Car Quest

When I look back on this month, will I remember the countless conversations that we've had about which car to buy to replace our drowned car?

We quickly agreed that it would be good to have a car that sits higher off the ground.  Could we also find one with decent gas mileage?  And how do we define decent gas mileage?

We've been researching hybrid SUVs.  We thought we had made a decision:  the Toyota Rav4 XSE hybrid.  We had a dealership that assured us they had one on the lot and that we could have it if we would agree to a white color.  I asked the price:  "Low 30's."  I asked for more specificity:  "$30,000 to $31,000."  My spouse wanted to know if that included dealer fees.  Yes it did.

We went to the dealership yesterday for our appointment.  I knew we were likely being set up, but I wanted to believe.  I had been specific on the phone and asked for confirmation several times. 

It was too good to be true, since the MSRP is just under $33,000. But I was supposed to be eligible for any number of special deals.  I wanted to believe.

It will probably come as no surprise to anyone that the car actually would cost us just under $39,000 to drive it home today. We got up and left, just as I said we would do if the deal described on the phone wasn't the deal. Twenty minutes wasted in the showroom, plus the time to drive to the dealership and back. It could have been worse.

But it shouldn't be that way at all.  I spent 20 minutes or more on the phone on Friday in hopes of avoiding what happened yesterday.  I feel a bit like an idiot, although I realized that the dealership was hoping to deploy the old bait and switch technique.  I'd feel more like an idiot if we hadn't left.

We have had mixed success buying cars at dealerships.  When we bought our pair of Priuses, we showed up, and the deal we got was the one we made on the phone.

I spent much of yesterday going back to our research.  We are narrowing in on a used 2019 Nissan Rogue hybrid that's available from CarMax.  They'll drive it to our house for a test drive with no obligation.  We have a rental car that we can keep for a bit longer.  I don't want us to be overly pressured.

But the pressure is there.  And I realize that I'm lucky.  I have time, resources, computer access, and knowledge.  I understand how so many people get into trouble as they navigate these issues.