Car Shopping

Is there really anything worse in the world than shopping for a car? I defy anyone to tell me something more stressful and time consuming than this activity. Yes, okay I have a pretty kick ass car. And I do love it SO much. However, there is not enough room in this car for both me and Scout. If my little roadster was a 4 door, it might be a little easier, but it's not. I'm not entirely sure they make 4 door convertibles. And the payments on this thing....Ridiculous! In my former life, paying for my car was a drop in the bucket. With my two part time jobs, while trying to start my own company life, I need to keep as much money in the bank as I possibly can. So, the goal, get a bigger car, with a smaller monthly payment. Seems like a lot to ask, right? Trust me, it is. And again, it's not like I drive a piece of crap car either, but it seems that everywhere I go, the trade-in value of this sucker keeps decreasing! I think if I walk into one more dealership and they quote me a price lower than what I've been getting from everywhere else, I might actually lay on the floor and throw a good old fashion temper tantrum. And just to make matters worse, I know NOTHING about cars. I know they have tires, I know they have an engine, and unlike my father, I do know where the windshield wiper fluid goes. Yeah, that's a story for another time. But I couldn't tell you what type of engine I want. I could care less the circumference of my tires, or rims. And I sure as hell don't understand gas mileage. So, I did what any person in my position would do, I went to the closest car expert that I could think of. Bless his little heart, he did all this research and rated cars for me and then told me what I could expect to pay and what my price range would be, and I kid you not, I had no idea what he was talking about. I'll admit, I'm a little vain when it comes to appearances, so I don't want an SUV that looks like a mini-van and trust me, these days, THAT is hard to come by. I don't want a Honda, no matter how hard you push me. And I need to fit in my back seat. I understand that I will not be sitting there at all times, but the people in which I drive around are usually my height or a little shorter, so I have standards. It's almost as if I need to put a measuring stick outside my car and say you must be this small to ride in the back seat. Standing on her hind legs, Scout wouldn't even meet this requirement, that's how small my back seat is now. Well, why not put her in the front, you might be asking yourself? Ah, I used to do that, until I went to doggie CPR class and they showed a video of a dog, in an accident, FLYING out of the window. In this same video they showed another dog sticking their head out of the window and getting nailed by debris off the road. Immediately I went out and bought a dog seat belt and strapped her into the back without rolling any windows down. Her favorite activity of riding in the car has now become her least favorite thing to do. So, now you understand my dilemma?!?!? No, I'm not buying a car for my dog, but I do need to be practical these days. Although I am moving to Texas by the spring and my convertible will be amazing there, currently we live in a climate where it has already snowed a few inches and my car was the ONLY one on the block that got stuck on the giant hill, one street away from my parents house. Not convenient at all. Without boring you with all the gory details of my adventures I will wrap it up in a simple little bow(Christmas reference and all):

Mercedes: The first car they wanted to show me wouldn't even start in the cold. Yeah, no, not even going to look at that car because it didn't start in the cold. Then proceeded to completely insult me and told me that my car wasn't worth anything because of what happened to the bumper. However, the one good thing that came out of it was that they gave me the name of some auto body shop that fixed my car for $60 under the table. THIS is why I love Italians.

Carmax: The "no haggle" approach was very appealing, however, the guy I set up my appointment with, didn't even bother to show up. Not to mention that this place was 30 minutes away and it was COLD out. So, the slap dick that helped me didn't quiet understand what I meant when I said I wanted to lower my payments each month. He was showing me around the lot and trying to get me to walk into every single car I saw. After our tour, we walked back into the dealership where he got my trade-in price, $4,000 lower than I wanted and tried to get me into another car at a price that I could buy a new car for. Clearly he wasn't understanding the mission. Walk out.

GMC: Here is where I actually almost lost it. This guy was trying to up sell me and kept making comments how I rolled in there with my BMW and I should be ready to buy. Kept asking me what Carmax quoted me and told me that they would match it. I kept telling him to give me a quote and we would go from there. Obviously I speak sales. He told me nothing about the cars I wanted to look at. Explained nothing of the differences in any of the models. Took me on a test drive and said nothing. I asked him why he didn't say a word and he said it was because people walk in and know what they want. The cars sell themselves. Here is what I wish this guy didn't do. I wish he hadn't had me drive an Acadia. I wish the only car I stepped foot in was the Terrain, because now I want the higher end car. Champagne wish on a very cheap ass beer budget. I guess he was right....

So, what to do, what to do? They are calling for a big snow storm over Christmas and I want to lower my payments ASAP. The issue is the other GMC dealership, that has the car I want, at the price I want, isn't open on Friday. Who the hell isn't open on Christmas Eve?!?!?!? Maybe Santa will let me borrow his sleigh for a few months. It's not like he needs it after Saturday. Not to mention that I haven't finished my Christmas shopping, I have crap to do all up until Christmas day so I really don't have time for this nonsense. Calgone....take me away!