This is going to be chockful of privilege and I apologize in advance. Might it help to keep in mind that Kevin and I both grew up poor and started in low-wage earning fields as young adults.
On a whim, sorta, we bought a car. A new-to-us Honda, just a few years old. You might have just thought, if you're a long-time dear reader, "Didn't you just buy a new truck not long ago?" The answer would be yes.
What had happened was:
Originally when Kevin finally convinced me to buy a new car, I was looking at the mid-size SUV's. I really liked Subaru and I really liked the Nissan. Our mechanic friend said an emphatic No to the Nissan because they have issues. He liked the Subaru though so I was mildly looking for one of those. I still had not accepted the idea of a car payment after literal decades of not having one.
Then, Kevin found a truck. I've almost always drove a truck so this was okay with me. It had four doors so it was kind of like an SUV and it was a really nice truck. Also, it was perfect for where we live as winters have become more winter-like. I drove it for almost two years but to be honest, it wasn't my favorite. It had the cool factor but not the convenience factor.
One of the many times that we were traveling back and forth from places this month, Kevin asked if I still liked the truck. And...I hesitated. He pounced on that pause like a cat on a mouse. He really should have been a lawyer.
After having a week of work and extra errands and walkies, I admitted that I was pretty tired of getting up into the truck repeatedly. It is also too high for a certain twelve-year-old dog who also hates being picked up so, so much. He agreed that it truly is too big for me and even as he ages, it's probably not our best choice. We had already agreed on this when we bought it: eventually we would need a grown-up car.
However, I also said that there was too much going on right now and too many changes and let's just not worry about it. The fact that it was inconvenient was not an emergency.
Well, Kevin heard "Emergency" and kicked into Problem Solving Mode. We drove through a dealership where we have the truck serviced to see if there was anything that I liked. I was meh about two vehicles that we found there and we didn't really look beyond that. He found a Honda CR-V that he liked and I was meh about. I liked a Toyota Rav-4 better. We went home and I didn't think about it again.
He woke me up on Saturday with a plan. "Let's go get breakfast, look at a few cars, then go visit Dad. We'll just look." Which again, if you're a long time reader we don't "just look" at vehicles or dogs. It always results in us bringing one home.
I admit, I was a little peevy about it. I had things to do and this was the last thing on my list EVER. He said we would just go look and get questions answered; which we both know is unlikely. I countered any lingering resentment by telling myself "Boohoo, your husband wants to buy you a new car that you can afford." Because: I am a grown-up with childlike coping skills.
We went to the Toyota dealership because they have good ratings across the board and we were trading in a Toyota so we thought that would be the best choice. Unfortunately they did the salesman run-around thing.
We were clear what we wanted and how we wanted it: no down payments, Absolutely NOT a bigger payment and not a longer loan term if possible. We had researched and it looked like we could almost do an even trade, depending on how "new" the new vehicle was. We were thinking 5-10 years old.
There was a blue RAV-4 that I really liked but it was a little out of our price range. We believe the dealership could have made it happen if they really wanted to. There was a red Honda CRV that really caught Kevin's attention. She had us drive the Toyota because the Honda wasn't available. BUT SHE WENT WITH US and only "allowed" us to drive around the block.
When we returned, we told her we were on a timeline and we weren't sticking around to buy a car. She needed to make the Honda available or we would have to move on. We explained where Kevin's dad was and that it was recent; so there was a sense of urgency implied. (and: true)
We went inside because she assured us that it would be quick as possible then walked away. I set a timer on my phone for thirty minutes. At thirty-five minutes we declined their offers on a RAV-4 and they were getting the CRV returned so that we would come back to look at.
Reluctantly, we went and had lunch then returned. I looked at the CRV and drove it but it didn't feel right. It just didn't fit so I said no thanks. She was astounded and probably a little annoyed. We both remained in our camps: I liked mine and he liked his.
She brought out the sales manager, which is a deal breaker for me. It's a manipulative tactic and I don't have the patience for it. We listened and they tried one more time to make any sort of a deal; offering everything that we DIDN'T want. We walked out, frustrated.
On a whim, we stopped at the Honda dealership just down the road. At this point, I was frustrated and just wanted to go home. Recognizing that, we didn't even get out of the truck and Kevin talked to the salesman through the window when he approached us. Kevin explained what happened at the Toyota dealership, what our expectation was, and that we weren't even Getting Out of the Truck if he couldn't make it happen. He had a really good vibe and was all Challenged Accepted. He said he could AND that he would very much like to outsell the Toyota dealership. And that we would eventually have to get out of the truck.
We parked and looked at three vehicles. An HRV, which is the small low-buck Honda SUV. It was too small and neither of us liked it. Clearly a cheaper car. We looked at a newer CRV 2023? that was the color that Kevin loves. (because I said "No grey, black, or white. I want a COLOR." and the RAV-4 I didn't get was a pretty blue) It was not going to be in our price range. Then we looked at a newer version of the CR-V that I had turned down at the other dealership. I sat in and actually really liked it. What a difference a few years make in design and styling.
The salesman got the deal done in less than twenty-minutes. I didn't even set the timer on my phone, he hustled to make it happen. The first invoice the payment was $15 more and he caught it then changed it without us asking. It took about an half hour + for the financing part, which was a bummer, but then we left with a new-to-us CR-V, burgundy with all the options. It does not have leather seats which I love (they're cold/hot and they wear and crack) and they're HEATED. It has faux wood trim, which I though would be a little cheesy but looks nice. Oh, the RAV-4 had a sunroof and I really miss having one. THIS ONE HAD ONE, oh happy day.
They added about one year onto the contract but it's warrantied and has GAP insurance and free services; all at a lower interest rate. No money out of pocket at all and for a newer car than we had hoped for. The savings we'll get on gas will make up the one year addition in no time at all. The Tacoma got terrible mileage, one more compelling reason to not have it anymore.
We were both emotional leaving that truck behind because we did really like it, it just wasn't practical for us. This was one of those rare grown-up decisions that we have to make being a childless couple. This will most likely be our forever car unless we bought something else if we were to sell the big truck.
But the facebook keeps showing me the ad for my old truck at the dealership and It's Hurting My Feelings. It was such a cool and fun truck, it was just too big for me. We really thought it would sell quickly but it's been there almost three weeks now.
Then a funny thing: We realized that we bought the exact same car as Kevin's BFF. His is a year newer. Same color, same wheels, same features. They went to dinner the other night and Kevin learned all about the features that we didn't know about. We didn't know about it because we didn't give the salesman the opportunity to "sell" us the car. That, in retrospect, might not have been our best idea. But we're discovering just fun things so all's well.
I think Kevin just needed to have something fun happen and to feel like he had control over something when everything feels out of control. It was a little bit of an impulse buy, which is a specific kind of ridiculous. It's rare for him to do something for himself and for us like this. We always make do and make the reasonable choice. This was very much impulsive yet still reasonable.
I'm not having buyers remorse for my car but it is so much different than anything we have ever had. All in all, we're feeling pretty good about the decision and I think we will enjoy this much more. I have had to go to two meetings which required a little travel and it really is more easy and enjoyable to drive.
A picky detail was that the front door windows weren't tinted but the rear ones were. The last two vehicles I have driven had tinted windows. It felt a little like a fishbowl without the tint, especially with the sunroof open. One mention to Kevin and he made an appointment at a friend's shop to have them tinted. It was surprisingly inexpensive to have it done and it was such an improvement.
Two days later, the first dealership called us and had a car for us. I pleasantly told her "No thanks. We went down the street and bought a car an hour later that day which was very satisfying. AND it appears that both cars we drove at that dealership are Still There. So: nanner to them.
Maybe our next car will be a flying car...
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