May 03, 2007
It's a PT Cruiser.
A 2002 Limited Edition in beautiful shape, with a sunroof and those way-cool "faux woody" panels on the sides. The only downside: it's an automatic.
In the end, it came down to this car or a year-old white Scion with a trunk considerably smaller than the one on my friend's old non-hatchback Prius—or, approximately the size of my purse. We went with this car so that, should I need to carry people or objects from one place to another, I will be able to. (The seats fold down, the "trunk" is huge, and the vehicle sports a luggage rack.)
I still have to look up the engine specs, but the pickup on this thing is akin to what I get in my husband's V6, so whatever it is, it's good. (Nope. This info isn't in the owner's manual, which may have been written so that it covers base models as well as the souped-up versions of any particular Cruiser.) I'll hop online tonight, and/or call CarMax tomorrow.
Today our new couch is getting delivered, so I must go rearrange the living room furniture. And then it will be time to get together with a girlfriend for dinner.
Therefore: light blogging, as real-life demands continue to cut into my internet time. No rest for the wicked.
Sweet! I'll have to "meet" your new baby soon!
I swear I saw a PT Cruiser today with "You can BUY me!" on the windshield and I thought of you. . .
The base and Touring levels came standard with a 150-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine. The GT got a 2.4-liter turbocharged engine, good for 230 hp. There was also a 180-hp version of the turbo engine as an option for the Limited and Touring models. The legend "2.4 Turbo" is printed on the tachometer (there is no boost gauge) and is on the rear gate, in small chrome letters: No need to open the hood.
In the PT Cruiser, accessing trouble codes is particularly easy. Just put the key into the ignition, then push in the odometer reset button while turning the key to RUN. You will first see the car's serial number (the last six digits of the VIN), then fault codes (which now start with the letter P) in the odometer. For a complete list of codes, you can visit ptcruizer.com.
Hidden features abound, and not just in the usual areas of flexible seats, clever storage compartments, and that sort of thing. You'll discover, through a quick read of the manual, that you could shut off the horn-honking that normally accompanies locking the door with the key fob; could shut off the automatic door locks that takes effect when you hit 15 mph; and alter other functions of the Cruiser without visiting a dealer. Another cool feature is the adjustable roof rack, which was a terribly overpriced option. However, it allows you to easily slide the roofrack supports so that, when not in use, it looks like a rear spoiler and not a roofrack. It also makes it more adjustable to carry different size loads.
Yeah--I saw that thing about the "quiet locking" function in the manual last night.
And I discovered that it has a compass.
I still haven't figured out if I'm at 150 or 180--either way, it's well-engineered.
A benefit I hadn't thought of until we bought it: I'm driving from a higher position, and I can see more. Not quite "SUV high," but enough to help visibility for a short girl. Those Saturns ride low.
The bill of sale will only confirm the 2.4 thing, but nowhere does the car or the paperwork mention "turbo," so I think it's just the 150 hp--presumably, the CarMax people had it tuned to the nines.
I'm dusting it off at least once a day. Sometimes I dust it, get in, start the engine, and run the windshield wipers front/back.
Occasionally I'll go out and rearrange the cargo area, maybe place some extra lint-free cloths in there--or add another CD to the box of 'em I have in the back seat.
I insisted on driving to church today. Because I could.
"Let the issues be the issue.
About Joy W. McCann: I've been interviewed for Le Monde and mentioned on Fox News. I once did a segment for CNN on "Women and Guns," and this blog is periodically featured on the New York Times' blog list. My writing here has been quoted in California Lawyer. I've appeared on The Glenn and Helen Show. Oh—and Tammy Bruce once bought me breakfast.
My writing has appeared in The Noise, Handguns, Sports Afield, The American Spectator, and (it's a long story) L.A. Parent. This is my main blog, though I'm also an alumnus of Dean's World, and I help out on the weekends at Right Wing News.
My political philosophy is quite simple: I'm a classical liberal. In our Orwellian times, that makes me a conservative, though one of a decidedly libertarian bent.
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