a group of enthusiasts who were discussing the merits of their PT Cruisers. One owner, Barry, proudly showed off his Jimmy Wood panel, while another, Jay, gave his seal of approval for my own PT Cruiser. The conversation flowed effortlessly, with each person sharing their passion and knowledge about the car.

As we chatted, I asked Barry about the lack of PT Cruisers at the meet. He explained that this was a remnant of a once-thriving community, which had been dwindling over the years. The original members, who had grown up driving PT Cruisers, were passing on their passion to the next generation. However, the car's popularity had waned, and the community had shrunk.

I couldn't help but feel a sense of somberness as I realized that this was not just about cars; it was about people coming together to share their love for something that brought them joy. As we parted ways, Barry gave me some sage advice: "You can't offend me, I mean what I drive."

As the day went on, I met more PT Cruiser enthusiasts who shared their stories and experiences with me. There was Jay, who had a 20-year-old PT Cruiser that still ran smoothly; Jimmy, who had come up with some innovative ideas to make PT Cruisers cool again; and Russell, JP, and Nolan, who were eager to join the conversation.

The Spring Fling was not just a meet for car enthusiasts; it was an opportunity for people from all walks of life to come together and celebrate their shared passion. As I left the event, I felt inspired by the sense of community that existed among PT Cruiser owners. It's a reminder that our cars are more than just vehicles – they're extensions of who we are, and the memories we create with them.

**Conclusion**

The PT Cruiser may not be the most popular car on the market, but it has a dedicated following of enthusiasts who share their passion and knowledge about this unique vehicle. As I reflected on my experience at the Spring Fling, I realized that the community surrounding the PT Cruiser is more than just a gathering of like-minded individuals; it's a cultural phenomenon that brings people together.

In an era where online discourse often overshadows face-to-face interactions, it's refreshing to see people come together to celebrate their shared love for something. The PT Cruiser may not be cool or fast by traditional standards, but its enthusiasts have found a way to make it special.

As I look back on my experience at the Spring Fling, I'm reminded of the importance of community and the power of passion. Whether you're a PT Cruiser owner or just someone who appreciates these cars, there's a place for everyone in the sun.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthe PT Cruiser is one of the most hated cars in the world but there's an entire community of DieHard enthusiasts who love this car we want to know why and there's only one way to find out hi there by infiltrating the PT Cruiser Community thanks for agreeing to come in today Mr Jimmy become very highly recommended by your superiors I did Jimmy is going undercover to join their ranks meet their members and finally take a cruiser of his own to a car show so we can finally understand why PT lovers go so crazy for these cars hey guys you like PT Cruisers do you accept I guess am I finally going to get my raise welcome to Donut now if I'm going to infiltrate the PT Cruiser Community I need to find them first so I went on Facebook and found a local Club then I created a false identity and joined their ranks in order for them to welcome you in you need to present yourself as a genuine PT Cruiser lover often authenticity is key here kid but don't be afraid to blur the line but I could only learn so much over Facebook if I wanted to really understand the cruiser Community I'd need to meet them in person so I put together an invite and I sent it out to the group while I waited for a response there was something bigger to deal with I didn't actually have a PT Cruiser at least not one Worth showing a big part of the Enthusiast culture is really making your car your own if I was going to blend in itd need more of an impressive ride agent Jimmy I'm sure you're wondering what you're going to be driving to the Spring Fling this weekend course while our quarter Masters are able to get you something I think you're going to like a lot what holy moly it's a vinyl wrap over the paint the wheels are not going to do neither will the suspension luckily we've got some parts lined up we're going to have a really special PT Cruiser here the Green Goblin Jimmy the Green Goblin awakens yeah God speak Spiderman all right agent Jimbo we got some pretty basic mods for the PT Cruiser today well I hope we can blend in with all these parts oh I think we're going to stand out buddy look at that hey a lot of work going on but we're going to take these wheels off first so we can get to the suspension underneath looks pretty simple the shock and spring are uh both easily accessible from the outside of the car so looks like those just zap right out front strut out all right so this is the exhaust kit oh my God lightweight exhaust dude that's performance that's what it's going to sound like little fun fact about the PT Cruiser is actually classified as a light truck in order to get around tightening emissions regulations of the time there we go hey uh Giggles should we just start it up all right we're going to fire up the car with no exhaust cuz if you put an exhaust on and there's no exhaust on there you got to fire it up that's pretty quiet oh yeah basically a GTR all right since we don't have a clamp here and since the middle tube is spinning in place uh we're just going to weld it do a little few tacks oh yeah dude now look at that not spinning anywhere dude all right so I'm taking the silencer out cuz we want to hear this thing Rumble oh yeah dude there we go dude all right get back in there let's fire it up let's fire it up okay not bad what have we done D so the PT Cruisers ready for its big day but the question remains is Jimmy hi there oh here here She here here she go they're so close ask her about when she got into PT Cruisers why did you get in these car yes yes this is the brand new Gravity Titan light from our best friends over at casy highlights and let me tell you you're going to want one the gravity Titan Hout shines the gravity Pro 6 with its larger illumination Zone greater beam distance and increased brightness all of that has made possible by KC's Titan core with three backward-facing LEDs per optic it's not just a light it's a light bar and this is KC's infinity ring system an industry first Innovation that lets you expand with create modular beam shape and even curve or straighten your setup plus with his linkable design you can switch out a damaged light just like that it's got moisture block technology to keep your connection weatherproof a cooling system to keep your lights running on the hottest days and dual power modes to easily switch between high power and the integrated Amber LED Dust Light KC highlights is the best and when it comes to your off-road safety you should get the best so click the link below and get a gravity Tian light for your vehicle now okay all right we're putting the splitter on here this is a critical aerodynamic component we're Mopar guys we got to put some Splitters on the front we're going to try to make this thing look decent let's not turn it into a bit now we're here to win dude all four spaces are torqued on now there's just one final step left time for the wheels all right here's our new wheels for the Green Goblin PT Cruiser Jimmy where'd you find these I borrowed them I think this might be the second coolest PT Cruiser in the world the first coolest is the the hill climb one that was at Pikes Peak like 20 years ago I think it is important that Jimmy does well with his entry to the car show I think he will be more readily accepted by the PT Community if he's got cred you know maybe he becomes their leader my God this is so stupid so the PT Cruiser is ready for its big day but the question remains is Jimmy oh I'm ready let's go no one come on let's go the Green Goblin was ready to fly just in time too cuz while we're in in the garage I got a message on Facebook and with that it was time to go into the field all right youve got your car got your Alias now it's time for your first mission in the field okay Jimmy here's how it's going to go down you're going to rendevu with our new friends from Facebook ask them about their PT Cruisers why they love them and figure out what makes them tick myself and the rest of the reconnaissance team will be parked in the doughnut band keeping an eye on you the whole time you get stuck at any point I'll be in your ear okay coffee and donuts we've re positioned oh she oh here she comes here she comes here she comes there we yeah there we go buddy there you go there you go there you go hi there yeah think you're the uh only one to show up so far yeah I'm like new to the area I just I just got this nice nice I really like it a lot yeah uh 2003 I love this is really cool okay so our producer Angela just delivered the donuts and coffee uh to Jimmy Jimmy played it off as like oh that's my door Dash I ordered that was incredibley a lot of coffee you got there that's so much coffee when you can ask her about when she got into peachy Cruisers why did you get into like what was the attraction old fashion actually so I said I my husb decid to build one so it's just more of like a a classic enjoyment like it reminds you of a classic car right and then so cool I'm not even going to like say anything Jimmy's in the flow I'm learning a lot from Fran in the mid 2000s the PT Community was actually thriving wow that was the oh my gosh that's us there uh he made the adventure so interested and sto at different places you know they had a really advant it's so cool that you have all these memories and it's all formed from a car Community you know yeah but if the community was thriving where were they now well their numbers are fading 20 years later and a lot of members are retiring or in some cases passing away and along with them any new interest in the PT breaking character here this is kind of weird in the it turns out these folks were like any other car club they were in it for the community and in many instances they had lifelong friends because of it they all had their passions and reasons for liking the PT Cruiser Jamie had owned two before and Fran was on our third I I had this one about 5 years this is my third PT they even had their own mods I told you it has the auga horn the auga horn when I want attention I just push that button what do you think of that I never got one I saw the breakes I saw some willwoods on here oh he's got a jacket he's got a Chrysler jacket oh that's so cool despite the small turnout Jimmy had acquired enough Intel to justify sending him on a bigger assignment they're so close did they see us no giant we made it boys that was crazy we made it boys dude I can't we we were there for like an hour is so hot in here but we weren't done yet by the time we got back to HQ Nolan had already picked out another Target this one was a lot bigger I'm not going to lie to you agent Jimmy that was some of the finest fieldwork I've ever seen that was insane but can you take what you learned today and apply it to a larger operation now if you don't know what the Spring Fling is it's a Chrysler Meetup that takes place every year here in California it's been going on for over 30 years and they even have their own category for PT Cruisers my next mission was to infiltrate the meat and get a thumbs up from at least five PT Cruiser owners in addition to that no one wants to get approval of five non PT Cruiser owners as well I'd need to become a PT Cruiser fan and then create new ones hi there how are you showing today perfect headit to your left and they'll direct you awesome thank you we'd successfully infiltrated the meat but we had a big problem I'm not seeing a lot of pts oh no Brandon actually mentioned that the number of PT owners was declining so it's dwindled down some of them are selling them now after all these years they're selling their pts which is sad which wasn't good for me no pts meant no daps so I'd have to hustle if I wanted to get any sign offs all right we're here doesn't look like there's too many PT Cruisers parked next to one over think I saw two over there now it's time to start converting people I guess I hit the meat and quickly wondered where were all the Cruisers luckily I found one and where there's a cruiser there's got to be an owner nearby hey excuse me whose PT Cruiser is this bares he might be at the front booth working okay got it I brought my own PT Cruiser to this meet so I've been trying to find other PT Cruiser people to chat with oh hey what's up man this is Barry hey so Barry Jimmy wood panel oh cool yeah what do you think of my PT Cruiser though yeah what do you think of mine though so you think it's pretty cool though yeah you give me props for it yeah what do you think of it it's great I like it yeah it's pretty unique looking right I like thank you yeah I'll start it up hey there you like PT Cruisers yeah they're pretty cool yeah they are pretty cool you like mine though it's cool yeah heck yeah man what do you guys think of this PT Cruiser you like it like PT Cruisers why not don't turn around don't turn around status report it's going well there's a lot of people who have appreciation for these cars but I got to be honest there's not a lot of PT Cruisers here I am shocked by the lack of PT Cruisers as well walking around the Spring Fling confirms the PT Community used to be here it used to be a cult car at one time this was like a cult car M so every little every city had their little p CR I remember going to a show in '08 and there was so many of them some had fish tanks they had waterfalls yeah there's hardly any laugh what we see now are the remains of that Community the original members and the generational ones people make fun of the car whatever I just tell them you know what you can't offend me I mean what I drive yeah cool I love it cuz it was my mom's car yeah so that brings up the question where are all the pts well as it turns out they're right here this is what's left of a once vibrant culture passionate car lovers who found their people and drove together I just missed them by 10 years it's a very somber thing like at the beach Meetup like they were talking about people literally passing away right yes I just don't know where it goes from here like but I think there is a possibility people come back around on the car yeah I mean it might take some time but I there's a possibility it could make a comeback despite that there was still a place for people who love the PT Cruiser and that love was genuine think about your car why do you drive it is it reliable fun to drive do you just like the way it looks or is it something more personal family car a gift maybe a memory our cars are extensions of who we are and the beauty of communities like this is that we can come together and celebrate that despite the online discourse the stereotypes the memes the mockery and the jokes there's still A Place in the Sun for everybody even people who love this weird little car but I still needed all my daps then suddenly emerging from the crowd I saw him hey Jay how's it going how you doing my friend good do you like my uh PT Cruiser very nice what year is that uh it's an ' 066 yeah 20 years old I know but you approve of it works for me yeah I mean he he approved it I mean he did I mean we got the sign off from Jay he knows a thing or two about cars Jay counts for like five all right Jimmy we've gleaned a lot of valuable Intel here at Spring playing ton of Intel now it's time to hop on the PT and head back to base for debrief yes sir in the end we found the PT community and learn their history now as the newest members it might be on us to inspire the Next Generation someone needs to figure out a way to make PT Cruisers cool yes cool and fast I've got a couple ideas so make sure you hit that subscribe button so you don't miss what we're going to do this PT Cruiser next we got some stupid ideas it's going to be a lot of fun make sure you follow Jimmy on social media Russell Jimmy JP follow me at Nolan J syes we will see you next time and maybe that PT Cruiser will be a little bit faster bye y'all so what's my next mission oo I got some ideasthe PT Cruiser is one of the most hated cars in the world but there's an entire community of DieHard enthusiasts who love this car we want to know why and there's only one way to find out hi there by infiltrating the PT Cruiser Community thanks for agreeing to come in today Mr Jimmy become very highly recommended by your superiors I did Jimmy is going undercover to join their ranks meet their members and finally take a cruiser of his own to a car show so we can finally understand why PT lovers go so crazy for these cars hey guys you like PT Cruisers do you accept I guess am I finally going to get my raise welcome to Donut now if I'm going to infiltrate the PT Cruiser Community I need to find them first so I went on Facebook and found a local Club then I created a false identity and joined their ranks in order for them to welcome you in you need to present yourself as a genuine PT Cruiser lover often authenticity is key here kid but don't be afraid to blur the line but I could only learn so much over Facebook if I wanted to really understand the cruiser Community I'd need to meet them in person so I put together an invite and I sent it out to the group while I waited for a response there was something bigger to deal with I didn't actually have a PT Cruiser at least not one Worth showing a big part of the Enthusiast culture is really making your car your own if I was going to blend in itd need more of an impressive ride agent Jimmy I'm sure you're wondering what you're going to be driving to the Spring Fling this weekend course while our quarter Masters are able to get you something I think you're going to like a lot what holy moly it's a vinyl wrap over the paint the wheels are not going to do neither will the suspension luckily we've got some parts lined up we're going to have a really special PT Cruiser here the Green Goblin Jimmy the Green Goblin awakens yeah God speak Spiderman all right agent Jimbo we got some pretty basic mods for the PT Cruiser today well I hope we can blend in with all these parts oh I think we're going to stand out buddy look at that hey a lot of work going on but we're going to take these wheels off first so we can get to the suspension underneath looks pretty simple the shock and spring are uh both easily accessible from the outside of the car so looks like those just zap right out front strut out all right so this is the exhaust kit oh my God lightweight exhaust dude that's performance that's what it's going to sound like little fun fact about the PT Cruiser is actually classified as a light truck in order to get around tightening emissions regulations of the time there we go hey uh Giggles should we just start it up all right we're going to fire up the car with no exhaust cuz if you put an exhaust on and there's no exhaust on there you got to fire it up that's pretty quiet oh yeah basically a GTR all right since we don't have a clamp here and since the middle tube is spinning in place uh we're just going to weld it do a little few tacks oh yeah dude now look at that not spinning anywhere dude all right so I'm taking the silencer out cuz we want to hear this thing Rumble oh yeah dude there we go dude all right get back in there let's fire it up let's fire it up okay not bad what have we done D so the PT Cruisers ready for its big day but the question remains is Jimmy hi there oh here here She here here she go they're so close ask her about when she got into PT Cruisers why did you get in these car yes yes this is the brand new Gravity Titan light from our best friends over at casy highlights and let me tell you you're going to want one the gravity Titan Hout shines the gravity Pro 6 with its larger illumination Zone greater beam distance and increased brightness all of that has made possible by KC's Titan core with three backward-facing LEDs per optic it's not just a light it's a light bar and this is KC's infinity ring system an industry first Innovation that lets you expand with create modular beam shape and even curve or straighten your setup plus with his linkable design you can switch out a damaged light just like that it's got moisture block technology to keep your connection weatherproof a cooling system to keep your lights running on the hottest days and dual power modes to easily switch between high power and the integrated Amber LED Dust Light KC highlights is the best and when it comes to your off-road safety you should get the best so click the link below and get a gravity Tian light for your vehicle now okay all right we're putting the splitter on here this is a critical aerodynamic component we're Mopar guys we got to put some Splitters on the front we're going to try to make this thing look decent let's not turn it into a bit now we're here to win dude all four spaces are torqued on now there's just one final step left time for the wheels all right here's our new wheels for the Green Goblin PT Cruiser Jimmy where'd you find these I borrowed them I think this might be the second coolest PT Cruiser in the world the first coolest is the the hill climb one that was at Pikes Peak like 20 years ago I think it is important that Jimmy does well with his entry to the car show I think he will be more readily accepted by the PT Community if he's got cred you know maybe he becomes their leader my God this is so stupid so the PT Cruiser is ready for its big day but the question remains is Jimmy oh I'm ready let's go no one come on let's go the Green Goblin was ready to fly just in time too cuz while we're in in the garage I got a message on Facebook and with that it was time to go into the field all right youve got your car got your Alias now it's time for your first mission in the field okay Jimmy here's how it's going to go down you're going to rendevu with our new friends from Facebook ask them about their PT Cruisers why they love them and figure out what makes them tick myself and the rest of the reconnaissance team will be parked in the doughnut band keeping an eye on you the whole time you get stuck at any point I'll be in your ear okay coffee and donuts we've re positioned oh she oh here she comes here she comes here she comes there we yeah there we go buddy there you go there you go there you go hi there yeah think you're the uh only one to show up so far yeah I'm like new to the area I just I just got this nice nice I really like it a lot yeah uh 2003 I love this is really cool okay so our producer Angela just delivered the donuts and coffee uh to Jimmy Jimmy played it off as like oh that's my door Dash I ordered that was incredibley a lot of coffee you got there that's so much coffee when you can ask her about when she got into peachy Cruisers why did you get into like what was the attraction old fashion actually so I said I my husb decid to build one so it's just more of like a a classic enjoyment like it reminds you of a classic car right and then so cool I'm not even going to like say anything Jimmy's in the flow I'm learning a lot from Fran in the mid 2000s the PT Community was actually thriving wow that was the oh my gosh that's us there uh he made the adventure so interested and sto at different places you know they had a really advant it's so cool that you have all these memories and it's all formed from a car Community you know yeah but if the community was thriving where were they now well their numbers are fading 20 years later and a lot of members are retiring or in some cases passing away and along with them any new interest in the PT breaking character here this is kind of weird in the it turns out these folks were like any other car club they were in it for the community and in many instances they had lifelong friends because of it they all had their passions and reasons for liking the PT Cruiser Jamie had owned two before and Fran was on our third I I had this one about 5 years this is my third PT they even had their own mods I told you it has the auga horn the auga horn when I want attention I just push that button what do you think of that I never got one I saw the breakes I saw some willwoods on here oh he's got a jacket he's got a Chrysler jacket oh that's so cool despite the small turnout Jimmy had acquired enough Intel to justify sending him on a bigger assignment they're so close did they see us no giant we made it boys that was crazy we made it boys dude I can't we we were there for like an hour is so hot in here but we weren't done yet by the time we got back to HQ Nolan had already picked out another Target this one was a lot bigger I'm not going to lie to you agent Jimmy that was some of the finest fieldwork I've ever seen that was insane but can you take what you learned today and apply it to a larger operation now if you don't know what the Spring Fling is it's a Chrysler Meetup that takes place every year here in California it's been going on for over 30 years and they even have their own category for PT Cruisers my next mission was to infiltrate the meat and get a thumbs up from at least five PT Cruiser owners in addition to that no one wants to get approval of five non PT Cruiser owners as well I'd need to become a PT Cruiser fan and then create new ones hi there how are you showing today perfect headit to your left and they'll direct you awesome thank you we'd successfully infiltrated the meat but we had a big problem I'm not seeing a lot of pts oh no Brandon actually mentioned that the number of PT owners was declining so it's dwindled down some of them are selling them now after all these years they're selling their pts which is sad which wasn't good for me no pts meant no daps so I'd have to hustle if I wanted to get any sign offs all right we're here doesn't look like there's too many PT Cruisers parked next to one over think I saw two over there now it's time to start converting people I guess I hit the meat and quickly wondered where were all the Cruisers luckily I found one and where there's a cruiser there's got to be an owner nearby hey excuse me whose PT Cruiser is this bares he might be at the front booth working okay got it I brought my own PT Cruiser to this meet so I've been trying to find other PT Cruiser people to chat with oh hey what's up man this is Barry hey so Barry Jimmy wood panel oh cool yeah what do you think of my PT Cruiser though yeah what do you think of mine though so you think it's pretty cool though yeah you give me props for it yeah what do you think of it it's great I like it yeah it's pretty unique looking right I like thank you yeah I'll start it up hey there you like PT Cruisers yeah they're pretty cool yeah they are pretty cool you like mine though it's cool yeah heck yeah man what do you guys think of this PT Cruiser you like it like PT Cruisers why not don't turn around don't turn around status report it's going well there's a lot of people who have appreciation for these cars but I got to be honest there's not a lot of PT Cruisers here I am shocked by the lack of PT Cruisers as well walking around the Spring Fling confirms the PT Community used to be here it used to be a cult car at one time this was like a cult car M so every little every city had their little p CR I remember going to a show in '08 and there was so many of them some had fish tanks they had waterfalls yeah there's hardly any laugh what we see now are the remains of that Community the original members and the generational ones people make fun of the car whatever I just tell them you know what you can't offend me I mean what I drive yeah cool I love it cuz it was my mom's car yeah so that brings up the question where are all the pts well as it turns out they're right here this is what's left of a once vibrant culture passionate car lovers who found their people and drove together I just missed them by 10 years it's a very somber thing like at the beach Meetup like they were talking about people literally passing away right yes I just don't know where it goes from here like but I think there is a possibility people come back around on the car yeah I mean it might take some time but I there's a possibility it could make a comeback despite that there was still a place for people who love the PT Cruiser and that love was genuine think about your car why do you drive it is it reliable fun to drive do you just like the way it looks or is it something more personal family car a gift maybe a memory our cars are extensions of who we are and the beauty of communities like this is that we can come together and celebrate that despite the online discourse the stereotypes the memes the mockery and the jokes there's still A Place in the Sun for everybody even people who love this weird little car but I still needed all my daps then suddenly emerging from the crowd I saw him hey Jay how's it going how you doing my friend good do you like my uh PT Cruiser very nice what year is that uh it's an ' 066 yeah 20 years old I know but you approve of it works for me yeah I mean he he approved it I mean he did I mean we got the sign off from Jay he knows a thing or two about cars Jay counts for like five all right Jimmy we've gleaned a lot of valuable Intel here at Spring playing ton of Intel now it's time to hop on the PT and head back to base for debrief yes sir in the end we found the PT community and learn their history now as the newest members it might be on us to inspire the Next Generation someone needs to figure out a way to make PT Cruisers cool yes cool and fast I've got a couple ideas so make sure you hit that subscribe button so you don't miss what we're going to do this PT Cruiser next we got some stupid ideas it's going to be a lot of fun make sure you follow Jimmy on social media Russell Jimmy JP follow me at Nolan J syes we will see you next time and maybe that PT Cruiser will be a little bit faster bye y'all so what's my next mission oo I got some ideas