---
title: '2001 Plymouth Prowler: Regular Car Reviews'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=Je2YkB_AySM'
video_id: 'Je2YkB_AySM'
date: 2026-08-03
duration_sec: 1889
---

# 2001 Plymouth Prowler: Regular Car Reviews

> Source: [2001 Plymouth Prowler: Regular Car Reviews](https://youtube.com/watch?v=Je2YkB_AySM)

## Summary

The video is a detailed review of the 2001 Plymouth Prowler, a quirky and divisive American car. The reviewer explores its history, design, driving dynamics, and ownership costs, ultimately arguing that despite its flaws, the Prowler offers a unique and joyful experience that defies conventional sports car standards.

### Key Points

- **Giveaway Announcement** [01:04] — The Prowler is the giveaway car for Regular Car Reviews, with entry via purchasing merch at fanofthem.com/regularcars.
- **Prowler's Contradictory Nature** [02:21] — Unlike typical giveaway cars, the Prowler is not fast, handles poorly, and is not well-made, yet it is unique and subverts expectations.
- **Specifications and Production** [03:45] — Powered by a 3.5L EGG V6 making 252 hp, 0-60 in 6 seconds, top speed 126 mph. 11,700 units produced from 1997-2002.
- **Dimensions and Fanbase** [05:37] — Length 13'9", width 6'5", height 4'3". Has a devoted, quirky fan club, especially on Facebook groups.
- **Engine and Transmission Quirks** [07:15] — The engine is from front-wheel-drive sedans, but the transmission is mounted in the rear via a torque tube, making it a 4-speed automatic (42RLE).
- **Handling Issues** [09:34] — Front wheels are 17", rears are 20" with 295/40R20 tires, causing understeer and instability at speeds over 80 mph.
- **Driving Impressions** [12:37] — Drives like a TJ Wrangler, Grumman LLV mail truck, and Dodge Caravan combined, due to seating position, wheel sizes, and suspension.
- **Trunk Access** [16:42] — To open the trunk, you must open the door, pull a lever inside, then press a hidden button near the rear wheel well.
- **Cost of Ownership** [19:54] — Maintenance records show about $2,858 in repairs over the years, including strut replacement, alternator, and wiring issues.
- **Why People Love It** [23:10] — Despite being underpowered and impractical, the Prowler offers a unique personality and a sense of fun that appeals to non-enthusiasts.
- **Changing Perspective** [25:10] — The reviewer admits that after driving it, he understands the Prowler's appeal: it's meant to be silly, not a serious sports car.

### Conclusion

The Plymouth Prowler is a flawed but endearing car that represents the optimism of the 1990s. It may not be a good sports car, but it offers a unique and joyful experience that makes it worth owning and celebrating.

## Transcript

[music] Heat up
can't believe it. We finally got our hands on a Plymouth Prowler.
I just did a burnout in a Plymouth Prowler. Yes, this is a giveaway car. Prowler. Yes, this is a giveaway car. fan of them.com/regularcars. It's right there. fan fofthem.com/regularcars.
Buy some merch and you're automatically entered to win. Just pick up some merch. entered to win. Just pick up some merch. If you have thought about entering a giveaway that we do on RCR, but you never did,
this is the one to do. First of all, it's okay that some people don't know how to drive stick. They've never had that opportunity. Great news is you will automatic Plymouth Prowler because they're all automatics. Manual was never
an option on one of these cars. You know, most of the giveaway cars, in fact, all of the giveaway cars that we do on RCR with fan of them
do on RCR with fan of them are performance cars, turbocharged, stick shift machines, occasionally a fast truck. They're good driving cars, enthusiast machines, cars that take corners very
machines, cars that take corners very well, accelerate aggressively, and are a joy to drive. I should say drive well. Sheesh.
The Plymouth Prowler is none of those things. So, here I am telling you to enter this giveaway, and telling you to enter this giveaway, and you should enter a giveaway for a car
you should enter a giveaway for a car that is not fast, handles bad, isn't wellmade. It's It's Dodge, isn't it? It's Chrysler. So, why should you own them? Well, Jeremy Clarkson said, "No true automotive enthusiast or no true
petrol head as he as the term they use. They should all own or you should all own an Alfa Romeo, no true gear head or petrol head can say that they're a petrol head if they have never owned an Alfa Romeo."
Alfa Romeo." I say no American gear head can say they're a gear head if they haven't owned a pile of Dodge owned a pile of Dodge or in this case Plymouth. It's Chrysler
or in this case Plymouth. It's Chrysler because these cars are bizarre. They don't make sense. They're done for silliness. This car defies all expectations or subverts all expectations of what an enthusiast car
expectations of what an enthusiast car is. And I think you should own this. You should experience this because there may not be a car like this again in the Thank you.
Yeah. Feel my V6 Feel my V6 tremble at my 252 horsepower. >> It is divisive. It is adored. It is
hated. It is reviled. It is dismissed. It is celebrated. But it is undeniably one of the most unique production cars ever to make it off an assembly line.
Hell yeah, brother. Got my Plymouth Prowler setting up for the car show. Prowler setting up for the car show. Yeah, I can feel the attention coming. You know what you're looking at. Yeah. Got my sign so people know. GOT MY CHAIR
READY TO SIT. >> [snorts] >> [snorts] >> Pants gobs blast barb left. It's the late 1990s and dad just bought 2,800
lb of invisible penis lengthening surgery. Plymouth Prowler brought to you by Corvette guys dig evolving into their final form. Prowler the official car of
putting up a boomer board at Weiss markets. M ham. markets. M ham. Yes, I'll have the ham. Prowler, the official car of waddling into PetSmart,
finding the smallest, cutest girl employee, standing too close to her, ripping a tuna fish fart, looking around and saying, "I didn't know you sold whales here." and then waddling back out to your one of 500 Plymouth Prowler,
pulling the wedgie out of your crack, catching your breath from the long 20ard walk, sitting down and reflecting on your successful life. It is 13t 9 in
your successful life. It is 13t 9 in long. It is 6' 5 in wide. It is 4' 3 in high. And this has one of the most fantastic, freakish, devoted, weird fan
clubs I've ever run across. I did my homework for this review and I lurked on homework for this review and I lurked on the Plymouth Prowler Facebook groups. [laughter] dude, go. These are some vanilla people,
and you just look in their eyes, they're up to some freaky stuff after hours. On up to some freaky stuff after hours. On paper, this is a two seat roadster designed by Chrysler during the height of the dot boom. It represented the
of the dot boom. It represented the runaway optimism of the late 1990s. runaway optimism of the late 1990s. Grunge music was over. Rap rock was in. SCA was back. Rockabillies now fronted big swing bands. Guest bedrooms became
big swing bands. Guest bedrooms became computer rooms. And the S&P 500 line kept going up and up and up. Chrysler was more successful than ever. Their minivan dominated the market. The TJ Wrangler was selling better than even
Wrangler was selling better than even the YJ. And their Viper was dominating the Corvette and Mustang. Critics were calling the Gen 1 Neon almost as good as Honda. It seemed during those 10 short years, everything Chrysler touched
turned to Beanie Babies. So, they decided, hey, you know that concept car? No, not the copper head. The weirder one. Yeah, we're just gonna make that.
No, I'm serious. No, no changes. We're going to put a concept car into production. Uh, yeah, I know we don't have everything it needs, but you know, we got minivan parts, we got sedan parts. We're going to make it work. So,
it's powered by the 3.5 L EggG V6. That's the same engine that moved the Chrysler Concord sedan. Eagle Vision, Chrysler 300M, and the Chrysler Pacific Crossover. That was before it became a minivan. And after the Prowler's
minivan. And after the Prowler's discontinue in 2002, the EGG V6 would go on to power the base model Dodge Charger and Challenger. The Chrysler EGG V6 is an all aluminum engine making about 250 horsepower at 6,500 RPM and about 250 lb
feet of torque at 4,000 RPM. It's a single overhead cam non-inference engine with a timing belt. Now, this is where it gets better, the transmission. Okay, it gets better, the transmission. Okay, so the EGV6 was a longitudinal mounted
so the EGV6 was a longitudinal mounted engine meant for front-wheel drive cars. So Chrysler had this whole cab forward design which allowed them to move their wheels almost to the front bumper that allowed you there to have a longitudinal
V6 and a transmission that sort of it looked like the front half of a Subaru transmission, you know, with half shafts coming out only this one has no drive shaft on the way back. So this is this V6 was meant to power the front wheels.
in production. So instead of making their own gearbox, what they to make it a rearwheel drive car, they just put a torque tube and shoved that front-wheel
drive transmission to the back of the car. That way, if you look like here in the brochure, if you look in the cutaway, you see that this prop shaft is running to the back and there's a transmission in the back that has a bell
They're just like, nah, just shove the transmission back there. It'll be fine. transmission back there. It'll be fine. The transmission itself is the 42LLE 4-speed automatic transmission. 0 to 60 is a respectable 6 seconds, and the car
hits fuel cut at 126 mph. I had this thing up to 80. You don't want to go 120 in this. 80 is fine, but we'll get to the handling in a fine, but we'll get to the handling in a bit. Chrysler made a total of 11,72
bit. Chrysler made a total of 11,72 Prowers from 1997 until 2002. So, why does it handle super weird? Well, the front wheels are 17 in and the rears are 20s. That is wild for a production car to come with dubs straight from the
to come with dubs straight from the factory in 1997. Now, this is a 2001 doesn't matter because there were no trim levels of this car. There weren't really updates. Uh, they're all pretty much the same car. And in 2001, this is
the second to last year of production where the MSRP for this, you ready for where the MSRP for this, you ready for prices? Okay, this was $44,625
adjusted for inflation to 2026. That is a staggering $82,838. In today's money, you could buy an Enos Grenadier for less. You could buy a BMW
135i convertible with a straight 6 turbo for much less than what this is. But are you as remarkable? I don't know if you're called cool, but then again, the Prowler has gone through phases throughout its life. This is a classic
car now. In driving this thing around, a lot of people don't know what it is. Now, rightfully so. Most of the people who bought these things were boomers and they just put them away in garages. I've been driving this thing at the time of
recording this for about 2 weeks. I have not seen another one. And come to think of it, I haven't seen a Prowler in the wild outside of a car show in maybe 15 years. They just don't exist. If you haven't discovered the joys of Icy Hot
yet, I'm not sure you can visualize the stir that this vehicle created in the hearts and groins of white suburban dads aged 40 to 46 in 1997. Remember how
people lost their collective tits over Stanley cups, Swatch pocket watches, boba tea, espresso martinis, sea salt lamps, Dubai chocolate, fro yo, and
McRibs. Imagine if you hydraulic pressed all that hype into one concept. That's the Plymouth Prowler. In 1997, these things were selling way above MSRP.
Plymouth Prowler. YEAH, THE WIFE'S GOING TO GET IT TONIGHT. M wife's making London broil tonight. It's 1997. You're a 40-year-old dad. You just retired with your dot money and your
oldest son is burning up all the butter knives doing dabs. You go to Olive Garden in your Plymouth Prowler. Your wife starts stuffing bread sticks into her purse because you gave her all those big Ziploc bags for a reason. and you
drive home happily filled up with carbs, not really thinking about your kids. The future's going to be fine, and you're just cruising into the imagine retirement that is for sure coming. But you don't go too fast because here's the
driving impressions of a Plymouth Prowler. It drives like three different Prowler. It drives like three different cars all at once. It drives like a TJ Wrangler, a Grumman LLV mail truck, and a Dodge Caravan all at the same time.
So, if this thing drives so bad, why do people like it? Well, we'll get to that. The Wrangler characteristics come from the sloppy steering and driving position relative to the center of mass of this car. In a Wrangler, your body is closer
wheels. And the same is true of the Prowler. You sit right in front of the rear half shafts. In fact, you can open the door, stay seated, and touch the
rear wheels. That means when you do break the wide rear tires loose, it's break the wide rear tires loose, it's not the tail of the car that swings out. It's you. It's like riding in the last two seats of a wooden roller coaster.
You're get like like the phoenix at Canobyl. You're getting whipped around in this thing. The Grumman LLV mail truck characteristics come from again the wheels. You have massive 20-in wheels. The tire size is 2954020s
and the fronts are a, you know, a a normal 2254517s. The front is normal. Now, it's normal for some rearwheel drive cars to have wider rear tires than the fronts, but not to this extreme. Also, the front
wheels, or rather the front contact patch, is slightly ever so slightly closer together than the rear wheels. Now, that wouldn't be a problem if the rear wheels weren't wide and large in all directions. And that difference in
all directions. And that difference in grip and the mass compounds the front end push and under steer. The Grumman LLV has the same size and wheels and tires all the way around, but the front tires are tucked in on purpose to make
the turning circle smaller so the male truck can maneuver in tight city streets. But it makes the LLV unstable at speed. Now, that doesn't matter because it's a utility vehicle, not a sports car. But all speeds over 80 miles
an hour in the Prowler, the front end starts bouncing. It gets twitchy. It's trying to lead the car, but it's also trying to wrestle control back from the dominating oversized rear wheels. I'm on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in this thing.
I have both hands on the wheel. The front end is quivering like a twink on three white monsters who just got his collar tugged. >> And number three, the Prowler drives like a Dodge Caravan. More specifically,
a second gen Dodge Caravan with nothing in it and the middle and back seats removed. Those vans become bouncy castles when unladen. The front end feels normal, but the rear started acting like your one friend who gets
overly dramatic and histrionic when drunk. Remember how I said at speed the front end of a Prowler fights to control the rear who is stronger? A similar thing happens at low speeds, but the front takes the dominant role and the
rear is bouncing around. That's because of two things. One, the sophistication of the Prowler's front suspension. It is a well-designed double A arm setup with inboard coilovers. And the front suspension has all the travel at once
because these are open wheel cars. there. There's nothing to run into and the hubs sit out in the open. But when you hit a pothole, the front suspension instantly absorbs it and it doesn't feel serious. But when the pothole hits the
serious. But when the pothole hits the rear tires, wham! True, the rear is independent as well, but it's crude. And these 20-in wheels don't have much travel, so you don't know you've hit a serious pothole until after you've hit
it. And since your body is right on the rear suspension, you feel that hit. Goes right in your ass bone. It's getting kicked like it's in a Vanam movie. And speaking of the rear, here's how you get into the trunk. Well, go get your fob.
Oh, wait. There's no button on here. It's just lock, unlock, and panic. there's no release. There's no anything. How do you get into this? How do you get into the trunk? Well, this is what you have to do. You have to open the door.
have to do. You have to open the door. You have to come inside this open the trunk? No. But it's step one. You pull that,
one. You pull that, get back out, >> Okay. Now there's over here inside facing toward
you. Bring the camera over here. Point where my finger is. There's a little where my finger is. There's a little button. That's your trunk release. Press that. It's electric. And the trunk opens up clamshell size.
And that's it. That's all you get. Put that down again. That's all you get. Put that down again. Get in the car again.
way, you have to be very gentle with these because they don't make messed up your roof. Get out again.
The roof is none of these were electric. They are all Wait, I'm doing something They are all Wait, I'm doing something right. That comes This This comes up. By the way, this rear glass is glass. And then fold your roof down. You're
supposed to buckle your roof in, but I mean, it's not going anywhere. Oh, and by the way, if this electric switch right here, if this breaks, you have a
right here, if this breaks, you have a little manual loop you can pull here. I put a bracelet on it, but that will also pop your trunk. Oh, and by the way, the electric button won't work if the car is locked. So, you
won't work if the car is locked. So, you can lock this trunk to protect stuff in. Actually, you know what? Let's do a Let's do a test. Yeah. Yeah. The manual override works if it's
But let's lock it. Okay, it's locked. I attempt to open it with the button. Doesn't work. [music] Now, if I open it
with the manual override, will it set off the car alarm? Yep. Sets it off. Shut up.
Okay. It's not very loud. It's not a loud >> Not really. So if you wanted to steal stuff out of this out of the back, you could just and if you knew know that the release is there, you could just release
it, reach in, grab whatever you want, plop it off, and then just walk away. Cost of ownership. Justin was able to get this car from an old guy who kept extensive records. Not just him, but the original owner. We're technically the
third. So how much did he really spend over the years? System flush. So, transmission service plus oil change plus transmission flush. >> What's the mileage for the transmission flush?
flush? >> 88,000. So, it was done about 15,000 miles ago. >> Customer states clunking noise in rear suspension. Uh, diagnose and replace left rear strut assembly. Road test.
Okay. This was in 2004. Oh my goodness. Labor and parts $1,12910.
>> Mud flap $0. >> Oh, that's nothing. Chrysler Chrysler, happened. The mud flap came off. >> Yeah, they just they must have just screwed it back on. Trans flush. Another one. Huh. Do BG trans power flush. Four
exclamation points. >> Service completed. Quick clean and ATF4 [snorts] real fart. $185.77. Customer says driver's side headlamp.
Driver's side tail lamp inoperable. Bulbs on dash. List price repair Bulbs on dash. List price repair something $51. Customer states, "Vehicle smell. Check and advise. Will not start."
>> Replaced alternator. Replace burnt wiring. $86764. shorted maybe. >> Yeah. Customer states water leaking in
>> Yeah. Customer states water leaking in in both in both windows. Install stops. Uh, replace left and front uh weather stripping. Warranty warranty warranty. the roof has a split in it. >> Customer states left side tail light
blowing fuses. Light inoperable. Diagnose and replace tail light wiring harness left tail light assembly. Jesus. Uh total parts and labor $7552.
Traced and repaired open in dash light circuit at fuse block. Uh total price circuit at fuse block. Uh total price for both was 107.86.
>> Yep. >> Equals that's not that bad. $2858 >> You know, even if maintenance even if you doubled that 500 bucks a year.
one set of brakes now, >> right? the subculture surrounding this car. I have to talk about it more because this is what it seems to project. Everybody who owns one of these things feels like they just arrive in
things feels like they just arrive in life. [snorts] This is a car for the ultimate male fantasy. Well, I really shouldn't exclude all genders. Everybody deserves a chance to be awesome, but this is how it plays out in people's
minds with prowers. This is going to need a separate video cuz I could go on for another 10 minutes. This is a terrible vehicle. It is underpowered. It is overly expensive. It is complicated. It's made with bargain basement parts.
And it's no longer in production. And parts are hard to find. By all accounts, no one should like it. And in fact, when I was a young gear head, I didn't like it. Why would I like this when the Viper exists? But I forgot something.
exists? But I forgot something. normal people. Gearheads aren't normal people. Normal people want something flashy, something different, something unique. They don't care what's under the hood. That's why all 11,72
hood. That's why all 11,72 Prowlers are all sold immediately. Maybe where the maybe there were some deals in 2002, the final year, where it no longer was called a Plymouth Prowler because Plymouth didn't exist in 2002 anymore.
They were called Chrysler Prowlers. But the people who are really into these the people who are really into these cars aren't into cars. They're just into this. Isn't that weird? The engine doesn't mean anything. The the weird
shifting transmission doesn't mean anything. The complete impracticality of this car doesn't mean anything. This is a way to buy a personality. And this is the way to buy yourself into a friend group. But on the other hand, Dodge made
this against it was a car that no one asked for. No one wants a roadster with a roof that kind of leaks and traction that's all weird and a tape cassette
player and visibility that's not that fantastic. Oh yeah, and I had to take the sun visors off because it's like an NA Miata. The sun visors are in the way down doesn't help. And the headlights
pattern's weird. No matter what type of exhaust you put on this thing, it doesn't sound like a V8. It just sounds like a minivan is getting revved too like a minivan is getting revved too hard. And yet it is loved. But then I
hard. And yet it is loved. But then I started to change as I drove it. >> You know the thing the Oh, got with a utility trailer. utility trailer. All right. It's got auto stick, which I
shall now use again. Put it in auto stick. Put it in first gear. Crank the stick. Put it in first gear. Crank the wheel. Put your foot down. It hit me. It will spin its rear tires. First gear is very low. You know, the more I drive
is very low. You know, the more I drive this car, the more I understand it. this car, the more I understand it. It's not meant to be good by the It's not meant to be good by the criteria for which we judge sports cars.
criteria for which we judge sports cars. It is made to be silly all the time. And it's a reput it's a representation of Man, this camera's bouncing around. It's a representation of the unbridled optimism of the 1990s
of the unbridled optimism of the 1990s and Chrysler having no regard for its financial security. In the 90s when they were flush with cash, what they should have been doing is perfecting the minivan, making, as Liakoka said, more
small cars that Americans want to buy. And they did do some good things. I mean, they made the Dodge Neon SRT4. That was very good. But then they just wasted money on the Plymouth Prowler, a car that no nobody asked for. Thank you,
car that no nobody asked for. Thank you, >> [laughter] but that was three consecutive stops that I spun the rear tires. I think it's that I spun the rear tires. I think it's hilarious that a car that only makes 250
pound- feet of torque can spin 295 series rear tires. I may be dating myself by saying that this car is uh powered by Dr. Seuss sound effects, but
powered by Dr. Seuss sound effects, but it is. Everywhere you go, it's just Final Fantasy game where automobiles exist, but you know, none of Square
Square Enix or whatever who's ever run Final Fantasy these days. They cannot make a normal looking car. Every single car in Final Fantasy has to be my nipples. That's what this is. This is a car that
appears in like a Final Fantasy game. I am driving a automated mobility device. Jesus. Sorry, I scared myself just doing that
again because I forgot I'm sitting over the rear tires. And when I did that, the front of the car goes and I'm in the back here just getting whipped around. It is true that I had to call the Plymouth Prowler.
Plymouth Prowler. It drives like three different vehicles.
with this because there's so much more to talk about. Please enter this giveaway. Someone's going to win this. It's been now almost 3 weeks with this
vehicle. Have I seen another Plymouth Prowler? No. You will get approached. You will get stopped. I hated this car. I'll be honest, I hated this car when it came out.
But now 25 years have passed and I understand it and I think you'll understand it, too. Click on the link in the description. Go
to fan of them.com/regularcars. Buy some limited edition merch and you're automatically entered to win. You should enter this giveaway. When are we going to get our hands on another Plymouth Prowler
and one that's in good shape cuz unfortunately most of these cars have unfortunately most of these cars have entered garages. Yes, the Prowler craws keeping them going. I know I teased them, but they really are necessary to
them, but they really are necessary to keep this car alive. This one has almost 100,000 miles on it, which means it's been taken care of. will tell you that one of the most surefire ways to have a car, you know,
surefire ways to have a car, you know, rot and not survive is to not drive it. I often wonder about so many Prowers now now that this has been my car for the past two weeks. How many Plymouth Prowlers have just
atrophied in garages? Oh, it's only got 37,000 miles. It's brand new. I know what I got. Yeah, I know what you got. You have a whole bunch of seals that have never been replaced. Everything is original on
that car. So the second you try to take that machine and drive it like a real car, it's going to break down over and over again. But no, we've been just whipping this thing every single day takes it like a champ because it's a
takes it like a champ because it's a it's a a broken in well-maintained car. me thumbs up in this thing all Wrangler drivers. I don't know what that means,
but maybe you'll figure it out. Anyway, click on the link in the description. Pick up some limited edition merch at fanofthem.com/regularcars. con continue to exist in this world of AI slop and disingenuous, disingenuous
influencers, but RCR will cont will continue to remain real thanks to you and thanks to these giveaways. Please enter this giveaway. Go to fan of them.com/regularcars. Pick up some merch and one lucky person
is going to get a Plymouth Prowler. You're going to love this. Thank you. You're going to love this. Thank you. More videos on this coming soon.