Differences between the 02 to 03 models

[MichaelDay]

As to the "hunk of Plastic" under the back seat, the floor area around the rear catches for the rear seat is plastic on the 2003 GT's. The plastic is 8 1/4" front to back and 26" wide and has the locking bars recessed into it.


2003 Almond GT

Edited by - MichaelDay on 02/05/2003 15:07:51

[bobs turbo pt]

i still have carpet also !!

[bobs turbo pt]

ah ok i thought you meant on the floor

[kgdptblue]

That looks okay, it's under the seat anyway.

Cruise on!

[bobs turbo pt]

hey kg, true

[PTGT Redman]

My beef is that they sticker the car over 25000 and don't included illuminated switch lights. Thats crap. Even the center stack cluster only has the upper switches lit, but you can see on all the other switches the clear rectangle for the LED. That's just cheap. The initial engineering is what costs, not the install for it. Non-folding mirrors are a bum. When I traded in my 2001, I kept the clips and cargo net. Screw them. Stupid idiots included heated seats, but it's hard to find them in the dark.

[Cal Cruzer]

As for the missing lock on pass side, I can't remember the last time I actually used a key to unlock a car. I kind of wish they could have found a way to remove then both...but then when my battery dies, as it inevitably will, I would really be out of luck standing out in the middle of a parking lot with a hand full of packages...oh wait that happend to me a few years ago with my Mustang, good thing it had a key lock...I'm rambling

[PTGT Redman]

Only the two switches that say auto are lit. All the otherones have LED windows, but don't light. How cheap is that?
Can u buy the center stack switch module from a 2001 or 02?
Or are the panels there but no wiring for them?

[Dalite]

Rear hatch no longer activates inside dome lights and cargo area light. To see in the rear at night, you now have to open a door, or manually turn on the interior lights.

Mirrors are no longer heated, although the circuit and fuse fro this option is still active in the harness.

[Dalite]

On the Window Switch issue....

I took the switch unit apart, de-soldered the circuit board from the anchors, and slid it off to take a look at the other side (Where the lights are attached).

There were mounting locations for the lights for the rear switches.

The switch body was still translucent to allow the light to pass through the switch body and be viewed through the "window" that is still on the rear window switches.

For the price of 2 bulbs, they decided to no longer light the rear window switches.

Never mind the additional cost to Chrysler to re-tool or re-contract the switch assembly.

DC seems perfectly happy to spend more money in production to cut a feature that was standard on previous year models, and justify a price increase with the volume of deleted items.

Is this logic, or what?

If this is the sign of things to come from DC, we are doomed. The Horn and Sway Bar are safety issues, and will eventually cost DC lawsuits and lost revenue that is exponential ratio to the money they "saved" by deleting them.

The other items are comfort and cosmetic. Having said that, as a previous owner (2002 Touring Edition) owner, these comforts and cosmetics became old friends. I never thought that I would have to do an inventory of standard equipment before I bought the new model.

Chrysler is obviously perfecting the method of "Killing the Goose that laid the Golden Egg", and refinning it into a manufacturing process that is geared to destroying new model life span to under 4 years per model.

If this is their goal, they haven't missed many (if any) chances to destroy the support of past PT Cruiser owners with the direction they are taking with the 2003 model, in terms of build level shortcuts.

My only hope is that they didn't do the same with body integrity (which we won't know, until it is too late). We do know that they took shortcuts in handling, safety issue (horn) and wiring/PCM contrtolled functions (rear hatch no longer activates interior lights).

What is next? Has everyone checked to see if their car came with a spare tire, jack and jack handle?

Unless they come out with some radical or redeeming changes, this will be my last Chrysler. I know my Mom's '98 Concorde will be her last one (it only has 11,00 miles on it; she doesn't drive much), and my brother's 96 TC van may be his last one. He is getting recall notices (in the last year or 2)on issues concerning his 85 Grand Caravan that he battled with DC on for the 11 years he owned it up until he had to start battling them on similar issues on the new TC he bought in '96.

DC has redefined the concept of frugality, and has made it a terminal disease... The only possible upside is that the direction that they are taking may finally restore some value to the PT Cruiser, as they seem hell-bent on making it a 3 to 4 year max production model if they continue on the path they have started down. Maybe my '03 won't loose $13,000 ov value in the first 15 months of ownership, like my '02 did...