My First Street Cruiser

Baby Inca

Back in 2001, I decided for the first time to purchase a brand new car, I always had bangers, spending only a few hundred pounds and changing every 12/24 months.

That’s when I saw the bill board with the Silver PT Cruiser, WOW, that’s the car for me, all excited went home told the wife (Julie) found pictures on the internet and she said YUK  YUK!!!!...she didn’t like it at all, and the price tag of almost £17000 didn’t help my case much either, so we ended up with a Brand New Renault Scenic.

The Scenic was a nice car but had issues, nothing serious but showed Dealerships in there true light, really nice whilst getting money off you, but after service a joke, so after only 18 months I was on the lookout for another car.

I was looking at various, BMW, Mini, VW, and PT Cruiser, had a few pictures on my PC of my favourites, Yellow VW, Silver BMW, various Mini’s, but my favourite was the Inca Gold PT, known has the Dream Cruiser, but this wasn’t available in the UK only USA.

On the evening of 10th June 2003, I was on the internet looking through various websites at available cars, not really intending to change until 2004, just keeping a eye out so to speak.

I eventually ended up on the Chrysler website, been here a few times just glancing over the PT, but tonight I dug a little deeper and came across a drop down box for various Chrysler models, Prowler was in there, what’s a Prowler I wondered, so went and had a look, Very Nice and was in Inca Gold but had a whopping price tag.

So went back to drop down box, Street Cruiser, what's a Street Cruiser, so again went to look, no pictures, just description, but started with Inca Gold..., I went on digging and found a National search button so looked for Street Cruisers all over UK, and there she was my favourite Inca Gold Dream Cruiser, but known over here has the Street Cruiser.

It was 10 o’clock at night, the nearest one to me was in Peterborough, and it was the cheapest, there were 5 others available but a lot further away and a lot more money.

I was like a kid on Christmas Eve, I showed Julie the pictures and basically got a HHHMMM, but next morning I was up and on the phone to Marshalls of Peterborough has soon has they opened there doors, it was still available.

Although I was working later that day 3pm start, I thought 250 mile round trip, 5 hour drive 1 hour in showroom, I’m off, Marshalls agreed to hold car until 1pm, jumped in Scenic and I was away, told Julie I had £5000 and my Scenic, and hopefully would be coming home in Street Cruiser.

Pulled into Marshalls and there she was, easiest sale they ever had, yes I was ripped off, got next to nothing Part Ex and they took the 5 grand, but I was the happiest Man on the planet, I was buzzing.

It was three weeks later when I picked her up, we had a holiday in Spain book at the end of the week I viewed her, and they said they would service, valet etc before sale so wouldn’t be ready in time.

I came back from Spain with 3 model PT Cruisers and the Inca Gold Concept which where all well admired and played with whilst away, I couldn’t get home soon enough.

We collected her from Peterborough and drove with the biggest Smile straight to Skegness for the Weekend, normally would have stayed in some B&B in town, but this is where Julie saw the benefits...out of town, nice little Windmill with it’s very own little parking bay...

I’m still to this day like a little kid...but on Christmas Day...when I’ve opened the present I always wanted.

Picture below taken Feb 2011, at a Holiday Cottage in Stradbroke, Suffolk