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2003 Chrysler GT Cruiser Turbo
Update: 03/03/03
A couple of weekends ago, we put on a Street and Performance Electronics AirMax spiral flow intake system on Zippy. It comes with a K&N filter and is bright red!
Right off the bat, the car sounds MUCH better. The factory airbox includes a silencer which, in my opinion, does its job all too well. Not sure about the advertised "up to 20 horsepower" gain, but Zippy does feel stronger.
We took pictures as we installed the AirMax system: click here to check them out.
Update: 01/10/03
We finally got to put on the Eibach Pro-Kit lowering springs today and then got the car aligned. The Pro-Kit lowers by 1.6" in the front and 2.0" in the rear. Click to see the before and after pics!
Update: 01/08/03
"Zippy" at Cade's Cove near Gatlinburg, TN
Impressions after 2+ months and ~3400 miles of driving:
- I LIKE IT!
- I named her Zippy, after "Zipporah," the wife of Moses
- Looks good, drives well, I'm pleased overall.
- Has a good ROAR when I step on it!
- I've already changed the oil to Mobil1 synthetic with a Mobil1 filter
- The headlights and foglights are great - really light up the road well.
- The power sunroof has worked flawlessly.
- But when the sunroof is open, even though there is a small built-in air deflector, the air inside the car vibrates and hurts my ears, so I have to crack open my side window.
- I'm already used to reaching for the power window switches which are located in the center of the dash instead of on the doors.
- Brought home a 32" TV without having to take the rear seats out! (But had to take the TV out of the box). We just flipped the rear seats up.
- Gas mileage (~20mpg city, ~21mpg highway) is disappointing. My '91 Eagle Talon Turbo AWD 300hp 4 cylinder gets ~25mpg!
- There's a rattle near the driver's side dash speaker
- The radio should stay on when I turn off the car
- The interior and exterior lights flicker slightly when I apply the brakes
- The transmission (auto) seems to shudder at low speeds when changing gears
- When I'm really accelerating, the tranny will not change gears from 3rd to 4th when I'm in Auto-Stick mode. I have to let off the gas and "click" it to 4th again.
- But still, overall, I LIKE IT! :)
Update: 10/26/02:
It's HERE! Click here for (way too many) pics of my new 2003 Deep Cranberry PT Cruiser "GT" Turbo
Update: 10/18/02:
It's on its way!!! Right now, it's made the trip from Toluca, MX to Laredo, TX to New Orleans, LA in a railcar on its way to Lawrenceville, GA (outside of Atlanta). From there, I assume it will be put on a truck. Hopefully, it will get here in about a week. Hopefully!
Update - 08/31/02
(There's a new Chrysler website specifically on the PT Turbo. Click here)
Click here to see the PT Turbo video that I made!
Our salesperson, Margie Romagnolo, called to say that we may be scheduled for an October build date, which usually means it'll be delivered ~one month later. So, we're probably looking at November for delivery. I've waited this long, I can certainly wait longer!
Besides, this will give me some more time to pick out some neat 18" wheels for my PT Turbo...
On 08/10/02, we went to Rice Chrysler on the Airport Motor Mile near Knoxville, TN and ordered a 2003 Cranberry GT Cruiser Turbo (or PT turbo, whatever). Don't know when it will be in yet!
Our salesperson, Margie Romangnolo, was helpful and knowledgeable. If you choose Rice, choose Margie.
We paid MSRP, $24,605, no more, no less. I was satisfied with that.
Options:
- 4 speed automatic
- Seat - Power Height Adjuster, Driver
- Radio - AM/FM Cassette, CD
- Moonroof - Power Express Open
- Air Bags - Side Supplemental
The test drive of one of the two PT Turbos that had just been delivered to Rice Chrysler proved fun and comfortable. The Auto-stick was easy to learn and use (we were familiar with it after renting a 300M to vacation in Detroit in 2000), and there wasn't much torque steer. Power was (obviously) better than the normally-aspirated PT, but I'm so used to my 300+hp Talon that I was wanting more! I'm sure aftermarket goodies will help. The PT Turbo requires at least 91 octane.
More to come!
EST