wife is looking at a 2005 pt cruiser turbo vert for her "fun" vehicle, any outstanding issues with them? thanks in advance, dave

You will have lots of fun with the turbo, even in stock form if it is the GT version. If it is a touring model then do the PCM upgrade to stage 1. Big downfall with the vert model is very small trunk.

Yeah, Stumpy has one. You don't want to end up like him do you? You might begin a string of REPOST! posts and stuff like that.

Timing belts are supposed to be a B____. I need to do the SO's.
Some have had lower ball joint issues.

When servicing the car and disconnecting the battery, roll down the windows first. It has power windows. They roll down slightly when you open the door, then when the door is closed, the window goes back up into the seal.
The fancy ones with RKE have a module that has gone flakey on some cars.
The front and windshield seem to get more rock chips than the average car. Look it over carefully.
The rest is just the usual used car stuff. Try to find the best example you can find.
I prefer the early interiors to the late ones, but that's a personal preference and the later gauges are easier to read. An '05 is the early style, they updated in '06.

My neighbor has one. He likes it much better than his previous car, a Ford Taurus.

I rented a basic 4 door PT cruiser once. I liked it overall, especially the seating position.

I really like mine. Most of the things that need repair, like the ball joints,(I replaced the lower control arms for $65 a piece) can be done at home with basic tools.It is very quiet and comfortable inside and the interior heats and cools well. I bought the SCT 93 plug in tune up and picked up about 25hp. It hauls butt when the turbo kicks in. The only drawback is the best milage I have been able to get is 18.5.