New Car Again!

The other day I mentioned that I was thinking of looking for a new car. Well, after talking it over with Lindsey, we decided that it would not hurt to look.

First thing, I put my Elantra on the Facebook Marketplace. I actually got a bunch of people interested, but it generally did not go anywhere. There was one guy the other night who was promising, but I could not get it through his head that the title would not be in his hand that day. I kept trying to explain that we could get a letter from the bank. I also said we could get a lawyer to draw up a contract, but the dude started getting belligerent with me. Started saying stuff like “hey man, I better leave with the title or else.” He had me so annoyed that I finally told him to just piss off. Selling things on Facebook sucks.

Last week I went to test drive a Nissan Juke. I was so excited about the prospect. You know I have said that was a car that I have always liked. Funny story, the salesman kept saying how quick the Juke is and he said something incredibly stupid. He said that it does 0-60 in about three seconds. HAHAHAHA. I really tried not to laugh in his face.

The Juke was pretty quick (not Porsche quick) and it was pretty nice. I liked the look of the interior and some of the features. However, it was much smaller than I anticipated. The backseat would actually be tighter than my Elantra and the space behind the seat was tiny. Like, I could not put my golf clubs in there.

Then we came to the price and the monthly payments. They were not willing to work with me at all. It was going to be a pretty big jump in my current payment. I decided to leave. It was at that moment that I decided to expand my search parameters.

I spent the weekend doing my research. What do I want in a car? Bigger backseat, all-wheel drive, a decent trunk, and some fancy features. I discovered a few that I liked. I searched almost every dealership in the surrounding area for the couple of cars that I was considering. It looked like Stuckey Ford in Hollidaysburg was my best bet.

I went there today and told the salesman what I was looking for, he showed me one, a 2018, but it was pretty expensive. He said he had a 2016 that was a little cheaper. I told him what my payment range was and he said “I think that is doable.” I was shocked, I thought he might balk at the low price I was thinking, especially when I said what I owed on my car (I realized going in that finding something was a longshot). He gave me the keys and I took it for a spin.

I really liked it. It was a smooth ride and you could tell it had some power. Plus, one of the first things I checked out was the back. It would easily fit two car seats and not leave a passenger up front with no room. Oh, and it had some fancy features as well. Plus leather seats.

I went back inside and we started the discussion. At first he came back with a price that was a little higher than I wanted. I told him that it was a little too high and that I might need to think on it. He says to give him a minute and he comes back with the finance guy. They say that they can do the monthly payment I said. We had a deal. We started the paperwork and in about an hour and a half, I was on my way with my new car.

The car? A 2016 Ford Fusion with only 19,000 miles. It has the dual climate control and heated seats. It came with a remote starter, which would have been one of the first things I would buy if it did not. I do not know how people survive without one. It also has the big touchscreen, which makes me very happy. I finally feel like I have moved into the 21st century.

It was funny, when Lindsey & Payton came to the dealership, Payton ran over to me and was like “go in Daddy’s car?” I said no and then I told her that I got a new car. I pointed to it and asked if she liked it. She looked at it and goes “oooohhhh, Daddy’s car.” I guess she approves.