Critter Alley

Critter Alley
Showing posts with label cars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cars. Show all posts

Friday, August 10, 2012

Saga of a Sale









I've been thinking about a new car for the last two years. Seeing 100,000 miles roll past on the odometer made me figure it's likely that costly repairs lurk right around the corner.

Hubby has been resistant. He insisted that our car could go on much longer (perhaps to infinity and beyond) and we didn't even need to consider a purchase.

In recent months after plenty of arguments debate, he agreed it was time to pull the trigger...on a vehicle that will soon undergo a major makeover in 2013. So of course, we wanted the 2012, which has become more scarce than hen's teeth (and that's pretty scarce!).

Long story short, after many days of visits and phone calls prompting a salesman to search multiple locations throughout the Midwest looking for just what we wanted, the poor man finally tore out a handful of his own hair and begged...

"We'll give you an extra $500 off on a new car if you buy it from our lot...please!"

It's hard to refuse an offer like that.

We now have a new vehicle sitting in the garage. It's not exactly what I wanted, but close enough.

Funny thing. I had tears in my eyes when I left my old girl behind and drove off in the new car. It felt almost like I'd abandoned a long time friend. Over the years our car took us to our children's sporting events, to college visits, to agility and flyball classes, hauled materials for humane society special events, and took us to wonderful vacation spots. She moved kids in and out of college dorms and helped me bring home baby Indy and baby Bogey, not to mention a few foster critters through the years. She took me to my mother's funeral and my daughter's wedding and was a faithful member of the family for well over 10 years.

Gosh, is it weird to get so sentimental over a car?

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Buyer Blues









After months of navigating websites, visiting dealerships, examining offers, and developing a minor ulcer in the process, I may have purchased a car. The old vehicle has served me well for 10.5 years and over 132,000 miles. But it's time for her to retire.

This evening I signed on the dotted line, put down a deposit and will find out tomorrow whether the vehicle I chose is still available. Confirmation has to come from a different dealership where the potential new car currently resides. It seems that these days buying a car is practically as daunting as buying a house.

Now I sit and wait in a state of slight nausea as I ponder two possibilities.

What if I don't get it?
What if I do get it?

I suspect either scenario is not going to much improve my stomach's well-being.

Stay tuned...