Well, with the changes that we have had to make the last few months, we are going to be located in one spot for a few years.
We both had to take on brick & mortar jobs and for the 1st time in many, many years we now need another car. ToRn is working M-F 7-4ish if he isn’t doing OT and lately my shifts have been 2-6….so our schedule is limited.
We need something practical, so it is going to be for me since I do 90% of our errands and such, and that’ll help save the wear and tear on our Jeep Wrangler. So we want good gas mileage, reliable, something that is easily paid off in a 2-3yrs and priced that if something major happens to it, we can just walk away.
If we didn’t need something practical, I would so go for another Wrangler….love our Jeep.
Since I handle our books and it is for me, I’m looking at small cars and I’m the one going out to look at them first….most have no personality, just bland cookie cutter styles. So I was thinking of PT Cruiser or a VW Beetle.
Well, most VW Beetles are stick (never learned to drive one yet….on my bucket list) and I feel they wanting too much for the ones I’m finding….which are from around 2000. No car from 2000, should be costing 5k+ unless in excellent condition. But they do love their VW Beetles around here, so I’m not too surprised. And I know I can get a different car with better gas mileage.
They also LOVE their Wranglers….I’ve seen those with up to 200k miles on them and still asking about 10k for them….crazy.
Found 2 different PT Cruisers at 2 different dealers….one a small lot, another at a Ford dealer. The small lot…didn’t seem to think that passenger door not opening from the inside, dash board lights not working or headlights needing buffing weren’t safety issues. To me, those are safety issues and I’m not budging. On top of it, the ac didn’t work….that is a non starter for me. Spent too many years in Indiana & Florida when my ac went out in my cars/trucks…not doing it again.
The Ford dealer, the car was a bit beat up on the outside, but the previous owner had done all the preventative maintenance, it drove nice and after doing some research, decided to see about getting it. When I got in, it had been sold to a whole sale dealer…no biggie. When I asked about the one of the other 2 they on had on the lot, said they had sold the one within the price I was looking for, but had a convertible one at a bit more. Well, that convertible one was a sweet car…under 55k miles, leather seats, seat warmers all the fun stuff, BUT it got less gas mileage due to the turbo.
Now, the sales rep & sales manager I was originally dealing with was not in. Ended up with a different set of guys. That sales rep was nice guy and you can tell he was new. The sales manager was WAY too damn pushy.
I told sales manager how much I wanted to spend on car payments a month and for how long….oh yeah, he got the payments down….after spreading out to 7yrs and that is with him figuring the price at $2k more then it was listed!!! Now it could’ve been a honest mistake, but when I asked about what other cars they had on the lot with better gas mileage, acted like he didn’t here me, keep trying to push the convertible on me. So I’m doubting it was…like I wasn’t going to do the research…WTF?!?
I’m like if I wanted to spend that kind of money and not get the gas mileage I’m looking for, I’ll get me the Wrangler I want. He would NOT listen, then….this really bugs the hell out me…..he tries to get me to sign for it and have my husband come in and sign, just because I handle everything like this. I’m like, NO, I will NOT sign anything without discussing it with my husband. I had to say this 4 times! Until I had to put my foot down harder then I should’ve had to. This is where my family stubbornness comes in, the more to try and push me when I’m not sure that is what I want, the more I resist…..just like an Army Mule.
Even though ToRn trusts me and would’ve done something like that, we are partners…to me, to do that is to disrespect him and our relationship. I will not do anything like that without discussing it with him, just like I expect him to with me.
When I left there, I was just annoyed, when I was driving home, I got really pissed off. That sales manager was being a fricking bully and, frankly, using that I’m a woman without my husband there to try and get me to agree to something that I was not sure about.
I decided to give that dealer one more shot with dealing my originally sales rep., see if I can use to my advantage. I was just going to talk to him privately about it, but that other sales manager was there, try to greet me a long lost friend and as if he was doing me a favor. I just lost it, I made a hell of scene in front of about 20 people….a lot of them other sales people, told him I didn’t appreciate him trying to bully me, disrespecting me by trying to get me to sign after I told him I need to discuss it with my husband, that he was trying to take advantage me for being a woman. Told him, I told him exactly what I wanted to spend, the gas mileage, length/amount of payment and that he didn’t listen.
Oh, they knew I wasn’t happy. The sales rep I was dealing with, was very understanding, found out for the price range I want, that is usually if they only get in by trade, so he is going to keep an eye out for me this weekend. Normally they sell to wholesalers. Which I understand, business is business.
Meet briefly with the other sales rep, he has only been doing this for 1yr. Told him, listen to your customers, listen to what they saying and looking for….don’t push them into something. I’ve been in retail for about 20yrs, you don’t do that….take care of your customers and they will take care of you. Told him, don’t be a bully like his sales manager, who helps give car sales peoeple a bad name.
I really don’t expect anything from them, but if by slim chance they get something, I’ve kept my options open.
I’ve found a VW Passet, a Pontiac VIbe & a Suzuki at 2 other dealers that I’m going to look into more. So screw it, I’m going for the gas mileage & reliability more then anything. Leaning to the Pontiac Vibe because the gas mileage is the best of the three, they have listed closer to Kelly Blue Book and, unlike the other 2, a bright red…..if the design doesn’t have personality, at least the color can.
I won’t mind a Toyota or Honda but those high theft targets, so they are off the table.
May try and contact them to see about testing driving the Vibe Monday. Either way, I have other options.