April 25, 2011

• Elderly At 10

  Saturday April 30th is the 10 year anniversary of when I bought my car! Over 119,000 miles miles later it is still going although not nearly in the best condition. I remember when I bought the damn thing and why I wound up buying it. At the time I was driving my mom's mini van. She had little use for it on account of her being dead. The van was a 1992 Ford Aerostar and I swear the damn thing had a mind of it's own. I would be driving down the road and all of a sudden, the windshield wipers would go on for no reason. Or, it liked to die out at random times. I brought it into the shop on several occasions but they never could find what was wrong with it. Being that it was unreliable, I decided it was time for a new car. I settled for a Chevy Cavalier.

  Now, this was the first time I had ever bought a car. Years earlier I had been with my older brother when he went to buy a used car. Why he only took me with I have no idea seeing as I knew nothing about cars (hell, I didn't even have a license) but he really got screwed by the car salesman So I had this in my mind about him getting screwed and was determined not to allow myself to get screwed. I remember it was a Tuesday and I was working second shift at AAA and my twin brother was not working at all, so I took him with me. I had it set that I would not pay anymore than $230 a month for my car payment. I still remember the weaselly, slimy fucking salesman who thought he had an easy sale that he could fuck over. But, I was relentless.

  I remember taking the thing for a test drive and liking it. I was insistent on getting cruise control and to this day am disappointed that I didn't get it. But the sales process itself was classic. I told the guy that I couldn't pay more than $230 a month. He told me he thought he could get me that and we started the negotiation process. He kept leaving and going to talk to the finance manager and he would come back with "great news" each time. The first time he came back he said he got me a great deal for $260 a month. I told him that was great but it was not $230 a month. I told him that if he was good to me I would recommend people to him when I had to deal with people with broken down cars at AAA. He left and came back with an AMAZING deal of $250 a month. I marveled at how great of a deal it was, but it still was not $230. He told me he could get me $230 if I would agree to put more money down but I wouldn't budge. Instead I asked for the key to my van back (they were appraising it). He said he could swing something with an alarm if I was willing to pay more money. I told him I couldn't afford more as I needed to still be able to afford to eat. He went back to his manager guy and came back with great news. He could get it for me for $229 a month.

  Well, now comes time to mean the finance manager. I get in there and they talk me into an alarm which brings the price up to something like $245 a month. I changed my mind on the alarm and wanted it off to bring the price down to under $230. Only one problem. The price was never going to be $230, they still had it at over $240 without the alarm. Now I was pissed. I flat out told them how the salesman had lied to me and never intended to get me a car for under $230. At this point I had not signed anything and I told them I was going to walk out of there with a car for $230 and if they couldn't do it for me than I was going to leave and never buy another GM again and being a young guy I would be buying a lot of cars the rest of my life and they just lost a ton of business. They asked Mark and I to leave the room while three of them talked it over.

  While three of them talked in the office the salesman tried buddying up to me to which I responded in a dickish tone "Look, I don't know what you think, but you and I aren't friends, okay? I'm here for one reason only and that is to buy a car. You told me you were going to get me a car for $230 a month and you lied to me. I'm not exactly happy right now."

  A few minutes later they came back in and they told me they could give it to me for $229.37 a month, to which I responded "But its not $229 a month." There jaws dropped and they got pissed. I told them I was only kidding and would take it for $229.37 a month, wiser for having been through the experience of buying a car.

  • 11:52 pm
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