Oh Boy!

Went after-Christmas shopping! I did not go crazy. Just picked up a few essentials in Hancock Fabrics. We only made right turns and parked in less populated zones. It was a cinch getting around.

Arrived back home to await the call that my car was ready. I had dropped it off for an oil change. I got out of the car and noticed a huge red liquid blob on the garage floor. It could not have come from my husband's rental car. It was directly where my Dodge Charger is usually parked! Oh Boy! First thing hubby asked was "Did you hit something?" No! A transmission leak??? I called the Service Department to alert them. It was still under warranty and just a year old. It was later confirmed that my car had a small transmission leak. I don't do leaky cars! My mind instantly went to "Trade It Now!"

We went to pick up the car but it was not ready. We browsed the car lot. Since buying my Charger, I really missed my Chevrolet Trailblazer. I'm used to hauling stuff. When buying bolts of fabric, I never had to worry about storage. The Charger is not a hauling stuff kinda car. I looked at the Dodge Nitro. There were only 2 in stock. I would prefer a black one but the red one was fully loaded and had the sunroof. It always worked out like that.

The salesman asked if we needed help. I told him that I was just waiting for my car to be serviced but if he could give me a sweet deal, I'd drive one off the lot today.

I don't know why I always end up in a car dealer's office when I'm hungry. It does speed up the process though when I threaten to faint or throw up from hunger. We worked out a great deal even though I was "upside down" on my Charger. What the hell does that really mean and how does that really factor into the new loan? I drove the Nitro home. It had some cool bells and whistles. It was also Inferno Red!

I'm still in the process of deciding whether to keep it. I have until Monday. I was not happy with the final terms. We signed a contract Friday but when we went back Saturday, they must have realized how sweet of a deal we'd gotten and decided to ask for money down and all that. I refused. Instead of "new car" smell, I was starting to smell Car Dealer Scam 101 ! I told them to bring my keys to my Charger. They were not figuring on that happening. The finance guy's office smelled of garlic so bad that I guess he'd seen "Twilight" and was afraid of Vampires. We tried to leave several times and the General Manager came out. I hate buying a new car. If I had known I was going to buy a car, I would have followed my own rule of advice: go with a pre-approved loan like I always do but I was caught a little off guard this time. I wasn't overly serious about purchasing a car that day.

They begged me to take the Nitro home and to keep it until Monday. They even said they'd give me an extra $1000 if I got it financed through my credit union. I guess this bailout shit ain't no joke. I should have taken their paper work and told them I'd think about it but to bring my car around. But I kept the Nitro just to test it out. I have since been approved by both my bank and another lending institution. Ha! I may just take them their car back and my check to another dealer! I don't play games when it comes to my money. Or, I may make them sweat as if I don't want their car. I see they added an extended $995 warranty that I did not ask for. It is going to come off. They have no idea who they are dealing with. I don't really need a new car!