Thursday, February 8, 2007

Chrysler PT Cruiser:
a mini-minivan with style

For years, our family cars have been Chrysler Town & Country minivans. They're great for vacations with the dog, hauling lumber from Home Depot, and hauling crap to the dump.

Despite the dump truck functions, it's comfortable and luxurious, with leather seating (complete with tushy warmers), an elaborate audio-video system with Sirius, DVD player and satellite navigation, three power doors, hide-able seats, and more than enough cup holders and power outlets.

My personal car is a 1978 Fiat Spider sports car. It's a wonderful toy, but only usable from March through October, and not reliable enough for daily commuting to work.

Last year I wanted to buy a commuting vehicle, with personality, that could still haul stuff. Sometimes it would have to carry three or four people, so a mini pickup was out. Boxmobiles like the Toyota Scion XB and Honda Element had the right functionality, but they're bland, and they're kiddie cars, and my hairs are gray.

I ended up staying in the Chrysler family. The PT Cruiser made perfect sense. I can flip down seats to carry crap, and flip them up to carry people. It's comfortable, fun to drive, fast enough, economical, reliable, and holds a lot. The funky retro style gets miles of smiles, especially from the driver; and there are lots of reasonably-priced accessories for performance, utility, and bling.

You can get a 4-door hatchback, or a 2-door convertible. Base price is about 15 large, but you can easily spend 10 more. CLICK for Chrysler.com. CLICK for great accessories, enhancements and gifts at PT Boutique. CLICK for PT Cruiser Club.

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