OT-Road Service

[William R. Monroe]

How about the Ford Escape Hybrid.  It's a small SUV that gets 45-50mpg.
When I'm ready to get a new vehicle this will be it.  My previous concerns
with hybrids was that they were too small to put all my tools in AND
transport an action.  This looks like the real ticket.  Plus, who can
complain about 45mpg!!??

William R. Monroe
Madison, WI
Assoc.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Avery Todd" <avery@ev1.net>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Monday, November 01, 2004 7:14 PM
Subject: Re: OT-Road Service


> Well, since we're talking vehicles......
>
> A tech/rebuilder friend of mine recently bought a Honda Element and loves
it.
> Except for looking like a square box on wheels, it seems to work great for
a
> piano tech. She carries grand keyboards along will all the tools needed to
do
> a job.
>
> If I was going to buy a new vehicle, I think I'd definitely consider it.
>
> Avery
>
> At 03:48 PM 11/1/04, you wrote:
> >At 07:49 AM 10/27/04 -0500, Barbara wrote:
> >
> >>I'm having a hard time deciding on a new-to-me vehicle.  I've had
station
> >>wagons and sedans.  ...
> >
> >Exactly one year ago (last week!) I bought a year-old Chrysler PT Cruiser
> >and so far I've found that it's almost the ideal vehicle for a piano
> >tuner. I've always said that's what the "PT" really stands for anyway.
> >Mine, in dark plum pearl topcoat, had 32K easy Kms on it when I bought it
> >(about 20K miles) and was $10K CDN less than the price of a new vehicle
> >with the same equipment. Other than a slightly-pitted windshield and a
few
> >rock chips on the front it was like a brand-new car.
> >
> >The PT seems to be an excellent piano service vehicle if you don't need a
> >large van. I have all my tools in small individual plastic tool boxes for
> >each job plus a small parts box, and everything except the vacuum cleaner
> >fits out of sight under the lowest position of the parcel shelf. My
tuning
> >case fits under the driver's seat. With the shelf in that position and
> >half the back seat folded down, there's enough flat surface for a concert
> >grand keyboard to slide right in. If you need lots of room the back seats
> >come out easily, but I've never had to do that except to clean it. It
came
> >with a decent stereo with CD and cassette and has power door locks with a
> >remote as well as power windows and powered mirrors. It also came with
the
> >"touring" package, with 16 inch wheels and slightly beefed-up suspension
> >so it handles very well.
> >
> >Gas mileage isn't wonderful at about 24 mpg with the auto transmission,
> >but a K&N air filter boosts that slightly as it does in any vehicle. I
> >highly recommend them anyway as they'll last longer than the vehicle in
> >most cases.
> >
> >Some people find the PT a little unnerving to drive because of the "blind
> >spot", but you soon get used to using the mirrors. The car is short
enough
> >that it's extremely easy to park, and it's very easy to get in and out of
> >it. The standard engine runs on regular unleaded gasoline, unlike the
> >Turbo which requires premium gas. It has plenty of pep for me though.
> >
> >One other thing that's worth noting about the PT is that it's classed
> >either as a "van" as they do here in Canada or as a light truck, so
> >insurance is usually a little cheaper than it is with a sedan. I suspect
> >the convertible version, which isn't as practical as a service vehicle,
> >would be a little more to insure, especially with the Turbo option.
> >
> >It appears to be a very reliable vehicle. In the last year other than oil
> >changes and the K&N air filter I've spent less than $5 on it for one
brake
> >light bulb and it's had one spark plug wire replaced under warranty.
> >Compared to my last car, a ten-year-old Ford Taurus wagon which cost me
> >more than two weeks work and a couple of thousand dollars in repairs in
> >the year I drove it before the engine blew up, the PT has been extremely
good.
> >
> >I have a professionally lettered sign on the back window with my company
> >name, phone number and web site address on it and the sign, which only
> >cost $80, has paid for itself many times over. Almost every week I get a
> >call from someone who has seen the car in their neighbourhood and
> >sometimes I even get calls from people driving behind me, which was how I
> >found out the brake light didn't work.. While they're becoming quite
> >common, it's still an interesting enough looking vehicle that I get a lot
> >of comments about it from customers and even perfect strangers in parking
lots.
> >
> >I have two negative comments on the car though. First is that it's a
> >little hard to keep clean on the outside. Automatic car washes tend to
> >miss some parts of it due to the shape, and the inside door sills tend to
> >get very dirty and need to be cleaned separately. Hand-washing the car,
> >preferably at a car wash is required to keep it sparkling clean. The
other
> >is the design of the instrument panel. With sunglasses on it can be a
> >little difficult to read the white-faced speedometer under some
> >conditions, but I've gotten used to that and it doesn't really bother me
> >anymore.
> >
> >Now... if they'd come out with the panel-truck version I have in die-cast
> >models it would be even more ideal, though its use as a passenger car
> >might be more limited. There is an after-market panel conversion kit
> >available if someone wanted to go to that amount of trouble though.
> >
> >If anyone has any questions about it I'd be pleased to answer them. Email
> >me privately if you like, or join us on the Tuesday night chat.
> >
> >                         John Musselwhite, RPT
> >
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
>
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