Yeah, you nail it!, but the PT Cruiser GT turbo, automatic with autostick gearbox, is still awesome for a 2.4 liters in line 4, I had one 2003 in Blue electric pearl with dark leather seats, 17 inches five spoke chromed wheels , once when a ran out from service garaje a BMW M5 V10 challenged to me and I won, my Pitufina was only 225 Hp vs more than 500 Hp. I precise, I live in Mexico City up 1.5 miles over sea level, was so practical vehicle. That car always would run!
No like about it. It IS a hotwheels car made into production. I imagine an exec fulfilled his childhood fantasy by turning his favorite toy into a real car. Voila.
Not really my cup of tea either, but its a Chip Foose design. I don't know all the details but think he was making the car someone saw it and he helped Chrysler build theirs is how it went. Look up Foose and Hemisfear to see his version if interested.
I've got a 2002 Prowler. Prowler Black over Inca Gold. Recently turned 80K. I drive it year round as long as it's not raining or snowing. Any where I stop, it still draws a crowd. Most people have no idea what it is.
@Larry Myers Vettes were/are produced by the millions since 1953, but there were ONLY 11,702 total Prowlers made from 1997-2002. Simple supply and demand economics.
Haha one of these with a hellcat motor and it would be like when they used to sell real hemis with a 90 day warranty because they knew people would thrash them.. these things would be crazy with a v8 that’s for sure
I was born in Paris 55 years ago and I moved to Miami 10 years ago, as long as I was living in France I was 5' 9"...After moving to America I am now almost 5'11"...My wife measured my height twice just to be sure... It's either a miracle...Or there's something in the air/water/food in America that makes people taller...Just like Doug...
I remember seeing one of these driving down the street and being so enamored with it that my parents bought me a Prowler model. To this day, I love seeing production cars that look different than everything else. Even when they're ugly, I'd take interesting over the bland suppository aesthetic that 90% of cars have had for the past 25 years or so. I would love to see car companies take more design risks.
This is a car of extremes. From no headroom to limitless headroom. From custom bodywork parts to parts from the Chrysler common parts bin. Looks kinda like a production version of the Batmobile too.
It turned out to be a smart move because it is so rare. Rather that build specific knobs and buttons, they put in stuff that would be easy to obtain, and cheap.... You can put in any after market cd player easily and use the standard conversion kit as a Durango..... You can get buttons and knobs dirt cheap off ebay or a junk yard...
Big Tom this car actually look different distinctly than all cars on the road, the cars you mention are cool, but don't have that funny look growing up, which would turn heads more
Big Tom the viper and supra have a slight commonality in that low wide body look. The Prowler is in it own league. Dont get me wrong those cars are bad ass though.
I was working at a Chrysler dealer when these cars were new. At the time, I was doing the pre-delivery inspections (PDIs) on them. Strangely enough, these Prowlers would get more attention at the gas station (I'd have to fill it full of premium unleaded at the end of a PDI) than Vipers did at the time. The guys in the service department called the Prowler the "Chrysler surplus parts bin car". Honestly, I think they did a pretty decent job considering the reuse of all those parts. You forgot to mention how they accomplished rear wheel drive - basically they took the Intrepid/300M transaxle, mounted it in the back, then ran a jack shaft between the engine and transaxle. Cheap and clever. And despite its quirks and downfalls, I still would really love to own one someday.
It never gets mentioned in these reviews that the Prowler may have been a retro "parts bin car" but the car utilized an Aluminum Frame and Aluminum Body panels. It was a lightweight vehicle study wrapped up in a Retro package. Some of the engineers who worked on the Prowler went on to ultimately develop the F150 Aluminum Truck.
onenaghi - No need to explain anyway. I totally understand what you’re saying. As I age, I have grown to appreciate several cars that I used to turn up my nose at when I was younger. What I wouldn’t give to be able to afford or have a couple of those cars from decades past. So you’re in good company.
It's still very very ugly. However, it's got a personality which I can't say about many modern cars. I don't think car has to be pretty in order for it to be interesting, or even desirable.
This car has a ton of Cool factor! I bought a 2000 silver prowler back in 2002 and the amount of attention the car would get was INSANE, if you are not a celebrity you will feel like one because of the nonstop attention this car gets, a friend of mine bought a 2001 Lamborghini Gallardo around the time I got my prowler and we would go cruising together and my Prowler would get all of the attention, at that time I paid 29k for my prowler and I believe he paid around 150k+ ,yes his car was faster, but I got more attention from everyone including the ladies...most of the pretty girls assumed my prowler was a 100+ Grand exotic..not to mention my buddy had to pay 100s of dollars for an Oil Change and I simply paid 29 bucks! the Prowler was quick enough to keep me satisfied and the best of all is 3 years later when I sold it, I got 29K for it because they hold their value..when my Buddy sold his lambo, he lost around 75Grand, so for me the Cool Factor was driving a car that got the attention of 100k exotics, and all the ladies that came with it (Yup I used their Gold Digging tactics against them) and when it came time to sell the car, not losing any cash..in my book, thats Cool!
If you're buying a car just to "get attention" and "get ladies" then you're not really a car guy at all. You're kind of just a d-bag. I'd take your buddy's Lambo any day over your Prowler for the pure exhilaration of it's driving experience, which is what true gearheads care about. The Prowler is just a classic example of "all show and no go." In other words, it's a poser's dream car. Not really something to brag about.....
@@82luft49 wrong year on your friends Lamborghini Gallardo they didn't make the Lamborghini Gallardo in 2001 they started making that car in 2004 and it was produced until 2014
Doug is the type of guy to complain about moving bodywork and not being able to see where the wheel turns when the fact is, most people don't even see the where the wheels are turning on a regular car while they are driving.
I kinda like the looks of this car...dont know too much about them tho. Think I would pass on owning one if I could afford it. Not too many positive input on the reliability, but hey they didn't last anyway.
Christian Barrett this was one of the last models released by Plymouth before they went under.... and considering this is a niche convertible I doubt reliability was even remotely on the radar by Chrysler when they released this thing.
This car was also special in that it was Chrysler’s first venture into advanced manufacturing and material applications using aluminum. Thus the good power to weight ratio mentioned.
I wish I could remember her name, but I met the lady who designed it. I Remember she thought people would like a modern-day hot rod and she showed me her first drawing of it. It was pretty cool to see it come out a year after we met.
Prince had one of these, i grew up a few miles from where his house and studio was located. every so often you would see him cruising around town in the summer with the top down music blasting in what i think was a 99' prowler or maybe a previous model. always liked them and probably the best car from Chrysler after the 80's and until the crossfire.
Might have had its quirks but at least someone came up with a car that didn't look just like a dozen other cars. Definitely a niche car, but hey, I'd drive one.
i worked for a dodge dealership when this car was around. when we would see this car the owners all said the same thing. everyone wanted to race them and they lost every race.
work with a guy that has a hellcat. he hasnt seen it in two months. had a recall on the bushings. could not get them in because only one certain company makes them and all of them go to an equipment company. then that company sells them to chrysler. after the dealership got the bushings in, had to wait another 3 weeks for grease for almost the same issue. chrysler is really struggling again financially.
but you would die if you hit something with more than 15mph ;) those things are the crash structures that are not visible on cars with a "normal" front.
missed the niftiest thing about it: only chrysler had a longitudinal fwd transmission that was short enough to pull this off. HOW did you miss that this was a car using a fwd engine and transmission that had somehow been made rwd? Chrysler just had to come up with a torque tube assembly! A porsche or audi style transaxle would have been too long out the back, and a maserati or corvette style transaxle would have made the wheelbase impossible. Chrysler's 4 speed auto was EXTREMELY compact lengthwise, which was paradoxically because it was necessary to make the cab-forward packaging of the LH sedans possible. The prowler was a car that ONLY chrysler could have made, both philosophically as well as in terms of parts-bin. A remarkable car. Your driving impressions were spot-on, though. Great job.
The only problem with all of that is that these days those transmissions are dropping like flies. The 300M, the intrepid, and the Concorde are all ultra cheap these days because with every last one of them either the engine or the transmission is dead and needs rebuilt or replaced.
The PT Cruiser was a reasonably common sight over here in the UK and had a nice retro look to it; quite refreshing given the generic looks of most cars at the time. The Prowler is a cool looking car. There was a film called The Bright Young things that was set in the 20s that had some prowlers in, including one stuck up a tree.
the Prowler is by far an interesting car. It is not fast, but it is designed to be a top down cruiser. If I had the room in my garage, I would definitely get one.
WOW! You really don't get it! I sold them when they were new. Chrysler was giving customers a factory produced street rod, They achieved that while meeting federal regulations and at an attainable cost. To build a street rod like that from scratch would be a $100K with no warranty. The ignorant and arrogant automotive press killed the car for not having Viper performance. The automotive press also killed the retro T-bird for similar reasons.
It was a rivalry, chevy ss( apache look) this Plymouth and it's retro 30s 40s look The tbird as well. Prowler did it best. And chevy next. The Tbird was just a freshly aquired jaguar mutt. Same as the prowler. Reusing parts but little more bland
you can build a car like that for less than 100k and it would be better quality. The Prowler was a looker and that's it, I was never impressed with it. Good for the local attention whores.
Correct, It was intended as a fun weekend cruiser, Not a muscle car (Mustang/Camaro) or "super car" (Viper/Corvette). Many home built rods/customs are built for style and fun over raw performance. This was intended to be a "turn key" option. Cool that it was conceived,let alone built!
Clarkecars - Press or no press, I suspect people didn't buy them because people didn't want them. Honda made a very nice 2-seater (S2000), but in the end, its an impractical, 2-seat car that only a handful of folks are gonna actually go out and commit their transportation dollars to - well, actually, their discretionary dollars, bc most ppl don't buy roadsters for basic transportation.
This is the video that introduced me to Doug. My childhood dream car. I built so many models and bought so many die-cast toys of this when I was 10-12 years old
I think that you born on late 2000s. I prefeel this because I am the daughter of Taylor Fry, the main protagonist from Mortified, so I have the same talent of Mística Marj
I am happy this car was made and sold. Like the Chevy SSR, it's a part of the automotive zeitgeist bridging concept cars and production cars under the strains of a budget, demand, the economy, technology. However, utilizing its homage design beyond the niche welcome can be strange: PT Cruiser, Chevy HHR.
They did have a V8 concept called the Howler, which used a 4.7L Jeep PowerTech V8 and T5 manual transmission. They showcased it in auto shows in 1999, but the V8 they used wasn't much more capable than the 3.5L EGG V6, so I'm sure they figured they might as well save weight. Production wise it was a better choice, since the EGG V6/42LE drive train were featured in all of their products at the time too; so they were easily mated and bolted right up in the chassis. The Prowler was an ambitious project, a marvel of it's time when automakers were still allowed to take chances just for the sheer excitement of things. The Chrysler Crossfire kind of recaptured some of that spirit and excitement, but it was clearly heavily regulated by emissions. I think they could easily bring it back if they wanted - for 2020, sort of a 20 year anniversary type deal, kind of like what Ford did with the Thunderbird, except much cooler. It was also interesting that Ford released retro-styled Thunderbird around the time the Prowler came out, so I'm wondering if there's some correlation there. Perhaps, Ford was aiming to skim sales off that Prowler market? IMO, the Thunderbird was just as ambitious in its own way. If Chrysler wanted to bring back the Prowler, they could do something with the Viper chassis or maybe even the old Crossfire chassis. I would try to spin it into a Tesla roadster type car for the new age. It might not be a bad entry into the expanding electric car market: static.carthrottle.com/workspace/uploads/posts/2015/11/45a91ba3-a8b6-441d-9b57-39bb214fceb1.jpg Just imagine that Mercedes emblem as a prowling Panther.
wuugie Yes, the crossfire was built upon the old SLK chassis. They would never use that old chassis today. But I get where he is going with this comment
Setting everything else aside, you have to give Chrysler credit for actually putting a concept car into production instead of making another bland 90s jelly bean.
Doug at one point my mom had an awesome ride.. she traded it straight up for a top of the line fully loaded honda CRV.. It was a 50th anniversary edition Ford Thunderbird.. It was black on black with black and red leather seats.. convertible hardtop..20 inch chrome wheels and 280 and some HP. It was fun as hell to drive if you turned off traction control you could throw it around. Before my dad died 10 years ago he actually owned a A toyota supra twin turbo in a custom color electric blue (think north carolina blue) man that son of a bitch was a dream to drive.
i had one!!!!!! silver with chrome wheels! if i had a dollar for every person who gave me thumbs up or said awesome car at a gas station id be rich! sorry i loved it i wish i kept it, it was a blast for 40k! and the looks wee worth it alone!
@Matthew Anthony Someone who says "Someone who says 'it’s only 40k' is either very young or very poor and doesn’t know the value of money, I’m assuming you’re both." doesn't know what having money is like. I'm by no means above average in salary and I could pretty easily afford an $80,000 car, and that's alongside other debts. When you start making an adult wage, you'll see.
Yes, it was a production car, but it started out as a concept car in 1993. Many of the things you point to as being "borrowed" from other production models comes from the fact that this project was focused on aluminum fabrication and structural design rather than stuff like door locks. Reading about the project in the early 90's, it wasn't clear that the Prowler was every meant to actually go to market, just provide proof-of-concept for the aluminum . The prowlers design proved to be such a head turner, particularly to customers who were interested but didn't have an interest in parking a part-time roadster in their driveway for $40K, the Prowler design ethos very quickly morphed into the PT Cruiser, which was ubiquitous as "not another mid-size Camary wamma-be".
E DiAngeles and while people rag on the PT Cruiser today, that car sold like hot cakes when new and many sold over MSRP. Same with the New Beetle and to a slightly lesser extent, the HHR. They were all part of a retro styling trend in the late 90s- through 2014 or so.
Marcus Adze For a GM motor though, my parents had a 02 Grand AM 3.4L V6 only made 170 horsepower, there's a GM 3.8L Supercharged V6 that only makes 260-something hp to. 90's and early 2000 GM motors had terrible power to displacement ratios
As the former owner of a 1999 Prowler, I was shocked that you didn't mention the most interesting things about this car (after the styling). First, the entire body and chassis are made from aluminum (7-8 different kinds). They were semi hand-built on the Viper assembly line. Second, the ride is too stiff because of the .75"-thick sidewalls on the run-flat tires. I put NON run-flats on...it made a huge difference. Lastly, the ride is further improved by changing out the 295/40/RF20's on the rears for 295/45/R20's...the increased sidewall height really cuts down on back-axle jolts. But you DO know that the car has IRS on the rear and a rear transaxle, right? Perfect 50/50 weight distribution. It handled quite well, though it needed wider front tires to decrease understeer. BTW, I sold it for a Focus RS.
I really hate how he keeps calling it "strange" and "weird" as if he's never seen a '32 ford 3-window hot rod before. The Prowler is modeled after the old roadsters, just like the Viper was modeled after the Cobra, and the PT Cruiser was modeled after the Woody Wagon.
not to be rude... its on the description dumbasses... smh.......... sorry i just hate how ppl act stupid questions without even looking at the description b4 hand...
Doug, I'm surprised you didn't mention -- perhaps didn't even use -- the autostick feature. It completely changes the character of the Prowler and the driver's impression of the car's response to the right foot. No computer overrides of the selected gear; it just gives the driver what he asks for, whether accelerating or downshifting for deceleration. With that said, the Prowler is still more about styling and attitude than being a sports car competitor.
My mom had a Plymouth minivan that was EXACTLY that color of metallic purple, must have come out around the same time. And every prowler I've ever seen is that color... so I have never been able to take these things seriously because they remind me so much of my mom's ol' Voyager 😂
You may have forgot.... BUTTTTTT... the 90's was the GOLDEN AREA for all Japanese make and models which caused everyone to completely step up their game.
#1 if you need to know where the right tire is you don't know how to drive #2 It doesn't look weird it was the beginning of the muscle/hotrod resurrection and fyi it looks like every 30's hotrod ever #3 a modern Chrysler 3.5 would wake it up and bolt in as well as the modern 6spd auto #4 Who cares if it's a hodgepodge of parts that's what every manufacturer does
How is the hood prop being attached to the hood weird? My 1973 Ford Cortina does the same thing, and I'm sure hundreds of other models of cars did too. I think Doug compares everything he drives with a Toyota Camry. If it's not the same as a boring Camry, it's weird.
We have a Hyundai Getz and it, like many modern cars has a hood (bonnet) mounted prop. The fact is, most of the European cars of the 50's thru to the 2000's had hood props. Unless, you owned one of those 20ft+ LandYachts from the 50's to the 70's from the US which had very strong springs mounted on the hinges, which lifted the hood without support. Its not a new thing!
I STILL think it's a super cool car to this day! I would LOVE a modern version of this car. Such an amazing retro car! Would be even cooler with a manual and an LS swap lol
In my view, the Prowler was a 90's hot rod! I really liked the style of it, even today, it's unusual and strange, and it looks fast! But I'd love to take a ride in one these on a summer's evening, just to showoff a little bit with the radio blasting, it's a "feel good" kinda car to me, you'll turn heads driving this, I'm sure!
JimsEquipmentShed when I started driving, you could see all the way to the end of the hood. Most cars today, you'd be lucky to see half of the hood before it drops out of sight. Meaning you can't see where the front of the car ends. And cars used to have a raised centerline that ran the length of the hood. Line that up with the right side of the lane your in, and that's where your passenger tire was. Cars don't have those today either. Neither is a big deal. In the Prowler you can see where the driver side wheel is. That's all you need.
So it's basically a 90's Hot Rod: Modern, powerful engine,cool looking bodywork, nice styling, good handling but slightly rough ride. What's not to like?
I don't like it It hasn't got a modern nor powerful engine It is just isn't cool, trying to be with this styling and bodywork but if it doesn't have a supercharged v8 with 500 hp than it can't be cool The interior is really cheap and bad looking The materials are just cheap plastic all ower the interior The only thing that makes this car even a bit special is this body style and if you don't like it than it's a really awful car
sploofmonkey the 30s Fords are a popular base for hot rods in general. This car is basicly an example of what was going on with high end street rods in the 90s. The best possible example being Boyd Coddington's Aluma Coupe which had a 4 cylinder www.rodauthority.com/features/car-features/looking-back-at-boyd-coddingtons-alumacoupe/
That is a nice looking car and Chrysler could have made even more of them and sold them easily. I would not mind owning one of those if I was a young man at the time.
@ArmchairWarrior I believe the designers at Plymouth knew that the brand was on the chopping block. So, like many companies on the virge of extinction, they created the wildest thing they could come up with in a last gasp effort to bring the company back to relevancy and possibly generate enough interest to boost sales and save Plymouth. Alas, the effort ultimately failed, but the car is magnificent.
@@heinzkitzvelvet I'm agreeing with you here, just posted above. It' seems like a terrrific effort considering using what was available and no doubt budget.
The Prowler was Plymouths swan song for the struggling car maker! It was made for us “car guys” never really meant to be a mass produced model. It was a beautiful throwback to the hot rod days! I believe it had the small engine so that it could be replaced with an SRT engine by its owners! (A good hot rod option)
The 3.5 was made at Trenton Engine Plant in Trenton Michigan. The only difference was the emblem on the intake manifold. I worked there as an engineer when that engine was made.
Not being able to see the fender is not a unique feature to the prowler. Ever driven a minivan? You can’t see any part of the hood in many. Ever thought about what it’s like to be less than 6’3”? I have a cousin who’s under 5’ tall and she’s probably never see the hood of a car from the inside. You mention the fender visibility several times but really it’s not weird at all. CDL truckers cannot see anywhere near where their right front tire is and their truck is like 8 feet wide... not a tiny Plymouth. Once you figure out where it is, there are tricks to estimating its position and also you just have to get a feel for how big any vehicle is. You make it seem like everyone needs a stinger bumper to gauge the front of their cars but most people navigate life just fine without seeing every inch of their front end from the driver’s seat. It’s also not that unique looking of a car. It’s the only one like it made in the 90s, yeah, but it’s also styled exactly like many hot rods from the 30s. It’s the poor man’s or wrench impaired man’s hot rod. But although it it not precisely the same, the styling is clearly copied over quite glaringly. So if you encountered a bunch of old hot rods on the road you’d probably blend in to the untrained eye.
Ryan Alexander Bloom I've driven lots of different vehicles. Not sure why he cant get over the width of the prowler thing. I thought the car looked stupid in the 90s and still do today. I never was a 30s roadster / jalopy fan. I guess if you like that look this car is fun.
Boss yeah but in a normal car I the wheels are sort of under the hood so you have an idea of the space if you car, this cars body stops before the wheel, so the body doesn't end at the fender, you still have a whole wheel to consider
I was 13 in 1999. As a kid in the 90s in suburban Detroit I can say we all loved this car. It was just so different and weird and looked fast as hell. As an adult I still wouldn't mind having one, even if it would be a little embarrassing to be seen in.
The Prowler is a nod to early American Hot Rods and its "odd " designs come from home built cars from the 40's and 50's.The Prowler was produced to show appreciation for post-war youth that brought so much innovation to the automotive industry through Hot Rodding. All car enthusiasts don't have to understand the roots of their sport/super car but they should respect it.
It’s bottom probably says:
*©️MATTEL 2004*
*MADE IN THAILAND*
Basically every toy car you owned
@@mateom2108 fcking relatable
Why are you bashing it like a douche ? Its a unique car and its holding its value.
@@Toro_Da_Corsa That's why I said that,because every car is unique and holding its value
@@gzerodois ?? Very few unique cars hold their value. Prowlers are selling for about what they cost in 1999 for the same money.
The Prowler is what you see at the bar with beer goggles, the PT Cruiser is what you wake up to the next day
Hajjahahajaj
Biblical
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Yeah, you nail it!, but the PT Cruiser GT turbo, automatic with autostick gearbox, is still awesome for a 2.4 liters in line 4, I had one 2003 in Blue electric pearl with dark leather seats, 17 inches five spoke chromed wheels , once when a ran out from service garaje a BMW M5 V10 challenged to me and I won, my Pitufina was only 225 Hp vs more than 500 Hp. I precise, I live in Mexico City up 1.5 miles over sea level, was so practical vehicle. That car always would run!
I dont know if you made that up yourself...but if you did...epic comment status bro
Its like a hot wheels car made it to production.
No like about it. It IS a hotwheels car made into production. I imagine an exec fulfilled his childhood fantasy by turning his favorite toy into a real car. Voila.
I had a toy car very similar to this except it had a blue stripe on the back of it I want to say it was a bump rather than just a stripe
It's got vacuum cleaner headlights
I had the Hot Wheels of this car. I didn't know what the fuck it was as a kid. Never really liked the car either.
Not really my cup of tea either, but its a Chip Foose design. I don't know all the details but think he was making the car someone saw it and he helped Chrysler build theirs is how it went. Look up Foose and Hemisfear to see his version if interested.
im pretty sure every young car enthusiast had this car as a hot wheel
My grandmother gave me a blue toy of it once. I'm serious.
I remember getting a purple one from a McDonalds Happy Meal.
@@murrymirage5904 I still have that somewhere!
Yes I did back in like 1997
This and the Chevy SSR must have been Matchbox cars in a previous life.
Cashier: Hi, would you like a bag?
Doug: I'm 6 foot 3.
fucking gold lol
I don't get it..
@@IamJay02 he often remarks on his above average height
@@MartinK1988 oh lol
I'm also 6'3"
Damn, I did it too.
I've got a 2002 Prowler. Prowler Black over Inca Gold. Recently turned 80K. I drive it year round as long as it's not raining or snowing. Any where I stop, it still draws a crowd. Most people have no idea what it is.
I'm Australian and even I have known about this before it was released for sales.
@@ClubXrock According to the Prowleronline database, there are at least 3 Prowlers in Australia. Sidney, Gold Cost, and Melbourne.
Larry Keenan 👍
LS SWAP THAT THING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That in your pic?
My grandfather designed the chassis blueprints for this car, I still have a picture of him standing with the original blueprints framed on my mantle
I don't really know what are those but tell him this is one of the most interesting designs in automotive history. I did design school too
Even though it's not a true, pure muscle sports car, it is one of the best looking sports cars I've ever seen. Your Grandfather did a hell of a job.
Quick question. Where did he go to learn that? I've always wanted to, but I have no idea where to begin.
@Larry Myers Vettes were/are produced by the millions since 1953, but there were ONLY 11,702 total Prowlers made from 1997-2002. Simple supply and demand economics.
I want to see that photo
Chrysler should bring this back under the Dodge brand with a stick, and the engine out of the Hellcat.
Or just swap with a crate Hellcat motor and make your own.
I’m like 90 percent sure that it would tear itself if you put a hell cat engine
I'd be happy with just a regular hemi/ 6 speed...they could've sold the shit out of these if whoever was in charge actually had a brain😂
If they brought it back the price would be high I thank but I hope they do just for us car guys
Haha one of these with a hellcat motor and it would be like when they used to sell real hemis with a 90 day warranty because they knew people would thrash them.. these things would be crazy with a v8 that’s for sure
2016 Doug: 6’2”
2018 Doug: 6’3”
2019 Doug: 6’4”
This guy grows taller with each year faster than a teenager.
Na he just Skinner here
So wait, you actually bothered to keep track of data like that?
@@80s_Boombox_Collector you say "keep track" as if 4 different numbers is in any way difficult to remember? Lol
I was born in Paris 55 years ago and I moved to Miami 10 years ago, as long as I was living in France I was 5' 9"...After moving to America I am now almost 5'11"...My wife measured my height twice just to be sure...
It's either a miracle...Or there's something in the air/water/food in America that makes people taller...Just like Doug...
@@80s_Boombox_Collector You Bother? Weirdo
I remember seeing one of these driving down the street and being so enamored with it that my parents bought me a Prowler model. To this day, I love seeing production cars that look different than everything else. Even when they're ugly, I'd take interesting over the bland suppository aesthetic that 90% of cars have had for the past 25 years or so. I would love to see car companies take more design risks.
This is a car of extremes.
From no headroom to limitless headroom.
From custom bodywork parts to parts from the Chrysler common parts bin.
Looks kinda like a production version of the Batmobile too.
ronch550 remember not every one is 6’4”. The most expensive super cars have less
Max Headroom?
It turned out to be a smart move because it is so rare. Rather that build specific knobs and buttons, they put in stuff that would be easy to obtain, and cheap.... You can put in any after market cd player easily and use the standard conversion kit as a Durango..... You can get buttons and knobs dirt cheap off ebay or a junk yard...
“A car of extremes” means this car a dual extremist.
@@Turk_2023 And that is a purely genius move by Chrysler!
5:50 I can just imagine Doug driving this thing over a large pothole and seeing his head bust through the top of the convertible roof...lol.
*The Convertible PT Cruiser*
САLIMBO ГГГ with an F1 pushrod suspension
САLIMBO ГГГ 😂😂😂 lol good shit bro
But, there was a PT convertible.
You know, that actually exists.
САLIMBO ГГГ Hilarious
The only 90’s Chrysler with easy to get to battery....
Thats because they didn't have a fender well to stick it in on this one
Not going to lie, I thought this was one of the COOLEST cars as a youngster.
Still pretty cool to this day, Just disappointing
OvertimesHouse likewise and i agree
OvertimesHouse so this was cooler than a Supra? or a Dodge viper srt10
Big Tom this car actually look different distinctly than all cars on the road, the cars you mention are cool, but don't have that funny look growing up, which would turn heads more
Big Tom the viper and supra have a slight commonality in that low wide body look. The Prowler is in it own league. Dont get me wrong those cars are bad ass though.
Doug: I’m 6’3”
Sir, this is a Wendy’s
Doug: just what I said *I'm 6'3*
I was working at a Chrysler dealer when these cars were new. At the time, I was doing the pre-delivery inspections (PDIs) on them. Strangely enough, these Prowlers would get more attention at the gas station (I'd have to fill it full of premium unleaded at the end of a PDI) than Vipers did at the time. The guys in the service department called the Prowler the "Chrysler surplus parts bin car". Honestly, I think they did a pretty decent job considering the reuse of all those parts. You forgot to mention how they accomplished rear wheel drive - basically they took the Intrepid/300M transaxle, mounted it in the back, then ran a jack shaft between the engine and transaxle. Cheap and clever. And despite its quirks and downfalls, I still would really love to own one someday.
AKJeeper nah he didn't forget to mention it... he never talks about anything under the hood much less under the car.
AKJeeper its a hot rod to me
It never gets mentioned in these reviews that the Prowler may have been a retro "parts bin car" but the car utilized an Aluminum Frame and Aluminum Body panels. It was a lightweight vehicle study wrapped up in a Retro package. Some of the engineers who worked on the Prowler went on to ultimately develop the F150 Aluminum Truck.
AKJeeper Mnuchin
The rear-mounted transaxle would explain why the trunk is so shallow....
Chrysler should resurrect the Prowler. It would do well with a small block V8 and paddle shift six speed in it.
Prowler Hellcat maybe??? lol
Google the Chrysler howler concepts
You couldn't mass produce one now due to the mandated crash standards.
It needs to be a muscle car along the same lines as the Mustang and the Camero.
@@pierrelayden1520 Your comment needs more likes
When I was younger I just thought this was a convertible PT Cruiser
Holt shit i thought I was the only one 😂
HumbleCarMods *holy
You are not alone :)
I never thought about that. But now that you mentioned it, I can't help thinking that it's a weird-looking PT Cruiser Convertible. 😀
At least this one's RWD lol
I came back to watch this because Yuri finally found his Prowler.
/\ same
Same
Same
Same and I’m buying one 😅
Honestly, I thought this car was SO UGLY back in the day. But damn, I would LOVE to drive one and even proud to own one in 2019. I can't explain it.
Understand how you feel. I would love to have one converted to an EV...
Maybe it's an old person's car?
Many great designs/ideas/whatever were not appreciated at their time, but became interesting long afterwards. I think this car fits to that statement.
onenaghi - No need to explain anyway. I totally understand what you’re saying. As I age, I have grown to appreciate several cars that I used to turn up my nose at when I was younger. What I wouldn’t give to be able to afford or have a couple of those cars from decades past. So you’re in good company.
It's still very very ugly. However, it's got a personality which I can't say about many modern cars. I don't think car has to be pretty in order for it to be interesting, or even desirable.
This car has a ton of Cool factor! I bought a 2000 silver prowler back in 2002 and the amount of attention the car would get was INSANE, if you are not a celebrity you will feel like one because of the nonstop attention this car gets, a friend of mine bought a 2001 Lamborghini Gallardo around the time I got my prowler and we would go cruising together and my Prowler would get all of the attention, at that time I paid 29k for my prowler and I believe he paid around 150k+ ,yes his car was faster, but I got more attention from everyone including the ladies...most of the pretty girls assumed my prowler was a 100+ Grand exotic..not to mention my buddy had to pay 100s of dollars for an Oil Change and I simply paid 29 bucks! the Prowler was quick enough to keep me satisfied and the best of all is 3 years later when I sold it, I got 29K for it because they hold their value..when my Buddy sold his lambo, he lost around 75Grand, so for me the Cool Factor was driving a car that got the attention of 100k exotics, and all the ladies that came with it (Yup I used their Gold Digging tactics against them) and when it came time to sell the car, not losing any cash..in my book, thats Cool!
Ermas Doodles most legit “from my perspective” comments ever. Bless you🙏🏽
r/thathappened
If you're buying a car just to "get attention" and "get ladies" then you're not really a car guy at all. You're kind of just a d-bag.
I'd take your buddy's Lambo any day over your Prowler for the pure exhilaration of it's driving experience, which is what true gearheads care about. The Prowler is just a classic example of "all show and no go." In other words, it's a poser's dream car. Not really something to brag about.....
Killjoy
@@82luft49 wrong year on your friends Lamborghini Gallardo they didn't make the Lamborghini Gallardo in 2001 they started making that car in 2004 and it was produced until 2014
Doug is the type of guy to complain about moving bodywork and not being able to see where the wheel turns when the fact is, most people don't even see the where the wheels are turning on a regular car while they are driving.
Yeah he possessed most people off, we are forced to watch him
@@BlueBird-wb6kb nobody is forcing you to watch any videos, dipshit
mugensamurai yea i thought the same thing
mugensamurai IKR
mugensamurai FACTS
me:
Doug: "i'm 6’3"
Your pfp perfectly matches the comment.
I just realized all my hot wheels look just like it
I kinda like the looks of this car...dont know too much about them tho. Think I would pass on owning one if I could afford it. Not too many positive input on the reliability, but hey they didn't last anyway.
Christian Barrett this was one of the last models released by Plymouth before they went under.... and considering this is a niche convertible I doubt reliability was even remotely on the radar by Chrysler when they released this thing.
All your Hot Wheels were purple? That fact is strangely both impressive and disturbing.
I subbed
I have a prowler hotwheel
The styling of the Prowler is simple, It's a futuristic take on a classic 1950s model A hotrod- end of story.
yeß it uß vi⁰er toó
I like 90's cars, they are much more simple than today's cars.
I like 60's cars. They're so much simpler than 90's cars.
I like 20's cars, complete shit
lolololol love this conversation
Pff the best car ever is the first one from 1885.
Horse and buggy is the way to go.
This car was also special in that it was Chrysler’s first venture into advanced manufacturing and material applications using aluminum. Thus the good power to weight ratio mentioned.
I've been waiting on a prowler video for a while now! It's about time!
Nicholas Giacobbe I hear that
Nicholas Giacobbe same hear
Nicholas Giacobbe it's a great car in my opinion, I love it's distinctive look
MPYko V8 he did actually do a road trip on a lotus for his first book
Nicholas Giacobb
How can he ride in this car without a Guy Fierri flames shirt
The Flavortown Magi
The shirt adds like 15 more horsepower and like 45 more Flavortown powers too!
_[Fierri Clasps Hands, Aims]_ Flavor *_FIRE_*
Playing “Walking on the sun” by SmashMouth
Cargo shorts and gold chain optional.
I wish I could remember her name, but I met the lady who designed it. I Remember she thought people would like a modern-day hot rod and she showed me her first drawing of it. It was pretty cool to see it come out a year after we met.
Chip Foose is credited with all of the early design phases. He is not a woman.
What a progression! Doug has improved himself in so many ways! Video, audio, clarity, comfort, everything! Doug’s the man!
Prince had one of these, i grew up a few miles from where his house and studio was located. every so often you would see him cruising around town in the summer with the top down music blasting in what i think was a 99' prowler or maybe a previous model. always liked them and probably the best car from Chrysler after the 80's and until the crossfire.
chucha chuy crossfires suck!!
www.prowler.ch/prince.jpg
RIP :(
Hey neighbor
I just saw this model at Paisley Park. They have that same exact car on display! His own personal car
If I had one of these cars, the first thing I would door would be to remove the front bumper. It would look soooooo much better
That's exactly what I said the moment I saw the front bumper. Rear bumper too.
I remember drooling over these cars as a kid in the 90s. I still think it looks sweet.
When you make something this unique and dramatic, the result often tends to be timeless.
This was my one and only model car that i made. lol
Doug Demuro, the type of guy to drive a convertible in the winter, while wearing a jacket.
dk2853 And laughing about bumps being bumpy
Probably after thawing out he vowed to move to San Diego...and he did
looks like a hotwheels car
Martin Illuminertix i had that car as a hotwheels
+David Check same
it was
looks like a piece of pie with wheels.
Did you get it in a Happy Meal? Because I'm pretty sure I got one as a Happy Meal toy.
Might have had its quirks but at least someone came up with a car that didn't look just like a dozen other cars. Definitely a niche car, but hey, I'd drive one.
viper toó
i worked for a dodge dealership when this car was around. when we would see this car the owners all said the same thing. everyone wanted to race them and they lost every race.
work with a guy that has a hellcat. he hasnt seen it in two months. had a recall on the bushings. could not get them in because only one certain company makes them and all of them go to an equipment company. then that company sells them to chrysler. after the dealership got the bushings in, had to wait another 3 weeks for grease for almost the same issue. chrysler is really struggling again financially.
Outkast Racing
My uncle has a prowler and a hellcat lol
oh yeah....well....well....my uncle has a prowler a hellcat and....and.....and.....a viper...so there
who are you asking the question to? me? another person that commented?
The Positive Commenter Guy
My uncle has a viper too.... He owns a dairy farm. He's actually a really cool guy.
Here you have a V10 Available in your parts bin... and you put a v6 in it.
Henry Hill probably no room for viper v10
Didn't need a V10, but a 5.9 might be stretching it.
Too big
Well the V10 would've been too big and their best V8 made less power than the V6 they used.
Makes enough power to be a fun car, the Viper its an awful wekend car, too much torquw
without the ugly grey bumpers it would actually look ok
but you would die if you hit something with more than 15mph ;) those things are the crash structures that are not visible on cars with a "normal" front.
Sam Koch There are forums with information on how owners have done bumper deletes.
Grand Man The real question is are they dead now?
Oscar97o most likely
It looks decent to me
It looks like horns or something
definitely needs a V8
Branden Baltimore that profile pic lol
FEARTHETACOMAN you don't like mute?
Branden Baltimore he's alright but you're pic is off
FEARTHETACOMAN His logo is wavy like that
Branden Baltimore I know
missed the niftiest thing about it: only chrysler had a longitudinal fwd transmission that was short enough to pull this off. HOW did you miss that this was a car using a fwd engine and transmission that had somehow been made rwd? Chrysler just had to come up with a torque tube assembly! A porsche or audi style transaxle would have been too long out the back, and a maserati or corvette style transaxle would have made the wheelbase impossible. Chrysler's 4 speed auto was EXTREMELY compact lengthwise, which was paradoxically because it was necessary to make the cab-forward packaging of the LH sedans possible. The prowler was a car that ONLY chrysler could have made, both philosophically as well as in terms of parts-bin. A remarkable car. Your driving impressions were spot-on, though. Great job.
Your correct on all fronts!!
How did he miss it? He thought it was cool to stick his hand thru the bumper, LOL.
The only problem with all of that is that these days those transmissions are dropping like flies. The 300M, the intrepid, and the Concorde are all ultra cheap these days because with every last one of them either the engine or the transmission is dead and needs rebuilt or replaced.
One of the coolest cars of the 90s and today
Did he mention he's 6' 3"?
Yes he did, more than once
Hoe about did he say 6’ 4 previously?
and he's got a Viper..
He must of been in between 6.3 and 6.4.. 🤣🤣🤣
lol... only 3 times per video
No mention that the transaxle is in the REAR, or that the body and frame is all aluminum?
CJ DASHCAM the body is composit
"More than 900 pounds of the 2,780-pound roadster was aluminum including body, frame and suspension parts. "
www.allpar.com/model/prowler.html
CJ DASHCAM hood, trunk, doors, engine compartment side panels are the aluminum body componants according to the pic above what you quoted
Yes. Not composite.
CJ DASHCAM still leaves the quarters, rockers, nose and fenders
The PT Cruiser was a reasonably common sight over here in the UK and had a nice retro look to it; quite refreshing given the generic looks of most cars at the time. The Prowler is a cool looking car. There was a film called The Bright Young things that was set in the 20s that had some prowlers in, including one stuck up a tree.
“If you want a Camry, buy a Camry “ - Doug Demuro
the Prowler is by far an interesting car. It is not fast, but it is designed to be a top down cruiser. If I had the room in my garage, I would definitely get one.
@Murk Bitxh they cost less than 25k now
I love your Christmas morning child like excitement when reviewing these cars.
Thanks for the smiles.
WOW! You really don't get it! I sold them when they were new. Chrysler was giving customers a factory produced street rod, They achieved that while meeting federal regulations and at an attainable cost. To build a street rod like that from scratch would be a $100K with no warranty. The ignorant and arrogant automotive press killed the car for not having Viper performance. The automotive press also killed the retro T-bird for similar reasons.
I wouldn't buy one, and I've never seen it before! Because its ugly!
It was a rivalry, chevy ss( apache look) this Plymouth and it's retro 30s 40s look
The tbird as well.
Prowler did it best. And chevy next. The Tbird was just a freshly aquired jaguar mutt. Same as the prowler. Reusing parts but little more bland
you can build a car like that for less than 100k and it would be better quality. The Prowler was a looker and that's it, I was never impressed with it. Good for the local attention whores.
Correct, It was intended as a fun weekend cruiser, Not a muscle car (Mustang/Camaro) or "super car" (Viper/Corvette). Many home built rods/customs are built for style and fun over raw performance. This was intended to be a "turn key" option. Cool that it was conceived,let alone built!
Clarkecars - Press or no press, I suspect people didn't buy them because people didn't want them. Honda made a very nice 2-seater (S2000), but in the end, its an impractical, 2-seat car that only a handful of folks are gonna actually go out and commit their transportation dollars to - well, actually, their discretionary dollars, bc most ppl don't buy roadsters for basic transportation.
This is the video that introduced me to Doug. My childhood dream car. I built so many models and bought so many die-cast toys of this when I was 10-12 years old
I think that you born on late 2000s. I prefeel this because I am the daughter of Taylor Fry, the main protagonist from Mortified, so I have the same talent of Mística Marj
I am happy this car was made and sold. Like the Chevy SSR, it's a part of the automotive zeitgeist bridging concept cars and production cars under the strains of a budget, demand, the economy, technology. However, utilizing its homage design beyond the niche welcome can be strange: PT Cruiser, Chevy HHR.
Doug the type of guy to fart in a borrowed car.
To test the acoustics lol
Did he fart in the car?
I also do
And wipe his ass on the back seat.
And pee in other people's showers.
Doug, the kind of guy to accidentally lock himself in the trunk of the Plymouth Prowler.
Good luck with that. No room for anything but a jacket.
hemi ram you must be fun
If only...
There's a trunk?!?
I agree with your thoughts on the Plymouth Prowler Doug. I thought the same thing. Im proud to see it in the classic vehicle history books.
It's like watching a broke version of Jay Leno's garage.
***** I am saying the content in comparison comes off like Jay Leno's Garage.
Mike Vincent lol *bootleg*
LOL
Yeah this guy is pathetic compared to Jay.
He actually looks like Jay too, kinda talks like him, must be something to do with their chins lol
They did have a V8 concept called the Howler, which used a 4.7L Jeep PowerTech V8 and T5 manual transmission. They showcased it in auto shows in 1999, but the V8 they used wasn't much more capable than the 3.5L EGG V6, so I'm sure they figured they might as well save weight. Production wise it was a better choice, since the EGG V6/42LE drive train were featured in all of their products at the time too; so they were easily mated and bolted right up in the chassis.
The Prowler was an ambitious project, a marvel of it's time when automakers were still allowed to take chances just for the sheer excitement of things. The Chrysler Crossfire kind of recaptured some of that spirit and excitement, but it was clearly heavily regulated by emissions.
I think they could easily bring it back if they wanted - for 2020, sort of a 20 year anniversary type deal, kind of like what Ford did with the Thunderbird, except much cooler. It was also interesting that Ford released retro-styled Thunderbird around the time the Prowler came out, so I'm wondering if there's some correlation there. Perhaps, Ford was aiming to skim sales off that Prowler market? IMO, the Thunderbird was just as ambitious in its own way.
If Chrysler wanted to bring back the Prowler, they could do something with the Viper chassis or maybe even the old Crossfire chassis. I would try to spin it into a Tesla roadster type car for the new age. It might not be a bad entry into the expanding electric car market: static.carthrottle.com/workspace/uploads/posts/2015/11/45a91ba3-a8b6-441d-9b57-39bb214fceb1.jpg Just imagine that Mercedes emblem as a prowling Panther.
GeminiTIGER Uh, the Prowler was in it's last year when the re-introduced Thunderbird came about man.
isn't the crossfire based on the slk chasis?
nice inside thou
GeminiTIGER omg shut up
Pedestrian safety rules would probably be the bane of any modern attempt to make an open wheeled roadster like this now.
wuugie Yes, the crossfire was built upon the old SLK chassis. They would never use that old chassis today. But I get where he is going with this comment
He didn't once mention that it CLEARLY is styled after sports cars from the 1930s.
Setting everything else aside, you have to give Chrysler credit for actually putting a concept car into production instead of making another bland 90s jelly bean.
Doug at one point my mom had an awesome ride.. she traded it straight up for a top of the line fully loaded honda CRV.. It was a 50th anniversary edition Ford Thunderbird.. It was black on black with black and red leather seats.. convertible hardtop..20 inch chrome wheels and 280 and some HP. It was fun as hell to drive if you turned off traction control you could throw it around.
Before my dad died 10 years ago he actually owned a A toyota supra twin turbo in a custom color electric blue (think north carolina blue) man that son of a bitch was a dream to drive.
a 50th anniversary Thunderbird is an awesome ride?
one hell of a family
Get rid of those bumpers and you have a beautiful car
B Berg wish they could, but it's gotta obey traffic laws
B Berg we as owners usually do bumper deletes that retain signals
B Berg People remove them all the time on these.
and a ls1
*Get rid of the bumpers??? Are you crazy? What about the bumper to bumper warranty???*
i had one!!!!!! silver with chrome wheels! if i had a dollar for every person who gave me thumbs up or said awesome car at a gas station id be rich! sorry i loved it i wish i kept it, it was a blast for 40k! and the looks wee worth it alone!
You've got $27 so far.......keep believing.
I have one too man, in purple. It's a beautiful car.
@Matthew Anthony its a fucking 40k car, not a Veneno or a Zonda, he had one 100% sure
@Matthew Anthony 40k is basically the price of an average pickup nowadays. Hardly a drop in the bucket as far as cars go.
@Matthew Anthony Someone who says "Someone who says 'it’s only 40k' is either very young or very poor and doesn’t know the value of money, I’m assuming you’re both." doesn't know what having money is like. I'm by no means above average in salary and I could pretty easily afford an $80,000 car, and that's alongside other debts. When you start making an adult wage, you'll see.
The parts bin is the place to go when you want cheap production but interesting styling. The manufacturers are all very good at it.
Yes, it was a production car, but it started out as a concept car in 1993. Many of the things you point to as being "borrowed" from other production models comes from the fact that this project was focused on aluminum fabrication and structural design rather than stuff like door locks. Reading about the project in the early 90's, it wasn't clear that the Prowler was every meant to actually go to market, just provide proof-of-concept for the aluminum . The prowlers design proved to be such a head turner, particularly to customers who were interested but didn't have an interest in parking a part-time roadster in their driveway for $40K, the Prowler design ethos very quickly morphed into the PT Cruiser, which was ubiquitous as "not another mid-size Camary wamma-be".
E DiAngeles and while people rag on the PT Cruiser today, that car sold like hot cakes when new and many sold over MSRP. Same with the New Beetle and to a slightly lesser extent, the HHR. They were all part of a retro styling trend in the late 90s- through 2014 or so.
253 HP from a 3.5 V6 from GM in 1999 is actually very impressive, my 2009 Altima 3.5 is only 270 and 10 years newer
Nick F yep exactly they actually were pretty quick! All they need is 300-350 and it would fly
Eh, not really. The VQ35 (In your car) has been in cars and making the same ( or more ) power as yours since 2000-01.
Marcus Adze For a GM motor though, my parents had a 02 Grand AM 3.4L V6 only made 170 horsepower, there's a GM 3.8L Supercharged V6 that only makes 260-something hp to. 90's and early 2000 GM motors had terrible power to displacement ratios
Ouch :( Then yeah, pretty good lol
It's not a GM motor it´s a Chrysler (Mopar)
As the former owner of a 1999 Prowler, I was shocked that you didn't mention the most interesting things about this car (after the styling). First, the entire body and chassis are made from aluminum (7-8 different kinds). They were semi hand-built on the Viper assembly line. Second, the ride is too stiff because of the .75"-thick sidewalls on the run-flat tires. I put NON run-flats on...it made a huge difference. Lastly, the ride is further improved by changing out the 295/40/RF20's on the rears for 295/45/R20's...the increased sidewall height really cuts down on back-axle jolts. But you DO know that the car has IRS on the rear and a rear transaxle, right? Perfect 50/50 weight distribution. It handled quite well, though it needed wider front tires to decrease understeer. BTW, I sold it for a Focus RS.
Did you paint the bumper or remove it before you sold it?, Hopefully you did
Don't be shocked about Doug's not knowing a lot abot cars. He's not technical or mechanical minded or skilled.
Yawn
👀ton of info 👍
RetiredDP eww a focus
I really hate how he keeps calling it "strange" and "weird" as if he's never seen a '32 ford 3-window hot rod before. The Prowler is modeled after the old roadsters, just like the Viper was modeled after the Cobra, and the PT Cruiser was modeled after the Woody Wagon.
Does anyone know if this guy is on auto trader?
i was just trying to find this out myself... anyone?
ALMUDDY スプライフ yes he is
I THINK its Oversteer.. not sure if that's him
Autotrader.com/oversteer
not to be rude... its on the description dumbasses... smh.......... sorry i just hate how ppl act stupid questions without even looking at the description b4 hand...
Doug, I'm surprised you didn't mention -- perhaps didn't even use -- the autostick feature. It completely changes the character of the Prowler and the driver's impression of the car's response to the right foot. No computer overrides of the selected gear; it just gives the driver what he asks for, whether accelerating or downshifting for deceleration. With that said, the Prowler is still more about styling and attitude than being a sports car competitor.
Correct!!
The wheels look good for it being a '90's car.
My mom had a Plymouth minivan that was EXACTLY that color of metallic purple, must have come out around the same time. And every prowler I've ever seen is that color... so I have never been able to take these things seriously because they remind me so much of my mom's ol' Voyager 😂
You may have forgot.... BUTTTTTT... the 90's was the GOLDEN AREA for all Japanese make and models which caused everyone to completely step up their game.
This car was another home run for the Chrysler Corporation. A lot of his talk is just opinion not fact.
Branon Fontaine
Then explain why they are in FACT more reliable and beat the ever loving shit on American cars in sales.
#1 if you need to know where the right tire is you don't know how to drive
#2 It doesn't look weird it was the beginning of the muscle/hotrod resurrection and fyi it looks like every 30's hotrod ever
#3 a modern Chrysler 3.5 would wake it up and bolt in as well as the modern 6spd auto
#4 Who cares if it's a hodgepodge of parts that's what every manufacturer does
he is doug demuro and he is obviously joking
Hardest part to correct is the ride quality...unless it's a stiff ride which might make it an ideal track car.
The sketchiest part of this car is the jaguarlike logo.
ArthurAlcantara It's "in-heat".
ArthurAlcantara it's Chrysler what can you expect
ArthurAlcantara the logo does look the love-child of Jaguar and Mercury Cougar!
I like how Doug hasn’t changed his style. Probably the only thing that DID change was Doug’s excitement and enthusiasm.
How is the hood prop being attached to the hood weird?
My 1973 Ford Cortina does the same thing, and I'm sure hundreds of other models of cars did too.
I think Doug compares everything he drives with a Toyota Camry. If it's not the same as a boring Camry, it's weird.
We have a Hyundai Getz and it, like many modern cars has a hood (bonnet) mounted prop. The fact is, most of the European cars of the 50's thru to the 2000's had hood props. Unless, you owned one of those 20ft+ LandYachts from the 50's to the 70's from the US which had very strong springs mounted on the hinges, which lifted the hood without support. Its not a new thing!
I STILL think it's a super cool car to this day! I would LOVE a modern version of this car. Such an amazing retro car! Would be even cooler with a manual and an LS swap lol
I remember when the prowler came out. I F,ing LOVED it then and F'ing LOVE it now. One of my top 10 dream cars!
In my view, the Prowler was a 90's hot rod! I really liked the style of it, even today, it's unusual and strange, and it looks fast! But I'd love to take a ride in one these on a summer's evening, just to showoff a little bit with the radio blasting, it's a "feel good" kinda car to me, you'll turn heads driving this, I'm sure!
if people are wanting to go as far as to tamper with someone's brakes or similar a regular wheel well isnt stopping them
Play now or die yeah but it might give them ideas
Get braided stainless lines - - tampering will show up in the weave.
Play now or die If anything, this makes it easier to see if somebody tampered with em! Safety feature! Lol
He made a big deal out of not being able to see the passenger fender..."i dont know where that a side of the car is" LOL
PainterFRO same here ! What's the big deal? It's not like u can see it from a normal car. Haha
It is kind of odd, because i a "normal" car, you can see more of the hood, giving you a better idea of a centerline.
JimsEquipmentShed when I started driving, you could see all the way to the end of the hood. Most cars today, you'd be lucky to see half of the hood before it drops out of sight. Meaning you can't see where the front of the car ends. And cars used to have a raised centerline that ran the length of the hood. Line that up with the right side of the lane your in, and that's where your passenger tire was. Cars don't have those today either. Neither is a big deal. In the Prowler you can see where the driver side wheel is. That's all you need.
You wouldn't even need that really. If you cant drive without seeing some part of the front end you shouldn't be driving.
PainterFRO that's true. Cabover trucks, some old Ford vans and VW minibuses had no front ends at all.
doug you've gotta have the coolest job
So it's basically a 90's Hot Rod: Modern, powerful engine,cool looking bodywork, nice styling, good handling but slightly rough ride. What's not to like?
I don't like it
It hasn't got a modern nor powerful engine
It is just isn't cool, trying to be with this styling and bodywork but if it doesn't have a supercharged v8 with 500 hp than it can't be cool
The interior is really cheap and bad looking
The materials are just cheap plastic all ower the interior
The only thing that makes this car even a bit special is this body style and if you don't like it than it's a really awful car
Just needed a big engine
tommy d u b b s and a manual gearbox
Manual transmission would cut their sales to almost nothing.
And a turbo charger.
I bet a bigger engine wouldn't fit. Atleast they didn't put a 4 banger in there.
No just a manual tranny
Looks like a squashed convertible pt cruiser
The car or the guy?
The car
sploofmonkey the 30s Fords are a popular base for hot rods in general. This car is basicly an example of what was going on with high end street rods in the 90s. The best possible example being Boyd Coddington's Aluma Coupe which had a 4 cylinder www.rodauthority.com/features/car-features/looking-back-at-boyd-coddingtons-alumacoupe/
Jebidah
lol yup
They actually developed the PT Cruiser from the Prowler!
That is a nice looking car and Chrysler could have made even more of them and sold them easily. I would not mind owning one of those if I was a young man at the time.
@ArmchairWarrior I believe the designers at Plymouth knew that the brand was on the chopping block. So, like many companies on the virge of extinction, they created the wildest thing they could come up with in a last gasp effort to bring the company back to relevancy and possibly generate enough interest to boost sales and save Plymouth. Alas, the effort ultimately failed, but the car is magnificent.
@@heinzkitzvelvet I'm agreeing with you here, just posted above. It' seems like a terrrific effort considering using what was available and no doubt budget.
The PT Cruiser was very successful.
The Prowler was Plymouths swan song for the struggling car maker! It was made for us “car guys” never really meant to be a mass produced model. It was a beautiful throwback to the hot rod days! I believe it had the small engine so that it could be replaced with an SRT engine by its owners! (A good hot rod option)
The 3.5 was made at Trenton Engine Plant in Trenton Michigan. The only difference was the emblem on the intake manifold. I worked there as an engineer when that engine was made.
lilpoinde
lilpoindexter you helped engineer that garbage motor. I bet techs cursed you :p
Fun fact: It sometimes came with a trailer!
Emeric Joannette I was looking to see if someone mentioned it. I think that was by order though. It didn't come with it unless you ordered one
Not being able to see the fender is not a unique feature to the prowler. Ever driven a minivan? You can’t see any part of the hood in many. Ever thought about what it’s like to be less than 6’3”? I have a cousin who’s under 5’ tall and she’s probably never see the hood of a car from the inside. You mention the fender visibility several times but really it’s not weird at all. CDL truckers cannot see anywhere near where their right front tire is and their truck is like 8 feet wide... not a tiny Plymouth. Once you figure out where it is, there are tricks to estimating its position and also you just have to get a feel for how big any vehicle is. You make it seem like everyone needs a stinger bumper to gauge the front of their cars but most people navigate life just fine without seeing every inch of their front end from the driver’s seat. It’s also not that unique looking of a car. It’s the only one like it made in the 90s, yeah, but it’s also styled exactly like many hot rods from the 30s. It’s the poor man’s or wrench impaired man’s hot rod. But although it it not precisely the same, the styling is clearly copied over quite glaringly. So if you encountered a bunch of old hot rods on the road you’d probably blend in to the untrained eye.
Ryan Alexander Bloom I've driven lots of different vehicles. Not sure why he cant get over the width of the prowler thing. I thought the car looked stupid in the 90s and still do today. I never was a 30s roadster / jalopy fan. I guess if you like that look this car is fun.
I always learned that if you knew where the front wheels turned you could drive anything .
EXACTLY! You can't see the front wheels of ANY production car when your driving, so what's big deal with this one?
They could have made it SO much badass, with so sick designs but instead they decided to make a Frankenstein batmobile *sighs*
only 90s kids will remember
Shut up
I'm a 2020s kid and i remember
Vigilante 2nd offense?
80s baby. I member.
not if your born in 2000 you won't. im born in 87, so i know about the car since i grew up as a kid in the 90's.
why does he need to "see the wheel" ?? you don't see your wheels in a normal car.
Boss because the wheels stick out past the visable body work. on a regular car the wheels are inside.
Boss yeah but in a normal car I the wheels are sort of under the hood so you have an idea of the space if you car, this cars body stops before the wheel, so the body doesn't end at the fender, you still have a whole wheel to consider
cashivan with a lot of cars you can't even see the hood. Judgement of space is part of driving.
That's the only thing I like about driving Defenders. You can see all corners of the vehicle when parking :P
You cant see the hood when your driving? what car do you have jeez....
I have one of these and I don't think I'll ever get rid of it, it's beautiful and amongst my other cars, it gets the most looks. Nostalgia? You bet.
I was 13 in 1999. As a kid in the 90s in suburban Detroit I can say we all loved this car. It was just so different and weird and looked fast as hell. As an adult I still wouldn't mind having one, even if it would be a little embarrassing to be seen in.
13 yrs old in 1999? Yea your life is great. Your parents were wise. I was born in 1992.
It was the 90's - f it. Every American car was big, rode terribly, and had no power. But 250hp in 1997 felt like a lot, especially for a V6.
Rick Sondeland 03*
Cars were not big in the 90's
Check out a few 60's and 70's land yachts and you will understand big.
99 Mustang GT V8.. 260hp (womp womp)
The Prowler is a nod to early American Hot Rods and its "odd " designs come from home built cars from the 40's and 50's.The Prowler was produced to show appreciation for post-war youth that brought so much innovation to the automotive industry through Hot Rodding. All car enthusiasts don't have to understand the roots of their sport/super car but they should respect it.
If only they had incorporated a little pride and quality...
But can you LS swap it?
Kryotix_YTP with enough money
you can ls swap anything
Kryotix_YTP Legendary Motorcar LS swapped one a few years ago
Only if you don't mind getting your tires slashed.
Kryotix_YTP lol dude, you want to go faster not hauling a boat anchor around.
Generic
Motor
Crap
i remember making that car do wheelies on cruisin usa
You must be thinking of a different Cruis'n game. Cruis'n USA came out in 1994 and you can't do wheelies in that game.
@@Vectrex4Life it was one of those cruising games. Maybe cruisin California or cruisin world
@@AnguishBarbarian Just looked it up. It's in Cruis'n Exotica which came out in 1999.