Swamp-ready PT Cruiser Seeks New Bogs to Fling Mud Around
‘PT Bruiser’ left the mall parking lot behind for undeveloped lands and now rides on 44-inch boggers moved by a 340.
Do you remember Stompers? They were the battery-powered toys from the ’80s known for pairing up all sorts of bodies on top of a chassis holding a single AA battery meant to drive all four wheels, each one wrapped in thick rubber tires with enough stubs to climb over nearly everything. Dodge and Jeep were among those available in the line, including the Rampage and Scrambler.
Well, we found a real-life Stomper on the Facebook Marketplace the other day, this one in the form of a 2001 PT Cruiser currently residing in the unincorporated community of Providence Forge, Virginia, just southeast of Richmond.
Dubbed the ‘PT Bruiser,’ this Chrysler no longer has its inline-four or its front-wheel drive system. Instead, there’s a 340 V8 under the hood, linked to an automatic with a divorced transfer case to deliver the power to the fat 44-inch boggers wrapped around 18-inch aluminum wheels.
Inside the lifted PT Cruiser, the interior looks as it did when it left the dealer lot nearly two decades ago, just well-worn. Why change a good thing if it works, right?
Other things you might want to know about this muddin’-ready Chrysler are that it has hydraulic steering for making those muddy runs a breeze, and is no longer a street-legal ride; thus, you’ll want to bring a big trailer to haul it home. The asking price is $4,800 or best offer, too.
There’s so much amazing happening here with this big PT Cruiser. If you’re worried about the build quality, it doesn’t appear to be an issue, as the seller has a yellow mail Jeep named ‘Mud Minion,’ and can be seen competing at his local mud racing competitions. If anything, this ‘PT Bruiser’ may be the most civilized mudder in his fleet, one campaigned by his friend as far back as March 2019.
All we know is this is an excellent upgrade compared to what the PT Cruiser is generally known for. As The Drive says, the retro compact Chrysler was both a favorite and a total disaster for car magazines, while the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave it a ‘Marginal’ crash rating across the board in 2008.
Photos: Billy Hensley/Facebook and Josh Perry/Facebook
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