Getting a new car is fun……..right?
I just wanted to let everyone know what getting a new car is like when you’re married to someone who is in the car business (and is also extremely frugal).
I mentioned to Karl that I was going to wash and clean the car sometime over the weekend because it was dirty. He told me not to worry about it because we’re going to get a new one pretty soon. Ok, whatever I figured he meant in the next couple of weeks. The next morning while I was running around doing my usual errands he calls and tells me to come into the dealership. Yay, a new car! Exciting right? Wrong. Now I don’t want to sound like a total spoiled brat that is whining and complaining about getting a brand new car. That is not where I’m going with this. I am very grateful and appreciative to be able to have a nice car. It’s just the process is a little out of the norm. So, I get to the dealership and he tells me to go look at the Mazda 6’s (the exact same car that I have and have had for the past 5 years and probably will ever have) and to pick one. I know Karl won’t let me have any of the cool stuff like leather, navigation, tint, etc. so I pick a few that I think will be ok with him. He meets me outside and I show him the ones that I like. No, nope, and no way. You’re getting this one, and he points to of course one of the cars I did not pick. Lame, why did you even ask me to look at them! Then I get my hopes up and think MAYBE he’ll let me get one with a sunroof! We go inside to do the paper work and I honestly don’t even want a new car. I would rather just keep the one I have than get a new one that I didn’t have any say whatsoever in picking out. Last time I at least got to pick out the color. I wanted a white one again this time, but the only white one they had just happened to have a sunroof. Apparently that is only a $10-$20 difference in the payment. Karl spends that much a week on his girly coffee drinks! Karl wouldn’t budge so no sun roof for me. Boo :( I asked him about a black cherry colored one that I kind of liked. Hell no, charcoal (the color of the car that was picked for me) will bring a way better resale and sell quicker than black cherry! We haven’t even bought the damn thing and he’s already talking about trading it in. So that’s my car buying process, not very fun or exciting at all. Let me break it down for you:
1. Karl says we are getting a new car
2. Karl picks the car
3. I sign some papers
4. I drive home
No test driving, no checking out the features and available options, no picking out a color or anything like that. The truth is I never so much as laid a pinky finger on the thing until I drove it home.
I want to say again though that I am not complaining. I think it's a pretty good deal I get to drive a brand new car every couple years even if I don't get to pick it out. The car business is Karl's thing so I can't argue with that and I know we'll never be $10,000 upside down in some P.O.S. that's only worth $2500.
