Buying used PT

[Dan Tyson]

My wife wants to buy a used PT. I've heard that the earlier models were underpowered. After what year were the engines corrected? Or should we look for turbos only?

[Mean Green]

The Turbo Lite (180 hp) came out in '04. The non turbo's are still 150 hp. It's not so much that they were underpowered as it is they are no speed burner. Kinda slow off the line but do well on the freeway. The 180 hp turbo gives you more get up and go and the power level is nice. The 220 hp GT is nicer and does not lack for power in any situation.

[Jimbo]

I have two Cruiser one 150hp and the other a turbo lite.
The turbo lite is faster off the line,but I have really no complaints about the other.If we go out of town we take the
150 hp and it does just fine.

[purple04]

To clarify, all PTs comes with a 2.4L 4 cylinder engine. Most are naturally aspirated (NA)150 HP. The high performance turbo (220 HP)was available in GTs and special editions (Dream Cruisers). The standard turbo (180 HP) was optional from 03. The difference between the 2 turbo models is programming (and injectors in 03). The 180 HP can use regular gas, the 220 requires premium. If you want to get more power, there is a computer upgrade (ECM) called Stage 1. This will bump up HP on either turbo model to around 240 (premium required!). If you want to test them out first, the best bet is to rent one. You get a real feel for how they perform without a salesman riding shotgun. There are internal engine differences between the NA and turbos, so you should get what you want from the beginning. There are aftermarket turbo and superchager kits for the NA models, though.