My New Car (or How I Spent My Day Off)
My original plan for Friday was to pick up lunch and share it with my wife at her office. As I was taking the exit, the engine died. I was able to do a compression start, but it died again as soon as I slowed down. I was able to pull completely onto the shoulder. I called my wife to inform her of the change in plans. I then called AAA who sent a tow truck that was able to drop me and my car at a local dealership. It turned out that the alternator needed replacement, but that wasn't the worst problem with the car. It had developed a rattle that was deemed terminal. Replacement engine would cost what the car is worth.
In the meantime, my wife had come to pick me up. We talked about our options over lunch and I borrowed her car to work out the details. From recent investigation, I knew that there was a vehicle very much to my liking at a local dealership. I drove there to see if the car was still available; it was. I also asked for a saleswoman who had spent time answering my questions even though she was waiting for a test drive to come back. (It also turns out that this woman had also worked with us in a very favorable manner two years ago when we were looking for my wife's current car.) She wasn't there, but the young ladies up front contacted her on her break and she came straight back to effect the sale. I was even allowed to use an open office they had to contact my insurance company and to get my ID for the Employee Purchase Plan I was using to buy the car. It took a couple hours to collect all the information, arrange the financing, transfer the registration on the plates, and prepare the car for delivery. Overall, a very positive experience.
That night, I was able to drive my new 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid home. Saturday morning, I emptied all my stuff out of the previous car. Monday, I will sell it to a fellow looking for a project car. I wish him good luck. I'm still going through Owner's Manual. So far, I have been able to find what I'm looking for in fairly short order.
My previous car was a 2004 Subaru Forester. This car had over 226K miles when I felt the need to replace it. I hope this new car does as well.
In the meantime, my wife had come to pick me up. We talked about our options over lunch and I borrowed her car to work out the details. From recent investigation, I knew that there was a vehicle very much to my liking at a local dealership. I drove there to see if the car was still available; it was. I also asked for a saleswoman who had spent time answering my questions even though she was waiting for a test drive to come back. (It also turns out that this woman had also worked with us in a very favorable manner two years ago when we were looking for my wife's current car.) She wasn't there, but the young ladies up front contacted her on her break and she came straight back to effect the sale. I was even allowed to use an open office they had to contact my insurance company and to get my ID for the Employee Purchase Plan I was using to buy the car. It took a couple hours to collect all the information, arrange the financing, transfer the registration on the plates, and prepare the car for delivery. Overall, a very positive experience.
That night, I was able to drive my new 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid home. Saturday morning, I emptied all my stuff out of the previous car. Monday, I will sell it to a fellow looking for a project car. I wish him good luck. I'm still going through Owner's Manual. So far, I have been able to find what I'm looking for in fairly short order.
My previous car was a 2004 Subaru Forester. This car had over 226K miles when I felt the need to replace it. I hope this new car does as well.