Car Buying Update

Thanks to everyone for their input. I spent the majority of Friday night looking at things online, requesting a few internet quotes from the local Honda and Toyota dealerships. Yahoo mail unforuntely sent a couple of them to the Bulk mail folder thinking they were Spam, so I didn't get them until late today. I think I'll be calling the Toyota dealer tomorrow about an internet offer for a Corolla they gave. I like the Corolla, I test drove one the other day and it handles well.

I'm re-reading my "Buying a Car for Dummies" book and printing out some info from Edmunds.com (thanks for the link benjiej), it's been very informative.

I wonder if this time tomorrow, there will be a new car in my driveway... Hmmm....

Adventures in Car Buying Part 1

Okay, following some of the advice in the "Buying a Car for Dummies" book, I went to the Toyota car dealer around 3 PM, giving me three hours to hammer out a potential deal with Dan, the cute 20-something salesman, who's age is also recommended by the book and by several LJ'ers.

Dan and I take the blue Corolla for another spin, this time a longer drive in the rain on the highway. I liked the handling and is seems to be a really good fit for me. So with my folder of information in hand, I strode confidently into the sales cubicle with Dan, thinking that he was in for the fight of his young life. I noted that the MSRP for the car was LESS than the Edmunds printout for the car, so I thought this would be easy, that God had smiled at me and given me a break in the car buying process.

While Dan was getting some info off the car, I was looking at my paperwork as my eyes grew in horror as the paperwork that gave me such a great deal was for a HONDA!!!!

F%@#!!! F%@#!!! F%@#!!!

I had grabbed the wrong folder in leaving the house. Thinking that a man doesn't enter a gunfight with a sword, I frantically looked into my cell phone's messages for someone to save me. Luckily, Derek (_decibel_) responded to my quick "Call Me" text message.

Derek probably thought I was a complete idiot when he called back, with me making incoherent conversation like Courtney Love doing a drunk call to her dealer. So I told Dan that my buddy Derek had a flat in Florence and no money to pay the tow truck. I wanted to continue that fantasy Derek was being held hostage by a burly daddy bear who reeked of gym sweat and wanted Derek to work it off in sexual favors. I was going to be the hero that either had the money or would let the partnered Derek off the hook by performing the said sexual favors with the daddy bear. I figured Dan didn't need to be subjected to my crazed gay-smut imagination, so I let him off at the towing part. Dan seemed bewildered, but my guess is that he had been the victim of a phone call rescue before.

So after calling Derek back, letting him know of my obvious brain fart, and thanking him for the save, I drove back home and thought that my first step towards car buying was a bust. Thankfully I am off all week and can do a bit more searching.