Well.
The Sun is out. Temperatures are rising. I have the day off. So, where am I?
Tap, tap, tapping away in front of the interweb thing. And doing laundry.
Speaking of... I'm setting the line for the number of loads I'll get done before I run out of soap at four (yes, I have a lot of laundry to do, which may explain why I'm not stepping outside today).
Place you bets now.
So.
I promised an end to The Purchase tale and I'm here to deliver. I was delighted, by the way, to read that my story helped the Otis Family make Their Purchase. Congrats!
When we left the story, I'd accepted the bid and was awaiting the arrival of my car from wherever they'd made the dealer trade.
I got a call from Marla later in the day (Monday). "Your car should be here by Thursday," she informed me. She didn't know where the car was coming from or whether it was being driven or trucked in - hence the time-frame. I steeled myself for an actual arrival of Friday or Saturday.
In the meantime, I contacted my car-insurance company (GEICO) to alert them to the purchase and make arrangements to transfer insurance at pick up. I'd had it grilled into me from very early to not "under any circumstances drive away from the lot without that car being covered."
GEICO is very accommodating (and still the least expensive premium on the block) - being a 24 hour operation, there would be no problem in faxing the verification to the dealership when the time came.
On Wednesday Marla called. "Your car is here, and just in time, too."
"Just in time?"
"Yes - with the ice storm coming, we wanted to get it here as soon as possible. It came in from Kansas."
Ice storm? OK. Here's the thing. I don't watch local news - except in tornado season, if the sky is dark outside, I'll tune in to be sure my house isn't about to blow away. I've even stopped watching the national news on tv.
Really. I've become an ostrich of late, preferring to keep my head buried comfortably and ignorantly in the sand. So, I was completely unaware of the massive ice-storm heading our way.
I arranged to pick the car up that evening.
"I didn't ask you before, do you have a trade-in?"
I hedged, and said we could discuss it when I pick up the car. Now, since I'd secured the price, I really didn't need to hedge. But it didn't hurt. They wouldn't know what I had to trade in until I got there, so it might've worked to my advantage.
Then I thought - oops. If I drive up there - alone - then they'll know that I'm trading in for sure and won't leave there without leaving my bug behind. Which was mostly true, but I didn't want them to know that.
I called my good friends Myrt and the Corkster for assistance. Myrt agreed to go with me.
We arrived at 6:30 pm and didn't leave until around 9:30 pm. Why?
Paperwork and the art of the deal.
I honestly don't remember what every piece of paper I signed was... but it was a lot. It always is with these deals.
There was a first set in Marla's office. Then came the dickering for the trade-in.
My little bug was in pristine condition - except for a ding on the driver-side door and a ding under the front bumper. It even had the original flowers in the vase. I'd also had it washed and vacuumed before driving it up there - a mini-detail would've been even better.
I'd determined from my research online that my bottom-line was $9,000. At retail, the dealership would make a decent profit, even after repairing the defects.
I gave up my keys then sat with Myrt in the office. For a while. For a long while. Tactics. This was old school tactics. Make 'em wait. Get them impatient.
Myrt and I chatted about this and that. Patiently. Eventually Marla and another young man came back into the office and I was given the expected low-ball figure. But it was really low. $8,600.
I expressed my surprise at the offer and mentioned what I'd figured it was worth. I highballed back at $9,500, or thereabouts.
The young man hedged and said he'd go back to the used car sales manager and see what he could do, pointing out the dings, shaking his head in an attempt to make me think my bug was going to be hard to move.
I knew better.
He came back with $8,900. A hundred off my bottom line. This is where I erred. I accepted the offer. Later I realized I should have bargained harder - I'd forgotten to mention that it had a brand new battery and a new set of tires.
I could've gotten more. I'm fairly certain because of something Marla said later as she was going over the bells and whistles on the new vehicle.
"The used car manager was really excited about that little bug. He can't keep them on the lot."
"So, I could've squeezed at least another $100 out of him, huh?" I chided.
"Uh, well, um, ... but ... here's the button for the sunroof..."
If I'd sold it myself, I would have gotten much more for it. But, frankly, I didn't want to go through that hassle. I chalked this one up to lessons learned and will know better next time.
After the trade-in deal was done. We were then moved to the waiting room. Most of the offices were busy with people making their Purchases. Marla even mentioned there were days she didn't leave the dealership until one or two in the morning.
I remembered, then, the missed grade-school graduation and other spaces left blank by my Dad's absence growing up. I sympathized with her.
Eventually the Sales Manager took me into an "empty" office. I don't know why, but this seems to be another tactic. A possible clue as to why cropped up after the heavy sales pitch for all the extras - the extended warranty, ding protection, et al.
After the pitch, and after hearing that his father had died in a head-on collision the month previous (!!!), he excused himself to go get a form.
Myrt wandered in while he was gone and we chatted some more. I knew it would be a while before he returned. I guess I was supposed to sit there and talk myself into buying the extended warranty, ding protection, et al. I dunno.
He returned and I declined the extended warranty, ding protection, et al. Then he presented page after page for me to sign confirming I'd declined said extended warranty, ding protection, et al. All presented with big, bold letters and intimidating red Xs stating I'd declined the extended warranty, ding protection, et al, implying the extreme peril in which I was placing myself for operating a vehicle without extended warranty, ding protection, et al protection.
Finally, I was presented the relevant paperwork. That paperwork which, upon signing and handing over my check, would make the new car mine.
I paid cash - eschewing dealer financing. Don't dealer-finance. A simple Google search will give you plenty of reasons why you're better off financing elsewhere. So, when I handed over my check and he handed over my copies of the paperwork and the vehicle manuals - we were done.
Almost.
Marla needed to do her hand-off by going over buttons, switches and various features. I looked at the extensive check-off list and suggested just the basics because I'm a manual reader and could learn about the rest on my own.
I think she wanted to hug me at that point. It'd been a long day for her and she wanted to get out of there just as much as I wanted to get on the road in my new ride.
Finally, Myrt and I drove away. At this point, I opened the gates and let my giddyness loose. I love new things. Not that I'm overly materialistic, mind you. I try not to be. But, I love gadgets and a car - a new car - is the ultimate gadget.
I dropped Myrt off and drove home. I sat in the garage with it for a while, pouring over the manual, configuring the handsfree bluetooth mobile phone widget, cranking up the sound system, figuring out the pass through trunk features... letting The Purchase sink in.
All in all, I was pleased with the deal and proud that I accomplished this all on my own. The best part about negotiating by e-mail was the lack of pressure.
There was a point where frustration seeped in that, had I been sitting in a dealership at that time, would have caused me to cave and take a deal that wasn't in my best interest.
Staying out of the dealership allowed me to stay in control. If I didn't get a fair deal, I could walk away easily and try again another time.
I was saved a ton of time and headache not having to go from dealership to dealership in search of a deal. I'd done that with a previous purchase and it is a pain in the derriere. Purchase by E-mail is definitely the way to go.
I love my new car - and that's what it's all about isn't? If you feel good about the deal and the dealership feels good about the deal, then everyone's a winner.
