Here's the real reason why the Plymouth Prowler only lasted five years

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In this episode I provide the history of the Plymouth Prowler, which ran from 1997 to 2002. The Prowler, which was rebranded as the Chrysler Prowler in 2001 following the end of the Plymouth brand, has often been criticized for trying to look like a traditional hot rod, but only having a V6 engine instead of a V8, and an automatic transmission. However the original purpose of the Prowler was as an experiment in aluminum construction, with an all-aluminum frame and many body panels made from aluminum. Having a very limited demographic and a high price, only 11,703 were sold, however its end in 2002 was not because of low sales, and I provide the real reason for its end in this episode.

[@MyOldCar]

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[@900108Chale]

We, in the family, owned several VW Santanas; basically a rebadged AUDI 4000, or probably the most successful Chinese taxi ever, some are still hauling westerners and noodles in that part of the world. A great car to own in the era of highly restricted low mpg, v8, emissions control madness. But lack of parts, especially the differential, made them impossible to keep.

[@900108Chale]

Thunderbird SC, is a car you should most definitively look into.

[@Dmhlcmb]

That whole era was so exciting. The prowler, the viper, the ford 500, the SSR, the thunderbird. It just seemed like tomorrow could bring anything. Very disappointed where we ended up.

[@aberamagold7509]

I really liked the 90's Thunderbirds.

[@trumptardtearcollector9867]

There's a used car lot I drive by that has a Thunderbird and an SSR park next to each other they look good next to each other

[@FWDSUXARSE]

​@@aberamagold7509I've owned 2 of the Mn12 Thunderbirds. A 1989 with the 3.8 V6 (horrible motor) and a 1997 with the 4.6 V8. The 97 was much better between the redesigned interior and the better motor. I still liked the 89 though.

[@bnoakes4899]

@@aberamagold7509 i kinda likes em too i'd v buy one today if thre had put a 302 in them

[@turnoffurxboxurbad]

Well said

[@davidp2888]

This was a car that took a lot of risks. The retro styling, the engineering...I'm glad it got to production.

[@sharedknowledge6640]

Chrysler has been all about taking risks but getting almost none of them right. Their failures are epic and well documented. If I robbed a bank I’d want the cops driving a POS Charger in a high speed chase as it would very like blow up before whatever I was driving. They’re well documented as having the least reliable and worst vehicles of the big 3. It’s the brand for those with a small p*nis everywhere hoping to compensate with the loud exhaust and big wheels making them somehow a bigger man.

[@doomy330]

beautiful car to be sure. the only thing i could fault with it is that the front bumpers could have been placed some 4-5 inches lower

[@dyslexicbatnam1350]

@@sharedknowledge6640 You sound jealous of the loud exhaust and big wheels mate

[@BlueOvals24]

The retro styling... The failed at that. And you have a mini van engine. They died with good reason.

[@jaysdood]

Agreed although they cheaped out by rifling through the spare parts bin for some of its components and it showed.

[@Henry_Jones]

Im still to this day, shocked and happy that the prowler got into production at all.

[@Sedan57Chevy]

Maybe it's me being a 90s kid, but I think the prowler is still a cool car. Especially now, 20 years after it's left production. The prowler managed to make a distinctive mark that follow on retro cars like the thunderbird and ssr just couldn't compete with.

[@chazzcoolidge2654]

Just imagine it with a 5.7 Hemi swap!

[@tuckersbaby]

The 11th gen T-bird sold over five times the amount of Prowlers produced in only a four year production run. The retro cars of this craze definitely moved but they all suffered from similar drawbacks.

[@Greg-io1ip]

@@chazzcoolidge2654 Just think if a Maga Trumper big motor boy could get a girlfriend without financial bribery.

[@CynHicks]

I agree. I'd like to see a modern version but if they did they'd probably make it electric unfortunately.

[@CynHicks]

​@@Greg-io1ipJust think.

[@manfredwhite9418]

A friend of mine has 1999 prowler. Bought it in 2004 and daily drive it to work expect ice & snow. Wash & wax it and change the oil once a quarter. It has over 200k, normal wear out parts but engine & Transmission are rock steady. The "Haters out there are pissed off because his "Hooptie is still runnin to this day.

[@tuckersbaby]

I had a 2003 Ford Thunderbird for roughly a year and a half and the car falls into the same “love it or hate it” camp as the Prowler. I had plenty of fun with the car, but the sparse parts marketplace, underwhelming Jaguar 3.9L V8, and lack of a manual transmission lead me to sell the car in 2021. Now I’ve got a 1957 T-bird with a beefier 312 Y-block and a 3-speed manual. An actual 1950s sportscar instead of a pseudo one.

[@michaelbenardo5695]

Too bad the new Tbird wasn't built on a cut down Crown Vic frame. That way, it would had a bigger engine, engine options, a better automatic, and an available manuel trans.

[@tuckersbaby]

@@michaelbenardo5695 Except the Retrobird was the only one of the three DEW98 platform cars to be gimped out of a manual. The Jaguar S-Type on the other hand, got everything. Larger displacement V8s, a supercharged option, and of course a 5-speed stick. The car didn’t handle like wet lasagna, but it definitely wasn’t the hard hitting Corvette competitor that the Babybirds were.

[@chrismoody1342]

Sorry but the T bird was ugly as hell. Even Chip Foose couldn’t help it.

[@elhoward7440]

The 2000's T-birds were cute... but with automatic only, they were pretty much targeted at women; I never saw a man drive one. Given a choice, I'd that the 57. I had an apartment next door neighbor that had a 50's T-bird in his car port, he and he wife were a little weird, stilling living in the 50's next to LAX in the 80's. But it was a sweet car.

[@SquirminHermanthe1eyedGerman]

@@chrismoody1342 I must agree

[@tph318]

I got to stamp hoods for this and clean the tub assemblies as they came off the line.

[@elcheapo5302]

Chrysler was unstoppable in the 90s...The '92 Viper, '94 Ram, '97 Dakota, '98 Durango...then Daimler got involved and basically ruined everything.

[@chada75]

The 94 Ram body style still holds up.

[@fortheloveofnoise9298]

Yep, same thing happening with Dodge now.....

[@colinschmitz8297]

Thank you for making this video. Awesome as always. Thank you for pointing out that some channels are getting confused between the 2.7 and 3.5 on the problems. The 3.5 is a bulletproof engine so long as you change the water pump and timing belt. The 2.7 is the one with the problems.

[@sandasturner9529]

Agreed

[@slimjim2291]

Years ago there was a custom shop in Grand Junction Colorado called Prowler Pro. They developed an engine upgrade for the 3.5l that took the displacement up to a true 5.0l that they called the Super Stroker. The upgraded engine was capable of producing 400hp and 400tq running the stock ECM. The company Prowler Pro closed it's doors years ago and all the tooling and info on building the Super Stroker was purchased by Bad Kitty Performance(I think from Utah). A quick Google search for either company comes up with nonsense and a deeper search would be necessary to find anything. There are however some KZbin videos of Super Stroker cars.

[@DanielleWhite]

8k miles in 3 weeks in such a car? Much respect. I did that many miles in 26 days on a motorcycle (2002 Kawasaki ZR-7s) once and it was quite the experience.

[@robambrose4199]

Once I did 8k miles and it took a whole hour and it was really boring. Sorry, I meant 9 miles.

[@budaroddy]

one of the coolest cars of that era, for real, congrats, for the car and the channel!

[@phantom0456]

The Prowler is absolutely a very cool and unusual car, but it definitely should’ve had a V8, preferably with an optional manual. That being said, I’m always glad to see cars like this make it to production in the first place.

[@mortimersnerd4156]

I totally agree. Chrysler could have made an aluminum 4.7L V-8 for it, but it had to suffer with the little V-6. I was too poor to own one but the retro-style turned heads.

[@bly4233]

The 3.5 made 20 more horsepower than the 4.7 and was tunable to 300 horsepower with intake and computer mods on 91 octane. Hennessy made headers that they claimed made 27hp on the stock engine. Chrysler didn’t get credit for the engine they did put in it.

[@seed_drill7135]

When did the 4.7 even come out? The 5.2 and 5.9 were Chrysler’s only V8 when the Prowler debuted.

[@TheReal10bears]

Yes a hemi with Lake pipes coming out of the body turning into side pipes

[@calculator1841]

I can answer this. According to the executives I asked, in person, they couldn't resolve an overheating problem in the as-is prowler design inserting a V8, so they compromised with the V6.

[@jordanseay216]

As I own an Intrepid, Im very familiar with the defects of the engines available, especially the 2.7 since I own one with it. The main issue with that engine was the water pump. It would prematurely fail leaking coolant into the oil crank case, sludging the oil up and causing oil starvation. However, Chrysler has made a revised water pump that can be bolted onto any affected 2.7 V6. Also there were issues on the early Intrepids with the timing chain guides which were fixed for later model years starting in 2003 I believe. If you have an engine with the revised timing chain guides and the revised water pump design, then it’ll be a pretty reliable engine. I personally haven’t really had to do anything more than maintenance level repairs on mine because it’s at that age where things are wearing out.

[@NoferTrunions]

87 Chevy Turbo Sprint - the MOST FUN car I ever owned (Including 3 Vipers)

[@boowiebear]

Hilarious that the Dodge Neon you showed at 15:30 had clapped out peeling paint as that seem to be a feature of all them I saw!

[@Steve-gc5nt]

It's neat and I like it but yes, it's so niche I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did too. And you are so right about finding a good, cared for older car instead of forking out silly money for a new car. I have a 2011 Mazda 6 wagon, which is great despite being 156k miles up. And a 2002 Ford Puma with only 20k miles. Two cars together cost me £4500.

[@Steve-gc5nt]

@2 Corinthians 4:7-11 Nice! Good looking car. You are enjoying it? Yes, the Puma was Europe only. Probably too small for the US market. You might want to have a look for the Steve McQueen Puma ad on KZbin.

[@TassieLorenzo]

"I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did too." 5 years seems like a pretty long run for such a niche car! With cars like this, people who want one, buy one, and then there's nobody left to sell them too.

[@jordanseay216]

I’ve always loved the prowler. It’s such a parts bin car but with a rwd transaxle layout, it would’ve been so cool to have that setup in an LH car!

[@dalesumney8806]

One of the things people complain about the Prower is that it is a parts bin car. Weren't hot rods actually parts bin cars?

[@jordanseay216]

@@dalesumney8806 yea. Honestly I’ve forgiven it for being a parts bin special since I’m sure it took a lot of money to design that crazy shape so they had to appease the accountants some how. Plus stuff like the radio, window switches, turn signal stalk, etc we’re in countless other Chrysler cars.

[@FWDSUXARSE]

​@@dalesumney8806I think it's good that it's a parts bin car. Wider availability of parts should they need replacement instead of model specific parts for what was a lower production run vehicle.

[@autochatter]

Its cool you have one of these. I drove a few of them years ago. It felt like a well made kit car behind the wheel to me. Saw a beautiful red one a few weeks ago in the wild at a intersection.

[@funnystrong]

I've been looking forward to this episode, thank you!!!

[@mvanalst2003]

Great content, as always. And I love the channel. Please keep it rolling. Thank you, sir.

[@otakubancho6655]

Mother Mopar has always done things differently,sometimes for the better,sometimes for the worse,but I agree that the Prowler was something special in a good way!❤❤❤

[@alfredplam1324]

There was a real cool concept that was called the Howler, with a 4.7 litre V8 and a 5 speed manual, and a reshape trunk that could actually fits two sets of golf clubs. I think it looks better than the original too...too bad it never made it to production

[@zacharylink5332]

It was called the growler

[@vleldaddio210]

Any chance of putting a picture of the "Howler/ Growler 👍

[@danweyant4909]

Great episode. Good on you man

[@Chrishm0]

always a beautiful car, and such an out there risk.

[@900108Chale]

We, in the family, owned several VW Santanas; basically a rebadged AUDI 4000, or probably the most successful Chinese taxi ever, some are still hauling westerners and noodles in that part of the world. Amazing car! But lack of parts, especially the differential, made them impossible to keep.

[@corymcgrath999]

Finally! Thanks, Pat. Great video- worth the wait!

[@sebastiend.5335]

Such a nice video of a car I've grown to like more over the years. Greetings from the Netherlands

[@normansigucci9845]

I’m glad I finally got to see ur face! I enjoy ur videos so much!

[@GraveyardghouI]

Great video, very informative.

[@elsid9927]

just subscribed. Looking for a video from ya on the Pontiac Solstice.

[@fhwolthuis]

Great video!

[@TheCRTman]

To me the front looked like what would become the PT cruiser. I did see photos of the Prowler when I was younger, but I don't I've ever seen one in person sadly. I like how you de-bunked a lot of crap people talk just because of what they've heard about, such as bad engines.

[@autochatter]

Yeah I only heard the 2.7 v6s were sludgemakers. Never the 3.5. I think the water pump starts to leak internally leading to it on the 2.7's?

[@laveritesurlestemoinsdejeh8522]

@@autochatter Indeed they do. That's because the water pump is driven by the timing chain, so it's internal. When it leaks (as all water pumps inevitably do), it will do so in the engine oil... Incidentally, the Ford front wheel drive 3.5 and 3.7 engines (like on the Edge, for example) share the same stupid design. Timing chain driven water pumps are ticking time bombs...

[@nowiecoche]

Actual owners are OGs. They know how to take care of the so-called "problematic" cars. As a fellow Subaru owner, I've had to read so many wrong head gasket infos out there.

[@monolith2001]

I had never seen that commercial in the intro. The guy in the white T-Shirt reminds me of Trevor from GTA V.

[@undersky769]

It is him or rather the voice actor, Steven Ogg.

[@juanperez8306]

Awesome video Pat.

[@christopherkraft1327]

A shout out to the Car Wizard, seen working on a Prowler!!! 👍👍🙂

[@davidglodoski2525]

this is actually a really neat episode!

[@gimmefuel7268]

Terrific video bud!!! 😁😎👍🏻

[@cannednolan8194]

I still want one. Have a rough list of things I would love to do. The first one I saw got me it was a custom from a rims add. Kinda like the 3 on the right at 1:21

[@Henry_Jones]

I reccomend Adams interviews with Bob Lutz over at Rare Classic Cars and Automotive History

[@vintagecapgunsatyourmomshouse]

The prowler and it's trailer always reminded me of the lagonda, conceptually. Evel Knievel used to come into the bar where I worked in the '90s driving his lagonda

[@Adamthegeek70]

I always wanted one of these. Still do.

[@richarderickson8840]

Always wanted one, but life came along, work, kids, mortgage. You know, Life. Still a nice looking car and glad they exist.

[@googleuser3760]

Excellent video 👍👍

[@jnb756]

I was lucky to drive one of these at an auto auction many years ago - such a cool car - it felt like driving a life size hot wheels

[@evanduty6150]

I've always wanted to see a Prowler with a rumble seat.

[@4BillC]

I remember when those came out and I loved them. Now over 20 years later... If I came across one I could afford, I'd absolutely buy it! Then put a couple turbos on it!

[@davidelack8809]

Thats what makes America Great! We all have the right to like or dislike almost anything. I haven't owned a Chrysler product since the early 70's.

[@axllebeer]

One of the most unique cars I have ever seen on the road is the Prowler and a DMC12. Very cool cars!

[@donreid6399]

I appreciate any car that takes a risk to get into production. It's obvious that the Prowler wouldn't have mass market appeal, yet Chrysler did it anyway. I like that....

[@goliath9081]

Love this channel

[@CDGActual]

Loved it as a kid, I still love it now. Although I always used to get this car mixed up with the Panoz Roadster

[@tommytron2000]

Man I remember wanting one of those so bad. Great video. Do accord next…

[@noneed4me2n7]

I always liked the look of these. Wouldn’t mind tooling around in one.

[@scubatrucker6806]

I've always loved to look of the prowler from the first time I seen it at Research and developed center in Michigan when I was delivering jeeps from Toledo oh.👍👍

[@mikmik9034]

I had the first Oldsmobile Silhouette in Connecticut in 1980. Nearly caused a half dozen collisions with people rubber-necking to see it. Including One prime-mover and van on rte 69.

[@mistert7958]

...and...nobody knows what that was.

[@mickylawless1941]

Liked and subscribed. The Prowler was a very intriguing vehicle. I was sad that when Plymouth dropped in the all aluminum 3.5 engine, they didn't put in a 5 or 6 spd manual transaxle. That would have given it some credibility. As it is, it's still a beautiful little (faux) hotrod. Cheers!

[@grunkohlaktionar7474]

Please do one on the Mitsubishi Diamante

[@elhoward7440]

They have a low-miles 2001 Chrysler Prowler on Craig's List... for $60,000. It appears to have appreciated in value.

[@phil3999]

I was a young man when they came out. The video made me think about this car for the first in years. Good video

[@brianwelch1579]

There was a lot of liability in these cars too - I knew a guy who had the top come off his at (90+mph) speed. Lost control, and chryler setlled. I remember him having both a new one, AND a viper after that....

[@michaelmartin2276]

I think it's the coolest looking car made in a very long time. I'd love to own one !

[@johnnymason2460]

People seem to have forgotten that the engine bay of the Prowler didn't support any V8 engine that Chrysler had at the time. The fact that the Prowler was made of mostly aluminum also contributed to the problem since any engine with a lot of torque could have torn the car up significantly.

[@pauljr.harrington1905]

When Jay Leno suggested Chip Foose was the one who designed the Prowler in his latest video, Foose was quick to tell him saying that would be a slap in the face to the people that finished the car.

[@Zachman676]

Still looks like a concept car even by todays standards

[@Raider19582]

Great video 📹 ty.I would love to drive one!

[@jeffsenecal4168]

This car with a any Ls1 a manual and minus the bumper peeices is awsome!!

[@chrisfloyd7316]

Loved the car growing up. It was a cool look that a car company actually made

[@JonPeace-do9re]

I worked at Alcoa Technical Center at the time. Was told by one welder that they had hand built 3 frames as demos. Chrysler looked at them, liked them and asked when they could get a thousand more...

[@MrPypro]

I would love to see a video on the G60 and VR6 Corrado! 1990 G60, That's the one that got away for me. I've owned two antique Pontiacs a 55 Chieftain and a 67 LeMans and the VW Corrado is still THE one that got away.

[@Zedler-lu4pk]

I saw one at a car meet once that was two-tone purple over yellow - was this a factory special edition or option, or a modification done by the owner? I never saw the owner to ask

[@MyOldCar]

Owner mod. Custom paint jobs are a very popular Prowler mod.

[@JoJoJoker]

I’m surprised the Prowler last 5 years without a manual transmission or increase in horsepower.

[@arieljones4595]

You are correct about the manual transmission. However it did, during its run, receive an engine upgrade with more power. It didn't exactly make it a tire shredder but it was an improvement.

[@tim3172]

I'm surprised you felt the need to spout off before doing 5 seconds' worth of research. "For the 1999 model year, the engine was replaced with a more powerful, aluminum-block, 253 hp (189 kW; 257 PS) at 6400 rpm version of the engine." Dumdumdumdumdum

[@JoJoJoker]

@@tim3172 oh, wow, so it survived 4 years without an increase in horsepower or manual transmission! The Prowler would have been awesome with a supercharger & 5 speed manual.

[@raypurchase801]

Here in the UK, these Prowlers are very rare and sell for the same kind of money as the lesser Ferraris. Same with the Chevy SSR.

[@GuitarBillCurran]

I was 10 in '97 and I wanted that car so bad. I still want one. The purple one.

[@mbryson2899]

I didn't know they came in yellow- that is beautiful!

[@bennetfox]

Ooo I would love to have a Prowler in Inca gold! That is a gorgeous color!

[@PrydeWater901]

The narrow focal point of the headlights always made it seem like it was farther away than it really was at night.

[@enginepy]

We were so excited about this car when it was in concept form. Then the production model came out and it was weak. The normal windshield, the big plastic front bumpers. The lack of rear fender haunches. The lame and weak engine was the worst part though. So much potential

[@reinatycoon3644]

The Plymouth Prowler is a beautiful unique car especially if they're purple or orange. Ever since I seen one as a preteen I wanted one. Still would love to have one just like I'd love to have a Dodge Copperhead if they actually released them for buyers instead of just using it as a concept car. I never knew that they were only available with automatic transmissions, what a shame because manual transmissions are more fun and faster.

[@FreddyFunderbunz]

Fun fact: every prowler came with a silk button up Guy Fieri style flame shirt and a low T test kit

[@brandonwhite6501]

😂

[@mistert7958]

Same era that had Viagra as a major NASCAR sponsor...same customer base!

[@stephaneauger1036]

Pure hot rod ❤🎉very very nice 👍🏼

[@rogerramjet7729]

That purple is just simply an amazing colour

[@atmosrepair]

In 1999 the car was featured in major hip hop music video. Never underestimate the marketing power of rap/hip hop music for the luxury goods market.

[@STB-jh7od]

I loved the looks of this car.

[@bigballz4u]

10:02 Nice Car Wizard cameo!

[@beware-9977]

Outstanding video. Thanks for dispelling many myths about the Prowler. Owning one for 24 years has literally changed our lives. We now have friends whom are really more like family all over the world.

[@richardeikelenboom5097]

So, I’m new here, gotta ask, did you do a viper video? 4:51

[@thestrangechannelofjeff7426]

The prangler is awesome trivia

[@vinnycisero4422]

I always wanted one and still do

[@lukemarks92]

You should do a video on the Toyota T100!!!!!! Great reliable truck

[@mikemc330]

Nice video.

[@JSFGuy]

This looks interesting.

[@IraQNid]

I love the styles of the Prowler, Viper, PT Cruiser.

[@Blas4ublasphemy]

Caliber? HHR? SSR?

[@gorjlg]

Hey, Gatlinburg. Right up the road.

[@MrRaleighman123]

The Prowler is a beautiful car!

[@jeffsenecal4168]

These things hold there value so well, thats a testement to how well this car is received.

[@IINfs_HeroesII]

I remembered this car in the tv series Nightman, it look so cool.

[@patrickradcliffe3837]

1:31 it was a cool concept with unrealized potential.

[@nasimwehbe8410]

I've always loved this car. Wish I could get one.