[14GDHPs4ME]

Hi all, and thank you for creating a home for me and my new-to-me 2004 PT GT!

I got it last week, and have been lurking here for a few days since, trying to learn everything I could without asking stupid questions. Unfortunately, like all good things, the wealth of information became a little too confusing for me, and now I'm in need of a little extra. For reference, my GT has 69,000 miles on it.

First of all, it's been brought to my attention, by a guy at work whose son worked at a Dodge dealership, that our turbos are fickle and of low quality. On a number of threads here, I've seen people complaining about broken turbos, and it seems like a lot of you have had to replace them or have them serviced in some way. Considering I have no boost gauge, and that I've heard all of this, I really have some concerns about whether I even have a functional turbo at all. It seems like a pretty quick car, and I love it! I just wonder what the likelihood is of me having a good one, and how I find out without paying someone an exorbitant amount of cash.

What kind of driving is best for the life of ones turbo? Should I spend most of my time below boost, and just pull it out once in a while, to preserve the life of the turbo? Should I stomp on it all the time to keep it nice and broken-in? Are they as delicate and fragile as I've been led to believe?

Thanks for any input, guys!