Hoookay. We have spent part of three days at the car dealership, unloading our leaking car (Yes,they took it back. I was not having the leaker.) and finding and arranging financing for the new vehicle. We now have pretty much the same car, but in the 2008 model which was not eligible for 0% financing. I'll say that although the whole process was a hassle, we came away satisfied, except for the lost time talking and waiting around the car dealership.
Grandpère lost his temper with the folks at the dealership when he first heard about the seriousness of the leak, but, after all, the fault lies with the factory and not with the folks who sell the cars. I had to calm him down, (he's a pistol, he is) but I was firm about not wanting to keep the car we had owned for a week. I believe that by remaining calm, I scored points with the manager, who, when all is said and done, was quite nice and obliging.
The manager's challenge was to get us in later model car with the same monthly note as the leaker, for the same loan period. He did it and took a hit on his price for the sake of retaining our good will. He said that he appreciated our patience. By giving him time, he was able to work things out so that the factory took the hit, rather than the dealer - which is where the hit should go. I surprised the hell out of him when I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek after he told us what good customers we were. I believe that I embarrassed him just a little.
So. Car problem solved. Exhaustion gone after a couple of nights in my own bed. Family drama calmer - for the moment - home sweet home.
It's amazing to me that we can walk away with a new car without one dollar changing hands, with a five year loan at our advanced age. We will probably not take that long to pay the car off, but still....
Congratulations, Grandmere! Not merely on a new chariot, but on coming away from the experience in a positive vein. I've lost count of the times I have visited car dealership rooms and salesmen (and they are nearly always men, although Karen who sold me my truck was positively delightful!), but every time I do I come away feeling rather sullied and in a grumpy mood. You have proved the opposite!
ReplyDeleteBelieve me Mimi, he didn't lose money. They never do. That's how they stay in business....making it look like they are taking less than they paid for the car. It just ain't so! But it was nice that he was nice. So you and GP played Good buyer/Bad buyer, eh? That's the way to go. ;-)
ReplyDeleteGood for you! I can picture GP losing his temper; glad I don't work there. :-)
ReplyDeleteVery well done. And I'm glad things are calmer, family-wise.
Nice to read that your life is settling down again. Enjoy the new car.
ReplyDeleteRR, the car salesman was pretty much out of the loop during the whole process of purchasing the two cars. We know a good bit about how selling cars works, and we were asking for more than the salesman was able to give. Plus, we know the manager's father. We went straight to the top. The salesman was nice, but not truly involved.
ReplyDeleteSusan, they probably did not lose money, but they had to take less than they wanted to keep the monthly payment the same, because the second loan was with interest, and the car was a later model. Except for frustration and lost time, we came out pretty well.
Kirstin, my friend, you know what a pistol GP can be from our collision experience. Patience is not his strong suit.
Piskie, I pray we can have a period of calm for a while.
May you have all the calm and joy you want with the new car.
ReplyDeletespeaking as a person who has worked in retail for the last 17 years, I can affirm that a customer who comes across as being friendly and rational will always get some help, no matter how extreme their need is (as long as we think the need is real); but the customer who comes across and nasty and demanding will get very little, no matter how reasonable their request is. Salespeople are human, and they appreciate being treated as human beings who reason and feel.
BTW, found an interesting saint for the day. RC, but certainly in this era of Darfur she's a worthwhile saint to keep in mind
http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2008/02/feast-of-st-josephine-bakhita.html
Oh my! I hope this one is leak free and always gets you where you need to go.
ReplyDeleteI am still driving my 1998 Honda Civic - it works great and I love it. And no car note!
Kishnevi, Josephine Bakhita seems a lovely person with a heart full of forgiveness. FWIW, I think that God's saints do not belong to denominations. Thanks for the link to information about her, and thanks for your good wishes regarding the car.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, folks who work in retail are deserving of our courtesy and respect as humans and also because they must often deal with difficult people, and we should not add to their difficulties.
Fran, I'd probably still be driving my 1999 Aurora if we had not had the collision with the taxi, but my new car is very nice, too.
Oh, whew! What a relief. Both of you must be tired though. Remember Sundays are feast days even in Lent and have yourselves a nice Louisiana meal with a little vin rouge.
ReplyDeleteBig hugs to you and GP.
Jane, thanks for the hugs. I still haven't decided what my Lenten discipline will be. Maybe I'm waiting for a personal divine revelation, but I've got nothing, except to be nicer to others.
ReplyDeleteThanks be to God, I was able to do that with the leaking car affair. Now, on to the rest of the world!
Mimi, maybe you should just distribute kisses during Lent. The world would benefit.
ReplyDeleteGlad the car situation had a happy ending. Enjoy your chariot!
Mary Clara, I still have not worked out my Lenten discipline, but the closest I've come is a prayer and a striving to be what I am in my best moments of living out the Gospel more of the time - if that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteI'd say that kisses work pretty well to further that goal.