DON'T Push!

If you are a "regular" reader of this blog, then you know that I suffer from bouts of wanderlust. That is, I love to travel. Haime and I have travelled abroad and to Canada and Mexico but most of my travel is here in the US. When I was in high school, we had a sub-teacher tell us that she had travelled to all 50 states and to every county in Texas. I don't know why that stuck with me and I really don't keep track of the counties I've visited in Texas, though I'd be surprised if there are more than 7 that I haven't visited, I took the "all of the 50 states as a challenge. It doesn't count if the state happens to be a "lay-over" where the only thing we do is change planes. So, to date, I have visited (as a destination) 37 states, including the hardest ones-Alaska and Hawaii. Much of my travel is done by car because I like taking "roads less travelled" and stopping when and where I feel inspired to do so.

My 2007 Chev. Trailblazer has been an AWESOME traveler! I have put over 175,000 miles on it and it still runs like a champ! Haime is a fanatic about keeping it serviced and it has never given us any serious trouble. Well, with that many miles in a relatively short time, it is starting to have a few "hic-cups." Nothing major, just little things. Well, one thing you should know before I go any further...I HATE buying cars! But, even more than buying cars, I hate fixing major problems with cars, AND, even more than buying cars and fixing major problems with cars...I HATE, LOATHE, DESPISE AND AM INTOLERANT OF PUSHY CAR GUYS!!!!!

Another thing you should know is that I believe cars are an excellent mode of transportation. They get you where you want to go much faster than walking and without the hassle of public transportation. Beyond that, I am not a "car person." I am not "make-specific" and after driving everything from a junker to a convertible Mercedes, I am not impressed by cars. With all that "said," I have come to the realization that my Trailblazer is not going to last me forever. Sr..o, I decided that I need to START looking for a possible replacement. First I started on the Internet. I have few parameters for my new ride. It must get more nor fewer than 30 miles per gallon on the highway; it must have ample storage room for suitcases and golf clubs etc; it must be comfortable; it must have enough room in the back seat for at least one person, (preferably two) to sit comfortably with a car-seat between them; and it must priced at no more than $30K. Seriously, it should not be hard to find SEVERAL choices...right?

ANYWAY, I've done my preliminary Internet searches and decided it was time to go look at some of my options in person. Well, the first thing I learned is that the "small SUVs" are too small; secondly, most of the "cars" are too small or don't get the mpgs I want or are too expensive. So, I'm back to looking at comparatively sized SUVs to my Trailblazer. (Unfortunately, they no longer make Trailblazers or my search would have been much easier!)

HOWEVER, the topic of this post is really not about a car...she said after four paragraphs...it's about PUSHY, EGO-MANIACAL, SALESJERKS! OOPs, I might have gotten ahead of myself. So, I decided that it was time to go visit the dreaded car dealerships. (As it turns out, I should have stopped at a bar first.) At the first dealership I visited, I had barely exited my car before a saleswoman came out to greet me. Ordinarily, this "vulture-mentality" just irritates the crap out of me, but she was wonderful. She approached with an easy manner, she introduced herself and asked if I needed help or if I just want to browse. WHAT? She gave me a choice? She let it me my way? OK, mental note...if I decide to buy this "brand," I'm definitely buying from her! I explained that I was seriously just shopping at this point, what my parameters were, and she took it from there. She showed me several optional vehicles and gave me a brochure for the one that I was most interested in and told me to call if I had questions...dream car shopping experience!

With this under my belt, I decided to give another dealership a go....This one started off a bit shaky...they had no place to park, not because there were tons of people looking to buy a car, they just had three "customer" spaces, two were taken by trucks and the third was taken by the door of one of the trucks that some jerk had left open. I pulled into a space that looked to have been vacated by someone doing a "test drive" because it was literally in one of their "we have these cars for sale" spaces. I started looking at the window displayed stickers using my first "must have"...at least 30 mpg estimated highway. The pickings were slim! As I was approaching the final option, a salesman approached. He was young and obviously new. I told him that I honestly didn't know what I wanted other than the parameters I had for a new vehicle. He was also a JOY! He showed me a perfect vehicle. I mean it punched every button. He answered each of my questions and was wonderful to work with. I told him that I was just starting my search but that this looked like a real contender. I asked if he had a brochure and a card. He went back inside to retrieve both and came out with...SATAN'S SPAWN!

It turns out that the spawn was his supervisor who "wanted to be sure that" wonderboy "wasn't driving me off." I assured the supervisor that "junior" had been wonderful. That he had been thorough in his information, professional in his manner, and had actually made me seriously consider a vehicle that had not previously been a real contender based on my Internet research to date. Then the jerk opened his mouth....

I just looked back at the length of this post so I won't go into the details of this jerk's "conversation" with me, however, I will say he single-handily personified every stereotypical "this woman should let her man buy her a car" mentality ever used as satire on any late-night comedy show. I was angrier when I left there than I have been in a very long time. The kind of anger that even chocolate won't appease...you know that's BAD!

So, if you (or someone you love) is a car salesman/woman, please show them this post. Is it too much to ask that if you want me go write you a check for $30(ish) thousand, BE NICE! Treat me with some respect, answer my questions and give me the courtesy of time to make an informed decision. DON'T PUSH!!!!!

OK, after a double "adult beverage" and several hours, I'm feeling human again. Thanks for letting me rant.

TTFN

Lois