Congratulations to Suzanne van de Groenekan of Fremont, CA for being voted PTCSV Cruiser of the Month for December 2003.
"After having to live life as a passenger for the last
3 years in an understated red, white, and blue PT Cruiser, I thought maybe
it was time for me to have a PT identity for myself. The club had organized
a dealership show at Codiroli Chrysler in Livermore for April 12, 2003. The
show went great, but the weather didn't cooperate and we were forced to indoor
activities and lots of conversation. I got to take a very close look at a
Dream Cruiser 3 sitting on the showroom floor. The more I looked, the more
I liked what I saw. Since there was nothing better to do at the time and nobody
believed I would actually take a test drive, I decided to take the keys from
the salesman and follow his instructions, "Here's the keys...see ya later."
I had rarely driven our first PT let alone a turbo, so I was pretty jazzed.
Jan Murphy agreed to go for the ride and off we went. Around the corner from
the dealership is an open road, about a mile long. Any doubt I opened up the
turbo to see what it could do? I went from "I like it" to "I
love it" in 10 seconds. We drove the car back (yes, I did return it like
I said I would), and I started to think harder...financing, sale of my van...the
not so spontaneous decisions of buying a new car. Alas, even with the club
members prodding me and whispering "will she do it?" the dealership
wasn't giving me the deal I wanted, so I left that day with a sad heart, but
determined to keep shopping.
Later that week, a strange coincidence came my way. John's new employer needed
a van for him to use for work purposes. Well, just by chance they were interested
in purchasing my van and didn't even blink when I stated my price. Sold! So,
with that taken care of and a downpayment in hand, I called Codiroli and asked
if "my car" was still on the showroom floor? It was and we made
the trip back to pick her up. Dream Cruiser 3, number 1040, was now mine as
of April 19, 2003.
Visions of mods were now dancing in my head. But, I decided that flames or
any kind of aftermarket paint was not for my car. I want to keep her (yes,
her name is SPICY PT), simple yet with a bit of flash. Chrome...chrome...chrome.
To accent the stock door spears, I immediately ordered a set of B-pillar chrome
mouldings, chrome fuel door, shorty antenna, chrome bezel, and chrome tail-light
covers. I felt the front-end was too plain, so I ordered the Autotechnica
chrome grill overlay. The rumors were true...the configuration didn't fit
the bottom portion of the turbo stock grill. But, some discreetly placed chrome
screws solved that problem. Can't have a PT in this club without neons, so
a set of custom-made orange/white neons were added. Took care of some engine
dress-up with chrome-look wire loom and orange paint. Also added a few interior
touches to make the shine shinier. The latest mod got rid of that nasty wheel-well
gap...a set of MaxSpeed springs with a 1.8-inch front and back drop.
On the horizon? Not really sure. Toying with the idea of dual exhaust, but
haven't decided completely yet. I don't do much driving, so not sure the necessity
is there. SPICY may not be a "best of show" award winner, but she's
simple and classy, and I am not lacking for lots of looks and thumbs up when
on the road. To me, she's perfect and that's all that matters.
PTCSV is my second family and has given me friendships I will have for the
rest of my life. I give so much to the club because the club has given me
and my family so much. I get a great amount of satisfaction seeing people
smile, having a good time, meeting new friends, catching up with old friends,
and going places they've never been or revisiting favorite places from the
past. Thank you, PTCSV, for voting me and SPICY as Cruiser of the Month for
December. We will treat all of you to a nice cruising event in the near future!"
Click here to see more of Suzanne's PT