[kickboyface]

long post follows. behave appropriately.

hi there,

this is my first post here, so please excuse me if i bring this back to the original topic.

i ran across your posting a few days ago, but the registration process here is onerous enough that i wasn't able to do it from my hiptop, hence the delay. at the risk of sounding like i'm bragging, i probably know more about this than anyone else in the world that doesn't actually work at the mexico factory ...

since i'm holding you information captive, i insist you need a little backstory first.

when i heard that the 2008 pt cruiser convertible was being discontinued, i was saddened because i've always liked the daring behind the cruiser styling (i.e. having the nerve to do something different, even if it was retro), and more importantly, the pt cruiser convertible was the funnest ragtop i'd ever driven.

i poked around a bit and found that not only does chrysler have a lifetime powertrain warranty (something i wasn't aware of), but you could wrap that bumper-to-bumper for life for about $1500 more.

okay, now i'm interested. so interested in fact, that i'm going to do the unthinkable of switching from driving japanese [honda civic del sol(s)] to american.

in fact, my plan is to buy this car and never buy another car for life.

i go to the chrysler website, which is damn good, and spec out a car. because one thing is for sure. if i'm going to fork over 20 large for a car, i'm going to get exactly what i want.

(in fact the inventory for pt convertibles in CA is remarkably depleted. combine this with the low rebate being offered on the website [in CA, $500 for the convertible vs. $2k for the hardtop] and it feels very much as if they've tried to flush the channel of them already.)

immediately i notice something strange, over the course of several days of looking at the site it's actually changing. items are being added and subtracted. for example, sticks for the turbos are going away, but colors for the car are being added.

i have everything picked out in the car i want, but still need a color. without going into details on color theory, human perception, that stuff on your screen is emitted light (RGB) while real-life items are reflected light (CMY) and the fact that marketing people would just as soon lie as walk a straight line; i knew i had to head to a dealership.

i go, check things out and am just appalled by how bad the color pallette is. i mean, really abysmal. (my brother said, "i'm not compelled by any of the choices," adding, "the white is dreadful, i think it took a day off the end of my life just looking at it.")

i ask the dealer for the control book for the 2008 pt cruiser convertible. maybe there's something in there that i'm not seeing on the lot. the swatches are all as hopeless as the real cars i'm seeing, except there is mention of sunset crystal pearl. what's interesting is they have no sample swatch of it in the 2008 control book, but they mention it in the same way that the web site does, namely:

* it will be available for the pt cruiser only (and not other cars in the chrysler line).

* it's a premium color.

* it's getting late addition to the 2008 line.

i ask the dealer (who admittedly is pretty lame, even for a dealer) if he has anything in sunset pearl. the answer is "no."

so i head over to another dealer and ask. sure enough, they have three sunset boulevard edition hardtops. they wheel one over, i have a look, and i like it. it's easily my favorite color of the set (but that's not saying much, considering the competition).

i'm negotiating for cars myself, but i'm also using an auto-broker with a money-back guarantee (esentially i'm shopping prices against him). i give him the exact specs of the car i'm looking for, making sure to hone in on sunset crystal pearl.

immediately we're both meeting resistance. although everything we're hearing isn't *exactly* the same, the consensus seems to be that the color is on reserve until february.

okay, fair enough. i don't need this car now. it's not like this honda won't go another 130k miles (my other one did). i'll wait. but if, and only if, waiting doesn't mean that i'll be locked out of getting a car.

and then, i hit pay dirt of sorts.

on 11/16 i intercept a chrysler internal memo from "field operations" to "all chrysler and dodge dealers." the notice isn't dated, but this is the "official" announcement that chrysler is discontinuing the pacifica, the crossfire, the pt convertible and the magnum. it was distributed sometime after 11/1 (because they make reference to a november 1st webcast in the past tense) and before 11/12 (because TOPs for the pacifica are being kept open 'til then).

the entirety of their discourse on the pt convertible is as follows:

"this low priced, great value convertible will end production at year end. we have aggressive plans for all convertibles as we entre the spring market, so take advantage of this opportunity now. there is limited production capacity available (less then 500 {sic}) so place your orders today."

and then another interesting datum. at the san francisco auto show, chrysler is showing the 2008 vehicles, but not the pt cruiser convertible.

okay, those are all the data.

here's my interpretation: chrysler reserved the sunset color exclusively for the special edition hardtop. the fact that it's showing up on the website is either a mistake in their software (or some odd feature that they can't override), or a misinterpretation of an edict from above.

i believe 2008 convertibles won't be manufactured in 2008. in fact, it feels to me that the line is being aggressive shut down with prejudice.

i'll go even further: i don't believe a crystal pearl convertible ever has been made, i don't believe one ever will be made.

i'm certain enough of this that i've got a deep water pearl ragtop on order as i type -- it's already been granted "D" status, which means it has a VIN and is going to be built.

if you wait until february, i'd bet a large sum that you'll get shut out of a custom-built 2008 ragtop all together.

the only reason i've made this so wordy is to let you draw your own conclusions from the data, experiences and thoughts that you have. (and believe me, no matter how long this seems, the experiences behind getting all this down are MUCH longer.)

and to think, if i'm right, all this ranting is because a website shows a choice that isn't actually available. sometimes living in the future isn't so great.

hope this helps.

(i'm going to be keeping a website devoted to the car-for-life concept. have a peek at continualcar.com if you're so inclined ... although i'm several days behind there.)