No One in Queens Wants to Sell Me a Car
Wednesday I called the Paragon Honda salesman to see if any new used cars came in that I'd like, and he said the only two in my price range are SUVs, which he knows I'm not interested in. Also, if they're SUVs at that price they must be old or really beat up. It turns out the two cars I'd already nixed are still around, but I nixed them for good reasons, especially the Fiesta's legal suit transmission, while I thought the 2009 Honda Accord was underwhelming and overpriced even before I heard that a lot of them have rear brake problems.
He said if he sees a compact car with the traits I want come in, he'll give me a call. I'll probably never hear from him again.
So I made an appointment to view two Hyundai Elantras at Lee's Toyota. Their two 2013 Toyota Corollas sounded good, but at $14,000 (before taxes, title, fees, etc.) each are at least $4,000 more than I feel I can pay. The cars were parked inside the building, with the older (khaki-colored!!!! wut) Elantra down a hallway barely wider than it is in a line with two other cars. This didn't bode well for test driving, but I didn't expect how this would go down. Even in the white fluorescent lighting I knew I didn't like the color, but the too firm seats helped cement my dislike. I liked the newer, more luxe blue one, though $12,000 was more than I really wanted to pay. (And the price on the car itself in the room was $12,995, $1,000 more than the internet price, but I was assured I would get the price that brought me in.) I was open to the test drive convincing me, though. Oh, but Lee's Toyota won't let you take a test drive until you fill out all the paperwork, the dealer checks your credit with banks, and we all get the financing nailed, therefore actually buying the car before I'd be allowed to take it for a drive and try it out. I said a big NO to that, and he didn't seem surprised. Unbothered, he watched us walk out.
He also mentioned paying by cash, but since I wasn't going to do that anyway I didn't ask how their system works with cash. Do you hand them a suitcase full of money and sign some papers, then get to drive? Do they hand the money back if you don't like it? wtf
I actually miss the haggling, since it at least suggested the salesperson was taking you seriously and wanted your money. Now they give you a line of ridiculousness and mellowly watch you walk away.
(Btw, the 2009 Elantra's carcomplaints.com page lists that sometimes they have steering troubles, where your steering just locks, while the 2012 Elantra sometimes has electrical problems that stop the engine from turning over.)
And local Major World already seems so slimy just from their internet listings that I'm leery of trying them.
He said if he sees a compact car with the traits I want come in, he'll give me a call. I'll probably never hear from him again.
So I made an appointment to view two Hyundai Elantras at Lee's Toyota. Their two 2013 Toyota Corollas sounded good, but at $14,000 (before taxes, title, fees, etc.) each are at least $4,000 more than I feel I can pay. The cars were parked inside the building, with the older (khaki-colored!!!! wut) Elantra down a hallway barely wider than it is in a line with two other cars. This didn't bode well for test driving, but I didn't expect how this would go down. Even in the white fluorescent lighting I knew I didn't like the color, but the too firm seats helped cement my dislike. I liked the newer, more luxe blue one, though $12,000 was more than I really wanted to pay. (And the price on the car itself in the room was $12,995, $1,000 more than the internet price, but I was assured I would get the price that brought me in.) I was open to the test drive convincing me, though. Oh, but Lee's Toyota won't let you take a test drive until you fill out all the paperwork, the dealer checks your credit with banks, and we all get the financing nailed, therefore actually buying the car before I'd be allowed to take it for a drive and try it out. I said a big NO to that, and he didn't seem surprised. Unbothered, he watched us walk out.
He also mentioned paying by cash, but since I wasn't going to do that anyway I didn't ask how their system works with cash. Do you hand them a suitcase full of money and sign some papers, then get to drive? Do they hand the money back if you don't like it? wtf
I actually miss the haggling, since it at least suggested the salesperson was taking you seriously and wanted your money. Now they give you a line of ridiculousness and mellowly watch you walk away.
(Btw, the 2009 Elantra's carcomplaints.com page lists that sometimes they have steering troubles, where your steering just locks, while the 2012 Elantra sometimes has electrical problems that stop the engine from turning over.)
And local Major World already seems so slimy just from their internet listings that I'm leery of trying them.