Up Close and Personal

It's been interesting, to say the least, watching the Congress and the President wrestle with the woes of the auto industry. But like many of the great issues of the day, they take on a much different meaning when they impact on us personally. In my case, I have reached one of those points in life, dreaded by so many, I need to buy a new car.

I believe it pays to do your homework. Given the bottomless well of information on the Internet, a lot of this can be accomplished in the comfort of one's own home. Without dragging my readers through all the gory details, suffice it to say that this allowed me to narrow down my choice substantially as I am locked in on a make and model before setting foot on a dealer's lot. One of my constraints is the availability of dealers in my area. I am committed to doing this deal locally for a host of reasons, not the least of which is I can easily tow the new car back if I have problems. Fortunately, I have two dealers within proximity, so barring any unexpected problems, I know where I will be buying the car.

I am not going to name names, but let's just say that once I buy my car, I will not have to worry about a bailout for its manufacturer. I am going to buy what used to be called a foreign car. Rather than being a choice between patronizing Americans vs. foreigners, I have the choice of a car made by Americans with an equitable sense of financial balance, or buying a car from a bloated, outdated company being held hostage by the UAW. Let me think.

The media is crammed with stories about how car sales are at levels not seen since the Korean war and how desperate the dealers are to move metal. Given that, one might expect that I'd be welcomed with open arms, but I'm not falling for that. Car dealers are stuck in their old ways salesmanship which is sort of a cross between a carnival and a casino. I pass one of my prospective dealers regularly, and last time I looked, they had a balloon on every car and a fifteen foot blow-up dragon in front of the dealership. Do you think I might be met by a fast-talking glad-hander when I show up? You betcha. Once you buy into that "let's make a deal" routine, getting the car you want at a reasonable price can be a challenge. My solution? I will try to lay the groundwork by phone so that by the time I show up at the dealer we will at least be focused on the car I want.

This may sound like the musings of an anal-retentive, ultra-cautious, cost-conscious, well-organized consumer. Only if that were so. My track record on buying cars is replete with impulsive-compulsive purchases of cars not previously on the radar screen. In other words, I have always been the fast-talking, glad-hander's prime target. But to coin a phrase, this time it will be different.

More reports to follow.