Maybe I'l Just Ride My Bike

Ok, I was kidding about the sex tips. As most of you know I’ve been shopping for a new car. Recently, I bit the bullet and actually went to test drive some of the cars I had in mind. It doesn’t matter what the consumer magazines say if the steering wheel doesn’t feel right in my hands. Just to recap, the previous car post...I am into cars and the shinier the better.

Instead of doing a play-by-play of each dealership, let’s just say I drove a lot of cars. The main thing I learned is that the majority of car salesmen know absolutely NOTHING about the cars they are attempting to sell. I yearned for someone to tell me what tasks all the knobs and buttons performed. Someone who didn’t get a blank look in their eyes when I asked what size engine was in the car. Someone who could tell me about the telescoping steering wheel, the adjustable pedals, or the MP3 capable stereo system. Tell me why your car is so special that I should buy it over another. Nope, not a one could do that. I learned more off the invoices than I did from any of the salesmen.

My favorite salesman was the one at the Mazda dealer. He had an Island accent so I’m not sure where he was from originally. Rather than telling me anything about the car, he preferred to point out to me that Americans have “big bellies” from eating too much, live in huge houses and drive enormous cars. We frivolously spend our money and pillage our natural resources. Now read yesterday’s post before sending me hate mail. I don’t disagree that, on average, we eat too much and I don’t have anything against immigrants. Read my archives if you doubt me. But if you really want me to buy a car from you…DON’T PUT DOWN THE COUNTRY YOU AND I LIVE IN! It really just made me want to see if I could get the SUV I was driving to roll-over.

Now that I’ve completed my rant, we can talk about the cars. The only one that made me say “oooo, shiny” was the Charger. The only problem is that I don’t think I can get one with a sunroof (which I refuse to part with) at the payment I want. The Cherokee drove nice, has a classy type of “oooo, shiny” appeal and would allow me to haul junk around. I’ve learned that hauling junk around is a necessity when you own a house. But it has reliability issues according to the consumer mags and after the problems I’ve had with the current car, I’m a little leery. At this point, I have no idea what I’m doing. Sometimes being an informed consumer is a little stymieing. Suggestions are appreciated. Although…..man, I looked really good driving that Charger.