I was recently dragged kicking and screaming into the world of new cars and even worse, car dealers. My mom just bought a new to her Rav 4 small fuv. I admit I liked the new car smell and the cockpit. I was bummed out to discover that the newer cars do not come equipped with cd players anymore. Don't ask me why I was surprised. I think it was also a bit annoying to have my old age thrown up in my face like that. It makes sense now that I think about it. Of course there's a store in my areas selling cd's for $1, everyone else is buying their music in a digital format, except for us old fartasaurs.
Mom asked me to come with her when she bought the car, that's the only reason I was there. Finding out how much money these people were making on the deal is about as easy as finding the holy grail. Feeling as comfortable as a guppy in a shark tank didn't help. Unfortunately for us both, my mom had decided that she was buying a car that day and they knew it. The dealer in question was someone she found on the recommendation of a friend. I am also lousy at hiding my dislike of how much they wanted from my mom for the car.
I think my mom just wanted the process to be over. Despite the shingles, mom had been to several dealers with friends test driving cars before I got involved. Normally shopping is supposed to be fun isn't it? I've been in home improvement stores where I've had to send up a flare to get help (ok it just felt that way). Mom was already fed up with the whole process, or more to the point, exhausted. She made an appointment to buy a car. (This was a completely new concept for me, to be sure.) Still, I expected a better attitude from people to whom we were trying to give a pantload of money.
Dealing with car salesman is also a lot like dealing with a politician, again not helpful.
Mercifully, the best thing about this is that once we're done, we're done for a good long time. We are of the drive-it-till-the-wheels-fall-off ilk for a lot of reasons. Cheapness is probably the biggest reason along with avoiding the car buying process like the plague. It's great to have a new car, of course, but I am perfectly content to keep my old car. Old Bessie is the last car I bought from my ex before he passed away. That process was the epitome of car buying perfection. All I had to do was put the remote down long enough to write him a check. It was the equivalent of "Fetch me a new car, wench!". I bought it sight unseen from a guy who was more anal about the car being perfect than Sheldon Cooper solving an equation. I also knew I wasn't getting ripped off. I paid him cost plus a finder's fee. God, I miss him!!!
The disadvantage to a new car is the fact that the more gadgets you have, the more something can break. My car is over fifteen years old and I'm sure there are "new" nifty features that I have never used much less know how to use. Finding an honest mechanic can be like looking for a unicorn. You've heard of them but never actually seen one. It can be as much fun as sticking a fork in your eye. Someday, when I do have to get a new car, I may have to take a course to teach me how to use all the crap it comes with. Maybe I should just ger a new bike.
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