We take issue with Bloomberg BusinessWeek's recent unfond farewell to Chrysler's PT Cruiser, bidding the retro station wagon "good riddance" in an obituary that said the end of the car's 10-year run was years overdue.

First, a caveat: I'm a junker junkie. I've owned perhaps 75 cars in the $600 to $4,500 range, from a Yugo to Suzuki's X-90, considered one of history's most poorly designed automobiles.

Some of those junkers have lasted all of one day (thank you, Yugo) before breaking down on the highway. So I claim no insider knowledge when it comes to lemons other than the taste, as I've devoured plenty, rinds and all.

But I must take exception to the Cruiser-bashing of late.

Sure, the ride is lousy. It's as top-heavy as Pamela Anderson, and a lot slower. And it's a Chryslerpotamus, with a wide rear end that screams it would rather waddle Sunset Boulevard than cruise it.

But there's a lot to love about the Personal Transport Cruiser.

For one, you can get them for a song nowadays. I just bought my third, a 2001 PT limited with leather, original owner and 60,000 miles for $4,500.

For another, you could never accuse the PT of being camera shy. In a world of bland aerodynamics, the retro car was a customizer's dream. Spend five minutes looking them up online and you'll see why it briefly became Chrysler's best-selling auto.

Style is fleeting, and the PT's distinctive look would be its downfall. But this car was a breakthrough, opening doors for all that would follow. The PT made "boxes" cool again. Without its wind-resistant design (which made for crummy gas mileage), we wouldn't have the square craze that rules automakers now.

The Nissan Cube, Honda Element, Scion Xb and that PT Cruiser clone, the Chevy HHR, might not have left the concept stage were it not for the PT.

The car was also too practical for its own good. Long before smartphones dictated we have power outlets at every fingertip, the PT came decked with two power outlets in the front dash, and one in rear, so you could plug in a boombox on its adjustable rear shelf. Dealers bragged that its folding seats could accommodate an 8-foot stepladder.

Alas, we don't drive for convenience or practicality, and the PT would ultimately succumb to station wagon parallels.

But good riddance? Never.

How about safe waddling?