The Quest for the Ideal Piano Technician Automobile

[Geoff Sykes]

Having followed this, and the discussion about a month ago on recommended
tuner cars, I have a '96 Honda Civic with about 110K on it. I get between 37
and 42 mpg on it pretty consistently. And if I'm *extremely* careful I can
get an action in the passenger seat with the seat back folded down all the
way. The last time I had a grand action in there I removed the stack so I
could maneuver things a little better in the space. 

I have been fantasizing about replacing this car but with this kind of
mileage I'm finding it hard to even consider most options. My fantasy is a
Scion xB, which gets 31 to 35 mpg. Does anyone out there have one of those?

-- Geoff Sykes
-- Assoc. Los Angeles





-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of John Formsma
Sent: Friday, May 04, 2007 7:30 PM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: Re: The Quest for the Ideal Piano Technician Automobile


I have a 1999 Honda Accord that has done well, except it's not all that
convenient for action transport. It works, but you have to put the back seat
down and rearrange tools.  It has almost 252,000 miles on it, and is still
going strong. I'm looking to replace it in a couple of years or whenever it
breaks down.

My thinking is to get a vehicle that gets decent gas mileage, yet allows
flexibility for tools and transport. I'm looking at some small
SUV's:

Toyota RAV4
Honda CR-V
Subaru
etc.

Both of those get around 22/29 mpg, which is good for their size. There are
certainly smaller cars that do better on gas, but I also have a couple of
kids I'm blessed to carry around.

One thing that has helped me as I look is to figure how much EXTRA gas I'd
be buying with a bigger vehicle. That way I know what the real
costs/benefits will be. Like, is it really worth it to cram myself and
family into a smaller car to save $800 annually on fuel?

Now if (when - it's a matter of time) the cost of a gallon goes up to $5.00,
it will make quite a significant difference, and it's also something to
consider. That's anyone's gamble, I suppose.

JF

On 5/4/07, kurt baxter <fortefile at gmail.com> wrote:
> My beloved VW hatchback (with back seat removed for bountiful action 
> cradle
> space)
> is starting to feel its age and 188,000 miles and I am pondering what I
will
> do when it
> finally goes to the great big salvage yard in the sky...
>
> In your opinions, what is the all time best suited car for piano work? 
> Including, most vitally:
>
> ---Easy transport of grand and upright actions
> ---Room for needed tools
> ---Decent gas mileage
>
>
>
> (Also, I was eying a Honda Insight the other day, and was wondering if 
> any ambitious tech out there has tried to fit an action in one of 
> those gasoline sippers... Maybe in the back hatch with the passenger 
> seat all the way forward? Am I totally deluding myself?)
>
>
>
> Highly subjective opinions welcome.
>
>
>  [k]urt
>
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