This week Kyle and I begin the arduous task of car shopping. In general, we are not what you would call strong shoppers. By that I mean, we don’t have much shopping endurance. We’re the type of people that make a list, go to the store to get what is on the list and return home. We don’t browse. We don’t window shop. If it’s not on the list, it doesn’t get purchased. I’m kind of surprised we haven’t been kicked out of the American economy at this point.
The last time we went to look for a new car, I just remember it being painful. We kind of knew what type of car we wanted, but not entirely, so we had to visit several dealerships. Salesmen (there didn’t appear to be any saleswomen) often didn’t listen to me or acknowledge me very much, they wanted to talk with Kyle. That didn’t really sit very well with me. I’m hoping this time around our experience will be better. I’ve decided to try and make it a learning “adventure” and see what parallels I can make to selling real estate. We’ll have a variety of sales and negotiating techniques used on us. Maybe I can pick up some new tricks. Or find tactics to avoid. A lot of our “adventure” will depend on the salespeople we interact with, as would be the case with real estate, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed it will turn out for the best.
When I meet with buyer clients for the first time we typically have a discussion about what they need and want in a home. The point of this is to try and focus their search so they don’t spend a lot of time looking at houses they wouldn’t want. Kyle and I have done that with our car list. This weekend we spent some time on the internet figuring out what exactly is available. There are about 4 car makes and 10 car models that are acceptable to us for our needs. That rules out a heck of a lot of cars and dealerships. Phew.
Tomorrow we’ll begin the hunt. I’m hoping we can be done in two weeks. Kyle figures it will take a month. There are so many things to consider; buying or leasing, financing options, pinstripes or racing flames. We’re cautiously optimistic and will share our experiences throughout the journey. Realize that you, fair reader, may directly benefit from this purchase as we toodle around towns looking for your next new home.