Car Shopping

So today, we're on our way running errands when I start to feel a new thump in the floorboard of the car. The car is older, and it's been ridden pretty hard over the past 4 years or so. With everything breaking on it, or getting ready to go out on it, it was time to trade up. I was having visions of horrible car accidents or the car just being gone and us being screwed when we passed by a dealership.

I made Honey pull in. All I wanted originally was to do some initial research. What could we get with our credit scores, (I hate credit!) what type of down payment are we looking at, and monthly payments. They asked what it would take for us to get a car today. I told them payments of $200 a month, $500 down, plus our trade in.

Four HOURS later, the salesman has our car keys and has done the trade in stuff. He tells me payments would be $290 per month, $2500 down, plus the trade in. Then he tells me the payments may actually be $380 to $400 per month. After waiting even longer, I tell the kids to get in the car and the husband to get our keys. We're leaving.

Floor manager was following my husband out. He was trying still to convince Honey this was a good deal. I looked at him and told him, "When we came in, I told you what I had, and how much I could afford. I was told it was doable, several times. Even when I asked if this was truly realistic, I was assured it was. Then I find out the down payment is five times what I can afford, and monthly payments are 2 to 3 times what I can afford. It's time to go."

He says, "well, what can you do?" I told him again, $500 down, trade in, and MAYBE $250 per month. He says he can do it. That they told us a higher down payment because apparently, many people say they can do only five hundred down, but usually wind up able to put down three to five times that amount. He just needs a little while longer to work it in our favor.

I looked at Honey and said "how about we give him until we smoke a cig, then we're outta here?" Guy doesn't even wait for a response. He takes off RUNNING. He returns two and a half minutes later, again RUNNING back to us. "We can do it! These are the terms!" Amazingly enough, the terms were exactly what I said I could do.

Five hours at the dealership. New car in our drive way. We finish the paperwork on Monday. I'm happy to have Honey in a safer and more reliable car. I'm not happy that they screwed me around with my time in an effort to get more money out of me.

I don't know how most customers are, but I know what I have in my accounts. I know what my credit score is like. I know what I can afford each month. When I say this is what I can do, I really mean, this is what I can do! If you can't meet MY terms, say so out right. Don't dick me around for five hours to try to get me to meet YOUR terms, only to wind up coming down to MINE when I'm ready to walk.

In the end, it's worth it, I guess. I love my husband, and want to take good care of him. I want him to be safe as he drives back and forth to work and comfortable. But damn, I hate dealing with dealerships!