Thanks for the video. I have a 2002 Chrysler Prowler in Inca Gold. It never bothered me them using the parts bin for their controls and such. The way I looked at it, it was better to use the parts bin for the ancillaries than not have the car at all. Many European Exotics do the same thing and swap BMW and Mercedes parts constantly. I have three cars in my stable (four, if you count my wife's Renegade) and each of them are show material. This is no exception and I don't have to tell you how rare the Prowler is. Even more rare than a Can Am Spider. Most people have never seen one. Most people haven't even seen a model of one. My Inca Gold is 1 of just 246 made in the world. 2002 was the last year for the car and also the year they perfected the Burgundy Pearl paint. So they cut half the production of Inca Gold to make room for it. I never liked the Burgundy Pearl. It was Burgundy at night, but bright pink in the day. Gold is my favorite color on the Prowler because dark colors with black leather interiors do NOT go with bright sunny days in convertibles. The rest of the colors were coloring book colors and I never liked the purple. Mine is an exceptional example and has over 15k of chrome on it, including the entire engine bay, which has made it one of a kind. I also have a supercharged 2018 Dodge Charger that puts out over 600 hp making it a one of a kind. And Finally, I have a 2011 Jeep Liberty I turned into a Woody, right down the the woodgrain sides and the surfboard on top which is also a one of a kind. But my Prowler is my baby. My car has plenty of power with it's V-6 overhead 24 valve engine. It puts out right around 300hp but the car only weighs 2,200 lbs. (I know they say 2,800, but my registration says 2,200, and I'm billed according to that) It's 3.5 engine was only used in cars twice it's weight. And it had Chrysler's V-8 at the time by over 50 hp. Mine has the all aluminum HO upgraded version in it. To which I added a K&N intake system to it giving it an additional 10 hp. Which puts it just under 300. The Prowler being so light, is a rough rider, but not too bad with Continental Extreme Contacts on it. Which also match it with a very light rating. A much better solution than the Good Year Eagle run flats it came with. Mine stickered at exactly 50,000 dollars even and it came completely loaded. No options were available for it. No options? That certainly does make it one odd car. Even the radio has a Cassette deck AND a 6 CD changer behind the passenger seat. No options. I of course added blue tooth and a backup camera. The Prowler really needs a backup camera. And yes, it was really cool when a car company was run by real car guys who were serious about having fun and went all out. I immediately fell in love with the Prowler and it's been my all time favorite car ever since. The Viper and Prowler were a couple. You took the Viper out and took her out in the Prowler. And I'm lucky enough to have a perfect example all for myself. Yaay for our side.
@@autochatter Well I used to be. When Mercedes owned them. You couldn't GIVE me a Chrysler today, or an 80,000 dollar Jeep for that matter. Sorry to say.
This thing needed to be slightly bigger to fit a hemi v8, or bigger yet to fit a viper V10. Add in a manual transmission, and I think it would have been worth the extra cost. It needed some power train wow factor to match the wow factor in its looks.
Yeah it would have been cooler. Chrysler didn't bring back the Hemi yet then, so I get why they decided to go with the v6.It probably wasn't hard to package that fwd transmission for the Prowler because they put it in the rear....Like what Pontiac did using a fwd powertrain in the Fiero in the back making it rwd. The engine too in a Intrepid wasnt mounted sideways like most fwd vehicles are.If they went with the Viper drivetrain, the car would have been more money than a Viper....and I don't know if a V10 would have fit in that car LOL.
@@autochatter Oh, I forgot when they brought back the Hemi. It sure would have been a whole lot more money to fit a viper engine. It would have to be a part of the plan from early on, and would have changed a lot of the dimensions, as well as the requirements for the transmission to handle that much more power. I think it would have been a legendary, very expensive, show-stopping monster. I'd guess it would have had a shorter run but made a bigger splash. In my opinion, even a mediocre V8 would have been better. If it's built with space for a mediocre V8, it can be swapped out for a better V8 later on.
@Stephen Troyer I agree even a 5.9 liter Magnum v8 with the same hp the v6 had would have catered to a hot rod crowd a bit better. Or if the car debuted about a half decade later with a Hemi....But they did what they did LOL. The car was built in a much more high tech fashion than a Viper, so they had to save money somewhere.
I agree the power itself was plenty adequate for the time, and it had more than a Magnum V8 then...But the perception of the car was modern hot rod, and hot rod lovers expected a V8....especially for the price. A Miata doesn't need a 6 cylinder...and the Lotus and MG models from the 60s it was meant to pay homage to, didn't have one either.
@@kfm908 You won't like the Prowler better. The Prowler is no kind of a daily driver, and it wasn't made to be one. No matter how much you'd like it to be. The doors alone pretty much make that impossible. I never understood the doors only opening half way. It's as bad as a Lambo Countach. Take it from me. You have to climb in that car and climb out. With the top up, you have to crawl in and close your eyes. LOL I'm not kidding. And if you're tall you have to buy a seat lowering kit for the drivers seat and scrap the storage under it. Which of course, besides the tiny glove box, is the only storage in the whole car. And you will be happy with a single cup holder. It is your very own Hot Wheels car in real life. Which is super cool, but it's still only a toy car. And one huge blind spot and very difficult to drive. Even the fuel cap on the passenger side. And you have no clue where that is. And you need a crash plate for under the front nose because it scrapes every steep street or driveway; at least until you learn how to cross them diagonally. Beware of parking spaces with concrete tire stops. That nose sticks way out and is only 4 inches off the ground. You'll never make it to the tires. And especially watch out for the passenger side front bumper, because you have no idea where it is, just like the Countach. And it also really needs a reverse camera. I added one to mine. The Prowler is certainly not for everybody, and it is easily the most difficult car I've ever driven. There is a price to pay for super cool. Ask anyone who owns a Lambo or Ferrari. That's the class of car you're in. It's hardly a Miata. And at 87,000 dollars in today's money, it's not supposed to be. It was always like the Viper. a poor man's exotic car, American style. And like the Viper, it's handling is 2nd to none. And if it still has the Good Year Eagle tires on it, put a matched set of Continental Extreme Contacts on it from Tire Rack. A set is around 700 dollars (cheap) and will make a huge difference settling the car down. If this doesn't have to be your Daily Driver, you will love your Prowler, best of luck to you.
Thanks for the video. I have a 2002 Chrysler Prowler in Inca Gold. It never bothered me them using the parts bin for their controls and such. The way I looked at it, it was better to use the parts bin for the ancillaries than not have the car at all. Many European Exotics do the same thing and swap BMW and Mercedes parts constantly. I have three cars in my stable (four, if you count my wife's Renegade) and each of them are show material. This is no exception and I don't have to tell you how rare the Prowler is. Even more rare than a Can Am Spider. Most people have never seen one. Most people haven't even seen a model of one. My Inca Gold is 1 of just 246 made in the world. 2002 was the last year for the car and also the year they perfected the Burgundy Pearl paint. So they cut half the production of Inca Gold to make room for it. I never liked the Burgundy Pearl. It was Burgundy at night, but bright pink in the day. Gold is my favorite color on the Prowler because dark colors with black leather interiors do NOT go with bright sunny days in convertibles. The rest of the colors were coloring book colors and I never liked the purple. Mine is an exceptional example and has over 15k of chrome on it, including the entire engine bay, which has made it one of a kind. I also have a supercharged 2018 Dodge Charger that puts out over 600 hp making it a one of a kind. And Finally, I have a 2011 Jeep Liberty I turned into a Woody, right down the the woodgrain sides and the surfboard on top which is also a one of a kind. But my Prowler is my baby. My car has plenty of power with it's V-6 overhead 24 valve engine. It puts out right around 300hp but the car only weighs 2,200 lbs. (I know they say 2,800, but my registration says 2,200, and I'm billed according to that) It's 3.5 engine was only used in cars twice it's weight. And it had Chrysler's V-8 at the time by over 50 hp. Mine has the all aluminum HO upgraded version in it. To which I added a K&N intake system to it giving it an additional 10 hp. Which puts it just under 300. The Prowler being so light, is a rough rider, but not too bad with Continental Extreme Contacts on it. Which also match it with a very light rating. A much better solution than the Good Year Eagle run flats it came with. Mine stickered at exactly 50,000 dollars even and it came completely loaded. No options were available for it. No options? That certainly does make it one odd car. Even the radio has a Cassette deck AND a 6 CD changer behind the passenger seat. No options. I of course added blue tooth and a backup camera. The Prowler really needs a backup camera.
And yes, it was really cool when a car company was run by real car guys who were serious about having fun and went all out. I immediately fell in love with the Prowler and it's been my all time favorite car ever since. The Viper and Prowler were a couple. You took the Viper out and took her out in the Prowler. And I'm lucky enough to have a perfect example all for myself. Yaay for our side.
@dannysdailys Thats awesome! Your definately a Mopar guy and thanks for the comment!
@@autochatter Well I used to be. When Mercedes owned them. You couldn't GIVE me a Chrysler today, or an 80,000 dollar Jeep for that matter. Sorry to say.
@@dannysdailys Understandable.
Thanks for making this video, this was interesting. Never seen one of these in person but Chip Foose definitely did great with his design influence.
Yeah I should have mentioned Chip! I drove a few Prowlers years ago. And Thanks!
Thanks for making this informative video
My pleasure. Glad you enjoyed it!
This thing needed to be slightly bigger to fit a hemi v8, or bigger yet to fit a viper V10. Add in a manual transmission, and I think it would have been worth the extra cost. It needed some power train wow factor to match the wow factor in its looks.
Yeah it would have been cooler. Chrysler didn't bring back the Hemi yet then, so I get why they decided to go with the v6.It probably wasn't hard to package that fwd transmission for the Prowler because they put it in the rear....Like what Pontiac did using a fwd powertrain in the Fiero in the back making it rwd. The engine too in a Intrepid wasnt mounted sideways like most fwd vehicles are.If they went with the Viper drivetrain, the car would have been more money than a Viper....and I don't know if a V10 would have fit in that car LOL.
@@autochatter Oh, I forgot when they brought back the Hemi.
It sure would have been a whole lot more money to fit a viper engine. It would have to be a part of the plan from early on, and would have changed a lot of the dimensions, as well as the requirements for the transmission to handle that much more power.
I think it would have been a legendary, very expensive, show-stopping monster. I'd guess it would have had a shorter run but made a bigger splash.
In my opinion, even a mediocre V8 would have been better. If it's built with space for a mediocre V8, it can be swapped out for a better V8 later on.
@Stephen Troyer I agree even a 5.9 liter Magnum v8 with the same hp the v6 had would have catered to a hot rod crowd a bit better. Or if the car debuted about a half decade later with a Hemi....But they did what they did LOL. The car was built in a much more high tech fashion than a Viper, so they had to save money somewhere.
I have built the AMT 1/25 scale and Testors 1/43 Scale Prowler kits... Both came out pretty sharp I think!!
Quit whining about needing a v8.It's getting old.Does a Miata need a v6.The engine is fine in the Prowler
I agree the power itself was plenty adequate for the time, and it had more than a Magnum V8 then...But the perception of the car was modern hot rod, and hot rod lovers expected a V8....especially for the price. A Miata doesn't need a 6 cylinder...and the Lotus and MG models from the 60s it was meant to pay homage to, didn't have one either.
I just bought a purple 99.I have a 2012 MX5.i will keep it until I see if I like the Prowler better@@autochatter
@kfm908 Thats cool! I have a 21 MX5 RF myself. Love that your a Roadster lover!
@@kfm908 You won't like the Prowler better. The Prowler is no kind of a daily driver, and it wasn't made to be one. No matter how much you'd like it to be. The doors alone pretty much make that impossible. I never understood the doors only opening half way. It's as bad as a Lambo Countach. Take it from me. You have to climb in that car and climb out. With the top up, you have to crawl in and close your eyes. LOL I'm not kidding. And if you're tall you have to buy a seat lowering kit for the drivers seat and scrap the storage under it. Which of course, besides the tiny glove box, is the only storage in the whole car. And you will be happy with a single cup holder. It is your very own Hot Wheels car in real life. Which is super cool, but it's still only a toy car. And one huge blind spot and very difficult to drive. Even the fuel cap on the passenger side. And you have no clue where that is. And you need a crash plate for under the front nose because it scrapes every steep street or driveway; at least until you learn how to cross them diagonally. Beware of parking spaces with concrete tire stops. That nose sticks way out and is only 4 inches off the ground. You'll never make it to the tires. And especially watch out for the passenger side front bumper, because you have no idea where it is, just like the Countach. And it also really needs a reverse camera. I added one to mine. The Prowler is certainly not for everybody, and it is easily the most difficult car I've ever driven. There is a price to pay for super cool. Ask anyone who owns a Lambo or Ferrari. That's the class of car you're in. It's hardly a Miata. And at 87,000 dollars in today's money, it's not supposed to be. It was always like the Viper. a poor man's exotic car, American style. And like the Viper, it's handling is 2nd to none. And if it still has the Good Year Eagle tires on it, put a matched set of Continental Extreme Contacts on it from Tire Rack. A set is around 700 dollars (cheap) and will make a huge difference settling the car down. If this doesn't have to be your Daily Driver, you will love your Prowler, best of luck to you.