Buying a car in this market

Wife had a friend who was friends with a broker, so we used him when the wife and I were both buying new cars. I honestly don't know what kind of "deal" we got, if it was the same as going through the fleet manager (which, I believe, is how AAA and Costco set you up).

Wife got a Lexus RX 350. It edged out the BMW X5, and easily outdistanced the Acura and Mazda similar models. Happy all around.

I wanted the Ford Explorer Sport. At the time, it was what all the police and highway patrol agencies were getting. They called it an Interceptor, but the same vehicle with the 3.5l, V6, 365hp, twin turbo engine. None were available so they built just for me (in Chicago, I think). I had to wait a couple of months and finally got it. Again, no idea of what kind of "deal" we got.

For Fords, the broker worked through a dealer in La Puente. I live in Irvine. It was delivered and a woman rep came along to explain the features and set it up for me. Except she didn't know what she was doing. The broker had to help her connect the garage door opener and seat adjuster, among other things. She didn't know what several feature did or how they worked. At the end, I had to pay her and she refused to come into my house, even though me, the broker, my wife and our little dog were there. I had to go in, write out my check, come back out to sign forms and finish the transaction standing on the sidewalk.

Later, I got a survey questionnaire from the dealer and I filled it out accurately, including that the rep didn't know how to do her job and she insulted me by refusing to come into my house. After that, the broker called and tore me a new one, complaining that I had ruined his relationship with the dealer. I asked him what is the purpose of the questionnaire if you don't fill it out honestly? She didn't know how to do her job and she insulted me, so screw her.

 

annual costs pretty high, including oil changes. Batteries are expensive.

 

Fair to point out she didn't know her job. Unfair to criticize a woman who won't go into the house of people she doesn't know. You don't know her history. And men always underestimate the potential peril a woman could face in certain circumstances. How is her seeing to her bodily safety an insult to you?

 

I invited a professional businesswoman into my house to complete a transaction. Also present was a broker, who has used this dealership before, my wife and our 10-pound dog. Yes, her safety is of utmost importance. She should have the ability to size up a situation and see if she is facing danger. There were no signs of that. If her paranoia prevents her from doing her job properly, she is in the wrong profession. If I was in her dealership, and I was invited into her office, I would not refuse.

 

If you think being invited to someone's office in a business setting is an analogous to being invited to someone's house, you're wrong. She may have been on a business call and there may have been a broker there, but you don't know what her previous experience was. There are multiple reasons to not want to go into some the house of someone you don't know. It sounds like all you had to do was write a check how does it hurt you if you go in and write to check and bring it back out to her? It's simply does not. But what if she was allergic to something in your house? What if you had a sick person in your house? What if your house was extremely unkempt? What if you had an ex-convict living with you?
She should get retrained for not knowing how to do her job. She should not get penalized for not wanting to go into someone's house.

 

There are always a bunch of documents to sign, so I'm doing it on a clipboard on the sidewalk.
But your points are good. I'm going to evict the convict living in my basement, except I don't have a basement. The broker came into the house.
Never mind, enough of this.

 

No biggie. I just don't think she insulted you. Obviously it bothered you.

 

My close buddy who's been in the used/new auto industry for now over 35 yrs as a fleet mgr/GM, etc. always told me get the newer car as opposed to the older one with more miles. He said newer meant less wear and tear. (Of course, if there are extremely high or low miles in older car, not quite apples to apples).

As for Genesis, the G70 sedan has received great driving reviews and looks very well done. Their SUVs look good too. I almost went that direction before going German a few months back.

 

I once bought a car for my kid that had extremely low miles for its age, and thought that was a virtue. Turned out the reason it had low miles was 1/it was a snowbird’s car that sat idle in a Florida garage six months of the year and 2/it was a piece of shit that was in the shop as much as it was being driven. Odometers sometimes lie.

 

I do things (like walking alone at night) that women say they'd never do. It's male privilege. I'll end the threadjack there.

 

What was it? Any rust/corrosion issues? Were the tires dry-rotted when you bought it?

 

it was a 2008 Saturn Astra with 30,000 miles when I bought it in 2013. The tires were in pretty good shape, and no rust because Florida, but it was a mess under the hood (belts, hoses, etc.). I should have known better but, hey, good deal on low-mileage kid car.

We did catch one break: It blew a head gasket about a month after I bought it, necessitating full replacement of the head. Unbeknownst to me at the time, it was still covered by an extended warranty GM issued to all Saturns when they dropped the brand in 2009.

My middle kid mercifully totaled the car after my older one suffered with it for a couple of years. I was never happier to see a piece of crushed metal go away.

When my youngest saved up her money, she bought a 2008 Toyota Prius with 160,000 miles on it. I didn’t even flinch at that odometer reading.