DOTS

"Chuckles" (chucklesw37)
06/29/2018 at 08:34 • Filed to: None

This man is living his best life.

DISCUSSION (32)

Stapleface > Chuckles
06/29/2018 at 08:44

I haven’t seen a Prowler on the road anywhere in probably ten years or more. They’ve just vanished.

Still for the life of me I can’t figure out why Chrysler didn’t put a more appropriate engine in there to back up the looks.

Chuckles > Stapleface
06/29/2018 at 08:52

I probably see one once a year or so, but it’s usually on a perfect Saturday afternoon and not in my morning commute.

It definitely had a lot of potential, but I agree that it could have been a lot more.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Stapleface
06/29/2018 at 09:00

Oddly I’ve been seeing them all over in the last year or two... I wonder if all the hoarders realized they were never going to be worth as much as they expected and they decided to start driving them.

450X_FTW > Chuckles
06/29/2018 at 09:16

Okay what is DOTS? Been trying to figure it out for a while and I’m still drawing a blank

Steve in Manhattan > Chuckles
06/29/2018 at 09:20

A few weeks ago I refused to ride in a PT Cruiser and borrowed a buddy’s Kia Soul instead. The Prowler? Even worse, in my opinion.

LOREM IPSUM > Chuckles
06/29/2018 at 09:21

I’m almost surprised the engine has enough oomph to spin those wheels. Had an I ntrepid with the same powerplant. It was incredibly gutless, and showed it’s appreciation for being wrung out by developing a loud tick from the head. Almost glad it got stolen and totalled.

Chuckles > 450X_FTW
06/29/2018 at 09:30

I think most people around here use it as shorthand for "Down On The Street" when referring to seeing a car out being driven. At least that's what I mean when I say it.

Chuckles > Steve in Manhattan
06/29/2018 at 09:32

Eh, the fact that it's a roadster earns it some points in my book. As someone who used to have fun driving his dad's Sebring Convertible, I can say that you can enjoy pretty much any car without a roof.

BigBlock440 > Stapleface
06/29/2018 at 09:34

Still for the life of me I can’t figure out why Chrysler didn’t put a more appropriate engine in there to back up the looks.

Cost. They built it using as much parts bin stuff as they could, and 250 hp was pretty decent in the 90's. Aside from the Viper’s V10, or maybe the Cummins, they really didn’t have anything higher powered at the time. If they built it today, it would for sure be getting a hellcat.

Chuckles > LOREM IPSUM
06/29/2018 at 09:35

I’m too lazy to look up numbers, but the Prowler has to weigh considerably less than an Intrepid. It’s a 2 seat roadster vs a 4 door 5 passenger sedan.

It's still probably unimpressive in terms of performance, but just based on weight it should have an edge on the Intrepid.

Chuckles > Stapleface
06/29/2018 at 09:37

This one was on the road in Bethlehem PA. Chrysler Nationals in Carlisle PA is coming up soon, maybe he's just taking it on a shakedown run.

LOREM IPSUM > Chuckles
06/29/2018 at 09:37

Oh, I’m positive it can’t be nearly as bad in the Prowler as it was in the presumably heavier intrepid... But it’s still quite bad.

2800 vs 3400 lbs, apparently.

SpeedSix > 450X_FTW
06/29/2018 at 09:40

Down on the Street , from the legendary Murilee Martin

Chuckles > LOREM IPSUM
06/29/2018 at 09:41

Google tells me 0-62 mph in 5.9 seconds. That’s not bad, just disappointing. The styling made a lot of p romises that the engine and 4 speed automatic couldn’t keep.

LOREM IPSUM > Chuckles
06/29/2018 at 09:43

I mean, it's no CRV...

Chuckles > LOREM IPSUM
06/29/2018 at 09:44

Nothing is.

Steve in Manhattan > Chuckles
06/29/2018 at 09:45

Fair enough - I have rented both a Sebring and a Mustang V6 drop top and thoroughly enjoyed both.

Long-Voyager > Stapleface
06/29/2018 at 10:13

You mean one of their less powerful V8s?

Long-Voyager > Chuckles
06/29/2018 at 10:15

It’s the best they had at the time.

5.9 sec 0-62 was very respectable for the time, the V6 was lighter and more powerful than the V8s of the time, the 4 speed was quick and adaptive, and the whole combo made for a car with an almost perfect 50/50 weight distribution and better handling than a Miata.

Not sure what’s wrong with that?

BigBlock440 > Chuckles
06/29/2018 at 10:18

You’re thinking in terms of today, not 20 years ago. In the late 90's, the Mustang was running 0-60 times of 6.0-6.5 at less than 300 hp, the Camaro was similar.

Chuckles > Long-Voyager
06/29/2018 at 10:26

As the owner of a 94 Miata, I’m a little skeptical about that handling claim.

It’s fine, I think it’s just that they designed a car to be a modern street rod but without a manual transmission or a rumbling V8. If they had made a car with the same performance specs but truly modern styling it might have been remembered as a fun little roadster that appealed more broadly to the non AARP crowd.

And I'm sure that my opinion is clouded by the high performance of more recent cars. The Prowler is faster than my Miata or my Fiat, but I'm happy with what I've got.

Chuckles > BigBlock440
06/29/2018 at 10:30

True, but those cars had a V8 and a manual transmission. That just makes me feel like the Prowler could have been even better if they’d designed a performance minded engine for it. And a stick shift might not have been faster but it might be more fun.

BigBlock440 > Chuckles
06/29/2018 at 10:50

It was the 90's a manual would have been faster. But Chrysler didn’t have a manual that bolted to it, nor did they have any performance minded engines aside from the Viper V10. Sure, they could have used that instead, but then they would have been even more expensive and sold even less of them. They were expensive enough as it is.

Chuckles > BigBlock440
06/29/2018 at 11:20

That’s a good point about cost.

I had no intentions of analyzing the Plymouth Prowler this morning. It's a neat car, I like it, but occasionally it feels like it could have been more (although I acknowledge that my judgement is clouded by more recent performance cars).

BigBlock440 > Chuckles
06/29/2018 at 11:27

It’s just something I hear all the time, without realizing it’s pretty much the best version they could have made at that time, and the options were likely what we got, or none at all. I’m just happy they exist at all. And if it’s too slow for you, you can always modify it, just like a real hot rod.

Long-Voyager > Chuckles
06/29/2018 at 12:15

Perfect weight balance and .9G’s on the skidpad , which is what the newer Miatas pull. Older Miatas like yours only achieved .83G’s on the pad.

Dodge didn’t have a good V8 or a good manual to put behind it, so they went with the best of what they had to offer.

If people would have gotten over their “V8" fetish and actually driven a Prowler, I feel many opinions would change. It was a quick, fun to drive car. If it was offered today with the Pentastar and an 8-speed auto, it would likely sell like crazy.

Chuckles > Long-Voyager
06/29/2018 at 12:28

I believe your numbers, but having never driven a Prowler (and knowing what my Miata can do on a twisty mountain road) I’m just saying I’m skeptical. If I drove one I might change my mind.

I agree that there could absolutely be a market for an updated Prowler today. As far as people and having a V8 fetish, I agree with you. The problem is that the Prowler kind of sends mixed signals. The styling is aimed squarely at the type of people who would fetishize hot rods and V8 engnes, but those people might not appreciate a V6 with a 4 speed auto even if it performs well . Like I said in another comment, if they had made it with modern styling it might be remembered differently.

Long-Voyager > Chuckles
06/29/2018 at 12:32

To that I would add this: Hot rods are not specifically V8s.

Chuckles > Long-Voyager
06/29/2018 at 12:40

Fair enough. Either way, this car wasn’t marketed to me. I turned 16 and got my driver’s license in 2002, at which point I started driving everywhere in the family’s 1993 Plymouth Voyager. I love Plymouths, and thought the Prowler was cool both then and now, but Plymouth intentionally made this car to sel l to people older than me.

Long-Voyager > Chuckles
06/29/2018 at 16:04

at which point I started driving everywhere in the family’s 1993 Plymouth Voyager.

LUCKY!

Chuckles > Long-Voyager
06/29/2018 at 16:41

RIP Big Blue. That was one hell of a van.

ranwhenparked > Chuckles
06/29/2018 at 18:44

I don’t know the gentleman, but I feel pretty confident in guessing he’s got at least one pair of these babies.

Kinja'd!!!