OT-Road Service-PT Cruiser

[Phil Ryan]

I second John's comments on the PT Cruiser for use as a piano 
tunermobile.  I've had one for almost two years and love it.  All my 
tools fit in the back hatchback compartment and since it has tinted 
glass, is not visible to anyone. The rest of the car acts as a sedan.  A 
great Piano-Tuning-Cruiser.

See a pic on my website: www.ryanpianoservice.20m.com

Phil Ryan
Miami Beach


John Musselwhite 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
>
>
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>


-- 
Phil Ryan
Organist
Phone: 305 534-3025
Fax: 305 538-1345
Email: pryan2@the-beach.net
Web: www.weddingmusic.philryan.20m.com