From Purple PT to Latte Soul

My First Post on Kia Soul Forum

Princess Kiana

Proud new owner of a brand-new 2016 Latte Soul!

Hello! I'm Lizza, (Elizabeth) from northern Illinois, and I'm a baby boomer who just had to trade in her dream car. So happy to have found this forum! And, so happy to have found a new Kia Soul that I love, because it was the only kind of car I would have even considered as a replacement. I drove a 2007 purple pearl PT Cruiser for 9 years - it was my fantasy car and it even had a name:Princess Trina. Sadly, the Princess and I had to part company, as her air conditioner went on the fritz; also, her left fender and most of her front bumper had dents. I was told that I had driven the value out of her, and that the cost of repairs would exceed her trade-in (I got $1000). First, of course, I looked into places like Bumper Pros and other recommended places that worked on A/C, but the quotes were daunting. So, with a heavy heart but a hopeful soul, I drove my beloved Trina to the Kia dealership here in town, where Souls were being offered at zero percent financing. It was a no-brainer, really! That latte Soul looked at me with her dreamy eyes and I thought "chocolate...." and I said "YES!" They went off to drive my PT; I told them I couldn't look and asked my best friend, who went with me, to retrieve my garage door opener. The guy at the dealership even agreed to park my PT someplace where I wouldn't have to see it again; they drove it to a lot around the corner of the building. By then, of course, I was in love - when I saw that Latte color, I knew immediately that this would be my new baby. I love the car - I have even named her - I'm a Diana Gabaldon Outlander fan, so I looked for an Outlander name. I tried Sassenach, but found out that it's not just Jamie's term of endearment for Claire - it is a derogatory term used by the Scottish against the English.  (I dinna know that!) Being a fan of British royalty, I looked up the word "Princess" to see if that would be an appropriate title, and it is! So, I came up with Princess Kiana, in loving memory of Princess Diana and - of course - Princess Trina. 

And as for Princess Trina, there will be no visitation and no funeral, but donations may be made in her honor to the Lizza's Car Payments Fund. (joking)

Three surprises when I first met my new Soulmate: 1 - no CD player! and 2. No spare tire - not even a doughnut! I guess this is the wave of the 20-teens. I have an 80GB IPod Classic with all my playlists, so it's been a cakewalk to switch from CDs all over the car to a discreet little silver square, smaller than my phone. The USB port is fabulous - I can listen to my Amazon playlists on my Kindle. (I suppose I can even hook up my external CD drive if I'm desperate) I love the Bluetooth as well -  and my Samsung Galaxy is now paired to the sound system. Surprise #3 was that my Soul is longer than my PT Cruiser was. We had to put a bumper in the garage so I know how far to pull in. Wow - the cargo space is amazing. I can't say enough about this little car. Great speakers! Handles like a champ and has such a smooth, silken feel to it! I just need to find some way to subtly "purplify" Kiana, perhaps with discreet window decals, so she reflects my personality a bit more, as I am known for loving purple. I look forward now to getting to know my Soul Sisters and Brothers on this forum. Someone - anyone - how can I get a little metal diecast model of my car? I need to be able to look at her when I'm in my home office! I've already ordered touchup paint.

Finally, I've been discovering that many people who loved their PT Cruisers and finally had to trade them got Souls. It turns out that the Kia Soul is a popular replacement vehicle for bereaved PT people. So I'm in good company!

A-Soulin'

It is well with my Soul!