Brothers In Blog

I had an American Idol post lined up for today but decided to put it on the back burner after this morning’s car repair experience.

I dropped off my car for a planned repair this morning. As a service perk, the dealer provided a very nice loaner car while they worked on mine. Oddly enough, the loaner was much nicer than the last one they gave me which got me thinking: Is this loaner a service perk or another way to sell me a new car?

The last time I dropped off my car for a significant repair the dealer loaned me a basic Honda Civic for the day. I didn’t care what type of loaner they gave me, I just wanted something that allowed me to avoid the hassle of to and from ride coordination. That loaner car did exactly what it was supposed to do: make it easier for me to get my car serviced. Today’s loaner, however, had a different purpose altogether.

After filling out the necessary paper work I was escorted over to my loaner. Fully expecting another basic Honda I was stunned when I was shown a Mercedes Benz C350. This car was sparkling clean inside and out with power “this”, power “that”, and acceleration power like I have never experienced before. This car was beautiful and I wanted one! And isn’t that exactly what the dealer wanted?

The one time service perk was now a full fledged way to sell a new car. Who wants to get back into their old car and drive back home licking the wounds of an excessively high repair bill when you could just buy a brand new car? I was starting to feel exactly that way.

Ahhhhh the heated seats.

Ohhhhh the auto lights and rain sensing wipers.

Mmmmm the built in cell phone, enable/disable passenger side airbag, and smooooooth ride.

Yikes! I was falling for it! A new car would be nice but my current car was in good shape with a lot more miles still left in it. Even though the painfully high $1900 repair bill made my heart stop for a moment, the short term pain was still better than 5 years of car payments. Yes, I did momentarily fall for the subtle car dealer sales tactics, but ultimately my will power and rationale brain kept me out of 5 years of additional debt.

New cars are great. Just make sure buying one for the right reasons and not because someone enticed you when you were weak.

Barry’s 2-Cents:

Ahhhh, you have learned much Grasshopper. Generally speaking, I am convinced that car salespeople are a separate species of mammal. While I have encountered exceptions, their prime objective is to get another mark on the tote board regardless of whether the car being sold to the buyer is a good fit either functionally or financially.

To this day I have yet to understand why the buying experience is akin to horse trading. Just put a fair retail price on the car and stick to it. If the competing dealer down the road posts a lower price then either lower your price or tell me why I should pay more at your dealership. Some dealers say if you bring in an offer from another dealer they’ll beat it. Have you ever tried to leave a dealership without buying a vehicle let alone their best offer in writing? It will never happen and these dealers know it.

Unless I win the lottery, I’m sticking with pre-dented, pre-scratched, pre-owned cars with a track record that I can check online. Besides, if gas prices keep climbing like they have been, I’ll be pedaling a bicycle with my daughter soon enough.

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