My 2018 will start in February. I have high expectations for that month. Oooh, the Olympics start in February too.
Well, on Monday, a week ago, we met Bev at Hawkers and I drove Dad, Andrea, and Deb to the airport. I kinda wanted to send them in Uber, but what kinda of person would I be if I did thatā¦..As I was returning from Sanford, the car overheated AGAINā¦.less than two hours after getting it back from the mechanic. I pulled into a Boston Market. Fortunately, I was about 1 mile from the mechanic, so I took it back there.
The verdict isā¦. I need a new car.
I have done a lot of research on cars in the last week. I am between a Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, and a a Hyundai Tuscon. I went to a Mazda dealership looking for a 2016. I thought a 2017 was out of my price range, so I didnāt look at that. I walked next door and looked at some Hondas and some used vehicles. There are tons of dealers here which I am going to use to my advantage.
Yesterday, Bev picked me up around 3:30 p.m. and we went to a Hyundai dealership. The frustration started off the bat as the āinternet priceā is if you qualify for all the rebates. Well, I am not military, an Uber driver, a recent college grad, etc. etc. etc. I did test drive a Tuscon and a Santa Fe, but the dealership had a 2016 used CX-5. I really liked it. It did have 45,000 miles on it, so kinda a lot, but you could tell from the Carfax the car was used by a snowbird, so they were highway milesā¦.but stillā¦.. The Carfax said it didnāt have an accident, but Cargurus said it did have 1. While I was driving it, I thought I saw the dashboard flash and I thought I heard the car crunch as I turned back into the dealership. (Some of this might be me being overly paranoid). The car also did not come with a warranty. Not even a 30 day warranty. The sales guy was really nice, but the sales manager was overly pushy. I think it is a big enough decision to say, āWait a minuteā¦ Why are you being so pushy?!?!ā I said that I wouldnāt sign the buyerās orders until my own mechanic checked it out. They were a little gruff about that even, but I convinced them.
Afterwards, Bev and I went to Colibri last night. We shared the Mexican platter which included a lot of meat and some Mexican street corn. We were both so hungry, but my stomach really began to hurt. I began to get nervous about the car. I didnāt sleep well.
This morning, I went to my mechanic to show them the Carfax and to talk to them about it. They were concerned about the lack of warranty and even the price. They said to go new for that price. It was like $19,600 in total for a 2016 Grand Touring which I didnāt think was that bad, but for that price, I could get new and no mileage and a better history. I asked if I could speak to the original owner. They laughed.
I have now been in touch with another Mazda dealership (there are 4 around me) and they said they feel the Hyundai dealership lied about the accident. Since then, the Hyundai dealership has come back and said there is a 15,000 mile warranty available through Mazda. Argh. I think I will go to the Mazda dealership later this week to see if I can work out a deal with incentives and low interest. They claim they are the best ranked Mazda dealership in the nation. While I feel I researched a quality vehicle, I think I needed to research ānegotiating with car salespeople.ā I think I have learned a lot of their tricks and feel better prepared next time. While I have had a rough two months (not that badā¦ a lot of fun has been had), at least, we can be thankful that we are not cars salespeopleā¦ā¦ that would be the worst.
I have a lot to be thankful forā¦. breaking down at nice spots, a quick road rangers, great friends and familyā¦. and Uber.
(The following pictures are what I did during the week besides dealing with the car. I took so many Ubers last week. I went to the Asian American Chamber of Commerce Installation lunch at City Walkās Rising Star. It was on Tuesday. I ate so much due to being so hungry from the marathonā¦at least, that is what I told myself. Universal was empty. I also went to the Convention Center twice to help the U.S. Commercial Serviceās International Business Center at the Builderās Show. 85,000 people were in town for that convention. I had lunch with the Canadian Trade Commissioner. The Consulate had to re-schedule their Epcot night due to Irma. It now is mid-February. I am looking forward to it as it includes a dessert party I believe!! I canāt wait to have a new head of hair, a new car, and a healthy body.)
So, two weeks leftā¦ā¦ā¦I feel I am on a better path already. My cough is going away, my hair is recovering, and I know what I want in a car. (I am happy I can choose a different color as the bright red isnāt really me anyways.)
Keep you postedā¦.. but probably not until next week or weekend dependingā¦.