I purchased my PT Cruiser GT Turbo in Jan. 2003 and so far it has not let me down.

My lease on my Ford Explorer had come up and I really had not been considering the Cruiser, but my parents and husband talked me into at least giving it a look. I was thinking of leasing a more "upscale" car like a Infiniti G35, but the price of the Cruiser did peak my interest.

When I actually drove the Cruiser I was very impressed with the comfort of the seats, the way you are seated higher than most cars and the large cargo storage space. Even though I wanted to go from a SUV to a car to have something smaller to drive, I hated to loose the ability to transport any item that I desired. The PT Cruiser solved this problem for me. I was also concerned about going back to a 4 cylinder. I have had V6 engines for over 6 years and didn't want to go back to a car that could not accelerate. I was amazed at the power of the Turbo. You definitely can zip around in this little car! You do not experience much turbo lag and it delivers a good, quiet ride up to speeds of 90 - 95 MPH
(sorry that is the fastest that I've gone in it)!

The GT Turbo has the "Autostick" (it is standard on the Turbo and is like driving a manual transmission). This is not a feature that I would have paid for, because it is not very practical in my opinion, but can be quite fun when driving around town. My husband uses it quite often when we are driving uphill or in slippery conditions. The automatic is very smooth, but I only drive automatics and I'm a bit biased.

The storage space in this car is great. I have had everything from pillars for my wedding, to ladders, groceries, over 15 suitcases and more in this car. It may look small on the outside, but Chrysler did a great job of utilizing all of the space. The seats are very easy to put down or fold up. I love the cargo shelf. It is high enough to cover even tall items which is very helpful. Both my husband and I do find the shelf hard to move at times though. It seems this is a common complaint, but it is a minor inconvenience and it does adjust.

My Turbo was pretty much loaded. I have the power moonroof, heated seats, leather interior and most other options. All of them are well worth the money, but Chrysler needs to redesign the seats or something. Everyone that has driven my car complains that it is hard to reach the seat adjustments on the side and the seat heaters. It is just very tight and you have to open the door to really see what you are adjusting. I have turned on the heated seats tons of times by accident when I wanted to re-adjust the seats.

Another complaint is the visibility. I'm only 5'1" and it is really hard for me as well as my husband that is 5'11". You pretty much have to turn completely around to check for vehicles coming up behind you. It makes you feel a bit vulnerable.

My biggest complaint is the turning ratio. It is horrible. I read about this before I purchased the car, but didn't think it would matter to me....well, it does. You can RARELY pull straight into a parking space. You have to turn, back up, go forward, back up and then you finally get it. Most people now think I'm just a typical woman driver that can not park, but my husband and father have major problems too. My husband has a Dodge Durango and the turning ratio on it is BETTER than my Cruiser. It is a joke. It really becomes a problem if you try to turn into a narrow driveway off a busy road and someone is trying to come out. I have literally stopped traffic due to the problems with the turning ratio. Chrysler really has to look into this soon. There is no excuse for this.

The gas mileage is also not the best. I was thinking that going back to a 4 cylinder would help me with gas prices, but I was wrong. My car averages about 16 - 17 mpg in the city and 20 - 24 mpg highway. It isn't horrible, but I know that lots of V6's do better.

Overall, this is a great car for the money. It is cute (I still get stares and compliments even after all this time), it has good pickup with the turbo engine, it has lots of cargo space, the front and back seats alike are comfortable and roomy and it is rather inexpensive. I would just like to see Chrysler work on the rear visibility when driving, the turning ratio, the fuel economy and the seating controls. Otherwise, you get a great car that is lots of fun and give you lots of room to haul things around.
Amount Paid (US$): 27000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: GT Turbo w/moonroof & heated seats